Mark Hughes has admitted the buck will stop with him if Manchester City falter after their flying start to the season.
Victory at Aston Villa on Monday would complete a remarkable first couple of months for the Blues, who are already enjoying their best start since 1961, with five wins from their opening six games. With some key men poised to return, Hughes knows he will have no-one to blame but himself if things go downhill from here.
"I am going to have lots of options but it is a good problem to have," he said. "It is exciting because people can see what we are capable of. We have good players playing well and good players still to come back. Now it is down to me to make sure I pick the right options for the right opposition."
City have been without a number of key men, including £32.5million record signing Robinho, plus Roque Santa Cruz and Michael Johnson, who made their first appearances of the campaign against West Ham earlier this week.
So, with Martin Petrov catching the eye on his first start and Vincent Kompany only a couple of weeks away from a comeback after a summer toe operation, Hughes suddenly has big choices to make. The Welshman will be hoping to have another significant option at Villa too.
After serving a three-match ban for his woeful attack on Robin van Persie, which he continues to insist was not pre-meditated as his former team-mate claimed, Emmanuel Adebayor is currently free to face Martin O'Neill's men.
However, the Togo star faces an improper conduct charge on Thursday in relation to his controversial goal celebration against his old club at Eastlands earlier this month, which received widespread condemnation, including from Greater Manchester Police.
City will use the evidence of Gary Neville's goal celebration against them the following week - which did not even bring a charge against the Manchester United defender - as evidence to back up Adebayor's claim he did nothing wrong. A suspension is possible though, even if Hughes does not believe it is warranted.
"We hope Manu won't get any more matches," he said. "We don't think he should."
If Adebayor is available it would arguably leave Hughes to select from the strongest pool of forward players in the Premier League.
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NO16BANKOKBULLSHIT
HA HA HA HA THE MIGHTY GORTON FC...........34YRS AND COUNTING !
I WONDER IF YOU CAN GET YOUR MONEY BACK AT THE END OF THE SEASON ON THE NEW SHIRTS YOU'VE ALL BOUGHT ?
FOREVER IN THE SHADOW OF YOUR TROPHY LADEN ILLUSTRIOUS NEIGHBOURS.....MANCHESTER UNITED !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
the vegasturd strikes again,worry ,worry,worry,ABOUT US.you know we are going to win this little old league and there is nothing you can do about it!!!
NO14FULLASHIT
LISTEN YOU FFUKIN HALF WIT KKNOBED
YOUR OBVIOUSLY FROM STOCKPORT SO I WILL SAY THIS SLOWLY.................YOU ARE A SMALL CLUB FROM GORTON WITH NO CLASS AND NO SUCCESS.........YOU LIVE ON THE BBULLSHIT HYPE THAT ALL THE FANS IN YOUR RENTED GROUND ARE FROM MANCHESTER(BUT US REAL MANCS KNOW THAT THEY COME FROM STOCKPORT,CHEADLE,MACCLESFIELD,WILMSLOW AND OTHER CHESHIRE TOWNS)
AGAIN YOU ARE SLAGGING OFF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL BRITISH MANAGER(YOU'VE HAD HOW MANY MANAGERS IN THE PAST 10 YRS,HA HA HA )
THE MASSIVE DEBT THAT THE GLAZERS PUT ON UNITED WAS ONLY ALLOWED BY THE BANKS BECAUSE OF THE GLOBAL WEALTH OF THE CLUB AND THE FACT THAT THE CLUB CAN SERVICE THE DEBT(IF THE ARABS PULL OUT OF GOTON FC YOU,D BE FFUKED,YOU ARE NOT EVEN KNOWN IN EUROPE LET ALONE WORLDWIDE!)
THE REASON WHY WE HAVE SUPPORTERS FROM ALL OVER BRITAIN AND EUROPE AS WELL AS MASSIVE MANCHESTER SUPPORT IS SUCCESS(AS DO CHELSEA,ARSENAL AND LIVERPOOL!)
I WONDER HOW MANY OF YOUR TALENTED YOUTH ACADEMY PLAYERS WILL GET A CHANCE IN THE NEXT 5 YRS ?..................I'LL TELL YOU............ NONE..............JUST LIKE AT CHELSEA !
I AM FROM MANCHESTER AND I HAVE HAD A SEASON TICKET AT UNITED FOR 32YRS,I HAVE BEEN FORTUNATE TO TRAVEL THE WORLD FOLLOWING UNITED INCLUDING 2 EUROPEAN FINALS(WHILE THE MIGHTY GORTON FC WERE GETTING RELEGATED YEAR AFTER YEAR ,WINNING FFUK ALL AND PLAYING TO A HALF EMPTY STADIUM !)
AS I SAID BEFORE YOU ARE STILL A SAD LITTLE CLUB WITH SAD LITTLE FANS WHO STILL HAVE WON FFUK ALL FOR 34YRS YET YOU TALK LIKE YOU'RE REAL MADRID!!!!!!!!!!!
THATS WHY..............YOU WILL ALWAYS BE IN THE MASSIVE SHADOW OF YOUR ILLUSTRIOUS TROPHY LADEN NEIGHBOURS............................MANCHESTER UNITED
VEGArSeMUFFlicker
I know you Londoners cannot read properly(or type properly!), but i said "investing even MORE money" in the youth academy.
They want the best acdemy to be even better.
This is for "sustainable" future success.
We need proven players NOW, not in a few years.
The academy will have to take a back seat for a while, this is understandable.
I noticed you didn't answer any of my other questions!
The reason for this is because you know I am correct.
Bacon face picked Berbatov up from the airport on transfer day, wonder if he will drop him off again soon.
United has seen its best years, and has only one way to go...down!!!
Let's see how many "loyal" prawn eaters stay around when it all goes tits up.
That scaffold looking wreck of a flea pit will seem awfully empty in a few years time.
I suppose City may buy it to store our camel @#$% there.
I don't think the surrounding businesses will mind, as it already smells of @#$% anyway..(at least coming from your mouth) LOL!
Maybe Strangeways will relocate there, as it already feels like a prison from the inside!
NO12FULASSHIT
WHAT EVER HAPPENS CITY FANS WILL STILL BE THERE ?...WHAT SORT OF STATEMENT IS THAT ?
ITS ONLY THIS SEASON IN THE PAST 30YRS YOU'VE NEARLY FILLED YOUR STADIUM,WHERE THE FFUK WERE THEY ALL BEFORE THIS SEASON ?
INVESTING IN THE YOUTH ACADAMY? IF YOU KNOW YOUR CLUB THEN YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT CITY HAVE ALWAYS HAD A GREAT YOUTH SET-UP,THIS TYPE OF INVESTMENT WON'T ENHANCE THE THE CHANCES OF YOUNGSTERS GETTING A CHANCE IT'LL LESSEN IT!
SAD LITTLE CLUB WITH SAD LITTLE FANS WHO ARE STILL YET TO WIN ANYTHING BUT THEY TALK LIKE THEY ARE REAL MADRID!
YOU ARE GORTON FC AND YOU CAN'T BUY HISTORY OR CLASS !...........THATS WHY YOU WILL ALWAYS BE IN THE MASSIVE SHADOW OF YOUR ILLUSTRIOUS TROPHY LADEN NEIGHBOURS....................MANCHESTER UNITED
jgoconnor1
Man-u are owned by Americans, who have promptly put them into 700 million pounds in debt.
Their "project" is about making money.
Ronaldo was sold from beneath Fergies feet, and the money needed to keep Tevez wasn't provided.
Fergie "HAD" to get "sick note" M Owen on a free just to bring in a new player.
Don't beleive the lies coming from Fergie about having money available.
The Glazers were pulling the finanaces due to the recession.
Fergies "brilliant" move for Owen is already going bad. (out for three weeks)
Man-u are now totally reliant on Rooney.
If he gets injured, name one player (from the current squad) who can honestly take his place?..........and please don't say Berbatov!!!
At least Giggs is player superb, but for how long?
I give Man-u fans one thing...loyalty to Fergie.
But for how long?
Losing Ronaldo.
Losing Tevez.
Buying Berbatov.
Signing sick note Owen.
Yeah sounds like a really wise man!
At least Citys "Arab" owners are talking about future success, and investing even more in the youth academy.
It is a project.
It will take time and money.
There WILL be problems on the way.
Players will come and go.
But what ever happens the City fans will still be there!!!
Flyingvic, I apologise, I should have said owned by Asians.
Do you have any of Stephen's silly tablets? After reading a lot from Man City FC Nk it appears that they must be easily got.
The biggest challenge will be fitting Robinho back into the squad. Bellamy totally deserves his spot after some outstanding performances, and his work rate off the ball would be double that of Robinho. Not including Robinho however could have adverse change-room effects - just hope Robinho can be a team player ...
Now owned by the Africans? You shouldn't be smoking that stuff at your age.
It is great to see so many Man City FC NK so happy with their manager. One of the most popular quiz questions in our local is "How many managers have city have in the past 20 years?" It is a good question because the answer changed nearly every year.
It is so sad to have seen the once great City being swallowed up by a corporation. But then as a result of the previous 20 years of poor management, ownership and support City were 50 million in debt.
Now owned by the Africans, the fans can no longer claim to be a "real part of the club". It is now, I believe "Part of A Bigger Project", in the words of Mr Cook!!
A sad end to this once proud club who have had to stoop so low to accept charity.
More to the point even than Neville, perhaps, is what van Persie did in the Man City game - and appears completely to have got away with. Nothing at all has been said or done about his two-footed studs-up challenge on EA that provoked his reaction: EA was rightly punished, vP was wrongly not punished. And nothing has been said either about his goal celebration: he equalised, stood in front of the City fans and gestured aggressively. (The City fans, by the way, chose to behave themselves.) By contrast, what did EA do? He ran back to his own half of the field - he had to, remember?, there was to be a restart after a goal - and SMILED at the Arsenal fans. No rude gestures, no spitting, no snarling, no aggression. Are the FA going to make him the first person in history to be punished for SMILING? If so, they will be the laughing-stock.
Before the season started i posted on this site that Mark Hughes would prove many people wrong as regards his managerial capabilities. He has made some excellent signings who have the desire to win and are'nt at City just for the money, they are already wealthy young men! He has also generated a good team spirit hence the great start. Hughes has yet to play his strongest team because of injuries and suspensions also they are still gelling especially in defence. Watch them go when it all comes together! As a lifelong City fan i can't wait to rattle the cages of the so called big four. This is no false dawn City are well and truly on the way back!!
But I say go ahead and punish gary as well...that's why players who score in front of the away fans run to the corner flag...I'm sure ManU will stay up at night crying about it.
Go ManCity!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hey, Gary jumped up and down, and if you look at the tape he was so dizzy headed and mainly looking the other way that I doubt he even knew he was anywhere near a Mancity fan. Hughes is clutching at straws to help his case with Ade. But the main difference with the two celebrations and what makes the assinal traitors celebration punishable is that Ade was actually playing the game and when he scored against his old team on the side the traveling fans were NOT sitting he decided he had to run All THE WAY to the other side of the pitch to celebrate in front of the traveling fans.
And warning to Hughes, he may be happy to have options galore, but he better give special attention to Tevez cause the guy sulks if he's not getting stroked...
Go ManCity, and watch the champions league on your newly bought couches so you'll have some idea what it will be like when you get there, but make sure you also watch the Europa league cause that's also a possibility. Wouldn't it be funny if the spurs and Mancity both tied for fourth but the spurs won on goal difference...then Mancity will have something to blame their failure at all summer long, three minutes.
I am a City fan and to be honest at the beginning of the season i thought top 4 at a push... However City have been playing promising football that i believe can still be improved, we still look weak at the back, though hopefully this will change over time when Jol and Kolo sort it out. Looking at the 'Big 4' squads such as Chelski, L'pool and Arsenal i believe they will be introuble come the latter stages of the league... city will buy again at Crimbo, hopefully 2 fullbacks... (Bridge and Richards aint good enough) and we'll be defo up there i think 2nd at least... Blue moon!!!!!!!!!!!
Petrov for Prime Minister !
:-)
what a surprise the buck stops with the manager!!!!
but i do think hughes will be ok hes a good manager with an excellent future ahead of him and they have to be considered as serious title challengers but i dont think they'll win it this year.
and no im not a city fan.
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