Sparky to City, Sven to Mexico: Managerial Merry Go Round Goes Mental

By: Daryl | June 4th, 2008

The managerial merry go round just spun off into bizarro world. Man City sacking Sven after a decent season was weird enough, but now they’ve gone and replaced him with former Blackburn boss Mark Hughes.

Sure, Hughes is one of the brightest young managers in English football, and has worked wonders at Blackburn recently. But he’s also a Man Utd legend.

Seems to be asking a lot of City fans to embrace a man so intricately indelibly associated with their rivals. They remember him more for goals scored against them, like this beauty of a volley he scored in 1989:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsneXI9FYsw

Go to the 2:35 mark to see the scissors.

Perhaps given City’s current lack of quality strikers, the quickest way for Sparky to win over Citizens would be to get his boots back on and bang in some goals himself.

Alternatively, if Hughes spends Thaksin Shinawatra’s untold megamoney as wisely as he spent Blackburn’s more modest budget (you can’t argue with £3.5 million for Roque Santa Cruz) then maybe the Citizens will forgive Hughes’ past as a Red Devil pretty quickly.

Even more bizarre is the destination of the man Hughes has replaced. After being fired by Man City, Sven Goran Eriksson has wasted no time at all and signed up to manage the Mexican national team.

What does Sven know about Mexican football? Probably about the same as me (which isn’t much.) Maybe he could read the blogs at Mexico Offside or Mexico Wolrd Cup Blog to pick up a few tips.

Sven can’t need the money. And I though he craved a successful return to club football. So the only explanation I can think of for Sven taking the Mexico job is that Big Phil Scolari – Sven’s conquerer at World Cup 2002, Euro 2004 and World Cup 2006 – had been linked with the job, and for once in his life Sven wanted the satisfaction of beating Phil.

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Category: English Premier League, World Football

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Carina

I think it is great for Mexico to have a European coach (with no past history in Mexico) but I think he will run into a lot of the same problems that all the prevous coaches have run into... the fact that TELEVISA (major televison corporation in Mexico that has the contract to air the games) CONTROLS the team in a MAJOR way! And those who DONT follow their instructions end up SACKED!!!! So it will be interesting to see how this turns out....
James

Ben you gotta take things one step at a time. Analyze what's really good for the team. 4:1 beatings from Argentina? No thanks, it's not his time.. yet.
Gary

short of SAF croaking tomorrow, i'm willing to bet that CQ will never be the number one at ManYoo.
Ben

albert, i agree with not wanting another south american as coach, but it should have been ramirez. sven will crash and burn, id bet my house on it. y no me digas mamila pendejo. ;)
Jon

Yeah, but the dozen or so other clubs with better resources he could have gone to may not have been able to guarantee what Man City could guarantee him: the high liklihood of a large buy-out next summer when the psychotic owner has another meltdown.
Jack

Jon, Hughes didn't just go to City for the raise. He also went there because of the resources. And probably the fact that he's done about as much as he can with Blackburn that can possibly be done.
Albert

He'll be sippin margaritas in Acapulco.
Jon

I didn't expect Hughes to take the Man City job. Basically, because I never thought he was the kind of guy that would take a job solely for the money and a large contract buy-out. But apparently he is. Sad.

The conversation at the Hughes household last night from him to his wife must have gone something like this:

"Listen, honey, here's the deal. I'm going to suck it up for a year in a crap situation because my salary will be double what it was last year and there's at least a 50% chance I'll get fired next summer anyway because our owner is a complete nutjob, so I'll also get a massive buy-out, then we can use the money to take a year off, I'll take you on vacation to Menorca, and then after relaxing and spending a pile of cash on new shoes and vodka tonics, I'll find a real job again like the one I had in Blackburn. It'll be fun."
Blue Devil Brad

Well, as we said, Setanta and the rest will probably have a field day with Sven sippin margaritas on a beach in Tijuana, but nothing will shut up the masses than a little success on the pitch. And he's got the talent on the roster to do it, and the fresh outlook to break through the wall. It'd obviously be difficult, but I don't think top four in 2010 is out of the question. And I feel like that's really the time when we'll be able to assess this move and how it worked out.
Albert

How so brad?
Blue Devil Brad

I feel like Sven's going to be the but of a lot of jokes... until Mexico lands in the Semifinals of the next World Cup.
James

Guys take it easy on Albert. I think you took it too literally. Sven is the first coach that hasn't even been to a FMF League match. Bora and Lavolpe have a history in Mexico, unlike Sven.

I don't think the Mexican NT job is so prestigious (I am Mexican). It's extremely over hyped. I do like Diversity.. but.. c'mon! Willie Nelson?! Mexico won't hear the end of it, on Setanta~ :'(
Albert

True, but he was in Mexico for a long time, I guess married a Mexican and is even naturalized.
bluemeanies

Bora Miltuvic was from where again? Mars? Because if I recall correctly he was a European Mexico coach.
Albert

Laurie, it seems to me that Mexico has been runing crazy trying to get a top rated coach, not an Argie, or South American, but a European coach. Solari, Mourinho, Sven were all names, even lippi, were some of the names that the FMF were going after. That is a first.

Good to see there is no settling for a Lavolpe(wacko), or pekerman.

it should be interesting.

I have heard comments from Brits, that we should expect a slow defensive, no flair type of game now.
Ian Rose

In all seriousness, it's a great job. Mexico is a very good team that's been underperforming ... pretty much what every coach wants.
Laurie

Albert, that wasn't meant as a cut to Mexico. Mexico is a great gig, and there are a number of European coaches I can see jumping easily into the job. (The Special One comes to mind, actually.) But...Sven?!?
Albert

No seas mamila Ben, you to Laurie.

First in that Mexico has a European coach, who is coming into Mexico clean from any negative Mexican mindset or who is caught up in all the media issues, directive loudmouths, etc.

Sven is happy to be in Mexico, he has some great players to work with. He spoke a bit of Spanish at the press conference as well.
Ian Rose

Sven got a raw deal at City and I'm glad to see him in a new job. That severance package should translate nicely into pesos. I cannot WAIT for I'm on Setanta Sports now. Lots of scenes of Sven on the beach drinking margaritas saying "Well ..."
Laurie

Sven to Mexico. This is just wrong on so many levels. But wrong in a lovely and exciting way that provides brilliant opportunities for satire. (I mean, look at that last photo. Does that just scream, "WTF have I just done with my life" or what?

Come on, Setanta Sports, sombreros and La Cucaracha!!
Tommy Wong

Rob - I think he'd be waiting a long time for that OT job. He'd have to wait for CQ to stepdown/get fired/retire etc most likely.
Ben

albert, a first for mexico to have a foreign coach? are you kidding me? ever heard of ricardo lavolpe? you know...the coach before hugo sanchez? the one they had for the 06 world cup? or did you just "get into" mexico last week?
Albert

Im glad for this signing as a Mexico fan. This is a first for the Mexican NT, to have a foreign coach and I think he can do a good job.
Rob

The Sparky thing is odd. I was pretty sure he was turning down the Chelsea job so he could wait for Old Trafford. Perhaps they have someone else in mind and gave him advance warning.