Debate: Hughes sacking – where will City standing?

Manchester City may be struggling to break into the Big Four but there is one table they seem set on topping.

It pains me to say this, but the shambolic treatment of Mark Hughes looks likely to make them Britain’s most disliked club. Yes, even more than Chelsea.

Supporters were split over Hughes’ appointment from the start and remained so until the end of his reign.

Some signings, like those of Shay Given and Craig Bellamy, were inspired and there have been some glorious moments of football.

But since Hughes has failed to bring the best out of the big-money signings City’s new multi-billionaire status gave him to work with – seeming almost reluctant to do so at times – his reign must be viewed with scepticism.

He fielded unbalanced sides and got his tactics wrong on several occasions, constraining the attacking exuberance of Stephen Ireland and dithering over Nigel de Jong’s presence in the team. Senior players have questioned his training methods. His decision to allow Richard Dunne to leave without first bedding in Kolo Toure and Joleon Lescott, while admirable, has proved disastrous.

Yet no-one deserves the kind of treatment meted out to Hughes by City today, never mind last week’s embarrassing approach to Guus Hiddink, whose links with Roman Abramovich were always likely to lead to a knock-back.

The mishandled affair reflects extremely badly on City’s blundering executive chairman Gary Cook, who has already referred to former owner and alleged human rights abuser Thakin Shinawatra as “a great guy to play golf with” and recently welcomed Maine Road idol Uwe Rosler “to the Manchester United Hall Of Fame” at a club function.

Apparently aware before the Sunderland match that he was being replaced by Roberto Mancini, Hughes was still allowed by Cook to take charge in a manner than recalled Tottenham’s shabby farewell to Martin Jol.

He might have wanted the chance to do so, but Cook should have known the inevitable teary-eyed exit would reflect appallingly on the club.

City officials scurried around during the 90 minutes composing a statement discussing Hughes’ removal, then were faced by an angry delegation of players after the final whistle, demanding that the manager should stay.

It remains to be seen whether Mancini, a hero in Italian football but unproved in the Premier League, will bring the success the club demands and the fans deserve.

But City, always one of the friendliest clubs in the league if never the best-run, have lost a lot of friends today. And for that also, they surely out of the this season.