Source: Telegraph
Manchester City too late to sign Roque Santa Cruz says Sam Allardyce
Having failed to persuade Rovers to part with the Paraguay striker so far, Hughes on Thursday went back to his old club with an improved take it-or-leave it ultimatum. [LNB]But his efforts appear to have ended in failure after Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce insisted that Santa Cruz was staying at Ewood Park, simply because he does not have time to find a replacement. [LNB]The departure of Matt Derbyshire to Olympiakos on loan for the rest of the season has also left Allardyce a striker short although Blackburn are hoping to confirm the arrival of Pavel Pogrebnyak, the Zenit St Petersburg forward, before Monday's 5pm deadline. [LNB]Despite signing Craig Bellamy from West Ham for about £14 million, Hughes remains in the market for another goalscorer to bring the best out of Robinho, Steven Ireland and Shaun Wright-Phillips. [LNB]Yet Allardyce is convinced that Santa Cruz, who scored 23 times under Hughes at Blackburn last season, will not be reunited with his former manager at Eastlands. [LNB]"There is not the opportunity now to get the quality of striker we need to allow us to even consider letting Roque Santa Cruz move to Manchester City," Allardyce said. "So for me, he stays."[LNB]Hughes believes Bellamy can build on his goalscoring debut against Newcastle on Wednesday and become a firm fans' favourite after claiming that the he has improved both as a player and a person. [LNB]Bellamy's career has been littered with off-field incidents, but Hughes believes he has matured. [LNB]"With age comes experience and maturity," Hughes added. "That's evident in how he conducts himself now. The ambition is still there but so is the maturity now."[LNB]Hughes said that Bellamy was already making his presence felt in the dressing room. [LNB]"He's demanding of himself, you see what a driven guy he is. He wants to be the best he can be. He has always been the same," Hughes said. "That desire to be the best you can be can at times be a frustration for him because if he feels players aren't working hard or not done the right work then he will tell people. [LNB]"He's demanding of everyone. He doesn't suffer fools. We can't all be the same. We've got a dressing room of 30-odd professionals and you're not all going to be the same. You all have different characteristics." [LNB]Farewell then Kia Joorabchian[LNB]Good news for Manchester City fans. [LNB]So keen are the club's Abu Dhabi owners to make a break with the past, and impose their commercial modus operandi, that Kia Joorabchian's days at Eastlands are understood to be numbered. [LNB]The controversial businessman, who has also been involved at West Ham United (and didn't that work out well?), has been around City since the unpleasant Thaksin Shinawatra ruled Eastlands but the association will now be ended. [LNB]By Henry Winter[LNB]
