Source: Eurosport
Hughes - No 'Fracture' At City
Manchester City boss Mark Hughes claims any perception of a rift between him and his £32.5million forward Robinho has always been wide of the mark.[LNB]Robinho has had an awkward first season in the Premier League, but Hughes insists there is no disharmony.[LNB]"There is a perception out there about myself and Robinho, and that everything is doom and gloom and the dressing room is fractured," the manager acknowledges.[LNB]"The truth is a lot calmer than a lot of people would imagine."[LNB]As for the huge amounts of money already spent on Robinho and evidently available from City's Middle East owners, Hughes believes they need to be seen in the context of cash-rich football rather than the rest of a largely financially troubled world.[LNB]"In the current climate, people will look at those amounts and think it should not happen - but the football business is different to others," he explains.[LNB]"The money is there, and it doesn't look like it is going to go away soon. We are part of that."[LNB]Hughes, City executive chairman Garry Cook and the club's midfielder Stephen Ireland all spoke to BBC Radio Five Live on Wednesday night about the ethos and aspirations at Eastlands.[LNB]Quizzed about the proposed £100million January signing of Brazilian Kaka from AC Milan - which in the end did not happen - Cook reiterated City's stance at the time that the move had been discussed for many months and was part of a sustainable long-term plan.[LNB]And he defended City from suggestions that they are prepared to spend 'obscene' amounts.[LNB]"I don't think it was the amount," he said of the intended Kaka investment.[LNB]"I think it was that Manchester City were putting themselves in that arena - that was the biggest surprise for everybody.[LNB]"We'd put four months of work into it. I think the perception was that it was a whim, and it really wasn't that - nor would we do anything at this club on a whim.[LNB]"It was thought through - there was return on that investment. We felt it was the right move as a team."[LNB]Ireland has no doubt either that City's mega-rich owners will do things the right way.[LNB]"I don't think the the owners are flash like that. They want to build a good empire here," he said.[LNB]"I don't think it is a matter of just buying players in."[LNB]
