Hughes - Rovers ran its course

02 May 2009 12:05
Manchester City manager Mark Hughes has revealed that he would have left Blackburn last summer, even if City had not come in for him.[LNB] Hughes joined the Eastlands outfit last June following a successful four-year spell with Rovers.[LNB]The Welshman's eventual departure from Ewood Park was carried out amicably, but reflecting on his prospects at the time, he concedes that the job had ultimately run its course.[LNB]"I would have been looking to go anyway even if this job had not come up," Hughes told The Sun. [LNB]"I really enjoyed my time at Blackburn. It's a fantastic club with great people. But there was a limit to how far they could go. [LNB]"I looked at it and thought it would be difficult to strengthen and keep on progressing, so I knew this season was probably the right time to leave."[LNB]Emotional bondSince Hughes' departure, Blackburn have struggled to perform in the Premier League, plummeting as low as 19th under Paul Ince, before a moderate revival with Sam Allardyce.[LNB]Indeed, Hughes may have harboured doubts over the long-term future of the Lancashire club, but he admits he did not expect them to be flirting with relegation so soon after he left.[LNB]"In fairness, I thought they would be fine this year," he added.[LNB]"However, the likes of Brad Friedel were coming out of contract and getting a year older and Roque Santa Cruz would have the option to leave this summer.[LNB]"I left them in good shape and an established top-10 club. It's a shame they've had an indifferent season. [LNB]"Hopefully they have got over the worst and will be safe. Then they can grow again next year. [LNB]"Have I been worried about them? Yes, because I spent four years there and when you spend that amount of time there's always that emotional bond."[LNB]City goalIn the meantime, Hughes has struggled to get his new club to ignite on the pitch, with much of the season spent alongside Blackburn in the bottom half of the table.[LNB]But, having managed to climb as high as ninth place, City now have a realistic chance of beating Tottenham, West Ham and Fulham to the final Europa League spot come the end of the season. [LNB]"Seventh place is something we've talked about for some time and that's our focus now," Hughes confirmed.[LNB]"The Tottenham game figures highly on our agenda. That will be key in regards to qualification." [LNB]

Source: SKY_Sports