In short, the prestige of Mark Hughes is taking a severe battering at QPR and, sadly, similar situations are all too common in the modern era of football. Former Leeds United gaffer Howard Wilkinson is famously quoted as saying “there’s only two types of manager – those who’ve been sacked and those who will be sacked in the future.” By and large, this is true – as recently-fired Roberto Di Matteo can attest. Di Matteo, sacked by Chelsea a mere six months after guiding the team to a most unlikely UEFA Champions League and FA Cup double, effectively proves that no-one is safe in their job as manager. This raises a prominent and imperative question – is managing an established football team worth it?
Of course, there are perks to being the boss. Notoriety springs to mind, and the most obvious example of this is Sir Alex Ferguson, whose reign at Manchester United is widely regarded as the most successful in world football history. Ferguson has built an incredible career at Old Trafford and, if his list of honours is not evidence enough, the 50-year veteran was knighted in 1999 for his services to the game.
Accolades such as these are incredibly rare; however this level of success must give Mark Hughes (who witnessed many of Ferguson’s plaudits first-hand) and numerous other aspiring Premier League managers something to work towards. And then there’s the money – something that, incidentally, Fernandes and QPR has an abundance of.
As with most positions in the world of football, managing a team is an incredibly lucrative deal – France Football Magazine reported that José Mourinho received €14.8million for leading Real Madrid in a La Liga winning 2011/2012 season. However, all of this ambition ultimately comes at a price – the risk of finding your career stuck in the same situation as Hughes’, and watching your reputation crumble around you.
Mark Hughes, as a player and a manager, has never been one to back down from hardships. However, as the case of Roberto Di Matteo attests, decision-making in football has never been more out of the manager’s hands. Despite the outcome of QPR’s upcoming games, or whether or not Hughes is sacked by Fernanades, the fact remains that the longer the Welshman remains at the helm of Loftus Road, the more damage his career is receiving.
Alas, the question arises again: is the chance at money, fame and glory worth risking the name that Hughes has spent the last 30 years building? This writer is not so sure.
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