The Sparky that Lights the Fire?

I am wondering the extent to which Michael Jackson was responsible for Mark Hughes’ appointment as the new Queens Park Rangers manager.

If this sounds a little strange, let me explain.

In April 2011, Fulham’s owner Mohamed Al Fayed unveiled a statue of the deceased pop icon outside the club’s home ground, Craven Cottage. Jackson and Al Fayed were friends, apparently, and Jackson, obviously, was a ‘keen’ football ‘fan’, having attended a game in West London back in 1999.

Not surprisingly, the decision and implementation, caused a bit of controversy, with fans questioning both the motives and the relevance of the gesture, when a tribute to a ‘former great’ or ‘club legend’ would probably have been more appropriate.

Then Fulham’s manager, Mark Hughes was understandably circumspect in his opinions, while seeming to support his paymaster.

“In fairness to the chairman, he’s fully supported this club for a long time now, put in something like £200m. And if he wants to make that gesture to somebody who he knew personally then who am I to pass comment on it?”

A rhetorical question perhaps, but a suggested answer could read “the man who is managing a football club that some people have labelled a ‘laughing stock’ and whose owner may not be entirely in touch with the aspirations of its fans or the state of the game in general.”

Two months later, Hughes resigned from Fulham saying, “I hope the supporters and all those connected to the club will understand that as a young, ambitious manager I wish to move on to further my experiences.”

The implications are obvious. In Hughes’ opinion, Fulham did not match his ambitions, and after 12 months in the job he flew the coop, with many suggesting that he already had the Aston Villa job line up.

This was not the case, and Hughes spent 7 months in the managerial wilderness, frequently appearing on television as a pundit, as is the wont of unemployed, but articulate, former gaffers.

It led to a very entertaining media spat between Hughes and Al Fayed, with the Fulham owner labelling Hughes a “flop” and saying in an open letter, “What a strange man Mark Hughes is. Sacked by Manchester City, he was becoming a forgotten man when I rescued him to become manager of Fulham Football Club.”

Subsequently, Al Fayed couldn’t resist a further dig when he said “In every aspect of its work, Fulham is a progressive club with a top manager in Martin Jol, the man we had really wanted when Hughes was appointed.” Ouch.

Anyway, all that is history, with Fulham ensconced in 14th place in the current Barclays Premier League table (a far cry from their 8th placed finish last season under Hughes) and Sparky, as Hughes was known throughout his playing career, having been appointed as the new Queens Park Rangers manager.

QPR, Hughes feels, despite being only one point and one place off the relegation zone heading into the weekend fixtures, does match his ambitions, and the former Wales, Blackburn Rovers and Manchester City manager has been keen to point out that he is in it for the long haul.

Sacking Neil Warnock was, according to QPR’s owner Tony Fernandes, a hard call to make.

“Trust me,” he said, “in my 47 years of life I have never had to make such a tough decision.”

That’s quite a statement from a man who runs an airline and a Formula One team.

The fact is that QPR were struggling under Warnock, who many pundits have suggested is a decent enough manager, but who finds football’s top flight a step to far, and whose constant overreaching doesn’t produce the necessary results.

Fernandes felt that he had to make the decision now, in light of the January transfer window being open, and the obvious need to strengthen the squad. Hughes will have a couple of weeks to help negotiate a deal or several, and then the remainder of the season to ensure the club’s Premiership survival.

One only has to look at Martin O’Neill and Sunderland for an insight into the ‘new manager syndrome’.

Sunderland were languishing when Steve Bruce was at the helm, and O’Neill has produced a remarkable turnaround – with the same players, and much the same formation.

Any corporate leader worth his or her salt will tell you the importance of man management and motivation, and that’s exactly what Sunderland got and QPR now need.

Whether Hughes is the right man for the job remains to be seen, but Fernandes will put his money where Mark’s mouth is, while hoping for (and expecting) the best. The challenges are obvious, as too is the ambition, and I think it’s unlikely we’ll be seeing the statue of a former pop star unveiled outside Loftus Road anytime soon.

Catch Andrew Leci on Monday Night Verdict every Monday at 8pm on ESPN and send in your feedback to [email protected]