Manchester City #1: Blue moon is rising!

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Hughes sets high Man City targets

Manchester City's new manager Mark Hughes has targeted making the club a major force in the Premier League and across Europe. Hughes was unveiled as City boss on Thursday after leaving Blackburn to become Sven-Goran Eriksson's successor. "The ambition of the club is to challenge at the top table - not only in this country but in Europe," said ex-Manchester United striker Hughes. "If we get the right players in right positions it is more than realistic."

Hughes said he left Blackburn in an attempt to achieve his ambitions of being at a club capable of challenging in the higher echelons, and he denied City were a route to a higher profile job for him. "If I'm successful here I don't need any stepping stones," said the 44-year-old. He is expected to bring some of his backroom team with him from Ewood Park and said he believed they can turn City into a force in England and Europe.

"I had a fantastic time at Blackburn," said Hughes. "It was difficult on occasions with the amount of finance available. There was a limit to how far I could take the club and it's a case now that I'm at club that can match my ambitions."

Hughes had been linked with taking over as Chelsea boss but insists that was never an option after talks began with City. "Once Manchester City made their intentions known I was very focused on getting the opportunity to come to the club," he said. "From the time their intention was shown, I had the opportunity to speak to Garry (Cook, executive chairman) and members of the board. And it's been very quick and very clear to me that there is a huge project here that I want to be part of, so it was an easy decision (to leave Blackburn)."

Hughes has briefly spoken to club owner Thaksin Shinawatra and added: "He wished me well. I had a brief conversation with him and he's very excited by his ambition for the club." It was feared there would be an exodus of players from City following the exit of Eriksson and that is a situation Hughes said he would be addressing. The former Wales boss warned his new players that he would be expecting them to show the necessary passion and drive to be a part of his plans.

"I'll back my ability against most managers in the Premier League and I think my management team is one of the best in the Premier League, and I think we can make an impact here," he said. "If I didn't think that I wouldn't have come here. I'm very demanding (with players) on a day-to-day basis and I expect a certain level to be attained. I'm consistent with players, they know exactly how far they can go. Once they understand my philosophy, if they embrace that they will thrive."

Hughes straight-batted any questions about the club's interest in signing Barcelona playmaker Ronaldinho and his Brazilian countryman Jo, who is a striker at CSKA Moscow. But Shinawatra told the Daily Mail: "Ronaldinho - you know, he is a great player. Whatever the club in your heart, you would want to see this player in England, wouldn't you? It is not a risk. Sponsors will contribute. It will not damage our wage structure. Garry and Pairoj, my chief advisor, they are taking care of this transfer. I am very excited. I am 59 next birthday, so I am not a man who can wait for many years to see my dreams come true."

He added: "I am hearing good things about his hunger. I have spoken to his brother (and agent). Ronaldinho wants the new challenge, the chance to play his best football again, to return to the days when he was really, really famous. The magic is still in his boots. Let us hope we can bring him."

Executive chairman, Cook, also said the arrival of Jo was close. He said: "We have had a conversation with Mark Hughes about this because we wanted to see what he felt but it would be fair to say we expect to see Jo at Manchester City."

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Jô breekt transferrecord Man City
Geschreven op woensdag, 2 juli om 18:36

Manchester City heeft Jô definitief binnen. Enkele uren nadat de Braziliaanse spits afscheid nam van zijn werkgever CSKA Moskou bevestigde City zojuist de komst van de 21-jarige aanvaller. Jô zal morgen zijn handtekening zetten onder een vierjarig contract. De Zuid-Amerikaan stond al wekenlang in de belangstelling van Manchester City, maar omdat Jô gedeeltelijk eigendom is van een grote investeringsmaatschappij was het lastig om de transfer te kunnen realiseren. Nu zijn alle plooien toch recht gestreken. Manchester City heeft voor morgenavond een persconferentie belegd. De spits zal dan worden voorgesteld aan de pers.

De Engelse middenmoter wilde niet aangeven hoeveel het precies heeft betaald voor Jô; wel maakt City bekend dat de aanvaller de duurste aankoop uit de geschiedenis van de club is. Naar verluidt maken The Citizens 24 miljoen euro over voor de spits die in 77 competitiewedstrijden 44 doelpunten maakte voor CSKA Moskou.

Jô is de eerste aankoop van de kersverse oefenmeester Mark Hughes. De coach reageerde in zijn nopjes op de transfer. "Hij is een groot talent en heeft een mooie toekomst voor zich liggen", aldus Hughes op de website van City. "Het is een grote jongen en ik denk dat iedereen van hem zal gaan genieten."

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Op woensdag 2 juli 2008 19:10 schreef Gordon_Shumway het volgende:
Is ie zo goed dan, die Jo?

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Op woensdag 2 juli 2008 21:04 schreef toma het volgende:
Is dat die knakker die zn haar blauw verft samen met Wagner Love?

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Op woensdag 2 juli 2008 21:04 schreef toma het volgende:
Is dat die knakker die zn haar blauw verft samen met Wagner Love?

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Op woensdag 2 juli 2008 21:13 schreef Blight het volgende:
Dat is de voorzitter, tong. Stinkend rijke Thai.

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Op woensdag 2 juli 2008 22:53 schreef MaxPower het volgende:

[..]

Ik ben anders niet zo blij met de wispelturigheid van Thaksin. Ik snap het ontslag van Sven nog steeds niet. Na 30 jaar zonder prijs kan je niet gelijk in het eerste jaar iets verwachten..

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Manchester City will be unable to call upon the services of new £19million signing Jo in the opening weeks of the new season after he was named in Brazil's squad for the Olympic Games.

The 21-year-old striker joined City last week from CSKA Moscow, but is now likely to miss the first three games of the new Premier League season - against Aston Villa, West ham United and Sunderland. Jo, who found the net 44 times in 77 games for the Russian side, has been joined in the 18-man squad by fellow English-based players Anderson of Manchester United and Liverpool's Lucas Leiva.