Mark Hughes Sacked: A Breath of Fresh Air for the Premier League

LONDON, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 17: Mark Hughes, manager of QPR reacts during the Barclays Premier League match between Queens Park Rangers and Southampton at Loftus Road on November 17, 2012 in London, England.

The biggest source of ambition in football has been cruelly sucked out of the Premier League in one swipe of Tony Fernandes’ axe.

While Martin Jol is leading a steady ship at Fulham, across London Mark Hughes had also captained a steady vessel… one known for steady losing. Without a single win this season, QPR have rid themselves of the money hungry Hughes.

Not just the sacking, but the fact that QPR are bottom of the table, is a glimmer of hope for a League that is centered around one thing: £. Or €. Or $. However you write it, it’s the same thing. Money, money, money runs the league.

But not today. Money loses today.

The spending QPR did this past window was no secret. They threw money at anyone and everyone, not just in transfer fees but more significantly in wage bills, grabbing anyone and everyone (and I mean EVERYONE) they thought had a chance at helping the team succeed this year, bloating a wage bill many thing will cause serious problems down the road. Spending in the area of £21 million in fees alone, they bought players such as Esteban Granero, Jose Boswinga, Ji-Sung Park, Andy Johnson, Julio Cesar and Fabio, not just making them akin to a retirement home, but also putting up the ££ number fans were calling for.

Well, now we can see, it’s not all about the ££. Do you really need to spend to succeed? Arsenal has proven you don’t, provided you have a top-class youth development program to go along with it. However, for those clubs that don’t have such a luxury, it is often seen that the more financial resources, the more success. Well, we’ve seen this year, culminating in today’s events that a rectangle is a square but a square is not a rectangle. Sure, success often goes hand-in-hand with financial flexibility, but that doesn’t mean money provides a guarantee for success.

It’s unfortunate the Premier League (for now) is rid of Mr. Ambition, because we can’t make jokes about him anymore. However, it’s nice to see him go, in the sense that a manager taking a job clearly for its access big financial resources has failed, and along with it, the notion that money is the key to Premier League glory.

For the time being, clubs such as Fulham can take solace in the fact that it’s entirely possible to balance a chequebook and finish in the top half all at the same time. But it takes a special kind of manager to do such a thing.

Cheers to you, David Moyes. Cheers to you, Roy Hodgson. And most importantly…

Cheers to you, Martin Jol.