The Right to Respect

According to reports, Blackburn Rovers manager Mark Hughes was asked a question by Cesc Fabregas at the end of the 0-0 draw at the Emirates Stadium which he regarded as disrespectful. Apparently, the Arsenal midfielder wanted confirmation that Hughes had played for Barcelona and when he got it, he is alleged to have pointed out that Blackburn’s performance against Arsenal bore no resemblance to Barcelona football.

This account of what happened has been attributed to Hughes and if it is accurate, it is difficult to see what exactly is disrespectful about Fabregas’ behaviour. He was given information and drew the obvious conclusion from it – what Blackburn did against Arsenal could not possibly be bracketed with the quality of football traditionally associated with Barcelona, though no-one (Fabregas included) would deny that Hughes’ team defended resolutely (if not always fairly) throughout the game.

Of course, there remains the possibility that it was the tone of Fabregas’ remarks which was offensive, but presumably if that was the case, the Blackburn boss would have drawn attention to it in order to strengthen his case. Yet all we know is that Hughes reacted angrily and said: “I thought he should have shown more respect to someone who has played in more F.A. Cup finals than he has.”

There is no doubt whatsoever that Hughes played in more F.A. Cup finals than Fabregas though it is difficult to see quite what the point of such a comparison is, since Hughes’ four appearances relate to an entire career and at only 19 years of age, Fabregas has already managed one. And there is equally no doubt that Cesc Fabregas would respect Hughes’ record as a fiercely competitive striker at the highest level in a career – albeit one whose lowest point was arguably the time he spent in Spain. However, many good judges would argue that on a technical level, Arsenal’s young midfield genius has already done enough to indicate that he will be a much better player than Hughes and, more importantly, he is absolutely determined to be the best he can be.

There remains the powerful argument that, given Blackburn’s relatively modest resources, Fabregas could hardly expect Hughes to fashion a side which would bear comparison to one of the great clubs of European football and to a large extent this is true – but it is worth remembering that on the same weekend that Blackburn dragged out a dogged draw against Arsenal (courtesy of a referee who declined to award a stonewall penalty), Steve Coppell’s Reading (whose resources are also modest) sparkled in a fascinating draw against Premiership leaders Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Fabregas apparently sought out Hughes and apologised afterwards – an act which displayed courage, courtesy, concern for the good name of Arsenal Football Club and, yes, due respect for the Blackburn manager. We can only hope that the gesture was appreciated and received graciously.