'Bellamy in finest form of his life' Bellamy to start.Byline: SIMON Simon, in the Bible. 1 One of the Maccabees. 2 or Simon Peter: see Peter, Saint. 3 See Simon, Saint. 4 Kinsman of Jesus. 5 Leper of Bethany in whose house a woman anointed Jesus' feet. STONE MANCHESTER City boss Mark Hughes This article is about the Welsh footballer. For other people with the same name, see Mark Hughes (disambiguation). Leslie Mark Hughes OBE (born November 1, 1963 in Ruabon, Wrexham, Wales), nicknamed Sparky believes Craig Bellamy is playing the best football of his career. The Welsh firebrand fire·brand n. 1. A person who stirs up trouble or kindles a revolt. 2. A piece of burning wood. firebrand Noun returns to boyhood idols Liverpool today eager to show Rafael Benitez what he missed out on. Bellamy thought he was in dreamland dream·land n. 1. An ideal or imaginary land. 2. A state of sleep. Noun 1. dreamland - a pleasing country existing only in dreams or imagination dreamworld, never-never land when Benitez lured him to Merseyside from Blackburn. In the end, an ill-fated 12-month stint just became mired in controversy after an infamous clash with John Arne-Riise that earned Bellamy the nickname "Nutter with the Putter" and accusations that his relationship with Benitez was non-existent. Certainly, while his nine goals in 41 appearances earned him a semblance of respect from the Kop, he has done much better at City, where he took his tally to 10 in 23 matches in the recent draw with Burnley. "Every time I have been involved with Craig, he has produced," said Hughes. "From our point of view, that is fantastic because, arguably, he is playing some of the best football he has ever produced. "He knows he has a platform and the players around him that would allow him to be as successful as he knows he can be. "Craig left Blackburn because he wanted to be successful and win trophies. When he left Liverpool maybe he hadn't quite fulfilled the ambition that he had. This is another opportunity and you sense it is one he does not want to let pass him by." Reducing his commitment to Wales seems to be one of the ways Bellamy has found to prolong his career, which he admits may not last beyond a couple of seasons, given the chronic state of his knees. And Hughes has also ensured help is on hand to quell potential flash points. "Craig is a big influence in the dressing room," he reflected. "When people react to what he says too quickly, it can escalate. "When he reacts in an adverse way it is nipped in the bud very quickly. " Although he missed last week's friendly in Abu Dhabi , Bellamy seems certain to be in the starting line-up against Liverpool given Martin Petrov has been ruled out. CAPTION(S): Wales striker Craig Bellamy |
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