Mark Hughes on the brink of exit from Manchester City - 7M sport

Mark Hughes on the brink of exit from Manchester City



Posted Saturday, December 19, 2009 by theguardian.com

  • Manchester City have won only one league game in 10
  • Carlos Tevez calls for manager to be given more time

Mark Hughes on the brink of exit from Manchester City
Mark Hughes has seen his side win just one of their last 10 league games.

Mark Hughes's grip on the manager's job at Manchester City appeared increasingly weak last night amid reports that the club are working to line up a replacement and that the Welshman could be sacked even if City win at home to Sunderland today.

Hughes's position has come under increased scrutiny after Wednesday's 3-0 defeat at Tottenham. The performance and the fact that City have won only once in 10 Premier League matches have heightened the prospect of Hughes losing the job he took in June 2008.

It had been expected Hughes would be granted at least three games – against Sunderland, Stoke City and Wolverhampton Wanderers – to show he remains the man to lead City into the grand era envisaged by their wealthy owners. But there are widespread suggestions that he could be forced out, possibly this weekend, regardless of the outcome against Sunderland. City's owner, Sheikh Mansour, is said to regard a top-four finish as well within the club's grasp in a season when Liverpool look vulnerable. He allowed Hughes to spend lavishly last summer and the manager wants funds to strengthen his defence next month.

Candidates to take over at Eastlands would include José Mourinho, the Internazionale and former Chelsea manager; the out-of-work former Germany coach Jürgen Klinsmann; Roberto Mancini, who has been without a job since leaving Inter; and Guus Hiddink.

Yesterday the City forward Carlos Tevez, a summer signing after leaving Manchester United, called for Hughes to be granted more time. "The reason I joined was because I believe in his vision," he was quoted by the Telegraph. "I believe in what he had to say. I support him 100% because I believe that we have made great progress towards reaching our goal.

"Clubs like Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and even Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa have spent years building and not all of those clubs have appeared in the Champions League.

"But every one of those clubs thinks that it is progressing and moving in the right direction. It is the same at Manchester City. It was not too many years ago that Manchester City were nearer to the bottom of the table and so we have made tremendous leaps because today we are no longer thinking about anything other than success and rightly so.

"This is the mentality and desire that correctly exists in the team. We all have the mentality to have tremendous success and this is something that Mark has drilled into us. We need to drive on but we need to be a bit patient. You cannot achieve success overnight."

Sunderland's manager, and Hughes's former Manchester United teammate Steve Bruce, also called for City's owners to give their manager more time.

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