Last updated: 2nd December 2008
Hughes: Pleads for patience
Trying to build a club that can sustain success takes time.
Mark Hughes
Quotes of the week
Mark Hughes insists he needs time at the helm of Manchester City if the club are to emulate the success of neighbours Manchester United.
Hughes only replaced Sven Goran Eriksson in the summer, but question marks have already been raised over his long-term future following an up and down season.
Expectations are high at Eastlands, although Hughes' side are currently languishing in the wrong half of the Premier League table having won just five of their 15 league games to date.
Sir Alex Ferguson's tenure at Old Trafford had been called into question before he went on to enjoy unparalleled success after being given time to bring about a change in fortunes.
Hughes believes he is still the man to bring silverware to the City of Manchester Stadium and hopes the club's billionaire owners given him the necessary time to try and emulate his former manager.
"Sir Alex has not only had sustained success, he's also built a football club as well," explained Hughes.
"That is what I'm trying to do here, if I am here long enough to do it.
"Trying to build a club that can sustain success takes time. United have had huge investment for 20-odd years now.
"We've had it for about 10 hours, there's a big difference."
| Time | Fixture |
|---|---|
| Saturday 10th January | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 12:45 | Aston Villa vs West Brom |
| 15:00 | Arsenal vs Bolton |
| 15:00 | Everton vs Hull |
| 15:00 | Fulham vs Blackburn |
| 15:00 | Middlesbrough vs Sunderland |
| 15:00 | Newcastle vs West Ham |
| 15:00 | Portsmouth vs Man City |
| 17:30 | Stoke vs Liverpool |
| Sunday 11th January | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 13:30 | Wigan vs Tottenham |
| 16:00 | Man Utd vs Chelsea |
| Wednesday 14th January | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 20:00 | Man Utd vs Wigan |
| Saturday 17th January | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 15:00 | Blackburn vs Newcastle |
| 15:00 | Bolton vs Man Utd |
| 15:00 | Chelsea vs Stoke |
| 15:00 | Man City vs Wigan |
| 15:00 | Sunderland vs Aston Villa |
| 15:00 | West Brom vs Middlesbrough |
| 17:30 | Hull vs Arsenal |
| Sunday 18th January | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 13:30 | West Ham vs Fulham |
| 16:00 | Tottenham vs Portsmouth |
| Time | Result |
|---|---|
| Tuesday 30th December | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Hull 0 - 1 Aston Villa | |
| Monday 29th December | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Man Utd 1 - 0 Middlesbrough | |
| Sunday 28th December | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Blackburn 2 - 2 Man City | |
| Fulham 2 - 2 Chelsea | |
| West Ham 2 - 1 Stoke | |
| Everton 3 - 0 Sunderland | |
| Arsenal 1 - 0 Portsmouth | |
| West Brom 2 - 0 Tottenham | |
| Bolton 0 - 1 Wigan | |
| Newcastle 1 - 5 Liverpool | |
| Friday 26th December | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Aston Villa 2 - 2 Arsenal | |
| Liverpool 3 - 0 Bolton | |
| Wigan 2 - 1 Newcastle | |
| Middlesbrough 0 - 1 Everton | |
| Man City 5 - 1 Hull | |
| Sunderland 0 - 0 Blackburn | |
| Portsmouth 1 - 4 West Ham | |
| Tottenham 0 - 0 Fulham | |
| Chelsea 2 - 0 West Brom | |
| Stoke 0 - 1 Man Utd | |
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