Wed 3rd Dec - The City of Manchester Stadium
By Chris Burton Last updated: 14th August 2008
Hughes: Difficult week
Mark Hughes has once again reiterated the fact that he, and he alone, is in charge at Manchester City.
The recently-arrived coach has faced a chaotic few weeks in the Eastlands hot-seat, with the club rarely out of the headlines.
Rumours persist that Vedran Corluka and Stephen Ireland remain transfer targets for Tottenham and Sunderland respectively, while there are growing concerns regarding club owner Thaksin Shinawatra's financial situation.
In a bid to resolve the issues which are threatening to undermine City's preparations for the start of the new season, Hughes called his squad together for clear-the-air talks earlier in the week.
"I had a meeting with the players the other day. We need to make the group aware that I'm in charge and will make the decisions that affect the players," he said.
"If players leave, that decision will be mine and mine solely. Everybody now understands that's the situation.
"In certain situations, if there are a number of people involved, the message can sometimes get misinterpreted and the right message does not always get through to the right people.
"It's been a difficult week in many respects, but it's happened very early in my tenure and from this point onwards we can move on and work much better."
Hughes went on to dismiss any suggestion that Corluka and Ireland will be allowed to leave the club in the near future.
"They very much have a future here," he added.
"There has been a lot of speculation, but I have made my views very clear to everybody that those two players won't be leaving.
"I'm clear that we are going in the right direction.
"It's a big club, that's why I came here. I want to be tested and shown to be able to understand what goes on at a big club and move it forward."
Prem W/out Top 4 2008/09 Win Outright: Man City 7/2| Time | Fixture |
|---|---|
| Wednesday 3rd December | |
| UEFA Cup | |
| 19:45 | Man City vs PSG |
| Saturday 6th December | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 12:45 | Fulham vs Man City |
| Saturday 13th December | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 15:00 | Man City vs Everton |
| Sunday 21st December | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 13:30 | West Brom vs Man City |
| Friday 26th December | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 15:00 | Man City vs Hull |
| Sunday 28th December | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 14:00 | Blackburn vs Man City |
| Saturday 10th January | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 15:00 | Portsmouth vs Man City |
| Saturday 17th January | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 15:00 | Man City vs Wigan |
| Wednesday 28th January | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 19:45 | Man City vs Newcastle |
| Saturday 31st January | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 15:00 | Stoke vs Man City |
| Saturday 7th February | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 15:00 | Man City vs Middlesbrough |
| Saturday 21st February | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 15:00 | Liverpool vs Man City |
| Saturday 28th February | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 15:00 | West Ham vs Man City |
| Wednesday 4th March | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 19:45 | Man City vs Aston Villa |
| Time | Result |
|---|---|
| Sunday 30th November | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Man City 0 - 1 Man Utd | |
| Thursday 27th November | |
| UEFA Cup | |
| Schalke 04 0 - 2 Man City | |
| Saturday 22nd November | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Man City 3 - 0 Arsenal | |
| Sunday 16th November | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Hull 2 - 2 Man City | |
| Sunday 9th November | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Man City 1 - 2 Tottenham | |
| Thursday 6th November | |
| UEFA Cup | |
| Man City 3 - 2 FC Twente | |
| Sunday 2nd November | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Bolton 2 - 0 Man City | |
| Wednesday 29th October | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Middlesbrough 2 - 0 Man City | |
| Sunday 26th October | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Man City 3 - 0 Stoke | |
| Monday 20th October | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Newcastle 2 - 2 Man City | |
| Sunday 5th October | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Man City 2 - 3 Liverpool | |
| Thursday 2nd October | |
| UEFA Cup | |
| Man City 2 - 1 Omonia Nicosia | |
| Sunday 28th September | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Wigan 2 - 1 Man City | |
| Wednesday 24th September | |
| Carling Cup | |
| Brighton 2 - 2 Man City | |
| Sunday 21st September | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Man City 6 - 0 Portsmouth | |
| Thursday 18th September | |
| UEFA Cup | |
| Omonia Nicosia 1 - 2 Man City | |
| Saturday 13th September | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Man City 1 - 3 Chelsea | |
| Sunday 31st August | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Sunderland 0 - 3 Man City | |
| Thursday 28th August | |
| UEFA Cup Qualifying | |
| FC Midtjylland 0 - 1 Man City | |
| Sunday 24th August | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Man City 3 - 0 West Ham | |
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | West Ham United | 15 | 18 |
| 14 | Stoke City | 15 | 18 |
| 15 | Manchester City | 15 | 17 |
| 16 | Tottenham Hotspur | 15 | 15 |
| 17 | Newcastle United | 15 | 15 |
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