Image Credit: Press Association

Championship strugglers and former European champions Nottingham Forest earned the result of the evening when they humiliated Manchester City 3-0 at Eastlands on a busy FA cup third round Saturday and the loss for the Premier League big spenders has already raised questions about Mark Hughes’ future at the club which to me sounds a bit off the point reaction from some quarters around the City of the Manchester Stadium.

Yes, such a loss to a struggling lower league opponent in front of a shell shocked home crowd does create frustration and anger during difficult times but City won’t be helped if Mark Hughes gets the sack in the next few days or weeks.

The future of Mark Hughes at Eastlands has been under the scanner for sometime now and this very fact has unsettled the former Wales and Blackburn coach. Even though City’s Abu Dhabi-based owners have voiced their support towards Mr.Hughes, the media across the country and the City of Manchester Stadium has not helped in the matter.

Mark Hughes took over the club from a messy situation resulted from the year long ownership of the former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and Sven Goran Eriksson’s departure after a year at helm presented Hughes with a huge job to work upon and I still believe that the former Manchester United player is the right man to take the Eastlanders forward.

Saturday’s loss proved one thing that Hughes needs players who can replace the likes of Robinho, Stephen Ireland and Shaun Wright Phillips and come up with the goods on days when every effort falls apart. The tough City boss reiterated this during his seemingly painful post match conference when he hit the nail on the head as he was quoted as saying,

I’m concerned with the collective showing of the team. Without the shining lights of the season so far, like Robinho, Shaun and Stephen, we looked lacking. We’ve possibly relied too much on those players and allowed them to carry the team and without them we weren’t good enough.

Hughes added,

If we have more than one, two or three players below their best then we struggle to win games. We have shown that throughout the season.

Given the money City have in their disposal, Mark Hughes(forget sacking him)should be provided with all the freedom to sign his best players that would help take the club into the finals stages of development. No one should forget his achievements for Blackburn Rovers. Ewood Park was turned into a fortress and players such as Roque Santa Cruz, David Bentley and Lucas Neill developed under his strict and no nonsense man management skills.

Manchester City’s youngsters would benefit the most under Mark Hughes. If City are to bring in high profile names during January transfer window, they must rely on the former Blackburn boss to bring egoistic and talented players under one umbrella. The arrival of Wayne Bridge is the first great signing of the new transfer window and Bridge’s depth in the left hand side would benefit Eastlands immensely on these trying times. Hughes knows Bridge has his England and Chelsea experience behind him and he is the sort of player who would give a hundred percent on any matchday provided he is fit and that is something that the player and the manager have to work on in the near future.

City are developing and the supporters of the blue half of Manchester should remember that they have a manager who has the pedigree to turn things in the right direction. It is the combination and the replacement players that the club needs to start winning matches and as they say everything shall fall in place.