Mark Hughes vows to make Manchester City a European force
Published 11:40 05/06/08 By By Mirror.co.uk
Mark Hughes insists he can cope with the pressure of working for demanding Manchester City chairman Thaksin Shinawatra - and set his sights on Europe.
City's owner sacked Sven Goran Eriksson after a single season in charge at Eastlands, despite the former England boss managing City to their highest ever Premier League finish, a European spot and a double over local rivals Manchester United.
But Hughes said he had no hesitation about leaving Blackburn Rovers for the Eastlands ejector seat and is confident he can bring the kind of success Shinawatra is demanding.
He said: "There is always pressure, every Premier League manager is under pressure. It's a results-driven business and you are judged on results and the key decisions you take.
"It doesn't faze me - it's something you have to work with and you have to thrive on it.
"I'll back my ability against most managers in the Premier League and I have already intimated that I think my management team is one of the best in the Premier League, and I think we can make an impact here. If I didn't think that I wouldn't have come here.
"My ambition is to take the club forward. I've been at a club that has had three top 10 finishes and three cup semi-finals and I want to move on from that and start winnning trophies.
"The ambition of the club is to challenge at the top table - not only in this country but in Europe. "If we can get the right players in the right positions, it's more than realistic."
