Cook: Hughes future is safe

Manchester City executive chairman Garry Cook has stressed manager Mark Hughes is not in danger of getting the sack.

Cook said despite the club's current lowly position just one place above the Barclays Premier League relegation zone there is no reason to panic.

"The building of the future does not happen overnight," he said. "A few results from the last few games have not gone in our favour but what you don't want to do on occasions like that is panic."

City have won just one of their last eight league matches, picking up five points since the end of October.

After the takeover by the Abu Dhabi Investment Group, owned by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a member of the Abu Dhabi royal family, at the start of season expectations skyrocketed at Eastlands.

With the new owners also bankrolling the £32.5million British transfer record signing of Robinho from Real Madrid the spotlight was immediately put on Hughes to deliver.

So far he has not managed to have the impact he would have wanted but Cook said the former Manchester United striker would be given time to implement his plans.

"This is an easy business to track and when you look at results they haven't gone our way," said Cook.

"What we don't want to do is change our direction and change what we are trying to do over the long term based on a couple of results. They (the owners) have been around business a long time and they make big decisions.

"But we don't even get to thinking that way (about getting rid of the manager) and nor should we."