Hughes is a “stronger leader” than Sven

City owner praises new man

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CITY SLICKER: New Manchester City manager Mark Hughes.

CONFIDENT: City owner Thaksin Shinawatra.

MANCHESTER City owner Thaksin Shinawatra is confident Mark Hughes will be a “stronger leader” than Sven-Goran Eriksson.

Thaksin explained why last season’s ninth place in the Premier League was not satisfactory under Eriksson – and how he expects Hughes to improve the club’s fortunes.

“Mark Hughes is an excellent appointment.

“The players need to be motivated, instead of playing like people who are not being paid any money!” said Thaksin, who has also suggested Brazil and Barcelona forward Ronaldinho as a possible new signing.

“We need a culture of discipline at our club,” he added.

“I want strong leadership from the manager, motivation for young men – and I want players who can cope with that.

“We will pay the best for the best and to the best. That is my strategy, which is why I want a player like Ronaldinho. We need to breed success.”

As for former England coach Eriksson – this week named as the new man in charge of Mexico – Thaksin said that he could not accept City’s loss of form towards the end of the season.

“The team stopped playing! They stopped working! I could not take this,” he said.

“I understand you cannot win every game. I can accept the unpredictable, but not such a fall. We had to make a change.

“I want you to know that Sven is a good man ... but I want this club to advance faster, much faster.

“Sven is a good football general, but we need more. We must play with more consistency, more urgency.

“In the second half of the season, the slide was too bad, too much. We lost 8-1 at Middlesbrough! The shame of that.”

New executive chairman Garry Cook said: “The club intends to invest in new players as well as securing the long-term services of key members of the current first-team squad.”

Hughes is expected to be followed by his assistants Mark Bowen and Eddie Niedzwiecki with compensation already settled.

There is some turmoil in the City dressing room with captain Richard Dunne unsettled and dismayed at the way contract talks unfolded as it became clear Eriksson was about to be shown the door.

Micah Richards, Michael Johnson and Stephen Ireland are among the younger generation who will need to be convinced by Hughes that City are a progressive club.