Hughes looking for famous five: Sport: Manchester City 0, Nots Forest 3

Under–fire Mark Hughes estimates it will take the arrival of five more players this month to ensure Manchester City remain competitive in the Premier League.

Hughes has wasted little time in stamping City’s intentions on the transfer market by signing Wayne Bridge from Chelsea for a fee believed to be around £10million.

Before the match the England defender waved to the City faithful, clearly delighted at his career choice. A couple of hours later he could be forgiven having second thoughts following a shambolic 3–0 FA Cup defeat to Nottingham Forest which condemned the Blues to a second domestic cup exit against lower league opposition this season, following a similarly embarrassing loss to Brighton in September.

Nathan Tyson, Robert Earnshaw and Joe Garner did the damage for Forest, who fully merited their success.

Hughes can only hope the unequivocal backing he has so far received from City’s new Abu Dhabi–based owners remains intact.

“We need more players,” he said. “We have brought Wayne Bridge to the club but maybe we need five more to complement the ones we have.”

The problem for Hughes is that an increasing number of City supporters have given their own verdict. They are less prepared to tolerate teething troubles and as the disgruntled masses headed for the exits there were plenty of home voices echoing the gleeful cries of Forest fans that Hughes will be getting “sacked in the morning”.

With Shaun Wright–Phillips sidelined for a month with a hamstring injury and the fitness of Stephen Ireland and Robinho still causing concern, City might be lacking their creative element for a while.

Hughes should have the trio back for the resumption of City’s UEFA Cup campaign in February, which now represents the only chance of silverware this season.

Hughes needs to make sure that trophy quest does not end as abjectly as this one did and without the kind of gross errors Pablo Zabaleta and, most inexplicably, Dietmar Hamann made to give Forest their deserved success.