Source: PA
Hughes sets Fulham ten-plate
Mark Hughes has claimed he could make Fulham permanent residents in the Barclays Premier League top 10 as he shrugged off the pressure of succeeding Roy Hodgson as manager.
Hughes was officially unveiled as Hodgson's replacement on Tuesday afternoon and vowed to build on the foundations laid down by the man who left Craven Cottage this summer as arguably the most successful boss in their history.
New Liverpool manager Hodgson led Fulham to their highest ever top-flight finish of seventh place in the Barclays Premier League two years ago and trumped that by masterminding their run to the Europa League final last term.
It appears an impossible act to follow but former Blackburn and Manchester City boss Hughes is confident of maintaining that level of success - and even improving upon it.
"I have the ability to get the best out of any group that I work with," said the 46-year-old, who was appointed last week on a two-year contract. "We want to drive the club forward. We want to make sure that Fulham is a top-10 club on a regular basis, which hasn't been the case in recent times. We don't want the last two years to be standout years in the history of Fulham."
Hughes was full of praise for his predecessor, saying: "He maximised the results out of the group that he had. That's what I've always tried to do."
