Manchester City 1 Hull City 1: Hughes is safe for now but this is no joke, City

30 November 2009 00:14
One day Manchester City might be able to look back and laugh at themselves as well.[LNB]Smile about the days when they couldn't buy a win against the likes of Birmingham, Burnley and Hull, no matter how many millions they had spent on new players.[LNB]But even for a club known for its self-deprecating humour, this is no laughing matter.[LNB]As Phil Brown and his men chuckled their way back to Hull after staging what will go down as the goal celebration of the season, Mark Hughes was left to wrestle with a growing crisis.[LNB]Seven straight draws have killed off City's early-season momentum and left Hughes looking vulnerable again.[LNB] No laughing matter: Adebayor pleads with Zayatte after the pair collide[LNB]Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak was at Eastlands to witness the latest setback, and, while his manager is under no immediate threat, City need to show signs of improvement in Wednesday's Carling Cup quarter-final against Arsenal and the visit of Chelsea at the weekend.[LNB]Playing at home where they were once again booed off the pitch on Saturday might not be such an advantage now, and Hughes admitted his team are starting to feel the strain.[LNB]Feeling the heat: Hughes has led Manchester City to seven successive Premier League draws[LNB]'This was the first time I saw a little bit of apprehension and anxiety,' he admitted. 'Only brief glimpses, but we want to make sure that doesn't develop into a mindset. The other draws in this run were decent enough performances, but it is the home ones that have frustrated everybody.[LNB]'We've got two great games coming up, which I'm sure will help in that respect. Arsenal and Chelsea this week could be a big springboard for us.'[LNB]If proof were needed that fortunes can turn, Hughes could have found it in the man standing to his right on Saturday.[LNB]Brown's stock had been tumbling from the moment he staged his infamous half-time team talk on the same pitch last season.[LNB]Jimmy Bullard's 82nd-minute penalty awarded for Kolo Toure's foul on Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink and cancelling out a deflected Shaun Wright-Phillips strike gave Brown eight points from four games since chairman Adam Pearson returned to the club.[LNB]It also gave Bullard the chance to perform a wonderful finger-jabbing impersonation of the manager.[LNB]'We spoke about it the night before and said whoever scored had to do the pointing, and, of course, it had to be me,' said Bullard.[LNB]'Did the boss know we were going to do it? No, did he heck! He took it all right. It was only a bit of banter.'[LNB] Comedy gold: Bullard mocks his manager in celebration[LNB]Bullard also revealed that Paul McShane was reacting to a comment made by Craig Bellamy when he had to be restrained as the teams left the pitch at the final whistle.[LNB]Meanwhile, Bullard believes it is only a matter of time before Hughes's side are up and running again. 'They're a class act and sooner or later they are going to start getting results,' he said. 'It's a confidence thing, you know. I always sensed that they could score a goal.[LNB]'Whenever they have the ball you're scared. You've got Robinho, Tevez and Adebayor up there and you think, 'Hold up, what's going to happen?'.'[LNB]Brown, meanwhile, continues to cut a more conservative figure these days.[LNB]He denied Pearson has advised him to tone down his image, but where have the trademark radio headset and microphone disappeared to? 'It's quite simply broken,' he smiled. 'Someone stood on it. But I'm not going there.' [LNB]There had been more than enough humour for one day.[LNB] Ducking and Diving: Memorable celebrations[LNB] VIDEO SPECIAL: After Jimmy Bullard's Phil Brown send-up - 10 more iconic celebrations that made us smileDan King: Manchester City edge closer to Eastlands purchase from councilEXCLUSIVE: City line up £50m raid to prise Fernando Torres from LiverpoolFA CUP THIRD ROUND DRAW: Leeds in line for United, West Ham face ArsenalALL THE MANCHESTER CITY FC

Source: Daily_Mail