Following three consecutive League defeats there is talk of a crisis at Manchester City but not from boss Mark Hughes. He said: "At the moment, it is all a little bit hysterical, you have to say. People will have to calm down a bit.

"But we will get points on the board because of the quality we have in the squad."

Fans are naturally concerned about City's consecutive league defeats by Middlesbrough, Bolton and Tottenham, plus the struggle to beat modest Dutch side FC Twente 3-2 in the UEFA Cup.

He told the Manchester Evening News: "I had a good meeting with the chairman at the weekend when he came around to my house and ate with my family.

"We had two or three hours of good discussions and just relaxed in one another's company. And the board meeting went really positively.

"Everyone understands that it is a very exciting time for us.

"The chairman knows where we are and where we want to go. Ideally, of course, we would much prefer to have had positive results in the last couple of games but the quality of football that we have produced has been good and there have been few occasions when I have been disappointed at what we have produced.

"There will always be disappointment if you do not win but the chairman and everyone involved know that great sides are not built overnight.

"We will address things and get more quality into the club and the squad because that is what we need to do to move forward."