Manchester City chairman Thaksin Shinawatra has hinted manager Sven Goran Eriksson must recapture their early season form if he's to keep his job.

"I felt very optimistic after I got Sven-Goran Eriksson as coach," he said.

"We also got some new players and even though it was quite heavy on my pocket, I was very confident the club would be moving forward.

"At the start of the season we were playing exciting football and making new friends. I like that style and the way Sven was training them, the way the team came together and the way they played football."