The Manchester City manager Mark Hughes is happy with his side's form so far this season.
The Manchester City manager Mark Hughes is happy with his side's form so far this season.

Cook: City must learn as they go



Having burst out of the Premier League blocks with four straight victories, Manchester City's chief executive Garry Cook has admitted the club's recent dip in form - Mark Hughes' side have drawn their last four league games - is all part and parcel of City's gradual development.

"There's always challenges, there isn't a football club that doesn't have them," said Cook. "You always want to outperform everybody and win every game, but it doesn't work like that. Overall, we are quite pleased with progress." While City have only been beaten once this season, a 4-3 away defeat to neighbours Manchester United, a recent sequence of draws has taken the shine off the club's commanding early-season displays as they lie sixth in the table, 10 points off leaders Chelsea.

But Cook, citing the new arrivals' promising performances as they integrate into a fresh set-up, believes there are numerous reasons to be optimistic. "Mark feels the team are developing and you can only hope that it continues," said Cook. "It's going to take a while because there are lots of new players; we've only played 11 league games together as a team and Mark seems happy with it. "You can never predict football, every game has its twists and turns and the pressure is never off," added Cook. "Sport has winners and losers, without those, it's not sport. Every decision you make, whether its the coach, the CEO, or a club executive, it has high risks and big upsides and downsides - there doesn't seem to be any grey area."

The City chief pointed to the team's successful run to the quarter-finals of the Carling Cup - they play Arsenal at Eastlands on December 2 - as evidence of growing confidence in Hughes's expensively assembled squad. "There was a buzz about the place when we played Arsenal [in the league] and everybody's expectations and anticipations were high, but we got disjointed a little bit there," said Cook. "We lost Adebayor for a little bit [to suspension] and then international games broke our momentum up.

" Since then, we've had a couple of games where we thought we could have probably come away with a better result, but that's the way it works." Whatever the result against the UAE tomorrow night at Zayed Sports City, City will need to arrest a worrying run of form for the clash against Liverpool at Anfield on November 21. It is a game which could have considerable consequences on the loser's hopes of Champions League football next term - a win would galvanise both team's flagging campaigns. Despite the pressure, Cook remained defiant that expectations at Eastlands were already being exceeded.

"If someone had said at the beginning of the season that we'd be fourth after 10 league games and in the quarter-finals of the Carling Cup, we'd have taken it. We're glad to be in amongst them," he said. "We have gone through many years at the football club where survival has been the order of the day. "Today, it's about success, but at the same time, it should always be City's ambition to be successful." @Email:emegson@thenational.ae

THE LIGHT

Director: Tom Tykwer

Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger

Rating: 3/5

Director: Laxman Utekar

Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna

Rating: 1/5

Our legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

Leap of Faith

Michael J Mazarr

Public Affairs

Dh67
 

The specs

Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6

Power: 400hp

Torque: 475Nm

Transmission: 9-speed automatic

Price: From Dh215,900

On sale: Now

if you go

The flights

Etihad, Emirates and Singapore Airlines fly direct from the UAE to Singapore from Dh2,265 return including taxes. The flight takes about 7 hours.

The hotel

Rooms at the M Social Singapore cost from SG $179 (Dh488) per night including taxes.

The tour

Makan Makan Walking group tours costs from SG $90 (Dh245) per person for about three hours. Tailor-made tours can be arranged. For details go to www.woknstroll.com.sg

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If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.

How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
The biog

Favourite hobby: taking his rescue dog, Sally, for long walks.

Favourite book: anything by Stephen King, although he said the films rarely match the quality of the books

Favourite film: The Shawshank Redemption stands out as his favourite movie, a classic King novella

Favourite music: “I have a wide and varied music taste, so it would be unfair to pick a single song from blues to rock as a favourite"