Struggling Liverpool Hastened Mark Hughes' Exit

Mark Hughes' hastily-arranged exit at Manchester City over the weekend was as much to do with Liverpool's lacklustre season as City's under-achievements.

Hughes paid the price for too many draws at Eastlands as he was given the boot and Italian boss Roberto Mancini given the reins.

City currently occupy sixth spot in the top flight - the position Hughes was handed as an objective at the start of the season - and his dismissal has split fans on the blue half of Manchester.

For while City have only lost twice in the league all season the men with money felt Hughes' squad should have picked up more than just two wins in 11.

However it appears the City hierarchy moved the goalposts for Hughes, possibly due to the poor form of their rivals down the East Lancs road.

With the Reds having a season to forget with seven Premier League defeats already and sitting in eighth place it appears City chief Khaldoon Al Mubarak had a change of heart and decided he wanted City to aim for fourth place.

It's certainly not a crime to adjust targets mid-season, but it was harsh on Hughes, who has suggested that he was stabbed in the back by some of his players at the latter end of his tenure.

But ultimately Liverpool's poor season may well have cost Hughes his job.

Mancini has taken over in double quick time and finds City two games away from the mid-point in the season and just six points away from a 35-point haul - halfway to a total of 70 points - which is expected to be enough to secure fourth place this time around.

Mancini said: "My squad usually play to win, always. My target is to arrive in the top four - but it's my objective, my target. I think it's possible.

"Next year we want to win the Premier League."

Just what the bookmakers make of Manchester City's Premier League chances remains to be seen.

Meanwhile, the odds for the Cheltenham Gold Cup are starting to get interesting and could be worth keeping an eye on.