IT takes some skill to spend more than £100m and go backwards, but Manchester City appear to have managed it. It will not be lost on Mark Hughes.

When Blackburn Rovers travelled to Eastlands last season, they were soundly beaten 4-1. Carlos Tevez scored a hat-trick, and was generally magnificent.

Roberto Mancini had been newly installed as boss after Hughes’ surprise sacking, but it was largely the Welshman’s team.

There can be no argument that Rovers themselves have made progress since then and they deserve no shortage of credit for an impressively determined performance in Saturday’s 1-1 draw.

But there was some irony that a player brought to England by Hughes was the man who denied City victory.

Chris Samba, whose courageous goal-line block in the dying minutes kept the scoreline at 1-1, cost just £400,000 when Hughes signed him for Rovers in 2007.

Few knew much about him at the time, other than he had a rather exotic name.

Samba has been a revelation since then and he was not the only bargain of the Hughes era. Roque Santa Cruz for £3.8m, Benni McCarthy for £2.5m, Stephen Warnock for £1.5m and David Bentley for an undisclosed fee considerably smaller than the £15m Tottenham paid for him two years later.

Hughes’ buys at Manchester City may not all have been successful as Tevez – still comfortably their best player.

But most were ambitious and did at least take the club to the next level. It is debatable whether Mancini’s additions will do that. They certainly haven’t so far.

City appeared worse on Saturday than they were eight months ago.

For all the money spent, they were poorer for the absence of Craig Bellamy and even Emmanuel Adebayor – injured at the weekend but only a fringe player now in any case.

With just one up front and three central midfielders, City lacked enough inspiration.

The likes of David Silva and Yaya Toure have quality, but it remains to be seen whether they are the players to make City into title contenders.

It is easier said than done, but City needed that marquee player to give them any chance. Without it, Mancini may find himself under pressure some time soon.

Hughes will know the feeling. He will also know he should not be preparing to take Fulham to Ewood Park this weekend.

He should still be in charge at City.