Khaldoon Al Mubarak has set out his stall for a "dynasty in the making" at Eastlands. Is it too good to be true for City fans?

Far from it. Sheikh Mansour sowed the seeds on Sunday by making all the right noises and they have been echoed by Mubarak. Liverpool fans will claim that George Gillett and Tom Hicks said similar things when taking over the club but these guys' record is seriously impressive.

If it goes wrong it will reflect badly on the UAE and Abu Dhabi so they will assess everything very carefully before making major decisions and I will be surprised if City's new owners don't make a success of this.

How does the pragmatic statement today square with the wild rumours of signing superstars when the takeover was announced?

Dr Sulaiman Al-Fahim, who initially fronted the takeover, came out with some pretty outlandish statements and perhaps got a little carried away - he is something of a celebrity in the Arab world. Since he was removed the claims have been reined in a little but I think the way the takeover has been handled is an absolute PR masterstroke as it made City's ambitions quite clear.

There was something of a scattergun approach on transfer deadline day which resulted in the signing of Robinho, but Hughes has said that he wishes to follow the Arsenal/Manchester United model and that's the way I expect City to handle their business with a strong manager taking the big decisions.

Was there much mileage in the Ronaldo rumours last week?

The link with Ronaldo would have had its origins in the Thaksin era but Mark Hughes has made it clear that there is no value in signing someone looking for his last pay chaeck.

No matter Ronaldo's talent in the past, knowing what Hughes is looking for from his squad I would be astounded if he ended up at the club.

Do you expect the academy to play a big part?

Hughes and his backroom team are seriously professional. No doubt City will make at least one major signing in January, the left back position is still a problem and another forward is needed. But the club is in an enviable position in that if the academy doesn't produce there is a almost a blank chequebook to fill in the gap.

If you look at the current squad - Shaun Wright-Phillips, Stephen Ireland, Micah Richards, Ched Evans, Daniel Sturridge and Michael Johnson have all come through the youth ranks.

Hughes wants a core of home-grown players at their heart and when you think Richards was valued at £25million last season it makes sense to back the academy. Manchester United has always been seen as the source of great young British talent since the time of Beckham, Scholes, the Nevilles etc., but bar the likes of Fletcher and Wes Brown that river of talent has all but dried up now.

How important will Mark Hughes be to the future of the club?

If there had been an underwhelming appointment under Thaksin, the new owners may have made a switch early on. But Thaksin did do a few good things for the club, not least in signing up one of the brightest and most talented managers in Europe.

There's a huge weight of expectation on Hughes's shoulders but he doesn't look fazed by it at all and if the owners stay true to their word there could be exciting times ahead.

The supporters have suffered so many false dawns in the past but this genuinely does look like the real deal.