CITY'S new executive director Garry Cook heralded the arrival of Mark Hughes as a great day for the club.

But the man lured from sports giant Nike to run the Premier League club for Thaksin Shinawatra bluntly admitted that there were still bridges to build with the fans after the events of the summer.

He urged them to stick with the Blues and promised exciting times ahead - with everything geared towards gaining a place in the Premier League's top four.

Cook confirmed that striker Jo would be arriving from CSKA Moscow and that there was still a real possibility that Ronaldinho could follow.

"We serve three communities as an organisation; the owners, the employees and the fans," he said after the Press conference that announced Hughes' arrival from Blackburn to the wider world.

"The supporters are very important to us and I definitely think that there are bridges that need to be built.

"What happened prior to my arrival and that of Mark Hughes is not for me to comment on. I think the whole situation just made fans that are deeply passionate uncertain - and uncertainty makes people think something is wrong.

Strong

"I can tell you that there is nothing wrong with this club. It is a strong organisation that is being well run. We are moving forward and we hope the fans are coming with us.

"After this week, I am sure they will be excited and I am sure they will become even more excited by some of the plans we have. I hope they are as excited as I am."

Cook, who was born in Birmingham but made his name in business in the USA, most recently as a big wheel at Nike, is moving his family over to Manchester and insists that Thursday was a watershed in City's history.

He said: "This club is moving on to bigger and better things. You have to feel that yesterday was a fans' day.

"We needed someone such as Mark, who knows what it takes to be successful in this country.

"You cannot escape the fact that this club has a wonderful history and heritage and that it is Manchester's club. You have to build on that.

"The fact that Mark was prepared to come here says a lot about where we are going as a club. I spent 15 years at Nike and you have to be very clear about your strategy and you have to be very clear in your vision. We didn't create a list of people we wanted five weeks ago; we said there was only one guy we wanted and it was up to that man to make the decision about whether the job was right for them or not.

"At that point we found out what the club meant to Mark Hughes. The wonderful thing is that he did not hesitate. That tells me the club is much stronger than perhaps we give it respect for.

Fundamentals

"Fans often say `that's typical City'. Maybe it is time to move on from that; maybe it is time to look forward to better times and a greater club. But you have to start with the fundamentals. You need the best coach and Mark is that man.

"He is the right man for the job. It was never in doubt for us or for him. We both understood each other within an hour of first meeting."

Part of that understanding is both men wishing to break into the `big four' of English football, a task that Cook insists is a genuine aim.

"I would be very worried if anyone in this football club thought it wasn't possible to break into the top four," he boldly declared.

"It was once thought that the four-minute mile wouldn't ever be broken; these things are just points in time. There are four very strong sides in English football.

"What those who want to pass them have to do is develop very strong investment plans and strategies that run right through the club.

"It is not enough any more just to have innate talent on the pitch. You really have to have things correct right through the organisation and that is our plan.

"We have all the fundamentals at City. We have a great club with tremendous fans and owners who want success and are willing to invest. For me that is a recipe for success." Those fundamentals will be augmented by at least one more Brazil international in the coming weeks - and then possibly by the most famous one of them all.

"We have targets and we had those prior to Mark being appointed because there was a timing issue," explained Cook. "Mark has had some discussions about it and it is fair to say that you will see Jo at City soon.

"I would like to see Ronaldinho playing for the club I am involved with. There are stages to that discussion and we are at a good point with them but there is competition for one of the greatest footballers that ever played.

"We understand that and with regard to sensitivity, we don't want to give too much away. We are committed to bringing the best footballers to this club and Dr Thaksin wants us to do that.

Superstar

"I would like to see him here and Mark would like to see him here, and I am sure the fans would too."

Cook would have no trouble dealing with the superstar, as he lists some of the biggest names in sport and showbusiness among his friends.

Basketball legend Michael Jordan attempted to talk him into staying at Nike and singer Rod Stewart, at whose home Cook plays football on a regular basis, feared that City were going to poach Gordon Strachan from Celtic.

"I left to work in the States in 1985, it was a decision I made to pursue a dream in what I considered the land of opportunity," Cook said.

"I have had a tremendously successful career and didn't have any intention of leaving the USA, but when this chance came up I spoke to Dr Thaksin and found we had common goals and a common vision.

"He said he would like me to go and help build the organisation and take it on a journey; it was one of those offers I couldn't refuse.

"It was too good an opportunity, too good a football club. I just had to move.

"I will be based in Manchester, my wife arrives in two weeks' time and schools have been sorted out for the kids.

"My wife is from Florida, so we hope the weather doesn't beat her up too much.

"I said to her this is a boyhood dream - and I made the point that boyhood dreams are often selfish by nature, so she really doesn't get the choice."

What do you make of Cook's views? Have your say.