OUSTED first-team coach Derek Fazackerley has called upon the Blues to seek managerial continuity rather than a quick fix.

Fazackerley, whose long-anticipated departure was finally announced this week, served three different managers in his near six-year stay at City.

The former England coach, first appointed by Kevin Keegan and then a close aide to Stuart Pearce and Sven-Goran Eriksson, believes Mark Hughes will be a success but only if he is given time to build a squad and allowed to do things his own way.

Fazackerley knows all about loyalty to one club having played nearly 600 league games for Blackburn Rovers to rise to the top of their appearances list and says he is proud to have worked for the Blues, who underwent further change this week, this time in the board- room with the departure of former chairman John Wardle.

"We had some good times at City over the last few years," he reminisced. "When I joined the club I think they were ninth in the Championship and when I left they were ninth in the Premier League so there has been a lot of progress since the middle of the decade.

"I think the club has done remarkably well given the budgets available, certainly during Stuart's time in charge. I certainly enjoyed the journey because until you work at City you don't necessarily realise the size of the club and the passion behind it from the fans.

Success

"I think last season was a success and despite the poor end to the campaign we probably finished just about where people might have expected. I think for a first season with a new owner and manager in place most people would have taken eighth or ninth in the table, a decent Carling Cup run and the two derby wins over United."

If City are to take the next step into the top six on a regular basis then Fazackerley is clear that what will be needed is a bit of patience and a resistance to chopping and changing

"What the club needs now is some continuity, it is vital that Mark is given the opportunity to show what he can do over a two or three-year period," said Fazackerley.

"Whenever a new manager comes into a club he has to be given time to sort out the squad and bring in his own players. There will be those already here he thinks are great and some who might not figure in his plans.

"But Mark did a really good job at Blackburn and has shown he is a really capable manager.

"Without access to a lot of money he took Rovers from close to the bottom of the table and turned them into a difficult side to beat that regularly finished in the top ten.

Chance

"There is no doubt in my mind that Mark deserves his chance at a club the size of City and I am sure he will do well."

Fazackerley's future is unclear but the 56-year-old says he is determined to get back into football and that he still has plenty to offer following his high-profile stints with England, Newcastle and City.

"I don't have anything lined up but I will be looking to get back into the game as soon as possible," he added.

"The beauty and difficulty of working in football is that you never know what is around the corner. The announcement of my leaving possibly came a little bit late in terms of teams recruiting coaches but I feel I have plenty to offer someone.

"I worked with three different managers at City and I feel as though I helped some of the young talent that came from the Academy to progress.

"The likes of Shaun Wright-Phillips, Micah Richards, Michael Johnson and Nedum Onuoha were all a pleasure to work with and I feel I can be happy with the fact I helped improve them.

"There is always willingness, and sometimes a necessity, to bring young players through at City and that's one of the reasons it is such a fine club, why I enjoyed my time there immensely and why I will always have a soft spot for it."