CITY owner Sheikh Mansour has declared himself delighted at the progress made at the Eastlands outfit since his takeover last year.

Mansour has been largely content to stay in the background and leave the day-to-day running of the club to chairman Khaldoon al-Mubarak and chief executive Garry Cook.

However, to coincide with the launch of City's new website, he has given an exclusive interview with www.mcfc.co.uk in which he outlines his vision for the Blues.

And, while some fans may have viewed last term's 10th-place finish as a disappointing return on his investment, Mansour is content with the way things have gone so far.

"We continue to be very clear in regard to our expectations and ambitions," he said.

"We are competitors. We are here to win and to build a club that will be in a position to win trophies.

"That said, we know that will take time, and this is where a patient and pragmatic approach will be essential.

"What we have done in the last 10 months sets the tone of the way we will do things very clearly.

"However, 10 months on since the acquisition I am more convinced than ever of the potential that is there to be realised."

Having already spent £30million this summer on Gareth Barry and Roque Santa Cruz and with the prospect of much more to come if current targets Samuel Eto'o, Carlos Tevez and Joleon Lescott can be acquired, Mansour is clearly a man with a mission.

Approach

His backing has certainly blown out of the water any suggestion of a half-hearted approach.

Indeed, so skeptical were some supporters at the time of his takeover from disgraced former Thailand Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra that it was suggested he had bought the wrong club, and that Manchester United were his actual target.

Mansour laughs off such claims, and adds it was City's untapped potential that made them such an attractive proposition.

"It was very clear that Manchester City was a sleeping giant of English football," he said.

"Waking that giant is going to be very rewarding on a number of levels."

Plenty of work has been going on behind the scenes, with Big Brother producers Endemol brought in as partners for a brand redevelopment, of which the website is only a small part.

An entire tier of middle management has been installed with the specific aim of exploring untapped potential. That work that may go unseen for some time but Mansour is confident will reap impressive rewards.

"Khaldoon has spoken publicly about a 10-year horizon for the development of the club," he said.

"That kind of horizon has to be based on solid foundations and has to contribute to the soul of the club.

"The kind of investments we are making today will pay their own dividends over time through the club's performances. That will be its own reward." 

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