QUITE what the rich sheikhs of Abu Dhabi made of Manchester City's 3-0 FA Cup third-round embarrassment against Nottingham Forest is anyone's guess.
But it was the result the FA Cup had yearned for.
It was a result which proved there is an alternative to the money which fuels the Premier League. A result which pushed the transfer window out of the headlines for a weekend at least and let us ta
ke a peep at what the game really should be all about.
True, £10m Wayne Bridge, the first of what could be many City signings, was paraded at Eastlands before the match but, if anything, his presence only highlighted the desperate state of affairs at City as manager Mark Hughes attempts to appease Arab billionaires who profess patience but sooner rather than later will want trophies for their money.
Not this season. City are in a relegation battle. They are out of the Carling Cup, out of the FA Cup and now have been given a lesson in pride and passion by a club who have themselves found life hard in their own division.
Hughes insists he is still the right man to lead the Eastlands outfit despite the humiliating defeat by a Forest side that have been struggling badly in the Championship this term and sacked Colin Calderwood on Boxing Day after an abject loss to Doncaster, with fellow Scot Billy Davies due to take over tomorrow.
"I know exactly what is needed here," Hughes said. "The work we do on a day-to-day basis makes players better. They have to be brave enough to perform in matches. Today some were guilty of not doing that. We know where we are in development terms and we know where we need to go.
"We know the areas of the squad we have to strengthen and we will try to do that. It is not going to happen in this window, or even two or three. We need more time."
Hughes feared the worst when he lost Shaun Wright-Phillips after only 18 minutes with a hamstring injury that could keep him out for up to five weeks.
With Robinho and Stephen Ireland also sidelined, the hosts lacked any semblance of creativity and capitulated to what the City boss admitted was a deserved loss.
City might have conceded before Nathan Tyson's sensational first-half volley, which was followed four minutes later by Robert Earnshaw steering home an off-target Matt Thornhill effort.
City's misery was compounded when Joe Garner put the finishing touches to a fine Forest victory with 15 minutes remaining.
The match proved a memorable cameo for Forest caretaker boss John Pemberton, who will return to his duties with the reserve team when new manager Billy Davies takes charge next week.
"Winning is fantastic but on Monday morning I will be back to my normal job, getting the reserve team ready for a game against Lincoln City away on Wednesday," he said.
