While the Thierry Henry row continues to rumble on - with a number of columnists now coming out in support Ireland's nemesis - we turn our attentions away from the most talked about incident in football this year to focus on a story from the Premier League this weekend.

Like a shark sensing a drop of blood a kilometre away, the tabloids are always alert to the possibility of a 'crisis' at one club or another and now the country's pre-eminent red tops have trained their sights on Mark Hughes after Manchester City recorded a sixth consecutive league draw at Liverpool on Saturday.

In 'Sparky has to stop the rot now', the Sun's chief sports writer, Steven Howard, makes an unflattering comparison with Sven Goran Eriksson as he explains how pressure is mounting on Hughes.

"Almost £200 million spent in the transfer market and just six points from a possible 18. Not quite the 'outstanding' job the Mark Hughes media fan club had been claiming only a fortnight or so ago. More the sort of throw-it-all-away form that earns managers the sack. Especially one who chose to spend almost £40m on central defenders with built-in flaws like Joleon Lescott and Kolo Toure.

"Incredibly, Manchester City are four points worse off from their opening 12 games than they were under Sven Goran Eriksson two seasons ago. And look what happened to him. Indeed, their record over the last 22 Premier League matches reads an exceedingly mediocre W10, D6, L6.

"The old adage in life is you should never get what you dream for. And Hughes has all the money any manager could want. Six successive draws, though, have left City loitering on the Champions League doorstep rather than inside the house with their feet up. And a dozen points behind leaders Chelsea. Not exactly what the men back in Abu Dhabi bank-rolling the whole operation had planned."

In a swift one-two, former pro Stan Collymore also weights in with a jab at Hughes. In 'Why Rafa Benitez and Mark Hughes should beware the shadow of Guus Hiddink', Collymore suggests that with Russia failing to qualify for the World Cup finals, Hiddink could well be tempted to move to Eastlands.

"Guus Hiddink is set to cast a long shadow over the Premier League in the next few weeks - and if I was Rafa Benitez or Mark Hughes I would be looking over my shoulder for him. Liverpool’s 2-2 draw with Manchester City on Saturday showed both Benitez and Hughes are still a long way off Hiddink in terms of their tactical ability.

"Benitez’s tactics have often baffled me and his decision to sub Yossi Benayoun for Fabio Aurelio when Liverpool needed a winner was astonishing. And all the while Alberto Aquilani, the club’s £20million summer signing from Roma, was left on the bench.

"But while the doubters grow at Anfield, Hughes’ position at Eastlands must also be coming under scrutiny after six successive draws in the Premier League. Lots of people say Man City are in a transitional period but I think that is baloney. If a team spends £200million on new players of international quality, then City’s owners from Abu Dhabi must be expecting results.
But perhaps rival teams have figured them out after City’s blistering start to the season. And I think now you have to fundamentally ask questions - with Hiddink an ideal successor to Hughes."