They're ridiculously rich, certainly; and their squad is littered with top-quality players; but still Manchester City are, if not a full-blown laughing stock, a chuckling stock at the very least.

Some decent performances of late have seen the Citizens put eight points between them and the relegation zone, but it was only a matter of weeks ago that they were staring into the depths of the Championship.

They now sit ninth in the Premier League table, albeit some 18 points adrift of the Champions League places for which Mark Hughes' men were supposed to contest this season.

But there were also going to be some bumps during the early days of Abu Dhabi United Group's (ADUG) involvement with the club, what with all the rebuilding and the clearing of debris.

And Robinho, the centrepiece of the Eastlands project, remains confident that the blue half of Manchester will have plenty to sing about between now and 2019.

The Brazilian said in The Daily Star, Where do I see City in 10 years time? A respected club, one that every player will want to play for.

Hopefully by then the club will have won many titles, such as the Premier League and Champions League.

Our objective is to be big but we must work hard. We can be bigger by winning titles.

The owners have been buying excellent players. I dont know anything about their business but they are showing they understand football.

They are investing in the team, which I believe will bring good results. I think City has excellent players.