Marwood appointment set to strengthen Hughes's position

From the excellent Henry Winter:

He is not a technical director. Repeat not. Knowing he would have to explain Marwood’s role to Hughes, Cook used the apt analogy of a winger serving a centre-forward. In City’s new chain of command, Marwood reports to Hughes. A popular figure within football, Marwood could prove a real ally for City’s manager.

It does appear that Cook is well and truly behind Hughes as manager, and even if there was a suggestion from the ownership that a more 'glamourous' name (eg, Scolari) was preferred, then unquestionably Cook would advise against it. Winter expands further:

Speculation persists about Sparky’s future. Is he strong enough to deal with big-name, moody Brazilians like Robinho? Wouldn’t the Special One, Jose Mourinho, or another Portuguese speaker, Big Phil Scolari, extract more from such talents? During Thursday’s board meeting, Cook underlined to the Abu Dhabi owners why they are right to keep the faith in Hughes.

Everything is in place at City: respected manager, fine stadium, loyal fans, great academy and fistfuls of petro-dollars. With sensible stewardship, with continued belief in the manager, City can flourish.

As we head towards March and the back end of the season it appears that the club is in a far more stable position than it has been all season. The January signings have bedded in fantastically well and both results and performances have picked up since the low points of January.

Well positioned now in the last sixteen of the UEFA Cup to make serious run at winning it, and sitting only three points of seventh place in the Premier League, are we now beginning to see the first real and tangible signs of a promising future?