Hughes confident of turnaround

The Hoops have yet to win a Premier League match this campaign, collecting just two points from a possible 15 heading into Monday's clash with West Ham.

That indifferent start has seen the pressure begin to mount on Hughes, who the bookmakers make second favourite to be the next top-flight manager to leave their post.

The Welshman, though, is not too concerned with such talk and believes his side will soon start picking up victories, especially when they are able to call upon a number of defenders again.

"I think for the most part our performances have been fine up to a point," said Hughes, who will have to do without the injured Anton Ferdinand, Jose Bosingwa, Fabio and Armand Traore on Monday.

"Obviously we need to see games out. We have selection problems at the moment in a key area of the field in defence.

"We have had too much of a turnover in terms of selection and personnel changes so that doesn't lend well to having that cont inuity of performance.

"We've created some decent football in the initial period but it was always going to take time.

"We are not going to hide behind the fact it is not the best of starts and the start that we wanted.

"We understood that it could happen and that it would take us time to get the team functioning as we wanted.

"The way I work and my staff work is we don't get too high and we don't get too low.

"What we do every single day is make sure the team is prepared and we give them the best chance to be successful.

"Over the long term that has been proved in all the teams I have been involved with.

"At the moment it is difficult because we cannot get that continuity of selection, certainly in the defensive area."

Hughes will be seeking a response from his side on Monday after their midweek Capital One Cup exit to Reading at Loftus Road.

QPR twice threw away the lead in the third-round tie as the Royals wen t on to win 3-2, despite the hosts fielding a strong-looking side.

"It didn't do us much good, did it?" Hughes said when asked about his selection.

"I have said in the past that I think cup runs can help your league form. I've always advocated that if you have a cup run, performances can benefit in the league.

"There was a little bit of that thinking behind it, I'll give you that.

"We wanted to progress in the cup competition and a number of clubs went out and we didn't want to be one of them.

"Unfortunately we were not in the hat, which was our intention."

There were some positives from the game, though, notably Djibril Cisse netting his first of the season with a superb long-range effort.

"He needed that," Hughes said. "He has been struggling with a little bit of form and a little bit of confidence. That had gone out of his game.

"It was a fantastic strike and is that is what he is capable of. There is more to come fr om Djib and it is a start for him this season."