Mark Hughes insists he is not on the brink

Mark Hughes, the Queen's Park Rangers manager, insists he does not believe that tomorrow's relegation battle with Reading will be his last game in charge of the club.

QPR owner Tony Fernandes once again backed the former Manchester City manager this week despite Rangers sitting at the foot of the Premier League table still searching for their first win of the season. Hughes is under pressure after making several high-profile signings over the summer that have so far failed to reap results. Hughes is not helped by the fact that Harry Redknapp is out of work.

"How many times can Tony talk about being fully behind what we are trying to do? One game isn't going to change that," Hughes said.

"We know there are periods of time where we will get maximum points against teams in the Premier League because we did it last year with a team that wasn't as good as we have now.

"We know the reasons we are where we are but it's about time we got points on the board. For a number of weeks I have spoken about the frustration of the players because they know they are close to really kicking on. The first win will certainly help that process."

Fernandes was at the Emirates last week to see QPR defeated by an offside goal from Arsenal's Mikel Arteta seven minutes from time. The Malaysian businessman took the chance to once again reinforce his commitment to his manager on a club phone-in show on Wednesday, despite a run of one point from their last six matches.

According to Hughes, who was sacked by City in December 2009 after winning just twice in 11 matches, that is nothing like his experience at the Etihad. "The difference here is that I have a great relationship with the owner and his shareholders and everyone connected with the club," said the Welshman. "We are where we are to be perfectly honest. We get on with the job.

"There are good lines of communication and if there are any concerns, we can allay them very quickly because of the relationship we have. I think that's refreshing."

Hughes appreciates the chairman keeping a close eye on how the team is being run. "You have dialogue on a daily basis," Hughes said. "That's what I've got with Tony. He understands what we're trying to do: he sees it first-hand. He was there at the game at Arsenal and he was really enthused about what we produced. That reassures him we're doing the right thing."