Hughes determined to prove himself

New Queens Park Rangers manager Mark Hughes is determined to grasp the opportunity with both hands after joining the club on a two-and-a-half-year deal.

The former Blackburn Rovers and Manchester City boss took over the reins at Loftus Road just 48 hours after the sacking of Neil Warnock and is excited by the challenge ahead of him.

Hughes said: "I'm fully aware of the challenge in the short and long term and I am genuinely excited about the ambition of the owners. The immediate priority is to consolidate our place in the Premier League. The future is very bright."

The 48-year-old left Fulham in June and was runaway favourite in the soccer betting  to take over from Gerard Houllier as manager of Aston Villa. That never materialised and Hughes had been without a club since.

He takes over a QPR side 17th in the table and without a win in since they beat Stoke City 3-2 on November 19. An eight-game winless run has seen them drop eight places in that time and are now among the favourites in the relegation betting. QPR chairman Tony Fernandes believes Hughes is the man to arrest that slump.

"He has a great passion to achieve as a manager and has already been hugely successful in his career. His ambitions match those of the board and we are delighted to have him at the helm," Fernandes said.

Hughes will have money to spend during the transfer window and has already been linked with an audacious bid for out-of-favour Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez.

The new boss will begin his tenure with a trip to Tyneside to face Newcastle United on Sunday, before hosting MK Dons in the FA Cup third round replay just two days later.