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The full extent of Mark Hughes's anger after Manchester City's capitulation to Nottingham Forest on Saturday was felt not in the dressing room but in the boardroom, it emerged last night.
Journalists who waited for an hour to talk with Hughes after the final whistle presumed the City manager was spelling out a few home truths to his players who had failed him so nakedly at Eastlands.
But Hughes had headed straight for an impromptu meeting with City executives, whom he believes need to act more promptly to get him the players he needs so badly.
Having introduced £12million left back Wayne Bridge to City fans before the game on Saturday, Hughes was frustrated that other prime targets Roque Santa Cruz, Scott Parker, Craig Bellamy and Kolo Toure were not there alongside the England defender.
Hughes understands the complexities of transfers but told executive chairman Garry Cook and chief operating officer Paul Aldridge weeks ago he needed his new players at the club in the first week of the transfer window as City's season continued to limp towards disaster.
He reinforced the message in blunt terms on Saturday, effectively telling his employers to do whatever is necessary to get him the players he wants to prop up a squad who continue to prove themselves so shockingly unfit for purpose.
With City in such a dire state and heading into a showdown at Portsmouth this weekend without the suspended Stephen Ireland and the injured Shaun Wright-Phillips, Hughes has told the club the time for finely-tuned negotiating is gone. And who can blame him?
Saturday's surrender against a game but limited Championship side served as final notice that this City squad are weak in mind, body and soul.
They cannot be allowed to exist in this state any longer. If the City board have the faith in Hughes they say they do, he has every right to expect them to show it in the only way that can help him.
It is understood Hughes did not even give his side a particularly noticeable rollicking on Saturday. The Welshman is fed up with talking to players who, aware that they have no long-term future at the club, just stare back at him with blank, emotionless faces.
On Saturday one player, who had played a major part in City's downfall, laughed with a team-mate as he took his post-match shower.
Only a fortnight previously, a group of players, prominently featuring Brazilian Elano and Israeli defender Tal Ben Haim, called a team meeting with the express purpose of denegrating Hughes's tactics.
One player - no longer in the squad - recently went to Cook to complain (unsuccessfully) about the manager.
Against this background, it is clear why Hughes feels the need to shake up his squad and isolate those who appear to have lost the desire to play for him.
Michael Ball, Didi Hamann, Elano and Jo would not figure in another Hughes team in his ideal world.
Hughes delivered his thoughts to those paid to do club transfers as the crowd drifted home with anger in their bellies - and the City boss also delivered his message to Simon Pearce, the influential right-hand man to chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, in a meeting last Tuesday.
Pearce had only good news to impart when he met Hughes. The message, primarily, was that Khaldoon and City owner Sheikh Monsour continue to appreciate the deficiencies in Hughes's squad and the need to address them.
For now, Hughes is escaping the blame. The fact that Khaldoon was also asking for information relating to Prozone statistics, though, also indicates how closely the chairman wishes to monitor individual player performances from now on.
For Hughes's sake, let's hope Bridge, Parker, Santa Cruz et al measure up in that department.
On Saturday, Eastlands was a desperate place to be… unless you supported Nottingham Forest.
The Midlands club have endured a dreadful time this season but, backed by 6,000 noisy fans, they destroyed City's fragile confidence and will with remarkable ease.
Coached by stand-in boss John Pemberton as new manager Billy Davies watched from the stands, Forest scored a superb opening goal through striker Nathan Tyson and were gifted two more as City imploded.
Pablo Zabaleta slipped up to allow Robert Earnshaw to score Forest's second and then, as City argued among themselves and shirked responsibility, Hamann threw the ball straight to Joe Garner to enable the visiting team to wrap the game up in the second half.
Later, as Hughes did his talking elsewhere, it was left to Tyson to contribute the most telling words.
He said: 'Our fans have been fantastic for the last couple of games. It is very hard for them with the credit crunch and everything but they have found the pennies to come and watch us and we really appreciate that and are glad we gave them some kind of reward today.
'It is fantastic as a footballer when people go out of their way to come and support you. They are always there. Instead of going to the pub they are there for us, and finally we have done them proud.'
It is a while since City have consistently made their supporters proud. Under Hughes, new players will soon be given a chance - and must deliver quickly.
MANCHESTER CITY (4-2-3-1): Hart 5; Zabaleta 5, Dunne 5, Richards 5, Ball 5; Fernandes 4 (Hamann 60min, 4), Kompany 4; Wright-Phillips 5 (Vassell 24, 5), Elano 4, Sturridge 5; Caicedo 4 (Jo 69, 5).
NOTTINGHAM FOREST (4-4-2): Smith 8; Chambers 7, Morgan 7, Breckin 7, Perch 7 (Wilson 16, 7); Anderson 7, McGugan 8, Cohen 8, Thornhill 8; Tyson 8 (Davies 81), Earnshaw 7 (Garner 73, 8). Referee: Lee Probert. Man of the match: Matt Thornhill.