Hughes, left, with his coach Eddie Niedzwiecki, took Stoke to a new level but, like Pulis, then saw their progress stagnate Carl Recine/Action Images/ReutersMark Hughes wsacked by Stoke City on Saturday evening to the sound of an angry mob in Coventry. A little more than two years ago, Hughes was overseeing “Stoke-alona”, a team who a majority of supporters would acknowledge as the club’s most attractive in several generations. Yet since those heady days, which culminated in victories over Manchester City and Manchester United in December 2015, horrid recruitment and the Premier League’s demoralising glass ceiling have brought about an alarming decline, ending in the Welshman’s inevitable departure after the 2-1 FA Cup defeat by Coventry City, of League Two. key stat 200 games overseen by Hughes as Stoke manager. He lost six of his final eight games, winning one and drawing the otherWhile there was little outright love for Hughes in the Potteries, there was affection and respect for the football that he delivered…

Source: The Times January 08, 2018 00:11 UTC