Goodbye Hughes

[St Eve]

Sacked. Couldn't happen to a better bloke. So arrogant

[domprague]

That's true. But we were crap after he left.

[St Eve]

True but that has been debated many times and not worth revisiting. I'm just pleased he got sacked yet again. Obviously he is not as good as he thinks he is

[aaronmcguigan]

One of the horrible natures of English football, and I'm pretty sure it's repeated throughout the lands is that no matter how bad he has messed up Stoke over a number of years through poor investment, poor motivation and unacceptable results, you just know that before the end of the season, some team will hit the panic button and appoint him , thus forgetting how badly he's actually done.

How he even got the Stoke job after his QPR shambles proves the above observation

[domprague]

He's the Welsh Pardew.

[Woolly Mammoth]

I wondered why there were flags and bunting and a street party in my road when I came home from the gym this evening.

[HatterDon]

He changed Stoke from a negative anti-football side to a consistent entertaining mid-table club -- all you could expect for a team that size.

I believe he would have kept Stoke up, but think they'll go down now.

[Woolly Mammoth]

He changed Stoke from a negative anti-football side to a consistent entertaining mid-table club -- all you could expect for a team that size.

I believe he would have kept Stoke up, but think they'll go down now.

On reflection I agree with your analysis, and I just wonder who they will replace him with.

[Asotosyios]

One of the horrible natures of English football, and I'm pretty sure it's repeated throughout the lands is that no matter how bad he has messed up Stoke over a number of years through poor investment, poor motivation and unacceptable results, you just know that before the end of the season, some team will hit the panic button and appoint him , thus forgetting how badly he's actually done.

How he even got the Stoke job after his QPR shambles proves the above observation

Stoke City's record under Hughes:
13/14 - 9th
14/15 - 9th
15/16 - 9th
16/17 - 13th

Obviously they are not doing well this season, but saying he hasn't done well with them doesn't ring true to me.

[EJL]

He changed Stoke from a negative anti-football side to a consistent entertaining mid-table club -- all you could expect for a team that size.

I believe he would have kept Stoke up, but think they'll go down now.

He'd lost the dressing room and put together a Frankenstein's monster of a squad with no discernible style.

[General]

One of the horrible natures of English football, and I'm pretty sure it's repeated throughout the lands is that no matter how bad he has messed up Stoke over a number of years through poor investment, poor motivation and unacceptable results, you just know that before the end of the season, some team will hit the panic button and appoint him , thus forgetting how badly he's actually done.

How he even got the Stoke job after his QPR shambles proves the above observation

Stoke City's record under Hughes:
13/14 - 9th
14/15 - 9th
15/16 - 9th
16/17 - 13th

Obviously they are not doing well this season, but saying he hasn't done well with them doesn't ring true to me.

Hmmm - not so sure - they've invested quite heavily in the squad under hughes and he's seemingly regressing at the club despite it. 9th place is ok, but it's nothing to write home about.

The one thing I'm suprised no-one's picked up on though is the fact that it was essentially an ex Fulham player that got him the sack today in Jack Grimmer. Good to see an academy player thrive in these instances.. especially considering Coventry are in league 2 at the moment and they took a premiership scalp (and huges').

[Andy S]

I think it is quite sad. Yes he believed in his ability. If you don't you should not be doing the job. If Slav left I'd take him back in a heartbeat as he is a lot better than a lot of the dross out there in management

[Snibbo]

Jack Grimmer scored Coventry's second. Remember him?

[glenhodgso]

One of the horrible natures of English football, and I'm pretty sure it's repeated throughout the lands is that no matter how bad he has messed up Stoke over a number of years through poor investment, poor motivation and unacceptable results, you just know that before the end of the season, some team will hit the panic button and appoint him , thus forgetting how badly he's actually done.

How he even got the Stoke job after his QPR shambles proves the above observation

Stoke City's record under Hughes:
13/14 - 9th
14/15 - 9th
15/16 - 9th
16/17 - 13th

Obviously they are not doing well this season, but saying he hasn't done well with them doesn't ring true to me.

Hmmm - not so sure - they've invested quite heavily in the squad under hughes and he's seemingly regressing at the club despite it. 9th place is ok, but it's nothing to write home about.


I would love to go back to the days of regularly finishing in the middle third of the Premier League thank you very much.....

I am not a great fan of Hughes, but he had to follow a legend at Fulham, and, if I was being completely unemotional, his 'ambition' comment, which is really why many of us dislike him-  although I'll-advised and crass - was probably very true in hindsight.

[ron]

I think it is quite sad. Yes he believed in his ability. If you don't you should not be doing the job. If Slav left I'd take him back in a heartbeat as he is a lot better than a lot of the dross out there in management

I like him too....but the fact that the results at Stoke have been judged against the amount spent on the squad recently suggest that he has not managed well the "ambition" ...i.e. spending... at the club. Lack of said "ambition" at Fulham was the reason he left. What would he have done here had he been given the budget?

Having said that, I think that he could still do a good job here in the cash-strapped situation...providing of course if he settled to the job of maximising resources rather than bleating about ambition. He might be more disposed to do so now, having now had a P45 pressed into his hand...

[rogerpbackinMidEastUS]

I believe he would have kept Stoke up, but think they'll go down now.
[/quote] He'd lost the dressing room and put together a Frankenstein's monster of a squad with no discernible style.
[/quote]


A sign in the corridor  "This way to the dressing room" would solve that

[Carborundum]

I respect what he's done.  He's a decent manager that brings a professional approach to the business of picking up points in the premier league.  He made some good decisions when he was our manager.  Finishing ninth in the premier league is basically finishing third in a 14 team league.  A lot has to go right to do that and only a decent manager can pull it off three years in a row.

[HatterDon]

One of the horrible natures of English football, and I'm pretty sure it's repeated throughout the lands is that no matter how bad he has messed up Stoke over a number of years through poor investment, poor motivation and unacceptable results, you just know that before the end of the season, some team will hit the panic button and appoint him , thus forgetting how badly he's actually done.

How he even got the Stoke job after his QPR shambles proves the above observation

Stoke City's record under Hughes:
13/14 - 9th
14/15 - 9th
15/16 - 9th
16/17 - 13th

Obviously they are not doing well this season, but saying he hasn't done well with them doesn't ring true to me.

You have to realize that he had a huge desk in his office while at Fulham. That's a fatal flaw right there. It made the supporters hate him. Everyone was pleased when he left us -- after a season where we finished 8th -- our second highest finish ever -- that was filled with exciting football.

Nobody also wants to acknowledge the fact that he left for the same reason Roy left. MAF wanted to sell the club, and to do so he had to rid himself of big money long-term contracts. Where I come from that's called "LACK OF AMBITION."

[St Eve]

All very interesting but he spent plenty a lot of money at Stoke and most deals were failures. He was pretty much given free reign, unlike Slav, and was hopeless in the market. He has left Stoke in a mess and they are probably certs to go down regardless of who takes over. Before that he got fired by QPR. Can he do a job for another club? Maybe, but he will have to control that arrogance

[filham]

Wonder who next will be prepared to give him a job and whether or not he will be prepared to drop out of the Championship.
He has made it clear that he likes money to be available to spend in the transfer market. not all chairman will be happy to hire a manager with that attitude.