Mark Hughes plans to make Stoke City more entertaining

Mark Hughes is determined to make Stoke City a more attacking and entertaining team without changing its original functionality and characteristics.

Hughes, who was named as the replacement for Tony Pulis, defended his record and on his approach upon taking up his current position on a three-year deal.

Hughes, 49, while speaking about his time with QPR, admitted that he had made mistakes but is planning to learn from the experience and move forward.

The former Blackburn, Manchester City and Fulham manager commended Pulis’s effort to stabilize the club over the last seven years but said that he has planned on a more entertaining version of football.

“Stoke have been in the Premier League for a number of years now and have the understanding of what it takes to win Premier League games”, Huges said. “It’s not a case of wiping away the hard work of previous seasons. I’d like to make then a little bit more offensive but we’re not going to chuck the baby out with the bathwater. It’s about steady progress.”

“I can only take the club forward as I know and my philosophy is to play football, the play good football, make chances and make it entertaining for the fans who pay good money to come and see us.”

Coates decision to pick Hughes as Pulis’s replacement, which had garnered some criticism, was explained thus: “His CV is very impressive and he’s the right fit for us,” he said. “We have analysed everything he has done and think he has an outstanding record as a football manager.”

Coates described Hughes failure in QPR as a ‘blip’ in his otherwise illustrious career.