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Tag: Hughes

  • Hughes in dilemma over Moses

    Hughes in dilemma over Moses

    Manager of Stoke City Mark Hughes has admitted Victor Moses has added to his selection problem ahead of today’s game against Manchester City.

    The Stoke boss admits he is tempted to throw the Chelsea loanee in from the start after being impressed by his first appearance for the Potters in the 4-2 Capital One Cup victory on Wednesday against Portsmouth.

    Moses was voted sponsor’s and fan Man of the Match after a near faultless showing against Portsmouth.

    “It’s still a little bit early for him,” said Hughes to Stoke Sentinel.

    “So we will see whether he starts or comes on, but he’ll play a part, I’m certain of that.

    “He looks strong, but was visually tiring against Portsmouth the other night. We’ve got an international break coming up as well, so that’s an opportunity to do more conditioning work with him.

    “It’s important you don’t put anybody at risk, and I’ll speak to the medical staff and the sports scientist (before deciding what to do).

    “Obviously I have the final say, but more often than not I would try to protect the assets we’ve got.”

    Whether or not Moses does play a significant part today, Hughes is increasingly convinced the 23-year-old winger will become a hit at the Britannia Stadium during his season-long loan.

    “I thought he was excellent against Portsmouth,” he continued. “I think he’s shown everybody the talent he’s got and the reasons why I bought him to the club. He’s got pace, ability, can retain possession and is powerful on the ball. We wanted to be strong in wide areas, and there were a number of players we tried to bring in. It wasn’t for the lack of trying.

    “He hasn’t had as much game time as his talent deserves, but if he plays like he did against Portsmouth then he will get a lot of game time while he is here.”

     

  • Hughes holds out Assaidi hope

    Stoke City manager Mark Hughes is still hopeful of securing the services of Liverpool winger Oussama Assaidi on a permanent basis.

    Assaidi spent last season on loan at the Britannia Stadium and enjoyed a relatively impressive campaign, the highlight of which came when he netted a spectacular strike to give Stoke a 3-2 win over Chelsea in December.

    Hughes is keen to add another winger to his ranks, with Barcelona’s Bojan Krkic mooted as a potential transfer target.

    However, a move for Assaidi has stalled due to issues over fitness and the club’s finances.

    Stoke apparently want to be sure that a knee injury that kept Assaidi on the sidelines for much of the second half of the season has healed.

    Liverpool’s reported asking price of £7million is also said to be a sticking point, but Hughes has not given up on recruiting the former Heerenveen man.

    “We are where we are on that one,” Hughes told The Sentinel. “Ideally, if we can do something, then yes we will.

    “He’s someone we know and someone we know can have an impact, so yes we would like to see if something can be done with Ossie.

    “But obviously he isn’t our player and that means the ball is in Liverpool’s court.”

    Hughes is pleased with the club’s business so far, which has seen Stoke bring in Mame Biram Diouf, Phil Bardsley, Steve Sidwell and Dionatan Teixeira.

    And the former Manchester City and Fulham boss is eager to make further additions before the start of the new season next month.

    “People are coming back from the World Cup, so things can move on quite quickly,” he added.

    “We are still keen to add to the squad if the right quality at the right price is available.

    “But we are in a good place because of the early work (four signings) already done.”

  • Hughes anticipates Stoke sale

    Stoke City manager Mark Hughes is expecting members of his first-team squad to leave the Britannia Stadium in the transfer window.

    Hughes has already brought three players to the club already in recent weeks, including Mame Biram Diouf, Steve Sidwell and Phil Bardsley.

    That leaves Stoke with 27 first-team players currently at the club and competition for places rife.

    The former Manchester City boss concedes the bloated nature of his squad makes departures likely, though he is not predicting a fire sale.

    “It’s a balance,” he told The Stoke Sentinel.

    “Sometimes players recognise where they are in the group and make the decision themselves that they need to move on to progress their career.

    “Some will have those conversations with their people and with their families.

    “I don’t anticipate a lot of players leaving but some will feel their futures lie elsewhere.”

  • QPR sacks Hughes

    QPR sacks Hughes

    Queens Park Rangers on Friday sacked manager Mark Hughes after 10 months in charge with the club bottom of the Premier League.

    “The circumstances we find ourselves in have left the board of directors with very little choice but to make a change.

    “The board will now be working actively to put a new managerial structure in place as soon as possible,” BBC quoted the club as saying in a statement.

    Assistant manager Mark Bowen and Coach Eddie Niedzwiecki will take charge against Manchester United on Saturday.

    The club said it would make “a further announcement in due course”, with former Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp favourite to take charge at Loftus Road.

    Hughes’s final match in charge was a home defeat by fellow strugglers Southampton.

    “This decision has been taken after careful consideration by the board of directors, following numerous meetings over the last few days,” the statement added.

    “The board of directors wishes to thank Mark for his commitment, hard work and dedication in his 10 months in charge.

    “Mark has shown integrity and professionalism throughout his time.”

    The Hoops only managed to preserve their Premier League status on the final day of last season and, despite a massive overhaul during the summer, Hughes’s team had continued to struggle.