Mark Hughes' Backroom Staff

[slother]

Will they come with him?

Mark Hughes once described his coaching team to Sportsmail as 'the most qualified in the Premier League'.
They are modern, forward-thinking and ambitious, using software and high-tech equipment to study, analyse and measure player fitness and development, called KPI (Key Performance Indicators).
At Manchester City they introduced diet and dehydration tests in use at superpowers such as AC Milan and Bayern Munich.
The close-knit coaching unit have joined forces with Hughes several times before and are back alongside him at QPR. They notably signed £8million-rated Christopher Samba for Blackburn for £400,000. How does it work?

Mark Bowen
Highly-rated right-hand man. Works closely with players and acts as a conduit between a sometimes-frosty Hughes and the squad.
Close confidant who is trusted by Hughes since playing alongside him for Wales. They became great mates and Bowen then followed him into international management as a coach. Together they have worked at Blackburn, Manchester City, Fulham and now QPR.
Former Tottenham and West Ham full back who turned down the chance to be Norwich manager. Bowen often takes charge of set pieces and will observe coaching sessions with Hughes. Takes an active role in player recruitment. Has a son on the technical staff at West Ham.

Eddie Niedzwiecki
Hands-on coach who will take soundings from Hughes and Bowen, but is responsible for daily coaching sessions with the first team after working with the data analysts to determine intensity of training.
His style is described as ‘demanding, but rewarding’ and was praised by Fulham players.
When ex-striker Hughes was asked if he joined in, he explained: ‘The quality of the sessions Eddie puts on is so high, I would only ruin the level of performance, and therefore the stats, by taking part. I stay away and rely on my memories.’
Former Wales and Chelsea goalkeeper Niedzwiecki has an encyclopaedic knowledge of players around the world.

Kevin Hitchcock
Former Chelsea goalkeeper and Hughes’s goalkeeping coach. Like Bowen and Niedzwiecki, has previously worked with Hughes at Blackburn, Manchester City and Fulham.
A similar role under Gianfranco Zola at West Ham, where he replaced Ludek Miklosko. Hitchcock played almost 300 games for Mansfield, Chelsea and Northampton.

Kia Joorabchian
Transfer Mr Fixit who sought Hughes for Manchester City and then arranged the transfer of Carlos Tevez, among others.
Behind Moussa Dembele’s move to Fulham and likely to be given a mandate by QPR - driven by Hughes - to improve the playing staff.
Has been working with Hughes, Bowen and Niedzwiecki looking at players in preparation for this opportunity. Don’t expect Tevez. Do expect Alex. And a few others.

[Deleted]

May 29, 2013 7:47:17 GMT slother said:

Will they come with him?

Mark Hughes once described his coaching team to Sportsmail as 'the most qualified in the Premier League'.
They are modern, forward-thinking and ambitious, using software and high-tech equipment to study, analyse and measure player fitness and development, called KPI (Key Performance Indicators).
At Manchester City they introduced diet and dehydration tests in use at superpowers such as AC Milan and Bayern Munich.
The close-knit coaching unit have joined forces with Hughes several times before and are back alongside him at QPR. They notably signed £8million-rated Christopher Samba for Blackburn for £400,000. How does it work?

Mark Bowen
Highly-rated right-hand man. Works closely with players and acts as a conduit between a sometimes-frosty Hughes and the squad.
Close confidant who is trusted by Hughes since playing alongside him for Wales. They became great mates and Bowen then followed him into international management as a coach. Together they have worked at Blackburn, Manchester City, Fulham and now QPR.
Former Tottenham and West Ham full back who turned down the chance to be Norwich manager. Bowen often takes charge of set pieces and will observe coaching sessions with Hughes. Takes an active role in player recruitment. Has a son on the technical staff at West Ham.

Eddie Niedzwiecki
Hands-on coach who will take soundings from Hughes and Bowen, but is responsible for daily coaching sessions with the first team after working with the data analysts to determine intensity of training.
His style is described as ‘demanding, but rewarding’ and was praised by Fulham players.
When ex-striker Hughes was asked if he joined in, he explained: ‘The quality of the sessions Eddie puts on is so high, I would only ruin the level of performance, and therefore the stats, by taking part. I stay away and rely on my memories.’
Former Wales and Chelsea goalkeeper Niedzwiecki has an encyclopaedic knowledge of players around the world.

Kevin Hitchcock
Former Chelsea goalkeeper and Hughes’s goalkeeping coach. Like Bowen and Niedzwiecki, has previously worked with Hughes at Blackburn, Manchester City and Fulham.
A similar role under Gianfranco Zola at West Ham, where he replaced Ludek Miklosko. Hitchcock played almost 300 games for Mansfield, Chelsea and Northampton.

Kia Joorabchian
Transfer Mr Fixit who sought Hughes for Manchester City and then arranged the transfer of Carlos Tevez, among others.
Behind Moussa Dembele’s move to Fulham and likely to be given a mandate by QPR - driven by Hughes - to improve the playing staff.
Has been working with Hughes, Bowen and Niedzwiecki looking at players in preparation for this opportunity. Don’t expect Tevez. Do expect Alex. And a few others.

I hope Joorabchian keeps well away from Stoke.

[ChrisKamarasPerm]

I'd say so and I really look forward to the future.

[scfc5]

An interesting read. It is the last part that causes alarm bells to ring, but hopefully Cartwright can act as a buffer there.

[drfishy]

I'd be ok with any/all of them except a certain Mr Joorabchian(and probably Cartwright will have a say about that as well). Wouldn't mind somebody in the mix to bring the fans onside, Holland? or an ex-Stokie but I doubt we will see that.

[Bick]

Ah the moment when "Oh god no" becomes "actually.... he might be great".

[slother]

There's also one Mike Rigg who was a technical director with a vast remit. Details are posted below but various papers have reported Stoke don't want him here, as we already have Mark Cartwright whose been in the job less than 6 months. It also sounds like Rigg is a piece of work.

September 2012
‘Four-and-a- half months since his appointment as technical director, the basic model which Mike Rigg has been looking to introduce at QPR is already almost in place. When Rigg arrived at Loftus Road he immediately conducted an audit with a view to setting up a structure based largely on a template recommended to clubs by the Premier League. The structure is made up of five main departments which, as Rigg puts it, constantly “feed in” to manager Mark Hughes. These departments are:

Football Operations (everything from administration and kit to player care and catering – essentially the ‘engine’ of the club)
Academy:
Coaching:
Sports Science and Medical:
Scouting and Recruitment:

Riggs’ intention was to recruit heads of these departments and strong teams around them. He was almost starting from scratch given how weak the infrastructure had been at the club for some time. The vision was a long-term one, but the need to put something in place was immediate because of an impending review of every club’s set-up by the football authorities.

April 2013
Kevin Gallen has revealed he was lied to during his time as an academy coach at QPR and admits he was ‘always watching his back’ at Loftus Road.
The former Loftus Road strike star left the west London club in mid-August, when he was sacked by email by former technical director Mike Rigg, and confesses it was not a pleasant environment under the management regime of Mark Hughes. Neil Warnock told talkSPORT earlier this week he hoped Hughes would succeed him at Leeds so he could ‘destroy another of my teams’, and Gallen has now added his own damning assessment of the Welshman’s time in charge.

He said: “When I was at the club, we had a meeting about the academy and [technical director] Mike Rigg came in and said to us our transfer policy is going to be a lot different , we’re going to sign young players with a lot of sell on value, something the previous management team had not done.

“And then the next month we signed Ji Sung Park, Julio Cesar, Jose Bosingwa, Ryan Nelsen and Andy Johnson.
“I’ve been in football a long time and there are a lot of people who tell a lot of porky pies and can con a lot of people. But I believed him.”

Gallen also claims Rigg was the man in control of football affairs at Loftus Road.
“I was there until mid-August [2012] and he was running the club,” he added in an interview with QPR podcast ‘Open All Rs. “Players like Joey Barton, Luke Young, DJ Campbell and Jay Bothroyd were all told by Mike Rigg, ‘you’ve got to train at 9 o’clock and then come back at 4 o’clock’, because they wanted them out.
“That’s fair enough, but can’t you just say, ‘you’re not going to play, try to find another club’.
“But if you are made to come in before the first-team and then leave before they arrive at 11 o’clock, and then come back at 4 o’clock and do half an hour just to annoy you, players are going to dig their heels in and say, ‘I’m staying where I am’.
“And that culture went through the staff. It wasn’t a nice place to work. You were always watching your back.”

[slother]

Yep, Joorabchian is Hughes' agent. The pendulum of consensus might be swinging that way, but I wonder if Hughes will be disappointed. Rudge talked about the club wanting to move from a traditional model to a continental model where non-footballing staff do the orchestration and give the manager a squad to get results on the ptich with. With that in mind, I wouldn't be surprised to see a coach a la Clarke or AVB appointed. Maybe Poyet, RDM, Meulensteen, Bould or ONeill. Hughes' seems a little... large for the role were looking to fill. Could be wrong, I frequently am.

[stokeyadam]

May 29, 2013 8:25:53 GMT Southstander said:

They might have "notably signed £8million-rated Christopher Samba for Blackburn for £400,000", but were they also the team behind the £18 million signings of both Jô and Roque Santa Cruz? ... (that's £18 million EACH).

Is 18 million really that much for a player, who at the time was banging in 20 maybe more, premier league goals a season?
We've seen worse go for more!

[djralphy2k9]

maybe Phelan and that Rene bloke should be persuaded to join the backroom team along with Steve Holland to bridge the gap between Academy and first team

[FullerMagic]

Another Hughes QPR backroom article

From early reports, it does sound like we'll be getting the full Team Hughes apart from Rigg and hopefully Joorabchian who'll have their place in the set-up taken by Cartwright?

Hughes
Bowen Asst
Niedzwiecki 1st Tm Coach
Hitchcock GK Coach

[roylandstoke]

You'd think with all of that highly paid staff Hughes would have achieved something.

Do any of his former clubs want him back?

Why isn't he linked with Everton?

[slother]

May 29, 2013 8:55:42 GMT FullerMagic said:

Another Hughes QPR backroom article

From early reports, it does sound like we'll be getting the full Team Hughes apart from Rigg and hopefully Joorabchian who'll have their place in the set-up taken by Cartwright?

Hughes
Bowen Asst
Niedzwiecki 1st Tm Coach
Hitchcock GK Coach

Perfect scenario, really - if it turns out that way. I'm excited!!

[chattyladypotter]

I am too worried to get excited. Hopefully the transfer window will have us all buzzing.

[stockportstokie]

Mark Bowen makes Pulis look like Cruyff, this is a bad day.

[cartman123]

Kia Joorabchian and Mark Cartwright. Hmm. We could be heading for bankruptcy.

[FullerMagic]

May 29, 2013 8:01:09 GMT slother said:

There's also one Mike Rigg who was a technical director with a vast remit. Details are posted below but various papers have reported Stoke don't want him here, as we already have Mark Cartwright whose been in the job less than 6 months. It also sounds like Rigg is a piece of work.

September 2012
‘Four-and-a- half months since his appointment as technical director, the basic model which Mike Rigg has been looking to introduce at QPR is already almost in place. When Rigg arrived at Loftus Road he immediately conducted an audit with a view to setting up a structure based largely on a template recommended to clubs by the Premier League. The structure is made up of five main departments which, as Rigg puts it, constantly “feed in” to manager Mark Hughes. These departments are:

Football Operations (everything from administration and kit to player care and catering – essentially the ‘engine’ of the club)
Academy:
Coaching:
Sports Science and Medical:
Scouting and Recruitment:

Riggs’ intention was to recruit heads of these departments and strong teams around them. He was almost starting from scratch given how weak the infrastructure had been at the club for some time. The vision was a long-term one, but the need to put something in place was immediate because of an impending review of every club’s set-up by the football authorities.

April 2013
Kevin Gallen has revealed he was lied to during his time as an academy coach at QPR and admits he was ‘always watching his back’ at Loftus Road.
The former Loftus Road strike star left the west London club in mid-August, when he was sacked by email by former technical director Mike Rigg, and confesses it was not a pleasant environment under the management regime of Mark Hughes. Neil Warnock told talkSPORT earlier this week he hoped Hughes would succeed him at Leeds so he could ‘destroy another of my teams’, and Gallen has now added his own damning assessment of the Welshman’s time in charge.

He said: “When I was at the club, we had a meeting about the academy and [technical director] Mike Rigg came in and said to us our transfer policy is going to be a lot different , we’re going to sign young players with a lot of sell on value, something the previous management team had not done.

“And then the next month we signed Ji Sung Park, Julio Cesar, Jose Bosingwa, Ryan Nelsen and Andy Johnson.
“I’ve been in football a long time and there are a lot of people who tell a lot of porky pies and can con a lot of people. But I believed him.”

Gallen also claims Rigg was the man in control of football affairs at Loftus Road.
“I was there until mid-August [2012] and he was running the club,” he added in an interview with QPR podcast ‘Open All Rs. “Players like Joey Barton, Luke Young, DJ Campbell and Jay Bothroyd were all told by Mike Rigg, ‘you’ve got to train at 9 o’clock and then come back at 4 o’clock’, because they wanted them out.
“That’s fair enough, but can’t you just say, ‘you’re not going to play, try to find another club’.
“But if you are made to come in before the first-team and then leave before they arrive at 11 o’clock, and then come back at 4 o’clock and do half an hour just to annoy you, players are going to dig their heels in and say, ‘I’m staying where I am’.
“And that culture went through the staff. It wasn’t a nice place to work. You were always watching your back.”

Rigg has just been on 5 Live confirming he won't be coming to Stoke as Cartwright (who he said was a close friend of his) is already in place in that role.

[stokeramblers]

I'd like to see Eric Steele get the GK coach job. He'd work wonders with Butland

[Deleted]

We had an assistant manager, 3 first team coaches and a goalkeeping coach under Pulis.

Bowmen will be number 2 and Niedzwiecki will be first team coach. Is Gerry Francis still with the club? If so that means we could still potentially see 1 more first team coach, if he isn't then surely we would need more than just Niedzwiecki?

[ed5993]

May 29, 2013 8:01:09 GMT slother said:

There's also one Mike Rigg who was a technical director with a vast remit. Details are posted below but various papers have reported Stoke don't want him here, as we already have Mark Cartwright whose been in the job less than 6 months. It also sounds like Rigg is a piece of work.

September 2012
‘Four-and-a- half months since his appointment as technical director, the basic model which Mike Rigg has been looking to introduce at QPR is already almost in place. When Rigg arrived at Loftus Road he immediately conducted an audit with a view to setting up a structure based largely on a template recommended to clubs by the Premier League. The structure is made up of five main departments which, as Rigg puts it, constantly “feed in” to manager Mark Hughes. These departments are:

Football Operations (everything from administration and kit to player care and catering – essentially the ‘engine’ of the club)
Academy:
Coaching:
Sports Science and Medical:
Scouting and Recruitment:

Riggs’ intention was to recruit heads of these departments and strong teams around them. He was almost starting from scratch given how weak the infrastructure had been at the club for some time. The vision was a long-term one, but the need to put something in place was immediate because of an impending review of every club’s set-up by the football authorities.

April 2013
Kevin Gallen has revealed he was lied to during his time as an academy coach at QPR and admits he was ‘always watching his back’ at Loftus Road.
The former Loftus Road strike star left the west London club in mid-August, when he was sacked by email by former technical director Mike Rigg, and confesses it was not a pleasant environment under the management regime of Mark Hughes. Neil Warnock told talkSPORT earlier this week he hoped Hughes would succeed him at Leeds so he could ‘destroy another of my teams’, and Gallen has now added his own damning assessment of the Welshman’s time in charge.

He said: “When I was at the club, we had a meeting about the academy and [technical director] Mike Rigg came in and said to us our transfer policy is going to be a lot different , we’re going to sign young players with a lot of sell on value, something the previous management team had not done.

“And then the next month we signed Ji Sung Park, Julio Cesar, Jose Bosingwa, Ryan Nelsen and Andy Johnson.
“I’ve been in football a long time and there are a lot of people who tell a lot of porky pies and can con a lot of people. But I believed him.”

Gallen also claims Rigg was the man in control of football affairs at Loftus Road.
“I was there until mid-August [2012] and he was running the club,” he added in an interview with QPR podcast ‘Open All Rs. “Players like Joey Barton, Luke Young, DJ Campbell and Jay Bothroyd were all told by Mike Rigg, ‘you’ve got to train at 9 o’clock and then come back at 4 o’clock’, because they wanted them out.
“That’s fair enough, but can’t you just say, ‘you’re not going to play, try to find another club’.
“But if you are made to come in before the first-team and then leave before they arrive at 11 o’clock, and then come back at 4 o’clock and do half an hour just to annoy you, players are going to dig their heels in and say, ‘I’m staying where I am’.
“And that culture went through the staff. It wasn’t a nice place to work. You were always watching your back.”

Mike Rigg was just interviewed on 5live sport this evening - he's worked with Hughes many times before specifically as technical director - he said there was no chance he would be coming to Stoke because we already have a strong candidate in that role of technical director. He also went on to say he was 'good friends' with Mark Cartwright as well, and continued to ring his praises.

[ed5993]

Oh, and I hope Joorabchian stays well well away. Any of the others I'd be very happy with - Bowen and Niedzwiecki seem to come very highly rated. Isn't Andy Quy still the 'keeping coach?

[RAF]

Surely the lively and inventive Dave Kemp is in with a shout for a role?

H

[Deleted]

May 29, 2013 9:47:51 GMT stockportstokie said:

Mark Bowen makes Pulis look like Cruyff, this is a bad day.

Did you have to google who Mark Bowen is?

[Bowd1863]

May 30, 2013 19:52:11 GMT RAF said:

Surely the lively and inventive Dave Kemp is in with a shout for a role?

H

Just spat out a mouthful of Strongbow

[padders01]

May 30, 2013 19:47:31 GMT ed5993 said:

May 29, 2013 8:01:09 GMT slother said:

There's also one Mike Rigg who was a technical director with a vast remit. Details are posted below but various papers have reported Stoke don't want him here, as we already have Mark Cartwright whose been in the job less than 6 months. It also sounds like Rigg is a piece of work.

September 2012
‘Four-and-a- half months since his appointment as technical director, the basic model which Mike Rigg has been looking to introduce at QPR is already almost in place. When Rigg arrived at Loftus Road he immediately conducted an audit with a view to setting up a structure based largely on a template recommended to clubs by the Premier League. The structure is made up of five main departments which, as Rigg puts it, constantly “feed in” to manager Mark Hughes. These departments are:

Football Operations (everything from administration and kit to player care and catering – essentially the ‘engine’ of the club)
Academy:
Coaching:
Sports Science and Medical:
Scouting and Recruitment:

Riggs’ intention was to recruit heads of these departments and strong teams around them. He was almost starting from scratch given how weak the infrastructure had been at the club for some time. The vision was a long-term one, but the need to put something in place was immediate because of an impending review of every club’s set-up by the football authorities.

April 2013
Kevin Gallen has revealed he was lied to during his time as an academy coach at QPR and admits he was ‘always watching his back’ at Loftus Road.
The former Loftus Road strike star left the west London club in mid-August, when he was sacked by email by former technical director Mike Rigg, and confesses it was not a pleasant environment under the management regime of Mark Hughes. Neil Warnock told talkSPORT earlier this week he hoped Hughes would succeed him at Leeds so he could ‘destroy another of my teams’, and Gallen has now added his own damning assessment of the Welshman’s time in charge.

He said: “When I was at the club, we had a meeting about the academy and [technical director] Mike Rigg came in and said to us our transfer policy is going to be a lot different , we’re going to sign young players with a lot of sell on value, something the previous management team had not done.

“And then the next month we signed Ji Sung Park, Julio Cesar, Jose Bosingwa, Ryan Nelsen and Andy Johnson.
“I’ve been in football a long time and there are a lot of people who tell a lot of porky pies and can con a lot of people. But I believed him.”

Gallen also claims Rigg was the man in control of football affairs at Loftus Road.
“I was there until mid-August [2012] and he was running the club,” he added in an interview with QPR podcast ‘Open All Rs. “Players like Joey Barton, Luke Young, DJ Campbell and Jay Bothroyd were all told by Mike Rigg, ‘you’ve got to train at 9 o’clock and then come back at 4 o’clock’, because they wanted them out.
“That’s fair enough, but can’t you just say, ‘you’re not going to play, try to find another club’.
“But if you are made to come in before the first-team and then leave before they arrive at 11 o’clock, and then come back at 4 o’clock and do half an hour just to annoy you, players are going to dig their heels in and say, ‘I’m staying where I am’.
“And that culture went through the staff. It wasn’t a nice place to work. You were always watching your back.”

Mike Rigg was just interviewed on 5live sport this evening - he's worked with Hughes many times before specifically as technical director - he said there was no chance he would be coming to Stoke because we already have a strong candidate in that role of technical director. He also went on to say he was 'good friends' with Mark Cartwright as well, and continued to ring his praises.

That's horrific reading!!

I DO NOT want anyone like that at Stoke City Football Club

[stockportstokie]

May 30, 2013 20:08:37 GMT @stokey1985 said:

May 29, 2013 9:47:51 GMT stockportstokie said:

Mark Bowen makes Pulis look like Cruyff, this is a bad day.

Did you have to google who Mark Bowen is?

He's from Neath and played for Wales on countless of occasions, I'd suggest I know more about the twat than yourself. He's a berk, but at least he's on our side now I suppose...