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Post by pyrus on Apr 25, 2014 0:56:12 GMT
Yes happy with Mark Hughes. Like many, I wasn't too sure at first, but thinking about it after his appointment, he fitted the bill.
I really think the question should be 'Who's happy with the way the club is being run?' I have thought for a while that Stoke have been slow and sure about their development. We haven't gone for fast and expensive, yet we have seen off many other promoted clubs who were spending more and 'playing the right way' yet it is us that have thrived and survived. They identified Pulis as the man to engineer our rise from the Championship and consolidate us. They called time on his successful tenure and forced a change in style and therefore management. A year later, season ticket sales are better than they ever have been, the style has moved on and it looks like we've only just begun a whole new phase of evolution. Hughes is key to this it had to be a steady hand. But he has said that he is in a job where all the crap is taken care of and he can be left to do his job. That is down to the directorship of the club .
Hughes is dead right for us, but he is a part of a bigger plan and right now, that is what looks very impressive to me.
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Post by stokemanusa on Apr 25, 2014 2:19:34 GMT
Who wasn't worried at first? come on... I sure as hell was but his contacts abroad and pedigree of knowing good players is a good start. His signing have been excellent and his ability to turn glenn, geoff and ryan into footballers has been great from the last regime. I'm fucking delighted for next season already!!!
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Post by estrangedsonoffaye on Apr 25, 2014 3:23:35 GMT
Apprehension is a natural reaction to such a significant change so therefore it doesn't shame me to say I was apprehensive. But if anyone truly believes that Hughes has had anything less than a successful season and a happy first year they are deluding themselves. To those that say "he had one good month" that's all you need. It's more than that anyway, the entire feel of the club has changed to a more positive outlook, I look forward to watching us pass the ball a bit, for every pointless sideways pass we do (which we can do a lot) we get some lovely short snappy 1-2 passes that look fantastic. I'm very happy with Hughes and truly think the decision for Tony to go (who's done wonders here and at Palace) has been justified by his performance.
Keep it up Sparky!
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Post by Ex-term-oat-cake on Apr 25, 2014 7:12:10 GMT
Happy? Of course. The football has been miles better than last season. 8/10 as I continue to be confused about Guidetti and our final third strategy. 9/10 if the jones swap deal was his idea. If we add more quality cover for our obvious weaknesses and more pace then next year should be equally exciting. And 10/10 if we finish 8th - which is effectively "champions of the rest", as the top 7 are the top 7 and unlikely to change due to the size of their wallets.
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Post by jarhead on Apr 25, 2014 7:16:11 GMT
More then happy.
The work on the training ground has well and truly benefited the lads footballing wise.
Breath of fresh air this has been and couldn't wait to renew my season card.
Well done Mark and if he gets any money in the window he will take us on again entertainment wise.
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Post by Pugsley on Apr 25, 2014 10:37:20 GMT
Pulis - spends £100million and takes us backwards = incredible job. Hughes - spends nowt in comparison, has us playing some football and looking like surpassing our best ever points total and a top 10 finish = decent job. The mind of a rimmer. You are obsessed with this figure of £100m (Pulis didnt even spend exactly £100m, but don't let that stop you). I can just picture you staggering around the streets stinking of piss shouting '£100m' '£100m' '£100m' Pulis only took us backwards last season and that was after taking us forwards since 2006, but don't let that stop you, did you know he wasted £100m entirely on shit players?
£99,825,000 to be exact.
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Post by chaydlestokie on Apr 25, 2014 11:37:20 GMT
Frankly, regardless of where we finish the change has been immense. Its easily recognised on the pitch and in the players smiles. But the real work starts this summer and i cant wait. If he can improve on Tones performance in the transfer market (which was poor to say the least) then the transformation will be complete. But its a big if. Has Les still got it? Does he still have the contacts, nous and know-how to buy right and spend wise? IN September this year its 10 years exactly since he took the Blackburn job. He left there having turned relegation fodder into a top 10 side (finished 6th, 10th and 7th)and as the hottest managerial property in the country. No exaggeration. All done on an average budget, just like ours. If Les gets the backing he has earned, should be an exciting summer.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 25, 2014 11:44:54 GMT
Plenty on here expected this season to be difficult, and probably would have settled for survival providing there were signs of improvement in the style of play. Next season is where the pressure on Hughes really starts, particularly as the chance to improve our league position from where we are now is limited.
And just for the record, I'm utterly thrilled with how this season's gone, and can't wait for the next one.
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Post by coupe on Apr 25, 2014 11:53:37 GMT
Loved it last season when we beat Liverpool then it went tits up but without doubt this season beating the Shit Chelsea big heads and the absolute mauling of the Villa as been immense,absolutely thrilled.
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Post by MarkWolstanton on Apr 25, 2014 11:57:06 GMT
Pleased beyond expectations.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 25, 2014 12:01:49 GMT
do you think hughes would have kept palace up ? Do you think Hughes could possibly broker a peace deal in Syria, and even get the Israelis and Palestinians around the negotiating table. I reckon he knows where MH370 is.... No coincidence MH ( Mark Hughes ) 370 is the number of his house on Macclesfield Road Alderly Edge...Spooky ( or Sparky ) or what...
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Post by realstokebloke on Apr 25, 2014 12:03:25 GMT
Overall, very happy.
Was seriously worried when he went for Wingie but fair play to 'Mark and his team' for an excellent deal and seeing a very good player still in there.
Factor in that he has spent bugger all squared in relative terms and we have made real progress and it bodes well for next season.
Interesting to see if we go 'consolidation' or 'push on' this summer in terms of signings.
Over to you Denise.
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Post by Kjones9 on Apr 25, 2014 12:06:04 GMT
Yes ecstatic, he's showing the lily livered, gutless few up for what they are.
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Post by thepremierbanksy on Apr 25, 2014 12:08:19 GMT
One other feather in Hughes cap is his management of Arnautovic. It took a while to get the best from him and he was for me a really frustrating player to watch for a good portion of the season - clearly lots of ability but not particularly effective at first - still created odd chances but was nowhere near his own potential. Hughes tried him on the left, then on the right, then behind the striker to give him every chance. In the end it turned out he had him in his best position in the first place and that dropping him for a few games brought out the recent scintillating form we've been seeing. Good management*.
*Saying that I have seen someone on here saying Arnie was carrying an injury for quite a bit of the winter so perhaps not.
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Post by southcarolinastokie on Apr 25, 2014 12:09:12 GMT
Like most others I did not want Hughes when he became the front runner. As soon as he was announced I was 100% behind him. Results weren't great, but they were not bad either, they were indicitive of a team struggling with a stylistic change. Xmas was pretty bad but I don't think you can blame Hughes for that. Newcastle was a game that come around once every 10 years or so, so much went against us, Liverpool was nuts, we hit a team in form and we didn't play badly a very deflected goal and a spanish pen won that one. Spurs was just bollocks but so was Chelsea recently. His signings have been spot on except for Guidetti.
Overall a 9 for me.
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Post by Kjones9 on Apr 25, 2014 12:09:26 GMT
Happy today, but calling for his head if we lose tomorrow ?
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Post by partickpotter on Apr 25, 2014 12:10:17 GMT
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Post by Danstoke82 on Apr 25, 2014 12:35:53 GMT
I was happy when Pulis realised that it was time to move on and allow the club a fresh new start, the thought of another season starting off where the diabolical end to the last season finished scared the crap out of me. Some of the names being banded around as his replacement really excited me too. I was always in the unrealistic Rafa Benitez camp and hoped he would take on the challenge, however, obviously he had bigger fish to fry so I was very keen to see what maybe a Roberto Martinez or Roberto Di Matteo could do with the club, should they be interested.
Judging by the difference in playing styles between club and them two managers I was beginning to realise that they weren't the right fit and sadly I must admit when Hughes was mentioned I was very sceptical as I was judging him on the doomed QPR stint. It seemed like a choice with little ambition by the Coates's.
When Hughes took over I was wary, afraid of what change might bring from the rigid Pulis system to something totally different, way out of my comfort zone of a Stoke supporter but the burning feeling inside me telling me that the club needed to move on made me overly satisfied with Hughes's appointment and his philosophies. We were going from a very defence minded manager to one that was based more on attacking being a top striker during his career. Goals were a rarity at the Brit and almost non-existent away from home so with Hughes in I was intrigued too see if he could solve that problem.
Their was also the thinking of just what type of player an ex-pro like Hughes could attract to Stoke, with his past career I was excited too see who he might or would sign. The signing of Marko Arnautovic really gave me a boost, Id not an out of the blue signing like that for a long time. Someone different, not a work horse, an unknown with attacking flair. I hadn't seen that since the glory days of Ric.
It was always a transitional season for me this season but what Hughes has done makes me a very happy supporter. He has brought in players who can improve the side. He is playing players based on form and not on reputation or the fact that the player is favourable because he fits a rigid system. He is bringing in players who are exciting the crowd and most importantly, players that are filling the gaping holes in our squad left from the previous management's mistakes.
Never will I compare Hughes to Pulis, there is no point. Pulis is the past, he is the Crystal Palace manager and he is now the opposition, a rival. His history and achievements will remain with me as a Stoke supporter and Ill always keep an eye out on his results but for me, thats as far as it goes. Like Fuller, Mama, Liam Lawrence and Rory Delap, Pulis is alongside them in our great history, something I can always look back on and think of how good them memories were.
For me its all about Hughes now and what he might achieve at the club and I am thrilled with what he has done in a season in which I would of accepted finishing 17th through our apparent changeable period. To have guided us to where he has is a fantastic achievement and hats off to the Coates family for appointing him. It is clear to me now that he was the best fit to help Stoke in it's transition into hopefully a top half Premier League side. With the word that the club have already identified transfer targets is like music to my ears, I still have little or no faith in Tony Scholes nor Mark Cartwright but under Hughes I have the satisfactory feeling that we are under a manager desperate to prove his doubters wrong and change the image that sadly the hacks and the idiotic opposition fans have portrayed us in. Here's hoping to a long and prosperous reign under Mark Hughes and his management team.
Mark Hughes's red and white army!!
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Post by Stretfordpotterer on Apr 25, 2014 12:49:53 GMT
Very happy
I've actually enjoyed this season for a start, the previous two were pretty bloody awful in the league.
I now turn up not really knowing what to expect, in a good way,
Home form has been maintained and i actually think our away performances have merited more points than we've gained in the end, a silly red at Sunderland and an awful refereeing display at newcastle definitely cost us 4 points for my money.
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Post by trebor63 on Apr 25, 2014 13:01:48 GMT
I didn't want a change and most certainly didn't want TP to leave but I can understand those who felt the time was right for a change.
When we appointed Hughes I was massively underwhelmed but obviously was going to give him a decent chance, at least a season. By mid January I felt I'd been proved right and I thought we'd sacrificed much of our old qualities and gained very little.
The lowest point was half an hour before the ManU game when we hit the bottom three for the first time I really couldn't see us surviving. BUT! Since then it has been virtually non stop positivity and good football. The football has been easier on the eye and we've regained some of our solidity.
I'm now very pleased with Hughes and can't wait for the new season.
PS I was, am, always have been and always will be indebted to TP for laying the foundations!
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Post by foster on Apr 25, 2014 13:29:42 GMT
Never had any concern over his appointment though I wanted Martinez.
Still, very happy with how things have been working out.
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Post by nononsense on Apr 25, 2014 13:38:14 GMT
If I'm giving him a grade, (even though the season isnt over yet) id give him a 7 out of 10. He has brought some better looking football to the Brit. He has shown us how to pass th ball accurately, but way, way too much of it goes on between our back 4 and the goalie in our own half. There are definite signs of improvement and I can only imagine and hope that said improvements will continue next season. There are still thigns i don't like, but again, i'm hoping these things will improve with time.
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Post by shinosbro on Apr 25, 2014 13:52:17 GMT
If he can improve on Tones performance in the transfer market (which was poor to say the least). happy about Hughes and the team's performance, but I think you're unfair to their Tone, here. There was a time when I'm damn sure Tone's transfer performance was written about as being the most cost effective in English football. Granted it all went west when he could start affording ex-England internationals, but he was still the man who signed Ric , Ryan and Asmir (mayby the last one by accident, admittedly), among many others. When the outlay was small, he was actually rather good. Anyhoo, that's the only time I'm going to comment on Their Tone. This board is obsessed. the other day there was a thread about Putin and Ukraine, and I initially thought it was about Pulis...
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Post by Deleted on Apr 25, 2014 14:31:27 GMT
Delighted would be a understatement for me.
What a decision by PC to bring him here.
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Post by Danstoke82 on Apr 25, 2014 14:50:05 GMT
He has done a fantastic job. He has bought in some real quality (Arnie, Ode, Ireland, Pieters) plus a really good player in the making (Muniesa) for bargain basement prices, got rid of the lazy fuckers (KJ, Pennant), bought the best out of individuals such as Adam, Whelan and Crouchy whilst adding a new dimension to Shawcross's game. Oh, and we now play some decent stuff and actually look like nicking a goal or two whenever we play. Bravo Sparky. Onwards and upwards However, there are still things we need to work on, such as the away form and the ability to bring in cover in key positions (central striker and centre-half spring to mind). All in all though, its been a thoroughly decent season (or at least not as much of a car crash that it could have been). I also think he has helped to improve N'Zonzi overall as well. He seems to fit Hughes's system like a glove.
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Post by adi on Apr 25, 2014 15:03:14 GMT
do you think hughes would have kept palace up ? Do you think chris houghton would've gotten Macclesfield into league one?
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Post by adi on Apr 25, 2014 15:06:48 GMT
Done ok. Let's see what next season brings if he is still here. Still can't stand him though. I hope he 'does ok' next season too, 'ok' seems pretty good, top 10 is 'ok' to me. Hopefully he'll do 'good' and get us into 6-7th and a cup final but 'ok' isn't bad.....
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Post by heisenberg88 on Apr 25, 2014 15:17:03 GMT
Im pleased with him up to now and I was dead against him coming in so hoping he can continue the good work in to next season.
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Post by dozintheseventees on Apr 25, 2014 15:17:29 GMT
He's done exceptionally well IMO. I unashamedly didn't want the last manager sacked but accepted that it was inevitable given the change in direction at the club. ANY new manager had a difficult job in bringing the right players in and changing the approach of the players we already had but Hughes has done an excellent job on both counts. We are unquestionably better to watch and his first season promises much for the future. My admiration for our former manager has diminished not one jot and he's gone on to prove just what an outstanding manager he is (IMO). It is possible to appreciate both and, in all fairness, I think both should be pretty near the top of the 'Manager of the Season' poll. Hell.....fuck that.....Pulis should win it by an absolute fucking mile but very well done Mark Hughes and the future looks bright.
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Post by spitthedog on Apr 25, 2014 15:22:18 GMT
Very pleased. Refreshing in many respects.
He has done a fantastic job so far.
It's a pity the season is going to end because we just seem to be getting stronger and stronger with the same players.
Remember we have achieved this with just one ageing striker! A bloody miracle if you ask me.
Apart from the odd blip, which you would expect, very watchable football.
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