I feel like lukewarm is exactly the right temperature for me. I used to like Hughes and thought he got a bit of a raw deal from Man City. I do think Stoke is terrible, and he is part of the reason why. And he has been at Stoke long enough to have had a chance to know the players, add any additions he wanted, figure out a tactic and who should play it, etc. He owns that performance. So it's kind of hard to endorse a manager who was sacked by a team performing even worse than ours, and who, in my mind, had an easier task than Pellegrino. OTOH, I've always been a believer that most managers get stale after a few years and performances will decline. He hasn't been shafted by the Stoke board nearly as much as some claim, but it's safe to say he hasn't had the resources available to him that other managers enjoy. And sometimes, the fit between manager and team and board and fans just isn't good, and so you can be bad for one club but great for another. I'm going to give him a chance, of course I'll be rooting for him to do well, and I'm cautiously optimistic. But he doesn't warrant any more than that, IMO. It's not like he's coming off a Champions League title and 15 clubs were clamoring for his services.
Well IFO, at this stage, am excited we’ve got a new manager who has good PL experience, a reasonable track record & I feel is out to prove. I’m not sure Guardiola would be any better, probably worse with just an 8x game remit.
It’s worth remembering that the only times Stoke have ever finished in the top half of the Premier League were with Hughes in charge.
His interviews are a real breath of fresh air, at the very least. Honest assessment of our situation, and seems to recognise that the players need a swift kick up the arse. I can definitely get behind that over the “possibilities” of Puel and the “interesting moments” of the Useless One.
Agree that his interview hit the right notes. We are in a desperate situation, so I’m cautiously optimistic getting someone of his experience.
Ah well, don’t believe what you hear in the press (always). Just spoke to Tiss, and he said “I never fell out with Sparky when he was here, he was just very quiet”. So we can put that one to bed.
I had to go back again and check as I didn’t recall seeing it the other day, but the club statement is very odd. Why is Reed not unveiling him or introducing him? Has he gone down The Winchester to have a drink and wait for all of this to blow over?
Mark (am on first name terms now ) said that it had all happened very quickly....just wondering out of idle curiosity if it was before or after MP2 was sacked. Probably sounded out I would have thought as we couldn't take the chance of playing with no manager....I know some would say better no manager than Mauricio....but that is patently untrue as we had no experienced coach to fall back on. Also would MH have got a direct call or would it be through his agent first......I suppose that would depend if LR had any social link with Hughes at all. As I said, just idle curiosity as I can't sleep
Hanging around an airport. Just one phrase keeps surfacing during the mind numbing wait. "Sparky. Please give us back some pride." I've put up with some real ****e over the years. The terrible ale-house brawlers; the ignominy of possible Conference football (thank you, Markus!) and now the tedium of this season. Whether we stay up or go down. Whether we win on Sunday or become a slain giant. Give us fans something to swagger about again.
Funny; this feels like the beginning of a new season now & I'm full of the usual (no logic) supporter enthusiasm & excitement that this is going to be "our year", albeit 2 months only. Come on Sparky, do as your nickname says, inject a bit & I'm sure we'll have a great ride. COYS.
