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Mark Hughes said he wanted to move Stoke City forward after being appointed as the successor to Tony Pulis as manager of the Premier League club yesterday. |
Hughes, who had been out of work since being sacked by Queens Park Rangers in November, has been awarded a three-year contract at the Britannia Stadium.
The Welshman, 49, was presented to the media alongside Stoke chairman Peter Coates and said he was grateful for the chance to return to management. “I’m absolutely delighted to get the opportunity,” Hughes said.
“The Coates family have given me this opportunity and I’m really grateful. I’m pleased they have done their due diligence and looked beyond my last position and taken my career as a manager as a whole. I have the opportunity to work with good people.
“With the passion in the area, this is very much a local club that’s close to its community. The passion and real desire from the crowd for the team is obvious.”
Hughes began his managerial career as coach of the Wales national side before subsequent spells in the Premier League with Blackburn Rovers, Manchester City and Fulham.
A classy but uncompromising centre-forward in his playing days with Manchester United, Barcelona and Bayern Munich, Hughes has become renowned for producing sides that play with a similarly rugged approach.
QPR were relegated after Harry Redknapp replaced Hughes in the Loftus Road dug-out, but the Welshman said he had had to work in challenging circumstances.
“It was difficult at QPR and a lot of managers have gone in there and found it difficult,” he said.
“Their turnover of managers, not just in the last 18 months, but historically, has been high. It was difficult and mistakes were made.
“It was a difficult situation with a lot of changes and if we are honest with ourselves, we tried to run before we could walk. From my point of view, it’s all about the here and now, and moving Stoke forward.”
Pulis left Stoke by mutual consent last week after two spells in charge totalling 10 years, either side of a one-season stint with Plymouth Argyle in 2005-06.
He turned Stoke into a solid mid-table team following their promotion from the Championship in 2008, but left amid mounting criticism from supporters over his side’s physical and supposedly uncultured style.
Despite his own reputation, Hughes pledged to make Stoke a more attractive team to watch.
“It’s not a case of wiping away the hard work of previous seasons,” he said. “I’d like to make them a little bit more offensive, but we’re not going to chuck the baby out with the bath water. It’s about steady progress.
“Sometimes you get labelled with a certain way of playing. I can only take the club forward as I know and my philosophy is to play football, to play good football, make chances, and make it entertaining for the fans who pay good money to come and see us.”
