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Stoke City regressing fast under Hughes – they must stop the rot

FOREVER LINKED TO THE ‘PULIS’ STYLE

Rather strangely, Stoke City have become something of a cult club. To many members of the English press and even football fans, the Potters have never truly escaped their reputation for playing the ‘ugly’ way upon promotion under Tony Pulis nine years ago even though Mark Hughes has overseen a big turn around in personnel.

There are many reasons why that is harsh, not least because, since Pulis’ exit in 2013 and even before, Stoke have attempted to break away from it and become more easy on the eye at the Britannia, or Bet365, Stadium. The days of Seyi Olofinjana, Rory Delap and Andy Wilkinson threw up stereotypes Stoke will never be able to shake; to some, they will forever be known as FC Barcelona’s biggest contrast, the place every potential world beater must perform on a wet and windy Tuesday night before they achieve true greatness and the proverbial home of ‘hoofball’.

COSTA DEL STOKE

Ironically, though, their ‘relationship’ with Barcelona has switched. Former Blaugrana striker Mark Hughes replaced Pulis and brought in Bojan Krkic and Marc Muniesa, who had grown up in their youth academy, La Masia. Marko Arnautovic and Xherdan Shaqiri have taken their progression to the next level; Stoke had, around a year or two ago, become known as an entertaining side to watch.

All of the positive work put in place by Hughes would not be possible without Pulis. Promotion to the Premier League is becoming more and more daunting by the year, and when Stoke achieved it, they were a complete unknown quantity. Pulis made 90 minutes a hellish experience for away teams with his direct approach and even reached an FA Cup final and subsequently the Europa League. After leaving, having never once truly worried about relegation at the club, Pulis has become something of a specialist, since working his magic at both Crystal Palace and West Bromwich Albion.

FROM PROGRESSION TO REGRESSION

The last nine years have been full of consolidation and progression for Stoke and in a year’s time they will be able to celebrate a decade as a Premier League force should they repeat the trick again. But their survival in the top flight may now be under more scrutiny than ever, because cracks are beginning to show for Hughes and some are saying they are going backwards. Bojan, the first big arrival in the new and exciting post-Pulis era, found himself on the fringes of the first team last year and was allowed to leave for Mainz in the Bundesliga on loan in January. Shaqiri, lauded as the most stunning signing of 2015 when he joined from Inter, having previously been at Bayern Munich, struggled for form and Peter Crouch, at the age of 36, came in from the cold to lead the line up front, ahead of two strikers supposed to be ideal for clubs looking to push up the table, Saido Berahino and Wilfried Bony.

Both of them joined last season, Bony on loan from Manchester City and Berahino from West Brom in January, with the same idea, to use Stoke as the platform to get their careers back on track. As of yet, it hasn’t worked for the latter, while the former left at the end of last season questioning why he wasn’t getting more playing time. Crouch may be a unique take on the traditional English target man, possessing a lanky frame and a great first touch rather than impressive upper-body strength, but at six foot seven he was tall enough for Hughes to regress the team to a Pulis like state, simultaneously jeopardising all of the good work that had gone before and stifling both Shaqiri and Marko Arnautovic.

TESTING TIMES FOR HUGHES

Finishing 13th in the Premier League is no mean feat, but last year was proof of that regression. Stoke had become accustomed to the top half, finishing ninth in all three of Hughes’ previous campaigns; winning just three times from the end of February brought real cause for concern, something Stoke fans hadn’t really felt in the top flight before.

The more money there is in the Premier League, the tighter it gets. Other than the top six or eight teams it is pretty open, meaning anyone could just as easily battle relegation as enjoy mid-table security. It depends completely on the transfer business, and Stoke have not arrested their slide this summer. The sale of Arnautovic to West Ham for £24million may seem like great business, but that can only be true if the team benefits from it. As of yet, no direct replacement has been found and Kurt Zouma, on loan from Chelsea, former Hull City youngster Josh Tymon and Darren Fletcher from West Brom are the only arrivals.

Suggesting Stoke will plunge into the Championship next season is premature and would be viewed as a long shot. But they are in danger of becoming dark horses for relegation if Hughes does not act quickly. Their bigger names have not performed, but the manager has failed to offer the best conditions for them to succeed over the past year or so.

From traditionalists in the depths of the English lower leagues to Premier League regulars in under a decade, Stoke City have been a model club. But before them, the likes of Blackburn Rovers, Bolton Wanderers and Middlesbrough were in the same position, seemingly with everything figured out, until the negativity crept in and they spent years attempting to climb back up the ladder.

Alarm bells are ringing and time is running out for Mark Hughes to get it right. Frustratingly, he seemed to have the formula, and he must figure it out again to avoid disaster in the Potteries.

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