Hughes slates Stoke ‘airbrush’ job
MARK HUGHES has slammed Stoke owner Peter Coates for airbrushing him out of their history.
Southampton manager Hughes has hit back after Coates released a statement following Stoke’s relegation to the Championship claiming Hughes should have been axed earlier.
Hughes said: “Hindsight’s a wonderful thing. It was a difficult season. I’m a little disappointed. I was there four and a half years and it seems that certain people want to airbrush the success we had.
“It’s there for everybody to see. I was their most successful Premier League manager. It didn’t end like I wanted, but myself and everybody on my staff put their heart and soul into that job and I’m really sorry that they’ve gone out of the league.”
Only a freak set of final-day results can see Swansea leapfrog Southampton to safety tomorrow. Saints would have to lose heavily at home to champions Manchester City and Swansea beat Stoke with a 10-goal swing in order for the South Coast side to go down. But Hughes has warned his players to keep their fate in their own hands.
“If we perform at the same level we have done in recent weeks and understand what we are trying to achieve, we have the ability to make sure we get the job done,” he said.
City manager Pep Guardiola has warned Atletico Madrid they are wasting their time trying to sign Sergio Aguero. The striker, who is 30 next month, has stated many times when his City contract runs out in two years that he will return to first club Independiente in Argentina.
Guardiola said: “Sergio is going to stay until he decides his time is over.”
Aguero’s season finished prematurely after keyhole surgery on a knee injury, leaving him fighting to be fit for the World Cup.