BOSS STANDS BY HIS CHELSEA SELECTION

DEFIANT Mark Hughes insisted that he is still the right man to lead Stoke despite coming under fire after his selection gamble backfired. Fans called for Hughes’s head following a home defeat by Newcastle yesterday, 48 hours after the Welshman had rested players for a 5-0 battering at Chelsea. Asked about his future, Hughes replied: ‘Who else is going to do it? In terms of knowledge of the group and the progress in my time here, I’m the best person to do it. ‘It doesn’t bother me. What bothers me is that the team need to be doing better. It’s difficult times at the moment, so we’ve just got to stick our chests out and get on with it. ‘It’s not going to be easy but it’s about making sure you show character and take any criticism or flak that comes your way.’ Hughes was frustrated by persistent questions about his team selection at Stamford Bridge and cut short his postmatch press conference. ‘Everyone’s saying that I gambled but I used the players I had,’ he added. ‘What was I going to do? Risk players that had a big part to play today? ‘Rafael Benitez (Newcastle boss) made five changes, so what’s the difference? ‘If I had won, it would have been great management. As it happens, it’s gone against me. ‘I’m brave enough to take it on the chin. I did it for the right reasons. I did it to maximise our chances of getting a result. It hasn’t panned out, but that’s how sport happens. ‘I would have made the same decision again given the circumstances.’