SPARKY GOES FROM STOKELONA TO SACK IN NO TIME

FOOTBALL management is a perilous business at the best of times.

At its worst, it is brutal, unforgiving, and good memories are quickly forgotten amid the anger and clamour for change.

Mark Hughes’ sacking at Stoke is the biggest example of how quickly things are forgotten when results take a turn for the worse.

Hughes (right) made mistakes but some of the revisionism that has gone on this week is unfair.

The Welshman, one of the great centre-forwards of his generation, has been a very solid football manager throughout his career.

But, arguably, the job he did at Stoke – in fourand-a-half years there – was his best work so far.

Sparky took over a team from Tony Pulis which had been drifting, had gained a reputation for playing long-ball football, and was seen as unfashionable, with players reluctant to move there.

But during Hughes’ reign, the Potters went from “a rugby team” – as Arsene Wenger rather ungraciously called them – to being rebranded “Stokelona”.

They brought in four ex-barca players – Bojan Krkic (celebrating, above) Ibrahim Afellay, Marc Muniesa and Moha El Ouriachi – and changed the way of playing. Stoke fans loved it.

They were also given three consecutive ninthplace finishes, and Hughes was popular for a while, despite never much worrying about engaging with supporters.

Sparky can come across as distant, and maybe that lack of connection, ultimately counted against him.

But it was interesting to see that, after the initial relief among the supporters who had called for his head, those big enough to see both sides quickly went back to thank Hughes for the job he had done.

The lifespan of a manager is rarely over four years.

Hughes can also point to the fact that last summer, rather than heavy invest in a squad which was ageing and in need of an injection of quality, the club instead spent money on the stadium.

The manager was in charge during the time of some bad buys – Saido Berahino and Giannelli Imbula – but last summer there was little cash at all.

Hughes should be respected for the job he did at Stoke and any level-headed owner or chairman must remember what a good manager he is.