SPARKED OUT Hughes sacked after shock cup defeat at Coventry
MARK HUGHES paid the price for a humiliating FA Cup defeat by Coventry as he was sacked by Stoke last night.
The Potters boss had no inkling earlier yesterday of what was to come after his Premier League flops were knocked out by the League Two club.
But it was the final straw for owner Peter Coates in a week which also saw Stoke lose at home to relegations rivals Newcastle.
A statement from the club confirmed: “Stoke City can confirm that the contract of manager Mark Hughes has been terminated with immediate effect.
“We would like to thank Mark for all he has achieved for the club over the last four and a half years, notably in guiding us to three successive ninthplace finishes in the Premier League, and we wish him every success for the future.”
Just a couple of hours earlier Hughes had pleaded for extra time and suggested that losing the Cup tie would be a blessing in disguise. His 200th game in charge of Stoke turned out to be the last as his side lost to a fourth-tier side for the first time since 1938.
They were the biggest thirdround casualties, beaten by goals from Jordan Willis and Jack Grimmer either side of a Charlie Adam penalty.
Hughes blamed his injury list and said he was targeting a defender in the January transfer window. He insisted: “In the long term it might be a blessing for us. We were taking it seriously. We wanted to progress, it was important to get a positive result.
“We haven’t, so it’s a downer for us. We wanted to get some confidence but we weren’t able to.
“We don’t want to discuss Premier League games now but when we wake up on Monday our priority has to be league form. My position? I don’t know.”
Hughes, 54, leaves a club in the bottom three of the top flight and with one win in eight games in all competitions. Stoke’s next match is against Manchester United a week tomorrow.
Former Old Trafford coach Mark Robins, who has steered his team to the automatic promotion zone, turned out to be Hughes’ undoing.
Hughes was Robins’ idol when he was at Old Trafford. The Coventry boss said: “It was a hardfought win, but a deserved one. We were magnificent and it’s a really proud day for me.
“The lads that have performed have been magnificent and for us it’s a great barometer of where we can get to and where we can get too in the last 20 League games.
“The cup is an extra. I can’t tell you how important it is for everybody. It brings everybody together, today is massive for us.
“If we get another good draw away from home, that helps financially.”