I DON’T BER-AHINO GRUDGES
Battling bosses Hughes and Pulis end their feud
MARK HUGHES insists he has buried the hatchet with Tony Pulis as they prepare to lock horns again.
They clashed last season when the Stoke boss refused to shake his West Brom counterpart’s hand.
Their simmering feud reached a head last February when news of Saido Berahino’s drugs ban surfaced on the eve of the teams’ last meeting at West Brom – the striker’s first return to The Hawthorns.
After the game, Stoke captain Ryan Shawcross said there was no doubt where the leak had come from and his former manager Pulis then rang him up and allegedly called him a ‘loser’.
But Hughes said he and Pulis met at the Premier League managers’ pre-season meeting and have called a truce ahead of tomorrow lunchtime’s clash.
“It wasn’t a chat, it was more a handshake. I do shake hands,” said Hughes.
“We were at the same meeting. I just said ‘hello’ and wished him all the best for the season. There’s no problem whatsoever. I’m always available to shake hands.
“There was a bit of an issue around Saido (left) and his transfer and there was a bit of feeling – on both sides I think, both before and after the signing of Saido. “But it’s water under the bridge. We’ve all gone through the process of being a bit silly about it and now we will get on with the game.
“They’ve started brightly and we’ve done OK as well.”
Hughes says he has no lingering illfeeling towards Pulis. “I don’t hold a grudge – you don’t have crosses to bear,” he added. “You just damage yourself if you act like that.”
And Pulis said: “Everything’s fine. Mark was at the Premier League managers’ thing.
“I shook hands with him and there are no problems. We are two competitive people and that’s all it is.
“He will desperately want to win and all the players from Stoke will desperately want to win. “I will desperately want to win and I hope all the players from West Bromwich Albion will be desperate to win as well.
“It is a very competitive game and something everybody looks forward to, I hope.
“I’ve spoken to Shawcross on numerous occasions. Ryan is a wonderful lad and a wonderful family man as well.”
Since their last meeting, Hughes surprised many when he signed Darren Fletcher, Pulis’s captain at West Brom, earlier this summer.
The Scotland midfielder, 33, had been expected to extend his stay at The Hawthorns, but contract talks broke down and Hughes stepped in.
“I’d forgotten about that!” joked Hughes.
“Pulis wouldn’t have been happy at that, but credit to him, he went out into the market and probably did the next best thing in terms of Gareth Barry.
“When you need to replace someone of the influence of Darren Fletcher and you replace him with Gareth Barry, that makes total sense.
“I know Gareth as I paid good money for him to sign him for Man City.
“He’s a good player, who will have a good, positive influence on the group and that was a good move by them.”