Stoke City

@ Stoked Up do you think Sparky should be sacked?

No, not mid season when he's likely to be replaced with another failed PL reject. Coates has so far proved to be a very patient chairman. There were many times under Pulis when Stoke where in the bottom three and he still stuck with him.

But he's lost the fans for sure. Hughes has spunked nearly £50m on three duds. That's not helping. Fans are also really fed up with the tonkings. We're fair game game for all the bigger teams with 19 goals conceded in the last four games v Chelsea/Man C/ L'Pool and Spurs.  Not replacing our battlers Whelan and Walters with likewise grafters has gone against him too. Although that's not to say their respective times at Stoke weren't up - they were or were almost.  In his favour, the games against rivals have all been generally close either way. With two home games v West Ham and Huddersfield to come, I would fear that if results are not positive, TJ will have another soul.

If he's still around in early January, away trips to Chelsea and Man U will be watched from a safe distance.

I would be pinning the blame on Hughes tactics as much as picking out individual players tbh.

Plays Diouf as a right wing back and Pieters as a left wing back.

Diouf is a forward as we all know and Pieters is a full back, so there is absolutely no balance there.

Not saying that is the sole issue but it's a pretty big one imo! 

I'm not a fan of three at the back (unless they are all very good at it) so yes, Pieters at LB and another specialist right sided defender would be preferable in either a 4-4-2 or 4-5-1. Stoke have not been helped by a long layoff for Geoff Cameron who's filled many holes in the past and you're right, Diouf is far more effective as a striker than a defender. I'll give Pieters a pass as he's not being helped by one of three who've played on the left wing ahead of him (Chupo/Jesse/Sobhi)

Some of the personnel changes have been more about keeping fit players on the pitch rather than balance. He should have replaced Johnson at LB, but despite the loot sloshing around in the PL, it has proved difficult to attract the right kind of player and not just for this position. A major failing of Hughes at many of his managerial positions has been buying too many fancy dans that don't fit. 

I've a feeling it's not going to end well this season.

Ryan Giggs the bookies favourite to replace Mark Hughes?

 

Reports saying Hughes has survived the showdown talks with the Stoke board but surely he can't hang on for much longer.

Yes I've been known to have soms scoops with him but he's not always forthcoming with the rounds.