MX23RW : Tuesday, April 16 13:00:34| >> :600:167277:167277:

On This Day: Stoke City sack Mark Hughes

The Welshman had been in charge of the Potters for four and a half years.

Stoke sacked manager Mark Hughes on this day in 2018 after their shock FA Cup exit at the hands of Coventry.

Hughes, who had been in charge for four and a half years, was dismissed just hours after the 2-1 defeat against a team who were in Sky Bet League Two at the time.

The Potters had won just one of their previous eight games in all competitions and had slipped into the Premier League relegation zone on New Year's Day after losing 1-0 at home to Newcastle.

Hughes said immediately after Stoke's FA Cup exit that it "might be a blessing" for the rest of the season, but then came the club's announcement.

Hughes shows his frustration on the touchline during Stoke's FA Cup defeat at Coventry in 2018
Hughes showed his frustration on the touchline during the Potters' FA Cup defeat at Coventry on January 6, 2018 (Nigel French/PA)

A section of Potters fans had been calling for the club's owners, the Coates family, to sack Hughes and held up banners during the cup tie at the Ricoh Arena.

Former Manchester City, Blackburn, Fulham and QPR boss Hughes had succeeded Tony Pulis at Stoke in May 2013 and was the top flight's fourth longest-serving manager.

The Welshman had guided the Potters to three successive ninth-placed finishes before ending the previous term in 13th.

Former Aston Villa boss Paul Lambert was announced as Hughes' successor on January 16, but Stoke's 10-year stay in the Premier League ended in relegation at the end of the campaign.

Hughes, the seventh Premier League manager to lose his job during the 2017/18 season, was appointed Southampton manager two months later, replacing Mauricio Pellegrino.

ID:429342: cacheID:429342:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:4015:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Bournemouth manager Jason Tindall pictured on November 7, 2020
Read Next:
Saturday's Championship predictions including Stoke City vs. Bournemouth
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Ipswich TownIpswich432611685533289
2Leicester CityLeicester422841079384188
3Leeds UnitedLeeds43269876344287
4Southampton41249881542781
5West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom4320121166422472
6Norwich CityNorwich432181476601671
7Hull City421811136254865
8Coventry CityCoventry4217121366521463
9Middlesbrough43189166156563
10Preston North EndPreston42189155657-163
11Cardiff CityCardiff43185204860-1259
12Bristol City431610175046458
13Sunderland43168195250256
14Swansea CitySwansea431411185362-953
15Watford431216155958152
16Millwall431311194255-1350
17Blackburn RoversBlackburn431310205771-1449
18Plymouth ArgylePlymouth431212195866-848
19Queens Park RangersQPR431211204057-1747
20Stoke CityStoke431211204160-1947
21Birmingham CityBirmingham43129224864-1645
22Huddersfield TownHuddersfield43917174770-2344
23Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds43128233667-3144
RRotherham UnitedRotherham43411283285-5323


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!