Mark Hughes: 'Stoke City owners understand football'

Stoke City manager Mark Hughes has suggested that he is hopeful of being given time to turn around the club's fortunes in the Premier League.

Tuesday's 1-0 defeat to Burnley was Stoke's fourth in five games in the top flight, and it has left the Potters sitting just two points above the relegation zone.

Hughes has maintained that Stoke did not deserve to lose at Turf Moor in midweek, and the Welshman has hinted that the club's hierarchy were satisfied with the performance of the team.

The 54-year-old told reporters: "The owners are fans, and they, like the rest of the supporters, want to see committed performances and players running as much as they can.

"If they can, then, like on Tuesday, they will be happy. They've been in the game a long time, they know it's not always a smooth path."

Stoke face West Ham United on Saturday afternoon knowing that defeat would take the Hammers above the Staffordshire-based outfit in the table.