The sacked QPR boss returns to the Premier League.
Following the departure of Tony Pulis on May 21 Stoke City have announced that his replacement will be former QPR manager Mark Hughes.
Hughes was sacked from his position at Loftus Road six months ago, following spells in charge of Fulham, Manchester City and Blackburn.
The 49-year-old had a torrid time at QPR during his 11-month term in west London, winning just eight of 34 matches and failing to pick up three points in any of Rovers’ first 12 matches in 2012/13.
This poor run of form led to Hughes being replaced by Harry Redknapp in November last year, although the former Tottenham boss didn’t manage to keep the Rs up either.
Stoke have survived five consecutive seasons in the Premier League outside of the bottom six since their promotion in 2009 – the best run in their history.
Pulis also led the Potters to an FA Cup final in 2011, losing to Man City 1-0 at Wembley after a crushing 5-0 defeat of Bolton Wanderers in the semis.
Yet it was decided at the Staffordshire club that their manager of seven years had done all he could at the Britannia Stadium and it’s thought that new man Hughes will be given a three-year deal to see if he can change their fortunes.
“We had lots of inquiries about the job, including some very interesting names, but we decided Mark Hughes was a fit for us,” club chairman Peter Coates told the Stoke Sentinel.
“His record speaks for itself. He has done excellently by anyone’s standards.”
The Welshman began his managerial career in 2004, taking Blackburn to three successive top 10 finishes before leaving for Eastlands.
During his 18 months at City Hughes did little to impress the fans and he was ousted from the club to be replaced by Roberto Mancini in 2009.
The former Manchester United and Chelsea striker then rebuilt his reputation in his one-season at Fulham before leaving the club for QPR.
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