Mark Hughes has ample experience with relegation dog fights – which might well come in use this season for stagnating Stoke.
What happened last season
Four straight draws and an embarrassing League Cup exit to West Country minnows Swindon Town hardly set pulses racing, as Stoke went on to record just the one victory in their opening ten Premier League games.
A 10-game undefeated run from November through to the end of December steadied the ship, but a repeat of the 2011 FA Cup Final in the fourth round of the Cup saw Stoke crash out 1-0 to Manchester City to end any chances of silverware.
Manager Tony Pulis’ seven-year tenure at the club came to an end by mutual consent in May after the Potters finished the league in 13th position with 42 points – just two wins above the relegation zone.
What happened in the off-season
Former Chelsea striker Mark Hughes was brought in to replace Pulis as manager six months after the Welshman was sacked by Queens Park Rangers after a disastrous start to their previous campaign.
Hughes has been given firm instructions to revamp the playing style of Stoke but to date very little investment has been made in the squad.
Spanish international under-21 defender Marc Muniesa has joined from Barcelona and should help shore up the defence alongside Dutch international Erik Pieters, signed from PSV Eindhoven.
But these two defensive recruits – as welcome as they are – will do little to ease Stoke’s inability to get on the scoresheet (only bottom-of-the-table QPR scored fewer goals last season).
One striker to have signed on the dotted line is American youngster Juan Agudelo, but the Colombian-born 20-year-old – who has 17 international caps – will not join until his current deal at New England Revolution runs down on 1st January 2014.
Stoke have been strongly linked to former Manchester United striker Mame Biram Diouf, but the player’s current club, Hanover, have put a hefty price tag on his head, which could drown out Hughes’ interest in the Senegal star, who scored 18 goals last term.
On arrival, Hughes’ first action was to trim the squad of its deadwood, releasing the likes of Rory Delap, Mamady Sidibe, Matthew Upson, Dean Whitehead, Carlo Nash and Matthew Lund.
Hughes also gave a lifeline to bling winger Jermaine Pennant, who signed a new one-year contract despite initially being released on the back of an emergency loan to Championship side Wolverhampton Wanderers.
It’s a sign of the lack of transfer activity at Stoke that the biggest story of the off-season came with striker Cameron Jerome admitting breaking FA betting rules.
Why Stoke fans should be excited about the 2013/14 season
Tough question – for there really isn’t much to get excited about. In fact, it says it all when the most appealing thing about the coming season is the free coach travel the club has promised to all fans attending the 19 league away games.
As good a player as he was in his prime, Hughes’ management credentials are hardly enviable, having struggled at Manchester City, Fulham and QPR, despite early promise at Blackburn Rovers.
Hughes’ sides have also had the reputation of being overly physical – which may make his remit of revamping Stoke’s playing style rather tricky.
Already renowned for their aggression and route-one football, Stoke may struggle to change their ways with someone like Hughes at the helm.
Still, Stoke under Pulis had stagnated somewhat, and so anything that brings a bit of change (or, at least, promises to) should be welcomed with optimistic open arms at the Britannia Stadium.
But the question remains: is Hughes the man you’d want to phase out a club’s notoriously direct style of play?
“I’d like to think I can make [Stoke] a bit more offensive and maybe that’s where the club hasn’t helped itself in the past – by not scoring enough goals.”
That’s all very good, Mark, but you’d better sign some attacking players and not simply some defenders if you’d like your new side to find the net more than a laughable 34 times this year.
The main man that can carry Stoke’s 2013/14 hopes
Fans would like it to be the star striker Hughes has yet to sign to replace the retired Michael Owen.
As it is, the task of leading the line will once again fall on the lofty but narrow shoulders of Peter Crouch, who will need to increase last season’s paltry return of eight league goals.
French midfielder Steven N’Zonzi, who had a transfer request turned down over the summer, has the physicality to be a key player for Stoke provided he decides to go all-in for the cause.
England defender Ryan Shawcross will be important in defence, while holding on to Asmir Begovic in goal – despite interest from numerous other clubs in the Premier League – was primordial.
Scottish playmaker Charlie Adam could be integral if only he could show glimpses of the Blackpool player Liverpool signed two years ago.
Another player with a point to prove is towering Trinidad and Tobago striker Kenywn Jones, who lost his place to Crouch towards the end of last season and has struggled to replicate the form he showed at Sunderland before joining The Potters.
It’s high time the club-record signing forced himself back into first team reckoning.
Verdict
Unless Hughes makes some major investments before the transfer window closes on 1st September, it’s hard not to see Stoke becoming embroiled in a relegation tussle.
Since making their debut in the Premier League six years ago, Stoke have been rather consistent, finishing 12th, 11th, 13th, 14th and 13th.
This run was achieved with Pulis at the helm and – like Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert last year – Hughes may struggle in his quest to not only get results, but revamp a style of play and reinvigorate a club that has gone to seed.
For success to follow, signings are needed for Hughes alone doesn’t have the presence or track record to make miracles happen.
Put it this way – if Stoke manage to continue their consistency in the Premier League with another cosy mid-table finish, that would be an unexpected success.
Can Peter Crouch improve on his disappointing 2012/13 EPL season at Stoke City?
Mark Hughes will be taking charges of his fifth EPL club at Stoke City.
Rory Delap was one of a host of former Stoke City players to depart the Britannia during the summer.
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