Mark Hughes Officially Announced as New Stoke City Manager

Stoke City have officially appointed Mark Hughes as the club's new manager, reports the club's official website. He replaces Tony Pulis, whose second stint with the Potters ended after the season.

Hughes is no stranger to English football, of course. He's previously managed Blackburn, Manchester City, Fulham and, most recently, Queens Park Rangers. He also led the Wales national team during his first foray into coaching.

The results have been mixed. He did well enough at Blackburn to earn a chance with Manchester City, but failed to win even half his matches with the bigger club. Shorter stays with Fulham and QPR were both disappointing.

Despite that lack of sustained success, Stoke clearly believe he will be able to provide a boost similar to his days at Blackburn. They aren't alone. John Cross of the Daily Mirror believes the 49-year-old boss is the right man for the job.

Hughes himself told reporters that he's learned from the mistakes he made at Loftus Road, and is ready to bring the Potters success, according to a report from Sky Sports. 

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"It was a very difficult time at QPR and mistakes were made," said the Welshman who has signed a three-year deal.

"I made mistakes which I have learned from. I had the task of keeping them up in the Premier League and I did that but 12 games later I lost my job.

"That was understandable and was a regret. If I had been given more time I think I would have turned it around.

"We tried to run before we could walk and I hold my hands up but this is about the here and now and moving Stoke forward and getting the success we all want.

"I've had around 270 games managing at Premier League level and in recent months people have wanted to define my managerial career based on 12 games at the start of last season.

"I've kept my counsel for six months but now is not the time to speak about it. Maybe this gives me more motivation to prove people wrong.

"I've listened to what people have said about me and I can assure everybody I will use that as motivation to do well at Stoke."

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Stoke are coming off a 13th-place finish in the Premier League. Bolstered by a tremendous defensive effort, they started the campaign very strong, but faded down the stretch. The lack of progress in the second half likely led to Pulis' exit.

The task for Hughes is finding a way to make the club as competitive as it was early over the entire season. He will be forced to do so without the benefit of significant transfer funds like he enjoyed at previous stops with Manchester City and QPR.

Hughes must deal with two main issues early in his tenure. First, decide the future of star goalkeeper Asmir Begovic, who's shown interest in joining Liverpool. Second, he must upgrade an attack that finished with just 34 goals in 38 matches, the EPL's second-lowest total.

Jack Butland would be a potential in-house replacement for Begovic. The attack issue would be more tricky for Hughes to solve ahead of next season.

Given Hughes' mixed results during recent Premier League jobs, he probably won't be given an extended leash at Stoke. The club is going to want noticeable progress during his first season before thinking about the future.

His success at Blackburn keeps earning him chances in England's top flight. If he's unable to have success at Stoke, however, those opportunities are likely to start dying up. So it's a key stop for Hughes after a couple of forgettable ones.

Stoke hope he's up to the challenge.