- Stoke manager Mark Hughes believes he is the right person to lead Stoke
- His selection gamble backfired as his side lost 1-0 to Newcastle at home
- Hughes was frustrated by questions about his team selection against Chelsea
- He cut short his press conference by walking out after the persistent questioning
A defiant Mark Hughes insisted that he is still the right man to lead Stoke despite coming under fire after his selection gamble backfired.
Fans called for Hughes’s head following a home defeat by Newcastle on Monday 48 hours after the Welshman had rested players in a 5-0 battering at Chelsea.
Asked about his future, Hughes replied: ‘Who else is going to do it? In terms of the knowledge of the group and the progress in my time here, I’m the best person to do it.
A defiant and under pressure Mark Hughes insisted that he is still the right man to lead Stoke
Hughes had rested players in a 5-0 battering at Stamford Bridge and they lost 48 hours later
Hughes cut short his press conference following a 1-0 home defeat by Newcastle
He walked out after becoming frustrated by persistent questions about his team selection
‘It doesn’t bother me. What bothers me is that the team needs to be doing better.
‘It’s difficult times at the moment, so we’ve just got to stick our chests out and get on with it.
‘It’s not going to be easy from this point onwards but it’s about making sure you show character and take any criticism or flak that comes your way.
‘That’s my make-up as a person, a manager and a player. That doesn’t change.’
Hughes was frustrated by persistent questions about his team selection at Stamford Bridge and cut short his after-match press conference.
Fans called for Hughes’s head following a home defeat by Newcastle on Monday afternoon
‘Everyone’s saying that I gambled but I used the players I had,’ he added. ‘What was I going to do? Risk players that had a big part to play today?
‘Rafael Benitez today makes five changes, he didn’t play his first choice centre forwards, so what’s the difference?
‘If I had won, it would have been great management. As it happens, it’s gone against me. I’m brave enough to take it on the chin.
‘I did it for the right reasons. I did it to maximise our chances of getting a result today. It hasn’t panned out, but that’s how sport happens.
‘I would still have made the same decision given the circumstances again.’