Stoke sacks Hughes following FA Cup defeat
An FA Cup defeat to fourth-tier Coventry City was the straw that broke the camel's back.
Hours after slumping to a shock loss to the Sky Blues, Stoke City handed Mark Hughes his walking papers, sacking the former forward four-and-a-half years after the Welshman succeeded Tony Pulis as Potters manager.
Stoke announced the decision with a statement Saturday, adding that Hughes' appointment has been terminated with immediate effect.
CLUB STATEMENT: Stoke City can confirm that the contract of manager Mark Hughes has been terminated with immediate effect.#SCFC 🔴⚪️ pic.twitter.com/pSaThNUO2H
— Stoke City FC (@stokecity) January 6, 2018
Stoke City currently sits 18th in the Premier League with just five victories in 22 matches and a league-worst minus-24 goal differential. A run of five losses in seven league outings also played a factor in Hughes' dismissal, who now leaves a fifth club appointment without winning a single trophy.
Under Hughes, Stoke finished ninth in three successive campaigns and reached a League Cup semi-final in 2016 before slumping to a 13th-place standing last season.
The Potters next play Hughes' former side, Manchester United, on Jan. 15, with the statement claiming: "The club will look to appoint a new manager as soon as possible and will be making no further comment at this time."