Shawcross blames Stoke players for Hughes sacking

Cape Town - Stoke City captain Ryan Shawcross admits the players need to have a hard look at themselves after a poor run of results which led to the sacking of manager Mark Hughes.

The Potters dropped into the Premier League relegation zone after losing five of their last seven games and were knocked out of the FA Cup on Saturday by League Two outfit Coventry City, leading to Hughes' sacking.

Shawcross admits the Stoke players need to take some responsibility for the team's shortcomings and has urged his teammates to pull together and fight against the threat of relegation.

“I think we all have to look at ourselves in the mirror,” he told Stoke City.

“As players we haven’t performed well enough, maybe the manager will look back at things and be disappointed too.

“Thankfully we are far from adrift - we are five points from tenth place so there are positives there for us to take.”

“The next week or so, leading in to the Manchester United game, is huge for us and we really need to have a look at ourselves.

“Have we been doing enough as a group? Probably not, so we have to rally around each other now, get together, stand up and produce the performances that are going to keep us in the Premier League.”