Barton says Hughes deserved Stoke sacking

Cape Town - Outspoken former Premier League star Joey Barton has labelled sacked Stoke City boss Mark Hughes a 'terrible' manager, and said he deserved to be axed.

Hughes saw his head roll off the chopping block after winning just five of 22 games and occupying a place in the relegation zone. A 7-2 defeat to Manchester City and a 5-1 loss to Tottenham Hotspur were seemingly other nails in his coffin.

In addition, the Potters conceded 47 goals which was the worst record in the English top flight. A 2-1 defeat in the FA Cup to League Two Coventry City saw the final nail applied to his burial box as the Welshman's five-year stint in charge came to an end.

Nonetheless, Barton was unforgiving in his assessment of the 54-year-old telling talkSPORT, "I don’t like Mark Hughes. I don't think he is a good manager. I've worked with him at Queens Park Rangers. He is a terrible manager. At QPR, he was awful.

"Mark Hughes has made Stoke progressively worse. They got to a League Cup semi-final, which Bristol City have done from the Championship. 

"I don't think he progressed Stoke. He increased the wage budget and he hasn't made them better."