Stoke City

Mark Bowen: Stoke City 'adapting to Mark Hughes's style'

By Joe Fish, Reporter | 27 September 2013

Stoke City assistant manager Mark Bowen insists that the club's players are adjusting well to the different playing style introduced by new boss Mark Hughes.

Stoke City are acclimatising to the change of playing style introduced by new manager Mark Hughes, according to the Welshman's number two Mark Bowen.

The Potters were considered to employ a physical, long-ball approach under former boss Tony Pulis, whose seven-year reign at the Britannia Stadium came to an end before Hughes's appointment this summer.

Bowen has applauded the professionalism of the group assembled by Pulis, and has revealed that they are adapting well to the different playing style of the Hughes regime, which focuses on possession football.

Bowen told BBC Sport: "We've done lots of passing drills on the training ground and small games to encourage players to stay on the ball that bit longer.

"Fair play to former manager Tony Pulis because the groups of professionals we have got are a pleasure to work with. You usually get one or two players who are dissenting voices but we haven't seen that. They have embraced it.

"We've still got to mix it up at the right time. It's early days but it's going well."

Stoke enjoyed 51% of the possession in their 3-1 defeat to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium last time out.