Stoke’s Hughes backs Hammers boss Bilic

Stoke City boss Mark Hughes believes Slaven Bilic is a good Premier League manager and identified with the pressure the West Ham supremo has been under this season.

Hughes spoke ahead of the Hammers visit to the Bet365 Stadium on Saturday, knowing that victory will establish a four-point cushion over the London side.

Victory for the Potters would also push them past the 40-point marker as both sides bid for a top-half finish in the league.

Bilic has come under criticism frequently this season and the Hammers travel north having won just one of their last ten Premier League fixtures.

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And Hughes highlighted the variety of challenges that can lead to this kind of criticism throughout the season.

“Focus will come on your shoulders when a team is struggling for results,” said Hughes.

“There are a lot of factors that go into the season you face, like injuries, difficult runs of fixtures and the like, and if things are going bad then it doesn’t mean you are a poor manager, which Slaven most definitely isn’t.

“The Premier League is an incredibly difficult league to navigate through successfully, and if you slip below the bar on occasions then it can be difficult, just as several clubs have this season, maybe including ourselves.

“We want to get past the 40-point marker tomorrow and then go on and end the season on a high.”