Bowen heaps praise on Hughes

Stoke City assistant manager Mark Bowen has hailed the qualities of new manager Mark Hughes.

Bowen followed the Welshman to the Britannia Stadium as the pair linked up at their fifth different club after Hughes took over from long-term manager Tony Pulis.

The two men have previously worked together at Blackburn Rovers, Manchester City, Fulham and QPR, and Bowen has insisted that the former Wales international will bring a lot to the Premier League outfit.

“First and foremost, Mark is a friend. We’ve known each other since we were 12 or 13 years old, a very long time,” Bowen told the club’s official website.

“What qualities does he bring to the job? He’s an excellent tactician and coach; he knows what he wants but at the same time, I wouldn’t call him a person who adopts a ‘my way or the highway’ approach.

“He’s very much open to different opinions. If somebody brings something to the table that he likes, he will take it on board.”

Bowen also confirmed that the two are getting to know the players as well as possible ahead of new season, having watched a number of video clips before meeting them for pre-season in the coming weeks.

“We’ve spoken to one or two of the players,” he added. “Jonathan Walters popped into the building the other day and we spoke to him and we got a really good reaction from him.

“We work on intensity and demand things on the training ground but good pros always embrace it – it’s the only ones who are not such good pros who react badly to it. We demand high standards from the players all the time.”