Stoke City sack manager after poor run

Mark Hughes has been sacked as manager of Stoke City, just hours after the club's FA Cup third-round exit at the hands of League Two Coventry City.
A run of five defeats in seven Premier League games also contributed to Hughes' departure and he leaves with the club in the relegation zone.
Hughes, 54, had been in charge of the Potters for four and a half years.
Stoke, who play Manchester United on 15 January, say they will "look to appoint a new manager as soon as possible".
A section of Stoke fans called for him to leave and held up banners throughout the 2-1 defeat at the Ricoh Arena.
After the game, the Welshman said he did not think the defeat changed the situation regarding his future and said it "might be a blessing" for the rest of the season.
Hughes, a former Manchester City, Blackburn Rovers, Fulham and QPR boss, succeeded Tony Pulis at Stoke in May 2013 and was the fourth longest-serving manager at a Premier League club.
He guided Stoke to three straight ninth-placed finishes, dropping to 13th last season.
Hughes is the seventh manager to be dismissed in the Premier League this season.
Frank de Boer was sacked by Crystal Palace in September after only 77 days in charge, Craig Shakespeare left Leicester just four months after signing a three-year permanent deal in October, Ronald Koeman was sacked by Everton later that month and West Ham dismissed Slaven Bilic in November.
Also in November, former Stoke boss Tony Pulis was replaced at West Brom by Alan Pardew, while Paul Clement was dismissed as Swansea manager in December.

Source: BBC