MARK HUGHES quietly turned Stoke into a mid-table team and supporters can be proud of what the club achieved last season.

Under the previous regime, Stoke were known for very direct football and bullying teams into submission.

With Tony Pulis in charge, the Potters were known for Rory Delap’s long throw and fielding a team full of giants with limited technical ability.

But the signing of Bojan from Barcelona signalled the start of something different. The striker showed in Spain the ability and skill to get bums off seats and his arrival hinted that Hughes wanted to add a bit of flair to his side.

The strength in the side remained throughout the season. You could see that there was something different, especially after the 1-0 away victory over Manchester City.

There were still teething problems, losing 1-0 to Leicester the following week and then drawing with QPR.

And over the next few weeks, the club struggled to put a run of wins together. But the style of play was a marked improvement over recent years and Bojan had started to show why he was so highly rated in Catalonia.

His first goal came in a 2-1 win over Tottenham at White Hart Lane and though Stoke lost their next three games to Burnley, Liverpool and Manchester United, Bojan proved to be a constant threat throughout.

He grabbed his second goal in another huge victory, this time a 3-2 win over Arsenal at Stanley Matthews Way. Stoke were 3-0 up by half-time and should have scored more.

Though Arsenal nicked two goals in two minutes, the media and neutral fans began to see Stoke as a team who were going places under Hughes.

Bojan scored three more times before an injury picked up in a FA Cup victory over Rochdale ended his season. It was a huge blow to both the team and the player but they continued to impress in the league without really being noticed.

This all changed at an away match against Chelsea.

With the eventual league winners leading, Charlie Adam picked up the ball deep inside his own half and spotted goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois off his line.

An exquisite left-footed chip looped over the Belgian and had the press box going wild — myself included.

Though they lost the game 2-1, it was another performance that had people talking and it is fitting that they saved their best performance of the season until the last day.

Liverpool were the visitors and everyone was talking about Steven Gerrard’s last game in English football. But 45 minutes later, everyone had forgotten about Gerrard.

Stoke were 5-0 up and went on to win 6-1 — Gerrard grabbed Liverpool’s goal — and Hughes has masterminded not only his team’s biggest win in the Premier League but also inflicted Liverpool’s biggest defeat since the birth of the league in 1992.

Next season will be about turning good performances into wins. Again, no-one will tip them for relegation and with the arrivals of Joselu and Philipp Wollscheid, things are looking promising for Stoke.