AS IT HAPPENED: Pre-Hull City Press Conference

Today’s press conference ahead of the EFL Cup Third Round tie with Hull City at the bet365 Stadium will got underway from around 2.30pm… The media asked their questions ahead of the EFL Cup tie.

• Mark Bowen, Assistant Manager: There’s a realisation of what is going on. There is positivity in the group and we know can turn it around. Nearly every team in the Premier League can go through seven, eight, nine games without a win. We’ve been there before and we hope we can end it again
• MB: You cannot bury your head in the sand you have to analyse everything. We are perhap making too many individual errors and we are being punished for them. They are tending to happen early on and it changes the whole dynamic of games. We end up chasing the game and getting punished. We’ve managed to get ourselves back into the games before but at the moment we’re being punished.
• MB: The players we have are strong enough, the squad is strong enough to get where we want to get to this season. Obviously we’ve missed Jack Butland in goal and Xherdan who begin the season well with a goal. Every team can have injuries though and we have to take it on the chin.
• MB: Shaqiri has trained the last two sessions and it’s upto the manager whether he decides to chuck him in quickly. He’s in the squad and whether he plays or features we’ll wait and see. Jakob has had a reaction after returning to training and he’s a doubt.
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• MB: We’re hurting and we’re in a false position. The relationship and the dynamic in the dressing room is good though and we’re altogether to get out of this

  MB: We’re happy to have this midweek game and to have a chance to turn things around so quickly. I know its a cliche but this is one of the tournaments we’re in to win and Mark Hughes has always gone strong where ever we’ve been in an attempt to do as well as possible.
• Source: stokecity.com