Saturday 23 August 2014 16:29, UK
Hull City manager Steve Bruce is a keen admirer of Sunday's opponents Stoke City and wants his club to emulate their success by staying in the Premier League for years to come.
The Potters were successful in consolidating their Premier League status under former boss Tony Pulis following their promotion in 2008, becoming a mainstay in the division ever since.
Bruce is a fan of the way the club has remained competitive since coming up and admits their model for success is one which he is keen to implement at the KC Stadium.
"This club went up with Stoke in 2008, and they've been there ever since," he told the Tigers' official website.
"That shows how they've progressed and what they've done in those years. That has to be my aim, to copy something like Stoke.
"They have a nucleus of some very good players. Mark Hughes is changing the way they want to play and they are a good side."
Hull reached the FA Cup final last year, eventually losing out to Arsenal, but that run saw them qualify for this season’s Europa League playoffs.
They travelled to Belgium on Thursday to play Lokeren in the first leg of those playoffs, ultimately losing 1-0 after an error from goalkeeper Allan McGregor.
Only McGregor and James Chester kept their places from Hull's Premier League opener against Queens Park Rangers but Bruce is nonetheless concerned about the impact the game had on his team’s preparations for Stoke.
"Stoke have had all week to prepare and that is an advantage," he said. "We haven't had the chance to do any preparation work.
"We recovered from Thursday on Friday and we'll do some preparation on Saturday.
"I made nine changes on Thursday night, so hopefully we'll be fresh enough to get the three points that we need."
"To win a game in the Premier League your performance has to reach a certain intensity, so we have to be fresh enough to reach that.
"To get back-to-back wins in the Premier League would be great. I don't think we've done that for about a year so it shows how hard it is."
Hull City’s game against Stoke City at the KC Stadium on Sunday is live on Sky Sports 1HD, with coverage starting at 12.30pm.
