Mark Hughes wants 'Stokealona' to maintain their performance levels

Mark Hughes says he does not mind if his team are dubbed 'Stokealona', as long as their performances warrant the praise.

Hughes' side have received plenty of accolades this week after they produced a swaggering display to defeat title challengers Manchester City 2-0 at the Britannia Stadium last Saturday.

And the Potters are now attracting interest from the part of Spain which the Champions League winners call home, partly because Bojan Krkic, who was excellent against Manchester City, and Ibrahim Afellay are ex-Barcelona players.

The Barcelona-based newspaper La Vanguardia has even branded the Potters 'Stokealona' in recognition of the entertaining football they produced last weekend.

Usually we fly underneath the radar and just get on with our business. If the profile of what we are doing is raised, then we have to deal with that as well. It is part of the challenge we have ahead of us.

Asked about the tag ahead of Saturday's game at West Ham, Hughes said: "There is an obvious interest in what we're doing here, what with the Catalan connection.

"They have great affection for Bojan, who they see very much as one of their own, so they are really pleased when he is doing well and, as a consequence, when we are doing well.

"Compliments are fine when they are deserved, and arguably they were, given the level of performance.

"So we will take them, although it probably doesn't sit too comfortably with us at the moment because we are not used to it!

"Usually we fly underneath the radar and just get on with our business.

"If the profile of what we are doing is raised, then we have to deal with that as well. It is part of the challenge we have ahead of us.

"It was a level of performance we hope we're capable of on more than just one occasion. The challenge for us is to reproduce it on a regular basis."

Prior to the arrival of Hughes in 2013, Stoke used to have a reputation for playing something of a long-ball physical game, but these days the likes of Bojan, Afellay, Xherdan Shaqiri and Marko Arnautovic are forming a dynamic four-man attack.

And Hughes agreed when it was suggested that the perception of the club was changing quite rapidly.

"I think that's probably right," he said.

"It has been two and a half years of a lot of work and the players deserve all the credit, because it was not an easy change we have tried to do.

"When I got the job, I recognised very quickly I had a good group of players with the potential to maybe play in a slightly different way and still be successful."