Stoke City captain Ryan Shawcross says manager Mark Hughes has built on the spirit created under predecessor Tony Pulis.
Shawcross insists Hughes deserved recognition for providing a dash of panache by signing crowd pleasers like Marko Arnautovic and Stephen Ireland during his first season in charge.
"We had that spirit for six or seven years and our new manager acknowledged that, continued to use the same players and added some flair players," he told The Sentinel.
"It's a great combination, and we played some very entertaining football towards the end of the year. Overall, we had a few dips, but we finished with our highest-ever finish."
