Stoke City boss Mark Hughes has defended the rough-house tackling of Charlie Adam.
Adam faces Tottenham today with plenty of previous .
Hughes said: "I think last season there were a couple of challenges which were discussed. But Charlie will always try to affect the game and make a positive impact when he starts.
"Other times he will come on it's more difficult and he has to fly around at times. There have been occasions when he has caught people but it's not malicious.
"He's just trying to affect the game and Charlie's a good player. We're pleased with his output. He's done well for me. Invariably, whether he's on the bench or starting games, he seems to have an impact.
"But there's certainly no agenda from Charlie's point of view. He has no axe to grind with anyone. He's just trying to affect the games. That's all he's doing.
"He does things for genuine reasons. Charlie actually likes football. He's a student of the game - he just loves the game."
