Stoke City’s board are giving consideration to sacking Mark Hughes as manager following a run of seven defeats in 10 games that has left the club two places and two points above the relegation zone.

Stoke’s chairman, Peter Coates, is thought to be reluctant to dismiss Hughes but, along with officials at the club, has become increasingly alarmed by the team’s slump in form, with their latest loss coming against Newcastle United at the Bet365 Stadium on New Year’s Day. The 1-0 reverse ended with home supporters booing the team and calling for the manager to be sacked.

Hughes was defiant after the game and in particular when defending his decision to rest a clutch of first-team players for the weekend trip to Chelsea in order to make sure Stoke were as strong as possible for the visit of Newcastle. Stoke lost 5-0 at Stamford Bridge and then, two days later, Hughes’s gamble well and truly backfired against Rafael Benítez’s men, who arrived in the Potteries having won just twice away from home all season.

“Who else is going to do it?” Hughes replied when asked about his future on Monday and that is a question Stoke’s board is asking themselves. There are no obvious candidates to take over should a change be made and that could ultimately save Hughes, who replaced Tony Pulis as manager in May 2013.

Stoke travel to Coventry City on Saturday in the third-round of the FA Cup before facing Manchester United, one of Hughes’s former sides, at Old Trafford in the Premier League on 15 January.