Armand Traore reckons the QPR dressing room is a much happier place now after the toxic environment created during Mark Hughes’ reign.

Hughes, who brings his Stoke City side to Loftus Road on Saturday, was sacked in November 2012 after 10 months in charge and Rangers languishing at the foot of the Premier League.

He led the R’s to just four points from their opening 12 games of the 2012-13 season, including eight defeats, as tensions grew behind the scenes and eventually the Welshman was shown the door.

Harry Redknapp was chosen as his replacement and Traore insists there is a happier mood in the camp as he prepares to come face-to-face with his old boss this weekend.

Changing perceptions: Stoke City Manager Mark Hughes has got the Potters playing attractive football

"I think it’s a much happier club now,” Traore said. “Everyone is getting stuck in together. It’s much better in the changing room. We go out with the team and get team dinners. We do things together. Before, it was just train and go home.”

Hughes oversaw a mass overhaul of the Rangers playing squad during his time in charge, a move Traore believes ultimately cost him his job.

“I believe he got a lot of players in the transfer window and players that have done great things,” he said. “It was too many players too soon. Too many big games too quickly. We had changing room problems. It wasn’t working well.

“Right now, I think we have the core of the players that won promotion from the Championship. I think that’s a good thing. We’ve got players like Clint Hill, Niko [Kranjcar] as well. We’ve got Joey [Barton], [Rob] Greeny and Matt Phillips. The core is there but we’ve just added a few more players here.

Positive influence: Clint Hill is helping to keep a happy dressing room at QPR

“You can’t just move everybody out and get a whole new team. I think it’s quite good. Leicester haven’t added too many. They got a couple of players to add to the squad.”

Stoke managed a ninth-place finish last term and Traore admits nobody can deny Hughes has got them playing more attractive football at the Britannia.

“Every game in the Premier League is hard but I think Stoke, since Mark Hughes took over, started to change their style of play,” he added.

“He’s a manager that wants to pass the ball. He doesn’t really like to hit long balls and things like that. I think he’s a good manager.

“Straight away they changed their style. He got players that can play football and suddenly they don’t kick the ball so much.”