by Relegated from the Premier League in May 2018, and now in search of their fifth manager since becoming a Championship club, Stoke City are in deep disarray.
Alex Neil is the latest manager to depart after a shocking run of results, after a shocking 16 wins from the last 30 games played at the bet365 Stadium.
Stoke technical director Ricky Martin is looking forward to the process for his next appointment, but he must also be under intense scrutiny after signing 19 sensational players in the summer without much success.
John Eustace, a former midfielder for the club, is likely to emerge as a strong contender to replace Neil, whose decision to jump ship from Sunderland in August of this year appears to be taking a turn for the worse. last.
Neil was recruited as a manager with proven Championship experience and promotion on his Norwich CV. He was seen as the shrewd, street-wise operator who was entrusted with such eager support in the summer to transform Stoke into a potentially promotion-challenging outfit. However, his record is appalling and the home defeat at Sheffield Wednesday left co-chairman John Coates with no choice but to make another change.
Coates was at Stoke’s Clayton Wood training ground on Sunday and will be sorely disappointed, having been so eager to make this appointment.
The hope during the summer is completely gone.
In an open letter to supporters from chief operating officer Simon King and Martin on May 11, they said: “We have a vision for what we want our team to look like and a clear plan for how we will get there. We have a big summer ahead of us, building a squad that delivers the fast-paced, attacking forward football that we believe you want to see and could provide significant progress for our club.”
The reality is that Stoke are light years away from any of that.
Perhaps the seeds were sown during the disastrous pre-season training camp on the Costa Blanca. The training pitches were terrible and the facilities so bad that one member of the team allegedly injured himself using a weight machine in the gym while giving demonstrations to players.
What must the Coates people think of the club’s summer transfer business?
Stoke have worked so hard to comply with the profit and sustainability rules of the English Football League, restricting spending over the past two seasons. There was one stage when it looked like Stoke were going to be sanctioned, but the club’s determination to lower their cost base was commendable.
The Bet365 Stadium was even sold back to the owners before EFL rules on ground sales were amended weeks later.
That focus on finances makes Martin’s scattergun transfer strategy in the summer even more inexplicable.
Nineteen signings were brought in, but Martin somehow managed to make the squad unbalanced and short of options in key areas.
No leader, or substitute forward and centre-half were signed, despite the finances available.
Chiquinho, a winger signed on loan from Wolves, was quickly sent back after tackling Neil
Goalkeeper Mark Travers impressed after signing on loan from Bournemouth and was then recalled outside the window, leaving Stoke unable to sign another until January. While that was unfortunate, it also hinted at poor planning.
As results piled up, during the November international break the players were given a week off and Neil allegedly went to Dubai on holiday. On their return Stoke lost three on the bounce, conceding nine goals.
The mood at the training ground was low. The departure of popular coaches Kevin Russell, Danny Pugh and Jimmy Hunter did not go down well with some.
Stoke announced that Gareth Owen, the academy director and former player, was to leave but then after interviewing various candidates, they asked him to stay.
The malaise seems to run deeper than the managers. Gary Rowett was fired in January 2019 [his dismissal came after just three defeats in 17 league games] he still finished eighth [twice] and ninth in three of his four seasons at Millwall.
Nathan Jones also performed impressively after leaving the Potteries, guiding Luton into the play-offs in the 2020/21 campaign and winning the manager of the season award.
Stoke have won just six of their 20 games under Neil, and are just two points above the relegation zone. Dropping into League One, for the first time since 2002, is not unthinkable.
Something has to change, no matter who comes in.
