I think we’re exactly what we are, a bottom 3rd side who would have been down already had Johansson not been outstanding. What a state of a club, relying on other results to go for us with 1 game to go to stay in the division. The rebuild will take 2 seasons to get near the top 6 let alone in there

There’s no fight, no bite. The squad is unbalanced and weak. VJ in his interview re: the dressing room - “They’re a lovely group.”

Lovely dressing rooms get beaten. A Stoke dressing room should never be lovely. Together but not ‘lovely’.

100% - no doubt about that. It’s been an absolute car crash. Add to that dire recruitment, again… JW must be the luckiest man in football!

I agree. But I also think there were already warning signs then. We were pretty fortunate that day after getting hammered at Watford, losing comfortably at home to WBA, before being dreadful at Oxford. The season has been horribly depressing - and no sign of any improvement. 😢

We’re a team of nothing players. Bland.

I hope so!

Totally agree. But grimmer than this?

Yep. Think they could have been successful going into stable clubs with decent teams - sadly, we were neither.

Agreed. A long time since I’ve actually liked all of our players and get they were trying their best! But we do need a bit more grit!

And don’t forget the likeability of Schumacher! 🙄

Interesting that Robins talked about how quiet the team was… and they needed to talk more! Expect a few ‘characters’ to be added to the squad in the coming windows…

(But don’t get me wrong, I got swept up in the romance of Pelach and passion of Jones! 😃)

He comes across as a proper manager and I think he is very ‘Stoke’ (the good version) and surely the law of averages means were due a successful manager! Surely!

Totally agree. Looking much better. If these are one of the best then we’re not far off. Hands up - with NP, a number of teams looked to be ‘in another league’! I hope Robins has got the memo…

The last person I would want on that list is Martin. Can imagine the Stoke crowd after the 10000 pass between cbs!

Indeed. This has always been a question for me. I agree we should get ‘the best CEO’ and Coates should give his money to someone who knows how to manage a football club… but what happens when that doesn’t work? The joy / pain of football is that nothing is guaranteed.

Exactly where I’d be going. JW knows he has got away with one with the NP debacle - this decision is huge. Be interesting to see who holds the power in the board room. Convention would suggest it should be JWs job to recruit but I suspect JC will be equally part of the process. Trust neither.

🙏 Lou, Lou skip to Lou….