Stoke City head coach Steven Schumacher is reportedly under fierce pressure at the Bet365 Stadium, having only been handed the job back in December.
The former Plymouth Argyle boss got off to a great start with the Potters, going unbeaten in his four matches in charge, including a draw against promotion-chasers Ipswich Town and a 3-1 victory away at fellow relegation-threatened Birmingham City.
However, results have been quite catastrophic since the turn of the year. The 39-year-old has taken charge of 13 matches so far in his tenure and has picked up merely three victories, losing seven times. Furthermore, in the team’s seven previous league outings, Stoke have won only once.
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This dismal run of form has seen Schumacher’s men drop into the bottom three, currently level on points with Queens Park Rangers above them but with an inferior goal difference as a result of having scored the third-fewest goals in the division this season.
Now, according to a report from HITC, Stoke City are working behind the scenes to find a possible replacement for Schumacher as the club being relegated from the Championship is becoming an increasing possibility, with merely 12 games remaining of the campaign.
HITC are also claiming that former manager Tony Pulis is one of the names on the board’s shortlist. The 66-year-old is available and hasn’t worked in a head coaching role since being sacked by Sheffield Wednesday ten games into his tenure back in the 2020/21 season.
Pulis is a legendary figure in Stoke-on-Trent, having managed the club from 2006 to 2013, guiding the team to promotion to the Premier League in 2008 and stabilising the Potters in the top-flight for several seasons. Throughout his time at the club, Pulis boasted as 37% win rate.
Writer’s View
It would be incredibly interesting to see Pulis return to Stoke City over a decade since he previously managed at the club. However, there needs to come a point in time when the board start turning the mirror on themselves and stop pinning the blame on head coaches.
The club’s recruitment simply hasn’t been good enough and that cannot be pinned on Schumacher given he has only been in charge for a few months. If the Potters are relegated to League One, the responsibility solely lies on the players and the hierarchy.
Deputy Head of Writing
