Stoke City have announced the departure of first-team coach Steven Schumacher on social media this morning.
The 40-year-old was in charge at The Potters for less than a year, joining in December 2023 from Plymouth Argyle, who he guided back to the Championship as League One winners. He boasted a 41% win rate during his time at the club, averaging 1.4 points across 32 games.
City have had a middling performance in the opening five games of their league campaign, winning twice and losing three times to place in 13th place. This weekend saw Oxford United claim a 1-0 win over Schumacher’s side, with Idris El Mizouni scoring the decisive goal. They face Fleetwood Town in the EFL Cup tomorrow night, seeking to advance to the fourth round of the competition.
In a statement published to the club’s website, Stoke City’s Jonathan Walters said: “My role as Sporting Director is to make tough decisions that serve the long-term interests of Stoke City.
“After ongoing discussions with John Coates, we feel the time is right for a change in direction to bring success to the club.
“We have a young, dynamic squad that is eager to develop and a clear vision of how to achieve success, and we hope to announce a new appointment shortly. We will need the fans, staff, and players united in support to achieve our goals.
“As always in football, these decisions are difficult, and we wish Steven and his staff all the best for the future.”
Other members of the coaching staff, including Mark Hughes, Chris Cohen and Peter Cavanagh have also departed with Schumacher. Alex Morris and Ryan Shawcross will take charge of the team for the foreseeable future.
The 40-year-old was brought to Staffordshire as the club looked to replace ex-Sunderland manager Alex Neil, who was sacked at the start of December after a 16th-place finish the season before and left following a loss to Sheffield Wednesday that left Stoke in 20th.
Emerging as a manager following the departure of Ryan Lowe to Preston North End, Schumacher narrowly missed out on the play-offs in his first season in charge, before clinching the League One title in emphatic style with 101 points and missed out on a double after Bolton Wanderers beat them in the EFL Trophy final.
Writer’s View
On a day where a few managers are expected to see their futures decided, it comes as a shock that it was Steven Schumacher was the first to get the axe. He did an okay job but as with Alex Neil and Michael O’Neill before him, Stoke City’s ambitions lay back in the Premier League and the hierarchy there believed that Schumacher could get them on the cusp of that goal.
The Potters gave him less than a year at the helm, so it feels a baffling decision to make just five games into a season. In a time where results matter more and more, Stoke had made a decent start to this season and lost to Watford and West Bromwich Albion, two sides who made brilliant starts to their campaigns. City did not give their manager a chance to properly implement his vision and are now back to square one instead of letting Schumacher develop his side over the next year or so.
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