Stoke & Staffordshire

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  6. 'We have to be more ruthless' - Robins

    Robins: ‘I thought we were brilliant’

    Stoke City boss Mark Robins says his side need to be "more ruthless" despite taking a 1-0 victory over Birmingham City in the Championship on Saturday.

    "I thought we were really good – it was brilliant, inside the stadium it was really noisy. I thought we started off really well, high intensity, and I thought we carried that through, particularly in the first half, I thought we were outstanding," Robins told BBC Radio Stoke.

    "In the second half, things changed a little bit. Turnover of possession was a little bit more frequent, but that was when both sides start to tire, they made plenty of changes, we made a few changes – we made some wrong decisions at times.

    "The only criticism I've got is we get the ball around the edge of their penalty area, we break away and we are doing that to create the space to shoot and we don't – we turn it down. It becomes very frustrating, we can shoot, we've got players who can score goals. Move the ball, find the space, shoot.

    "We could have had another goal, maybe two, we've been a bit unfortunate but we have to be more ruthless there to take the game away from them – (but) really pleasing with the clean sheet and the noise inside the stadium was incredible."

    Listen to the full post-match interview with Robins and more Stoke City content on BBC Sounds.

    Listen on BBC Sounds

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    • UK
    The Northern Lights in green and edged with red over Whitby Abbey in North Yorkshire. The brightest parts look like ribbons in the sky. The ruins of the abbey stand underneath with fields around them. there is a house lit up in the background.

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  16. Ryan Croasdale celebrates with his Port Vale team-mates after scoring a goa

  17. Robins glad to be back after 'strange' international break

    Stoke City boss Mark Robins claps supportersGetty Images

    Stoke City boss Mark Robins has said the international break has been "strange" with players coming back later into the week.

    Stoke had 14 players called up for international duty which has made planning and preparation for Saturday's game against Birmingham City (15:00 BST) additionally challenging.

    Robins' side have started the season with three wins from their opening four games, their only defeat coming in the most recent fixture against West Bromwich Albion.

    "There's been a mixture of rest and recovery and running repairs and training, I gave them a few days off at the start and a few days off at the end and worked in the middle which generally works OK," Robins told BBC Radio Stoke.

    "I managed to get work into the ones that are remaining, there's almost 50% of the squad away on international duty and at various contributions for each national team and for each individual, so we try and factor that into what happens this week.

    "Clearly it's punctuated because they don't come back in until later in the week so it's strange because you need to get the work into them, they need to do the physical stuff.

    "That's what it's been like, and now we're working into what is a really tough opponent with Birmingham City."

    Robins has praised the work conducted by Birmingham City head coach Chris Davies.

    Davies joined the Blues in June 2024 and led them to a record-breaking season in League One finishing with 111 points.

    Birmingham have won two and drawn one of their opening four games with their first defeat coming in their last game against Leicester at the King Power Stadium.

    "I think it's well documented, what they're trying to do with the stadium that they're talking about building and the rejuvenation of that club is clear for everyone to see and he's been a catalyst for that in the main role," Robins said.

    "It's a tough game, they're very aggressive, they work really hard, and they've got some real talented players in the team so, you're under no illusions, it's a tough game but a brilliant game for us to restart with."

    Listen to the full interview and more on BBC Sounds.

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  24. The front of Stafford Crown Court, a brick-built building with a crest and lettering on a rounded part of the building. There are a series of floor-to-roof windows set back behind a series of brick pillars.