Stoke & Staffordshire

Image source, Rex Features

Former Stoke City full-back Tommy Smith has backed the Potters to get it right and challenge for promotion eventually, despite his own underwhelming three-year stay with the club.

The 32-year-old moved to the Bet365 Stadium from Huddersfield Town to play under Nathan Jones in 2019 but neither he nor the Potters impressed under the Welshman, or successor Michael O’Neill, and Smith left the club on a free transfer, signing for Middlesbrough in 2022.

He told the BBC’s Football Daily 72+ EFL podcast it was "a shame" a succession of big-money signings had failed to shine since the Potters were relegated from the top flight after 10 years in 2018.

In the six seasons since, Stoke have finished between 14th and 17th in every campaign, lost 110 matches and won just four FA Cup ties in total.

Smith told 72+: “One thing that can’t be questioned is the chairman’s loyalty and commitment to the club. He’s put his hand in his pocket numerous times over the years because he’s desperate for his club to do well.

“It’s a shame, really. One thing I saw when I walked in was a club that was desperate and geared up for the Premier League.”

Smith played 106 games for City across his three seasons, scoring three goals, and added: “They were trying to find the recipe for it all to click – for whatever reason it just never did.

“I’m still of the belief that at some point Stoke will get it right and challenge for the play-offs. It’s a fantastic club but the three years I had there we finished 15th, 14th and 14th - by Stoke’s expectation that’s nowhere near where we should have been as a team.”

Narcis Pelach was appointed in September and the Potters currently lie 13th in the Championship

“They are in another transition now where they’ve got a new manager in and have gone down another route of signing players from overseas which is not really something Stoke have previously done," Smith added.

“They are desperate to find that identity in terms of who they are and what they are. For so many years they have been real resolute, tough to beat.”

Image source, Rex Features

Narcis Pelach is a "football nut" who works harder than anyone to try and get his vision across, according to someone who has seen him in action.

The Catalan spent nearly three years coaching at Huddersfield Town, where David Fox, ex-Premier League player and son of former Potters keeper Peter, was working as a scout and loan manager.

Fox - who attended his first City game at the Victoria Ground aged just two weeks old - told BBC Radio Stoke: "I worked with him at Huddersfield for a couple of years. Narcis always wanted to be a manager - you could tell he had this end game of being a manager somewhere.

"He’s the hardest worker I have come across, in terms of the detail and commitment that goes into sessions.

"He’ll be judged like everyone else - the style’s great, how we play is great but he needs to win football matches. So far I think he has doing really well. He’s added a blend of a style and philosophy, he’s trying to bring a togetherness to the club between the fans and the players. If he can get that momentum building he’ll be very good."

Fox said the 36-year-old "lived and breathed football" and was influenced by his time working at Girona, part of the City Football Group.

"He tries to make the game as simple as possible. There are no grey areas when players go onto the pitch. When you watch a game now it seems like a lot of little robots running around, it is so tactically based now, the game," Fox added.

"It’s not just because he is young and Spanish, the game has changed, you have to be more detailed now - the background staff is that big you can go into minute detail. Narcis tries to make it really simple what he wants from his players."

It's been more than 50 days since Pelach was appointed to replace Steve Schumacher at the helm at the Bet365, winning three, drawing four and losing four of his 11 matches in charge.

"He's got to get the fans involved. We all think he’s going to play out from the back, but it’s not playing 100 passes at the back, that’s not what Stoke do, it's not launching it, it’s finding a way to play forward quickly and getting in position to score goals.

"You have to go out and entertain and get the fans involved. Hopefully with a couple of wins it buys him some time to do that."