Steven Schumacher: Stoke City name Plymouth Argyle boss as head coach

Steven Schumacher's Plymouth beat Stoke earlier this month, in what proved to be Alex Neil's final away game in charge

Championship strugglers Stoke City have appointed Plymouth Argyle boss Steven Schumacher as their head coach.

The 39-year-old leaves the Pilgrims - who are three points above the Potters in the second tier - to replace Alex Neil on a three-and-a-half-year deal.

Schumacher spent two years in charge at Argyle, leading them to the League One title with 101 points last season.

Stoke, without a win in eight, are three points above the drop zone and on to their sixth manager in six years.

Plymouth assistant manager Mark Hughes, first-team coach Peter Cavanagh and goalkeeping coach Darren Behcet have also left the club to join Schumacher.

Schumacher, who initially joined Argyle as assistant to Ryan Lowe and was promoted in December 2021 when Lowe left for Preston, said he was "attracted" to Stoke by "its history and everything it represents".

"The values that resonate with me for a Stoke City team are bravery and hard work, coupled with a desire to play attacking football and be a team our supporters can connect with," he told Stoke's website.

"We have the players to do that and, if we can get back to a point where the Bet365 Stadium is thought of as a tough venue to visit, we can really get it rocking again."

Neil was sacked on 10 December after 16 months in charge, having led the club to a 16th-placed finish in 2022-23.

Schumacher follows the same route as Tony Pulis, Stoke's most successful manager of the past 50 years, who left Home Park to return to the Potteries for a second spell in charge in 2006, culminating to the club's return to the top flight in 2008.

A reunion with the Pilgrims will come late in the season, with Stoke hosting the Devon side in late April.

Stoke chairman John Coates says the Potters feel they have "one of the most exciting young coaches in the country" in Schumacher, while Plymouth have said the promotion and title-winning boss "will go down as an Argyle great".

"We are naturally sorry to lose a manager of Steven's potential, but he has decided to take a new role that he sees as the next step in his career," Plymouth chairman Simon Hallett told the club website.

"I would like to thank Steven for his hard work, dedication, and success during his time with Argyle and I'm sorry that he won't be with us as we work to deliver our new mission."

Plymouth's director of football Neil Dewsnip and first-team coach Kevin Nancekivell have been placed in interim charge of the club as they search for Schumacher's replacement.

Analysis

Sohail Sahi, BBC Radio Stoke

So it's Steven Schumacher next for what is turning out to be a red-hot manager's chair at Stoke City.

It will be Schumacher's second managerial job and, much like his close friend Ryan Lowe, he's decided the time is right to seek a new challenge with a club that has a bigger playing budget than Plymouth's.

It's Stoke's fifth new manager since the 10-year spell in the Premier League came to an end in 2018. And, in Schumacher, they have selected a man who has worked diligently to find himself at a club who have a real desire to get back into the top flight.

The expectation - and believe me there is an expectation from the Stoke supporters - will be a new experience for Schumacher.

One of the big questions will be how he handles adversity from a demanding fanbase, however from afar he strikes me as someone who will thrive under the spotlight - the natural charm and confidence of a streetwise Liverpudlian.

John and Peter Coates, the joint chairmen, and Ricky Martin, the technical director, might have just picked out a real gem, but as always in football, time will reveal all.

'News that Plymouth fans dreaded'

Brent Pilnick, BBC Sport

Losing Steven Schumacher is the news all Argyle fans dreaded, but at the same time expected.

In just two years at Home Park he has gone from managerial novice to a title-winning boss, who saw off sides with bigger budgets to set an extraordinary tally of 101 points last season.

That talent has made other Championship clubs eye the Liverpudlian as a possible boss, and Stoke have finally been the ones to prise him away from Devon.

Earlier this month he said he was "flattered" to be linked with the vacant role at Sunderland, but admitted that there would be a time when he would leave Home Park.

In his two years Schumacher has impressed with his tactical flexibility - the Pilgrims have had success with both three central defenders and a back four under him - while also being popular with the players.

He leaves Plymouth Argyle owner Simon Hallett's "project" to be a sustainable Championship club in a much better state than when he arrived.

But now we will see how he fares at a club who spent a decade in the Premier League, but who have had little success since then and who have gone through five permanent managers in as many years.