'I still don't understand' - Schumacher on Stoke sacking

Steven Schumacher won 13 of his 32 games in charge of Stoke City

Steven Schumacher says he still does not know why he was sacked by Stoke City, nearly three weeks after his departure.

The 40-year-old left Plymouth Argyle last December to replace Alex Neil at the bet365 Stadium but was dismissed after just 32 games in charge with Stoke 13th in the Championship.

Sporting director Jon Walters said at the time the decision was made to "serve the long-term interests" of the club.

Stoke began the 2024-25 Championship season with two wins and three defeats, with their 1-0 loss to Oxford United proving Schumacher's final match in charge.

"I don’t understand and I still haven’t had a full explanation on why I lost my job," Schumacher told the latest edition of the BBC's EFL podcast, 72+

"Jon Walters said he’d sit and explain stuff to me in a couple of weeks when things have died down, but as of this moment we still haven’t had that chat."

Schumacher led Plymouth to the League One title in 2023 and they were 16th, six points clear of trouble in the Championship when he departed to join Stoke and become their fifth permanent manager since they returned to the second tier in 2018.

"In leaving Plymouth I knew I was going into a different type of environment and I understood the risks in going to Stoke City," added Schumacher.

"They're a team who over the last seven or eight years have gone through a lot of change but I felt if we believed in what we did we could be the ones to turns things around."

The former Bradford and Bury midfielder started his coaching career working with Ryan Lowe at Bury, where they won promotion to League One, before the pair switched to Plymouth and repeated the feat of getting out of League Two.

Steven Schumacher won the League One title while in charge of Plymouth

Schumacher then replaced Lowe as manager at Plymouth in December 2021, leading the Pilgrims into the Championship in 2023.

"I know when some managers get sacked, they need that time out to have a breather but I haven’t come out of it thinking I need a break, if anything, it’s given me a bit more fuel and fire in my belly," said Schumacher, who started his playing career in the Everton academy.

"My dream job is the Everton job, so this is going to give me more fuel to say right, I’ve got someone to prove wrong now."