Stoke City

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Stoke City's Lynden Gooch and Ben Pearson are expected to be out of action for at least four weeks .

Head coach Steven Schumacher confirmed today that both players have suffered hamstring injuries and won't be available for potentially the rest of the season.

Gooch and Pearson limped off during the 3-0 defeat at home to Norwich, the game before the international break.

Schumacher said: "The diagnosis for the type of strain they have is four to six weeks, so you never know what side of that you're going to be on. Either way, that diagnosis kind of takes you to the last week of the season, so we'll just see how they recover."

How big a miss is this? Let us know your thoughts here.

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Stoke City have recently made some new backroom changes, with Alex Morris stepping up to become a first team coach.

Therefore, Ryan Shawcross is now going to lead the U21s supported by Liam Lawrence, while Dave Hibbert remains in charge of the U18s alongside Darren Potter.

Speaking to BBC Radio Stoke's Matt Sandoz, interim technical director Jonathan Walters admitted that he couldn't be happier to have Morris with the senior squad.

"Alex is a top quality coach and a lot of people speak very highly of him outside of Stoke City, some top international managers. I know what qualities he can bring.

"Alex is Stoke through and through as well. He lives and breathes this football club, so he's a great asset to have in that first team dressing room.

"The manager is in complete agreement with it that he's a very experienced coach. He's up on the gantry on a matchday anyway, but to be on the training pitch and have more eyes, he's a very well thought of coach to have that. We need to utilise him more so it's all about the first team."

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Having established himself as a Stoke City favourite back in the day, Liam Lawrence is now working within the club's academy as a coach for the U21s alongside Ryan Shawcross.

Describing how it feels to have returned to his former home, the 42-year-old said:

"I love it. This club means everything to me. It was probably the most successful time in my playing career here. Getting the club out of the Championship into the Premier League and then keeping them there. I love being around the staff and bringing these players through.

"Helping them become some of the fantastic young players that we're now seeing and getting the opportunities to train with the first team on a regular basis. I'm proud of it. I love this football club and want it to do well."

You can listen to the full interview on BBC Radio Stoke's Sport at Six: Academy Special here.

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Former Stoke City captain Ryan Shawcross returned to the club as an U18s Academy Coach last year, but he's since progressed to U21s Assistant Manager, working alongside Alex Morris.

Speaking to BBC Radio Stoke's Lucas Yeomans, the 36-year-old has opened up on his coaching career from his first role at Inter Miami to developing his skill set at Clayton Wood:

"My first taste in Miami of coaching, we loved it out there. When I came back, I wanted a bit of time off, but then the opportunity came up and I jumped at it. It's a club I know and I knew it was a good place to learn.

"I get on really well with Gareth Owen. He's a bit of a mentor along with Alex because of their experience in the game and what they've done. I found it a really good platform to get better and I feel like I've improved massively."

After taking full charge of the recent Staffordshire Senior Cup semi-final, Shawcross added:

"That's where I want to go. That opportunity to lead the group, it's something that I really enjoy and we've had a few victories although we haven't played particularly well. It's something that hopefully in the long run, I can do full-time."

The Potters are set for a nervous end to the season with the club sitting just two points above the relegation zone.

Supporters will no doubt have a close eye on the games against Huddersfield Town, Sheffield Wednesday and Plymouth Argyle who are also hoping to beat the drop.

How many points do you think Steven Schumacher's side will be able to pick up from their final eight matches? More importantly, do you think they'll survive relegation?

Send us your predictions here.

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Stoke City midfielder Bae Junho has returned to the club early from international duty.

The Potters star had been called up to represent South Korea's U23's in the West Asian Football Federation Championship.

Despite not featuring in their opening game against Thailand, the 20-year-old provided the assist for the winning goal in their semi-final vs Saudi Arabia.

However, Steven Schumacher has decided to bring the playmaker back meaning that he will not participate in the final, but instead be ready for Good Friday's trip to Hull City.

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Speaking to Rob Adcock on the Stoke City: 8 Games To Go Podcast, BBC Radio Stoke summariser Angela Smith has addressed the club's current problems off the field.

She believes chairman John Coates will have to make more significant changes over the summer, both with regards to signing new players and the people who are recruiting them:

"The recruitment has been a mess, the appointments of certain staff have been a mess and Stoke have got to change everything in the backroom in terms of getting the right people to advise the owners.

"We've got good owners, but they've been misguided in who they've appointed to run the club for them and maybe John would be better advised to recruit for a person who can help recruit the players. I reckon we've got to bring in 11 new players to even have a chance if we survive this season to not be in the same boat next season.

"Everybody's fed up, but the club have it in their own hands to change. You look at Ipswich. Ipswich have made monumental strides. Got promoted and are carrying on and that's what Stoke have to learn from situations like that. They've made mistakes, now learn from them and be more positive."

You can listen to the full episode here.

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Stoke City beat Sunderland AFC 4-2 in the Premier League U18's at the Academy of Light on Saturday.

Elliot Fearn put the Potters ahead after two minutes, before the hosts found a quick response and equalised through Aaron Chung.

Dave Hibbert's side were 3-1 up at the break after Jayden Ogbebor scored twice, while Joe Neild pulled one back for the hosts. Luke Enright then got a fourth to secure all three points in the North East.

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On 24 March 2012, Stoke City earned a 1-1 draw against Manchester City at the Britannia Stadium thanks to a spectacular 25-yard volley from Peter Crouch.

With the anniversary of that goal having just passed, the former striker has been speaking to BBC Radio Stoke's Rob Adcock about whether that is the best finish he's ever created.

"There are other goals that I think about as well, but that's certainly right up there. I think it's the best goal I've scored in the Premier League, 100%.

"I got a scissor kick in the Champions League against Galatasaray which I love. There was one I scored for Tottenham in the Champions League, World Cup goals, like there's certain goals, but as a technical goal, it's probably my best.

"It comes up every now and then. Every month, there's always someone that puts it out there and I look at it on social media.

"When you look at the whole stadium's reaction, the manager's reaction, the bench's reaction, my reaction, it's one of those moments where I'm so glad that it happened because it made so many people so happy."

You can listen to the full interview here.

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Speaking to Stoke City's official website during EFL Youth Development Week, Sol Sidibe lifted the lid on his journey with the club so far after making his senior debut on the opening day of the campaign against Rotherham United.

“It is only the start, hopefully there will be many more opportunities to come. From joining as an under-eight, I feel like I have always been on an upwards trajectory.

“The first team experience at the start of the season was great. I had an opportunity to impress, that was all I wanted, and hopefully there will be more to come.

“Between now and the end of the season, my goal is to get in and around the first team again and to extend the season with the U21s by qualifying for the PL2 Play-Offs.”

Talking about the backing he's received, the midfielder added: “The support on and off the pitch has been huge. The staff have shown that they believe in me and given me the opportunities to progress and become a better footballer.

“It is important that I have a good support network around me and I know I can rely on a lot of people at the club, which is massive for me.”

We recently asked you to get in touch and tell us your favourite big Stoke City victory from throughout the club's history.

Here are some of the responses that we received:

Paul: Never forget the penalty save from Gordon Banks against West Ham at Upton Park in 1972 from Geoff Hurst after losing the home leg 2-1. The save helped us to a 1-0 win away and we won the replay to help us to Wembley. Most Stokies will tell you that penalty save was better than the Pele one in 1970.

Neil: Favourite big Stoke win has to be the 6-1 mauling of Liverpool or the 5-0 beating of Bolton in the FA Cup semi-final.

Cath: A cold Wednesday evening on 28th January 1987. FA Cup. Stoke City 6 - 0 Grimsby Town. My 29th birthday.

Jeff: The 3-2 victory over Leeds back in the early 1970's, when we came back from 0-2... magical!

Ian: The best match was the League Cup Final 1972 and we beat Chelsea.

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Stoke City defender Jaden Dixon recently made his debut for England U17s against Northern Ireland, and the club's academy director, Gareth Owen, has been discussing the defender's first international performance for the Young Lions.

"You never quite know how he'll settle in that environment because it's completely new to him, but he took to it like a duck to water.

"Leading, organising, demanding things from others which is pleasing to see and that's due to him being around older players in the U21s here.

"I thought he was outstanding from minute one to minute ninety, and we look forward to him having a few more appearances in the future."

When asked how the 17-year-old has been progressing at Clayton Wood, Owen added: "Since he walked through the door, he's taken every challenge that we've set him and smashed through it. We've moved him up age groups, we've dipped him in other positions, he's been around the first team as well in such a short space of time.

"He wants to be better and he's asking Ryan Shawcross for clips which just shows what a great learner he is, but he also knows his feet are firmly on the floor and he's not the finished article.

"He's got that desire and a hunger to learn, and when you are coachable and you have those attributes, it makes our job a hundred times easier."

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We recently asked you whether you could name the top five players who have made the most appearances for Stoke City in the Premier League.

Here are the answers:

1. Ryan Shawcross - 316

2. Glenn Whelan - 276

3. Jonathan Walters - 226

4. Peter Crouch - 202

5. Erik Pieters - 169

Well done if you got it right! Data has been provided by the top-flight's official website, external.

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Stoke City's former manager Tony Pulis has opened up on the advice that he received from Manchester United legend Sir Alex Ferguson after he got the club promoted to the Premier League in May 2008.

“When we got promoted at Stoke, I called Sir Alex Ferguson up. He told me:

‘Your best chance is making the Britannia a place no-one wants to go. If any of the top teams go there and praise you, you’re not doing it right. If you’ve got the best players in the world, then building from the back is fine, but the majority of teams don’t.

'The bottom line is football is about winning and if you don’t win football matches you aren’t going to be in the job very long. You need to find out what your strengths are and play to them. Don’t worry about what others do.'

“I never forgot what he said, and as a result we narrowed the pitch in, grew the grass and brought Rory Delap into play. We found a way to win and it worked.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been at a football stadium where the crowd and team were so together – we used to play the top teams and the place used to light up.”

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Former Potters defender Denis Smith believes that the club won't get relegated to League One, despite being only two points above the drop zone.

Speaking to BBC Radio Stoke, the 1972 League Cup winner said that the squad is good enough to secure their Championship status:

"I'm fairly confident we won't go down but it's going to be tight. If we finish 5th, 6th off bottom, that's where we are and then we've got to start building after, but get this season over first. People are talking about next season, we don't know where we are going to be next season. The next game is the important game.

"I honestly believe that we'll stay up. We could be comfortably a few more places up the league, but it still doesn't make it a good season the fact that we've stayed up. We shouldn't be talking about 'are they going to go down?'. I honestly believe, on what I've seen and what we've got within the club, that we will stay up."

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Stoke City forward Million Manhoef picked up his seventh cap for Netherlands U21s on Thursday night as they were beaten 2-1 by Norway.

The Potters winger was named in the starting eleven by manager Michael Reiziger, but was substituted just after an hour.

Elsewhere, Daniel Johnson featured for Jamaica in a 3-1 defeat against the USA in the CONCACAF Nations League semi-final.

The 31-year-old midfielder came on in the second half, but couldn't help his country progress to the last two of the competition.

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Stoke City achieved promotion to the top-flight during the 2007/08 season and enjoyed a ten-year spell under both Tony Pulis and Mark Hughes before getting relegated to the Championship at the end of the 2017/18 campaign.

The Potters saw plenty of arrivals and departures over that decade, but can you name the top five players who have made the most appearances for the club in the Premier League?

There are two from England, two from Ireland and one from the Netherlands...

Get involved by sending us your answers here!

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On this day: 21 March 1964

Stoke City sealed a remarkable 9-1 win over Ipswich Town at the Victoria Ground.

The Potters had Peter Dobing, Keith Bebbington, John Ritchie, Jimmy McIlroy and Dennis Viollet all on the scoresheet, with the latter netting a hat-trick of goals.

Only 16,124 watched Tony Waddington's team secure that result so emphatically due to the Grand National taking place on the same day.

What's your favourite big Stoke victory? Leave your comments here.

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Back in 2016, Stoke City won the second leg of their League Cup semi-final away at Liverpool, and Philipp Wollscheid was one of the players who produced an outstanding performance on the night, despite losing the overall tie on penalties.

Now, the former defender has opened up on his decision to retire and revealed how his relationship with Mark Hughes broke down after he attempted to sell him.

"Two years after such a match at Anfield, I was not on the football map anymore and I guess that is quite weird. I was still quite young when I retired and I have always loved football itself but I never loved the business.

"I really appreciated the benefits that I had from football but I didn’t want to play just for the money and I didn’t want to go anywhere I didn’t want to be. The fire inside of me wasn’t really existing anymore and I didn’t want to play without that so I decided to quit."

On Hughes, he added: “We never fell out but he never opened up on why he tried to get rid of me. There were rumours in pre-season that I was in Germany to find a club but I was just ill. That was it. I went from being a regular starter to not being wanted. I tried to get him on the phone but he never replied."

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Stoke City's academy defender Jaden Dixon made his debut for England's U17s as they secured an emphatic 5-1 win over Northern Ireland on Wednesday.

The Potters centre-back played the full 90 minutes, helping the Young Lions take maximum points in their first of three UEFA Euro Qualifiers.

South Korea's U23s were also able to grind out a 1-0 victory over Thailand in the West Asian Football Federation Championships, despite Bae Junho not featuring in the matchday squad.

Elsewhere, Ali Hayder suffered a 2-1 defeat in the first match for Iraq's U23s against Australia, with the youth striker competing in the same tournament as Junho.

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Last summer, David Okagbue left Stoke City to join Walsall on a season-long loan, and the centre-back has been a regular feature of their first-team, making 28 appearances to date.

Saddlers fan, Seb, spoke to BBC Radio Stoke's Lucas Yeomans about how the 20-year-old has been progressing at the Bescot Stadium.

"He started off a little bit shaky. I remember games at the start of the season, Salford, he got bullied in that game. He got took off at half-time, same at Mansfield away.

"Since this New Year, he's been probably one of our best players. He's really commanding. I recognised in a few games, especially Forest Green away where you are close to the pitch, his communication skills have really come on.

"He's one of very few players I could hear, driving on the team, demanding more when we were 2-0 down, his communication was good and he's added a bit more aggression to his game as well.

"He comes and wins headers now, he scored his first EFL goal against Accrington off a corner and he's looked really solid. If there's an option to buy him permanently, Walsall will be looking at it because I think his contract expires in the summer."

Would you like to see Okagbue be given a chance next season? Let us know here.