Stoke City

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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.

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On January's transfer deadline day, Stoke City sent Emre Tezgel out on loan to League Two side MK Dons with the intention to further develop his career.

Speaking to BBC Radio Stoke's Lucas Yeomans, George Weaver from the Potterlytics Podcast delivered his opinion on the striker's future at the club.

"It's very strange that a year or two ago, you'd have never said that Nathan Lowe would be jumping up over him in terms of getting towards the squad and getting towards playing time. The injuries seem to have taken a little bit of a toll.

"It's going to be really interesting next season to see where he ends up because presumably people like Wesley are going to be making their way out. We don't know what's going to happen with Tyrese Campbell as well, so there may be spots for people to stake their claim."

When asked which of the two academy prospects he thinks will seal a temporary move away from the Bet365 Stadium next term, he added: "In my mind, it would be Tezgel. I wouldn't be surprised to see both of them out on loan to League One.

"Given the amount of football he's missed with injuries in the U21s, giving him a full season would be very, very useful."

What hopes do you have for Emre Tezgel next season? Let us know here.

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Stoke City's U21s have been knocked out of the Staffordshire Senior Cup after suffering a 1-0 semi-final defeat against Leek Town on Tuesday.

The Potters were very much the team in control of possession either side of the break, creating plenty of half-chances without being able to convert.

However, it was Leek who found the breakthrough in the last ten minutes when an effort deflected in off Freddie Anderson and past goalkeeper Blondy Nna Noukeu.

Ryan Shawcross' side had claims for a penalty waved away in the closing stages when Tom Curl was clipped inside the area, however it was the hosts that progressed to the final.

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'We've got to stick together' - Josh Laurent

Stoke City captain Josh Laurent says the team need to use the international break to regroup.

Prior to their 3-0 defeat to Norwich City, Steven Schumacher's side had won two of their previous three matches and moved out of the Championship relegation zone.

Laurent told BBC Radio Stoke they need to bounce back from their recent setback:

"We've got to all stick together and go into the international break and come back stronger. It's not a time to be too negative, we can't be too low we've got to stick together and get back to the standard we've set ourselves."

Laurent says the only focus now is the final eight matches and secure their Championship status:

"We broke the games into blocks of four, we attacked this first block, we fell short in the last game but we can't be too negative. We've got to attack the next block of four now and reset ourselves some targets.

"We've got to stay positive and review the games together and fix and find solutions, we're not in the bottom three, we've got to keep trying to get away from that and keep fighting together."

Will Stoke City avoid relegation? let us know your thoughts here.

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Former defender says Tyrese Campbell has got natural ability

Former Stoke City defender Mike Pejic believes striker Tyrese Campbell has got bags of potential, but insists the 24-year-old has got to up his game.

Speaking about Campbell's return to the first team squad Pejic says he's always been a fan:

"He's got natural ability, he likes the ball to his feet, he's got good turning ability, he's got good control and likes to take players on.

"One part of his game he needs to work on is off the ball when the opposition have got the ball. He needs to take up an advanced position to strike at defenders when we actually win the ball, so he's already in a position to go and attack."

Campbell, who has struggled with injuries this season, has only featured 18 times and scored two goals, a return that Pejic thinks should be much better:

"He's the one player who has got to go and attack, he needs to do more work off the ball to be ready to attack.

"That part of the game he needs to work on is his awareness of space."

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Following Stoke City's 3-0 defeat to Norwich City over the weekend, Steven Schumacher's side return to action after the international break with a trip to Hull City on Good Friday, 29 March.

Can the Potters pick up the necessary points between now and the end of the season in order to avoid getting relegated to League One?

Lucas Yeomans returns with Praise and Grumble tonight on BBC Radio Stoke at 18:00 GMT.

Call the show to give your thoughts on 0800 121 8080 or listen to it online here.

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Last summer, Stoke City signed Bae Junho from Daejeon Hana Citizen, and the midfielder has now given his first interview in English to evaluate his opening campaign at the club, alongside how his bond with the fans is growing more and more by the day.

"I think it was successful. This season is my first season in Europe and I've done a lot of things. I feel physically stronger now and have more confidence, so my play is getting better.

"I have a stronger connection with the supporters because they are always supporting me and the team so I love Stoke fans. It gives me more confidence knowing that they are behind me."

When asked how it's been working with Steven Schumacher, the 20-year-old said: "I like him because he trusts me. He's really professional. He has given me some great advice."

Delivering his opinion on the Potters faithful creating him his own song to the music of ABBA's Voulez-Vous, he added: "I love this song. Sometimes, I hum this song. Me and the team, we are going to do our best to do well. I hope we can finish the season in a good position."

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Stoke City's U21s secured a 2-1 win over Derby County in the Premier League 2 at the Loughborough University Stadium on Friday.

The Potters went ahead through Dara McGuinness’ strike just five minutes before the break, before Nathan Lowe doubled the club's lead after getting on the end of a low cross from Tom Sparrow to make it 2-0 at half-time.

The Rams got a goal back in the closing stages of the game when Cruz Allen fired a powerful effort past Tommy Simkin, but the visitors did enough to hold on and secure all three points on the road.

Alex Morris' side will next be in action when they face Leek Town in the semi-finals of the Staffordshire Senior Cup at the F. Ball Community Stadium on Tuesday 19 March, with kick-off scheduled for 7:45pm GMT.

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Stoke City suffered a 3-0 defeat to Norwich City on Saturday, and head coach Steven Schumacher admitted during his post-match interview that it was his team's most disappointing display since he joined the club from Plymouth Argyle.

"Rubbish. Not good enough. Way off it. From the first minute, they were a better team than us and sometimes you've got to hold your hands up and say that. We were not aggressive enough, we said that we needed to try and make it uncomfortable for Norwich and try and get in their faces, but we were just too deep. Didn't get close enough to them and it took us 78 minutes to win a tackle.

"We didn't seem to play with any energy, every time we did win the ball back, we made errors and gave it straight back to them. We had one or two opportunities to go ahead, we hit the post and we had a chance from Josh Laurent from a set play and if we get the first goal then who knows. It might have sparked us into life, but as soon as they got the first goal, we sort of folded."

When asked what work will be done over the international break, he added: "A little bit of rest but also another reset. That could be the worst performance that I've seen since we've been here, it's probably one of the worst performances that I've ever been involved in since I've been a coach so got to reset and got to find a way to go again."

Heading into the game against Norwich City, Stoke City are likely to be full of confidence following last weekend's 2-1 win over Preston North End.

The Potters will still be without Junior Tchamadeu due to an ankle injury, plus Wouter Burger won't be available as he misses the first game of his two-match suspension.

However, Ben Pearson is back in contention after serving his ban, while Enda Stevens and Ryan Mmaee have both trained and are expected to return to the matchday squad.

BBC Radio Stoke commentator Sohail Sahi has chosen his preferred team to face the Canaries, but do you agree? What would be your best starting eleven?

Get in touch by sending us your thoughts here.

• Stoke City have won two of their last three home games in the Championship (L1), as many as their previous 13 matches at the Bet365 Stadium (D4, L7).

• Norwich City are unbeaten in their previous six league meetings against Steven Schumacher's side and could record a domestic double over them for the second time in three attempts.

• The Potters have secured victory in just one of their last five second-tier fixtures against Saturday's opponents (D2, L2).

• The Canaries have conceded in each of their previous 16 away league games, last going longer without a clean sheet between August 2011 and October 2012 in the Premier League (24 in a row).

• The Carrow Road outfit have only won one of their last eight away games in the Championship, with their most recent result on the road being a 3-1 defeat to Middlesbrough.

With Stoke City preparing to face Norwich City on Saturday, we asked you to send in your score predictions and thoughts as to how you think the game could pan out.

Here are some of the responses that we received:

David: Stoke are on a roll, and coming off an away win where fan support was important. I think the atmosphere will be rocking and Stoke players fired up to claw more points away from the drop zone. It'll be hard to keep Norwich out of the goal, but 2-1 Stoke, and that's the first Stoke win I've predicted in an awfully long time.

Joey: Whatever has happened to us since Jon Walters took over as interim technical director is really good. There's team spirit again and players fighting for the badge. Josh Laurent for me is a really positive captain, just hasn't been getting the love until recently but cares. Gotta be positive and say 2-1 win.

Dave: Two one to Stoke. The home crowd are on top form. ‘So, before, you come to knock down our door, forgive us Delia, we're gonna beat Norwich on Saturday. Bye bye bye, Delia’.

Rob: The Stoke fans are going to be well up for this. I predict a feisty 2-2 draw. Norwich coming from 2-1 down to equalise at the death!

Harry: Stoke City till I die. 1-0 Stoke.

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Former Stoke City defender Lee Dixon has full belief that the club will be able to survive relegation and retain their status in the Championship.

The Potters moved out of the bottom three last weekend following their 2-1 win at Preston North End, and the pundit thinks that their recent upturn in form shows that the squad have enough fight to get themselves over the line.

“I hope Stoke have enough to stay up this season, but you know what the Championship is like. It’s an absolutely brutal slog of a league, whether you’re trying to get into the play-offs or you’re trying to avoid relegation at the other end of the table.

“They’ve obviously got a very young manager in Steven Schumacher and I think his development from now until the end of the season in terms of how to manage in a relegation battle is going to be key for the club’s survival chances.

“Obviously the players have got to go out and perform, but they still need to be in a frame of mind where they understand the magnitude of what they’re involved in. It’s going to be a big ask for them to avoid relegation but I still think there’s enough there in the squad to keep them up.”

On how fans can have a positive impact on the team, he added: "I played there at Stoke for two-and-a-half seasons, and while it wasn’t full every week, the fans that do turn up do make a noise. If the Stoke players can give those supporters something to cheer about then it will give them a massive boost in return and I think they’ll be ok, that could help make the difference.”

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Stoke City midfielder Jordan Thompson has been called up to represent Northern Ireland for their two upcoming friendlies against Romania and Scotland.

The Potters star is set to reunite with former manager Michael O'Neill when he heads off on international duty later this month, with his nation's first game taking place on Friday 22 March and the second on Tuesday 26 March.

Steven Schumacher will also be sending Bae Junho away over the break after he was named in South Korea's U23s squad to participate in the West Asian Championship in Saudi Arabia.

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Ahead of Stoke City's upcoming home game vs Norwich City on Saturday, Steven Schumacher has been speaking to the media at his pre-match press conference to discuss this weekend's opponents, the return of his captain and the backing of supporters.

The Canaries: "They are difficult to prepare for because of how they move and how they rotate in midfield. They've got some really good players. They are in good form and in the top six so we are well aware of their strengths, but I'm sure they will be aware of us as well."

Josh Laurent: "Having Josh back in the team has been a bonus because obviously he got injured in the first game that we were here so that was a bit of a blow, but he's the captain and leads by example when he's on the pitch. He's not the most vocal captain I've ever seen, but he can have a good impact on the team."

Potters fans: "The atmosphere in the last home game was the best atmosphere since we've been here at the Bet365 so we are going to need that again. Get right behind us and hopefully we can cause Norwich a few problems."

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Previewing Saturday's showdown vs Norwich City, BBC Radio Stoke's Lucas Yeomans has been speaking to Canaries fan Terri Westgate to discuss which visiting players are likely to pose the biggest threat when they arrive at the Bet365 Stadium.

"The person who is getting all the goals at the moment is Josh Sargent. He's probably our number one player. Also, both Gabriel Sara and [Marcelino] Nunez have come into the team. They are more sort of attacking midfielders and they've been creating a lot of chances as well, so they are probably the ones most to look out for."

When asked for her score prediction, she added: "If you look purely at our away form over the last couple of months, you wouldn't be predicting a win which sounds strange. We've won so many home games but we've struggled away. We lost to Middlesbrough, we drew at QPR so we actually are a bit nervous on the road. I think 1-1 is a pretty fair prediction."

Nick Mashiter
Senior football news reporter

Stoke have held talks with former Norwich sporting director Stuart Webber as they look to replace Ricky Martin.

The Potters are looking for a new technical director after Martin was sacked in February, just 15 months into the role.

Joint-Chairman John Coates has been speaking to a number of candidates, with Webber a contender to take the job at the bet365 Stadium.

Webber is available after leaving Norwich in November, although he has served a 12-month notice period which expires this month.

Stoke are looking for a replacement for Martin despite him helping oversee a recruitment drive last summer with 18 players arriving at the club, including Ki-Jana Hoever on loan from Wolves and Enda Stevens from Sheffield United.

But the Potters have struggled this season with Alex Neil sacked in December and replaced by Steven Schumacher.

The ex-Plymouth boss has won five of his 16 games and Stoke sit 19th in the Championship – three points above the relegation zone - ahead of Saturday’s visit of Norwich.

Webber, Huddersfield’s former head of football operations, oversaw two Championship title-winning campaigns at Carrow Road but two awful seasons in the Premier League saw the Canaries finish bottom.

After handing his notice in last March he was eventually replaced by Ben Knapper, Arsenal’s loan manager, in November.

Stoke City are set to welcome Norwich City to the Bet365 Stadium on Saturday as they look to secure back-to-back league wins following last weekend's victory at Preston North End.

The Potters displayed an extremely positive performance when they visited Deepdale, but can they follow that up with another three points against the Canaries?

Get involved by sending us your score predictions and thoughts ahead of the match using the online form below.

Have your say here!

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With Tyrese Campbell set to become a free agent at the end of the season, Potters fans Angela Smith and Andrew Beechey have been speaking to BBC Radio Stoke's Rob Adcock to discuss his future at the club beyond the summer.

Angela said: "If there's a 50/50 ball and he doesn't think he's going to win that 50/50 ball, he's going to gracefully let the other guy get it to save breaking his leg. My thoughts are he's probably spoken to several clubs and he's pretty sure on where he may be going, but it would be good for him to go out on a high.

"Of all the people we've had who have looked a prolific finisher, he's going to be, in my lifetime, the most disappointing. I'm not going to put him on the same par as Keith Scott, but for having ability, to me it's just not happened for him."

When asked whether he should be offered a new contract, Andrew added: "I personally don't think he should be a priority to re-sign. There are better players probably for less money. Sometimes a name can end up costing you money, can't it? He's come on and he's played on Saturday but the manager's favourite is going to be [Niall] Ennis in that situation every time."

You can listen to the first episode of the new podcast titled 'Stoke City: 9 Games To Go' here.

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Stoke City playmaker Bae Junho has been called up to represent South Korea's U23s at a tournament later this month following an impressive debut season at the Bet365 Stadium.

The Potters fan favourite is set to jet off to Saudi Arabia during the upcoming international break to participate in the West Asian Championship where there will be three games played, the first being against Thailand on 20 March.

Steven Schumacher's star will also be looking to help his country qualify for the Olympics in the Asian Cup which will take place in April in Qatar.

Should the 20-year-old's nation progress to the knockout stages of the latter competition, he could end up missing the club's final three games in the Championship.

What are your thoughts on Junho so far? Let us know here.