Stoke City

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The Potters signed Luke Cundle on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers in January, but the midfielder has recently fallen out of favour with the trio of Wouter Burger, Lewis Baker and Josh Laurent starting the last three consecutive games in the Championship.

Speaking to BBC Radio Stoke, Dan from The Every Step Along The Way Podcast delivered his thoughts on the current situation of Steven Schumacher's recruit.

"I think there is a player in Cundle. What I like about him is he's always there to receive the ball. When we've got it, he's always an option and he does a lot of things that just go under the radar.

"They are not flash and they don't catch the eye, but if ever one of our midfielders or defenders have got the ball, he's always in a bit of space saying give it to me and then he'll give another five-yard pass to someone else.

"When we are on the front foot and when you are looking to dominate games going forward, he's much more going to be in that sort of mould, that's when he comes into his own. I don't think he's had that opportunity to do that at Stoke yet because of the situation we are in."

You can discover more about the podcast here, external.

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Stoke City's U21s have booked their place in the last four of the Staffordshire Senior Cup after securing a 3-2 victory over Stone Old Alleynians at Clayton Wood on Tuesday.

The Potters took the lead early on through Darius Lipsiuc's strike, before Jack Tomlinson found the equaliser for the visitors.

Following a header from Matthew Thomas, Alleynians then went ahead, only to be pulled back to level terms thanks to a deflected effort from Christy Grogan.

Two minutes from the final whistle, Keke Jeffers won and converted a penalty to send the hosts through to the semi-finals of the competition where they will next face Leek Town.

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Stoke City captain Josh Laurent says the dressing room has become stronger since the team lost at Cardiff last month.

The midfielder revealed the players held 'clear the air talks' following that defeat and have since won six points out of their last nine:

"I know it sounds crazy and I hope I don't come back to eat my own words, but probably what happened at Cardiff could have been one of the best things to happen to us."

Stoke dropped into the relegation zone following their 2-1 defeat in Wales but after that they had wins over Middlesbrough and Preston which moved them out of the bottom three.

"I think we had a lot of sit down talking between each other as players and everyone together, just having a realisation of where we are and what we need to do and what needs to be done."

Laurent continued, "Ever since that you can feel the difference in the building everyday and going into games, I feel a difference in the group, it's been good and we've seen the positives in the games since.

What do you think of the team's performances recently? Let us know with your comments here.

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Former Stoke City midfielder Dave Brammer believes head coach Steven Schumacher is the man to take the club forward.

The Potters moved out of the Championship bottom three at the weekend following their 2-1 win at Preston North End. The result means Schumacher's side have now picked up six points from the last nine available.

Brammer told BBC Radio Stoke that the Stoke boss is doing a good job with the current squad:

"I feel for him a little bit, because he's probably thinking that these aren't my players and hopefully he can just stay up, regroup in the summer and put his stamp on the team. That would be great if it was still in the Championship."

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We asked you to send us your opinions on Ben Pearson and his disciplinary record after it come to light that the midfielder has received 20 yellow cards and two red cards during the 37 games that he's started since joining Stoke City.

Here are some of the responses that we received:

Adrian: Ben Pearson is a liability to the team. While we need grit and determination on the field, we need 11 players on it at all times. We can't rely on his temperament - time to say goodbye as soon as possible.

Dave: Ben Pearson is an absolute liability and as far as I’m concerned he would never play for me again. The sooner he’s gone, the better.

Jonathan: Such a talented player and a fabulous ball winner… but sometimes petulant and sometimes too rough.

Peter: Pearson is a liability. Stoke are better without him. He needs moving on.

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Stoke City are set to welcome back Jordan Thompson for Saturday's trip to Preston North End following a two-game yellow card suspension.

Enda Stevens and Luke McNally have both returned to training, and although this weekend's game will come too soon for them, they are likely to come back into contention for the following fixture vs Norwich City.

Junior Tchamadeu remains on the sidelines with an ankle injury alongside Ryan Mmaee, but the latter is on course to return to the grass at Clayton Wood next week.

Following his red card at Leeds United, Ben Pearson will miss the return to his former club, making him the only new absentee for Steven Schumacher.

With Stoke City preparing to face Preston North End on Saturday, we asked you to send in your score predictions and thoughts as to what the outcome of the game could be.

Here are some of the responses that we received:

Simon: It’s going to be nerve jangling but the tide has turned and confidence is slowly building so I think we are going to come away with at least a point. Hoping we can nick all three by the odd goal.

Phil: Need to see some fight and passion. We want players who will play for the badge and not the bank account. Get some of the promotion side in on the coaching staff, they will drill into them.

Rob: 2-2. Exciting game with Stoke coming from behind to equalise in the last 10 mins.

Jacob: We're cooked.

• After losing seven of their nine away league games against Preston North End between August 1999 and August 2019 (W1 D1), Stoke City are since unbeaten across their last three visits to Deepdale (W2 D1).

• The Lilywhites are unbeaten in their previous five home matches in the Championship (W3 D2), last going six without defeat in April 2023.

• The Potters have lost each of their last four away league fixtures, their worst run on the road in the same season since March 2021.

• Saturday's hosts have lost just two of their last 12 Championship meetings against Steven Schumacher's side (W7 D3), scoring at least two goals in seven of those.

• Only against Stevenage (P4 W4) has Ryan Lowe won more games as a manager than vs Stoke City (P4 W3 L1).

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Stoke City's U21s are set to travel to the Staplewood Training Ground to take on Southampton tonight in the Premier League 2, with kick-off scheduled for 7pm GMT.

The Potters lost their first home match in five on Monday when Crystal Palace secured a 3-1 victory at the Bet365 Stadium, but they will be hoping that they can change their fortunes on the south coast this evening.

Alex Morris' side are currently 14th in the table out of 26 teams, while their opponents are 20th and will be looking to close the gap on the red and white stripes.

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Ahead of Stoke City's upcoming away game vs Preston North End on Saturday, Steven Schumacher has been speaking to the media at his pre-match press conference to discuss his friendship with opposition manager Ryan Lowe, alongside the messages of support he's received.

Ryan Lowe: "We've played against each other a few times. We've been mates for years, coached with him for five, six years as well and I've managed against him once this year. He came out on top, hopefully he doesn't this weekend.

"We speak all the time, a couple of times a week at least, but this week you don't. We just don't pick the phone up to each other because it gets to a point where I can't say too much and he knows he won't say too much so I won't be speaking to him from now until after the game on Saturday and hopefully I'm going in his office in a better mood than the last time."

Advice from Alan Knill: "He's not the only person that reached out because they all know what I'm going through, they've been there, they've walked this path. I'm a young coach who is having his first little bit of a test, so they are trying to give a bit of advice on how to deal with it and what to try and do.

"With them experienced guys, you have to listen to them because they are trying to help and I really appreciate it because it's important that you don't lose sight of what you're trying to do in difficult times. It's easy to be really positive when you win all the time, but you've got to still convey that message when you're not winning."

Stoke City are set to make the trip to Preston North End on Saturday as they once again look to climb out of the relegation zone.

The Potters displayed an extremely promising performance against Leeds United in midweek despite not taking anything from the game, so will they be able to change their fortunes when they arrive at Deepdale?

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

Have your say here!

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Speaking to BBC Radio Stoke, Chief Operating Officer Simon King has opened up on the club's plans to introduce safe standing from the start of next season, alongside relocating the away fans which would see home supporters occupy both sides of the tunnel.

"There's a view that there's a real competitive edge for away teams when you've got 2,500 away supporters right by that tunnel. Not only was that no good for our own players but it was a big pick up for the away team as well, so that was something that we were keen to move.

"They have now moved into the corner and that allows us to have the entire Caldwell South Stand for our home supporters which our vision and our utopia position is a full house at the Bet365 Stadium, 30,000 fans and a cauldron atmosphere.

"The cherry on top of the cake is the licensed standing piece. We want that to be an area which is almost like the sing section of the stadium.

"We've really focused this as an atmosphere enhancing project. We completely understand that at the moment, we're not generating full houses, but those times will come again, and when they do, we'll be ready for them and we'll be able to create the best atmosphere possible."

On further developments behind the scenes, he added: "Hopefully the fans of the football club are seeing that we're making positive progress off the pitch. No getting away from it, we want to be doing better on the pitch and there's no-one more passionate than our chairman about that happening.

"We've got the fan zone coming, we hope to have that in place for the start of next season, there's lots of other projects that I could list. Another £10m, £12m is being spent on a first-team facility down the training ground so this club is not short of investment from John [Coates], and that's taken us in the direction that we all want to go in which is a really ambitious one."

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With Stoke City set to travel to Preston North End on Saturday, we take a closer look at the remarkable disciplinary record of one of their former players, Ben Pearson.

The Potters midfielder has a history of letting his emotions get the better of him in key moments which has resulted in him being awarded 20 yellow cards and two red cards during the 37 matches he's started since joining. (Soccerbase, external)

After receiving his most recent marching orders vs Leeds United, Steven Schumacher's player will miss this weekend's fixture against his old club due to a one-game suspension.

What are your opinions on Pearson? Leave your comments here.

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After reversing his decision to leave the club at the beginning of the season, Potters academy director, Gareth Owen, has been speaking to BBC Radio Stoke's Lucas Yeomans to deliver an update on the progress of the U21s.

"We are on a really good run with the amount of games that we've won. We're into the play-off places as it currently stands, and if we finish in the top 12 in the league, we can get into the European competition again, so we want to do that.

"It's not all about results, but if you can build up those experiences, play European teams, then that can only be a good thing for a player's development.

"It's a tough old game in the academy because you want to speed up time. That star player that you've got at U14s, you want to fast forward three or four years to get in the main team and knocking on the door of the first-team, but you can't do that so you have to build day in, day out, session in, session out."

On the U17s' achievement of recently reaching the Premier League Cup semi-final, he added: "That just shows the work that's gone on from recruitment and bringing the players to the football club but then behind closed doors with the coaching, sports science, with the medical departments and things like that, so I'm really excited by the players.

"Across every age group, you've got real standout players worth a fair wind and we never quite know what's going to happen in the future, but if we can keep adding those layers to keep learning, keep driving to be better, I fully believe we've got some professional football players for the future, both for Stoke City and elsewhere."

Stoke City have announced plans to introduce safe standing next season which would see home supporters located on both sides of the tunnel, while the travelling fans would be moved over to the south-east corner.

Following the news, you've been getting in touch to tell us how you feel about the proposal. Here are some of the responses that we have received:

Angela: It's crazy to have away fans being by the tunnel when they go out, everybody just wants that great atmosphere that we used to have in the Premier League and the way to do it is have Stoke fans behind both goals. I'm delighted.

Matt: Very happy, how can it not be good? We've always said it haven't we that as soon as you come out of the tunnel near the away end, all they hear and all they see is a load of away fans. It's the perfect end for the Stoke fans to sit.

Stephen: Safe standing and moving away fans from directly behind the goal, brilliant at long last.

Lee: Been a long time coming.

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On Tuesday evening, Stoke City suffered a 1-0 Championship defeat to Leeds United thanks to a first half effort from winger Daniel James.

Despite not picking up any points, Lynden Gooch told the club website that the squad can take great belief into their remaining matches following a promising display at Elland Road.

"Obviously disappointed. They are a really good side but I thought we fought really well and kept going until the very end. Second-half we were really, really good.

"Leeds are always going to have their chances. We defended really well, put bodies on the line. We did create some really good chances and at the end, Josh [Laurent] had a big chance as well, but there were other chances throughout the game where we felt we could have got a point.

"First half, they had the majority of the ball and it was difficult but we hung in there. The goal is a slight deflection so that's what's really disappointing, everything else I thought we were outstanding."

Asked how the positive change has come around, he added: "Just showing that fight and desire for the past two games, we took that in from Saturday's game and we can't get too down. We were really good against one of the best teams in the league so we've got to keep performing like that for the next ten games and hopefully we'll be okay."

Image source, BBC Sport

Stoke City are proposing to introduce safe standing next season and move the visiting supporters to another part of the ground.

New plans would see home fans positioned behind both goals and either side of the tunnel, with safe standing offered to home and away supporters.

Chief Operating Officer Simon King said: “Claiming the prime location of the South Stand from away fans, and having home supporters on both sides of the tunnel, has been craved by our supporters for a number of years. It’s exciting that we have now found a way to make it happen.

“We want to help fans create the maximum noise possible and feel that having Stoke supporters on their feet behind that goal can be a driver for that."

What do you think? Let us know here.

Stoke City will be buoyant following their 2-0 home win over Middlesbrough on Saturday but what team will head coach Steven Schumacher pick?

The Potters boss has had a tendency to chop and change his team in midweek but will he stick with a winning formula against the promotion chasers? BBC Radio Stoke commentator Sohail Sahi seems to think he will.

Who do you think Stoke City's best XI is? Comment here.

Image source, BBC Sport

Stoke City go to Leeds United hoping to cause a Championship upset. The Potters are fighting to get out of the bottom three while the Yorkshire side are closing in on a return to the Premier League.

Steven Schumacher said his Saturday night was far more enjoyable following their 2-0 win over Middlesbrough, but if his team can take something from their trip to Elland Road, the head coach might feel his team are turning a corner.

However Stoke will need to pull out all the stops as their away form isn't too clever. Just four wins on the road out of 17 league games is one reason they're battling to avoid the drop into League One.

Looking ahead to the clash at Leeds, Schumacher says his team can't panic if they go a goal down.

"It's key to a successful team, teams that can respond and come back and show good character and come from behind, are the ones that will end up at the top of the league.

"It's not easy in this league, you have to concentrate from the off and try not to concede the first goal. If you do, go back to the drawing board, get back to the plan."

You can listen to all the pre-match build-up on BBC Radio Stoke from 19:00 GMT Tuesday

Image source, BBC Sport

• Leeds United have won three of their last five league games against Stoke City, scoring 3+ goals in each win (L2); the Whites’ most recent meeting with the Potters at Elland Road coming in July 2020 under Marcelo Bielsa (5-0).

• Stoke City have won just one of their last 11 away league games against Leeds United (D4 L6), a 4-0 victory in October 2006 under Tony Pulis.

• Should Leeds beat Stoke, it will see them record two different runs of at least seven successive home league victories in the same Football League season for the first time.

• Stoke have lost each of their last three away league games; they last endured a longer such run in a single season in March 2021 (4 games).

• Patrick Bamford has scored in each of his last three home league games for Leeds (3 goals), while he last did so in four successive home league games in the Football League for Middlesbrough in March 2018.