Stoke City

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Having been appointed in December 2023, Steven Schumacher has made a positive start to his tenure having won one and drawn three of his opening four games in the Championship, with his only defeat coming in the FA Cup against Brighton last weekend.

The Potters head coach therefore has the opportunity to equal a record set by one of the club's former managers, Brian Little, 26 years ago, when he travels to Rotherham United on Saturday, because he could become the only boss since the veteran to have gone unbeaten during his first five league games in charge.

Initially at Aston Villa, the now 70-year-old made the drop down when he accepted the job with the red and white stripes, and he made an excellent beginning to life in the dugout, winning 14 out of his first 20 games, sitting pretty and competing for automatic promotion.

However, the second half of the season turned out to be the complete opposite, with the club only able to secure seven victories from their remaining 26 fixtures, meaning that they eventually finished 8th in the table and missed out on a place in the First Division.

When announcing his decision to resign in July 1999 after just the one term in charge, Little said: "I have tried my best and the disappointment is very hard to take. I hope the supporters understand that it's best that I leave".

Considering that Stoke are unlikely to complete another major squad overhaul, Schumacher will be hoping that his reign continues on an upwards trajectory, with his aim certainly being to get the Bet365 Stadium outfit back to the Premier League at some stage in the near future.

Stoke City blogger and podcaster George Weaver from Potterlytics, external shares his thoughts on what business the Potters need to do in the January transfer window:

"The clear one at the minute is left-back, now that Iversen has come in as goalkeeper. I'm glad to see we did that as quickly as we could just to get it sorted straight away. It's obviously been on the mind of the people behind the scenes that we needed that goalkeeper. I think other than left-back, centre-back possibly as we've seen a little bit of a depreciation in the quality there. Luke McNally started very well but he has dropped off a little recently."

"There's a new manager in with a different way of playing and we've said that Stoke are going to try and recruit to profiles, but I do think that profile has now probably changed quite a bit, particularly in terms of full-backs and central midfielders."

"At this juncture I'm sure where Schumacher sees the squad that he has got and where we are going to need those extra players, other than a left-back coming in and probably a centre-back as well."

"Strikers, we've got Wesley, we've got Gayle and we've got Ryan Mmaee who is probably first choice at the minute and who's been doing excellently over the past few weeks. I would be surprised if Wesley and Gayle are up there in Schumacher's plans as the players he wants to be starting more than a couple of games between now and the end of the season."

"If he does bring someone in, that would be really good competition for Ryan Mmaee, but we forget that Tyrese Campbell can play there as well, especially if there are people around him in the same way that we have seen in the last few weeks, so it will be very interesting to see what kind of striker he brings in if he does go for that."

• When Stoke and Rotherham faced each other in the reverse fixture of this game back in August, Steven Schumacher's side ran out 4-1 winners.

• The Millers have only secured one victory from their past nine matches against their upcoming visitors across all competitions.

• The Potters are currently unbeaten in their last three away encounters and will be hoping to extend that to four this weekend.

• The Bet365 Stadium outfit have 19 wins, 13 draws and have suffered 14 defeats against their opponents throughout their club history. (11 v 11, external)

• Leam Richardson's men are rock bottom of the Championship table as it stands, while the red and white stripes are 19th, with three points having the potential to take them as high as 15th dependent on other results.

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With Enda Stevens being the only natural left-back that Stoke City have in the building, supporters have been calling for the hierarchy to recruit another senior player in that position, but Steven Schumacher doesn't seem in a hurry to dip into the market for a fresh face.

When asked during his pre-match press conference ahead of the Rotherham United game whether he believes he is light on numbers, the head coach said: "There's a few areas of the pitch that we want to strengthen."

"We've obviously got people who we feel can play at left-back as well, so I know we've had an injury at the moment to Lynden Gooch, he can play there. I think Jordan Thompson can play there, Enda Stevens who is back on the training pitch can play there, Junior Tchamadeu when he comes back, Ki-Jana [Hoever], so there's plenty of people that can play there."

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Stoke City and Rotherham United most recently faced each other back in August 2023 in the second round of the Carabao Cup, with the hosts securing an emphatic 6-1 victory at the Bet365 Stadium.

The Potters were 2-0 up after 18 minutes thanks to goals from Wouter Burger and Ryan Mmaee, before Sean Morrison pulled one back for the visitors.

From there on, Alex Neil's side, at the time, were prolific, with captain Josh Laurent bagging a brace, alongside Tyrese Campbell and Mehdi Leris who also beat Millers goalkeeper Dillon Phillips to find the back of the net.

Despite Steven Schumacher now being at the helm, the new head coach will be hoping that his outfit can replicate the same kind of result this weekend as they did last year, with three points having the potential to steer them further away from the relegation zone and push them higher up the table.

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With Stoke City set to hit the road for Saturday afternoon's trip to face Rotherham United in the Championship, Steven Schumacher has been speaking to the media at his pre-match press conference to discuss a variety of topics.

On the FA Cup defeat to Brighton: "There was loads of positives from the game, I felt we played really well, especially in the first half. The stuff we'd worked on in the week in the training about getting our press right and being brave when we had the ball, I felt we did that."

On the Millers: "They are a huge threat. I think obviously they've changed manager as well recently. They are in decent form, they beat Middlesbrough in their second to last home game, they drew at Sunderland at home who are two really good teams and they picked up a point away at Blackburn, so they are definitely no mugs."

On Luke Cundle: "He's an all-round midfield player, he can do a little bit of everything. He puts his foot in, considering he's only really small, he competes really well and he's got unbelievable energy and enthusiasm, gets himself in important areas, both defensively and when we attack, so yeah I think it's a good signing for us."

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Despite Glenn Whelan leaving Stoke City back in 2017, the former talisman has been keeping a close eye on the club's form and results ever since.

Speaking to BBC Radio Stoke's Lucas Yeomans, the former Republic of Ireland international has been talking about the transfer window and whether he thinks Steven Schumacher is likely to green-light any further incomings or outgoings before the end of January.

"It's a transition stage for everybody, and with the window coming up, I'm sure he'll be looking to bring in a couple of players and unfortunately, there's going to be a couple of players who he doesn't feel are quite good enough or don't have the quality that he's after, so there'll be some sort of change."

"He'll be looking to bring in a couple of players hopefully to improve the squad, to make an impact and listen, this is football. The football business is that if players are coming in, there's definitely going to be those that are leaving also."

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Former Stoke City striker Martin Paterson has landed his first managerial position, taking over at League One Burton Albion.

The 36-year-old, who made 16 appearances for the Potters scoring once, left Swansea in December when then boss Michael Duff was sacked.

He takes over a Brewers side that are 17th in League One and without a win in three games since the start of 2024.

"I am ready to take this step," Paterson told the club website.

"I have developed my coaching over several years and have extensive experience of being an assistant coach at first team level."

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This Saturday, Stoke City travel to the AESSEAL New York Stadium to take on Rotherham United for their latest encounter in the Championship, with kick-off at 3pm UK time.

The Potters secured a 4-1 victory when the two sides met in the league last year, and it would appear that the club have a strong track record when it comes to getting one over on their opponents throughout their history.

Looking back to one of the most memorable fixtures in particular on Tuesday, 11 November 2008, Tony Pulis' side booked their place in the quarter-finals of the Carling Cup with a 2-0 win over the Millers.

After scoring directly from a free-kick, Glenn Whelan gave the hosts the lead, before Danny Pugh fired his shot past Andy Warrington to wrap up the game, not forgetting that Dave Kitson also had a goal disallowed after being judged offside by the linesman.

Speaking during his post-match interview, Pulis said that it was "absolutely fantastic times" for his men, with the former manager having made nine changes to the team that played out a stalemate against Wigan Athletic in the previous game.

Stoke Line-Up: Simonsen, Wilkinson, Cort, Shawcross, Dickinson, Pugh, Whelan, Olofinjana (Amdy Faye 58), Cresswell, Kitson, Pericard (Fuller 73).

Subs Not Used: Sorensen, Delap, Phillips, Sonko, Wedderburn.

With Daniel Iversen and Luke Cundle already in the building, Stoke City are likely to continue making a couple of further additions over the coming weeks, and Gabriel Sutton, external has name-checked two potential transfer targets who he believes could be a good fit for Steven Schumacher.

Speaking to BBC Radio Stoke's Lucas Yeomans, he said: "In terms of players lower down the leagues, I'm a huge fan of Ali Al-Hamadi at AFC Wimbledon. He's arguably been the best player in League Two this season and he's only 21. Very good, quick, strong centre-forward with a real eye for goal, so I think he could be an option for Stoke potentially."

"I also think Marc Leonard at Northampton. He's currently on loan there from Brighton. I think if Stoke picked him up, I think that wouldn't be a bad idea either depending on what your midfield situation is."

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Stoke City recently announced the signing of Wolverhampton Wanderers central midfielder Luke Cundle on loan for the rest of the season, but the news hasn't gone down well with Plymouth Argyle supporters.

The Potters' new recruit was recalled from a temporary spell at Home Park, and having already stolen Steven Schumacher, Pilgrims reporter Chris Errington, external has offered his thoughts to BBC Radio Stoke's Lucas Yeomans about losing a second key figure.

"He's a very good player Lucas, and he's a good person as well, and I think that counts for a lot doesn't it in modern day football."

"It is a little bit gutting for the Argyle fans Lucas, but at the end of the day, when you have somebody on loan, even if it's deemed as a season-long loan, there is always that possibility in January that that player could get recalled."

"It's two years in a row where Argyle have had a good player on loan and he has been recalled, so yes it's gutting, annoying, frustrating, disappointing, you know choose whichever word you want out of those, but the reality is that he still is a Wolves player and they can dictate what they want to do with him."

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Despite only having been appointed by Stoke City a few weeks ago, Steven Schumacher has quickly become appreciated by fans thanks to his attack-minded, exciting style of football.

Former Potters defensive midfielder, Glenn Whelan, has been speaking to BBC Radio Stoke's Lucas Yeomans to offer his thoughts on the head coach's start to life in the dugout.

"Sometimes it can be hard when a new manager comes in. You'd probably like to have a little bit more time on the grass to get your style and your principles across, but he's come in and he's had to deal with a lot of games, but you can already see with the new manager, his effectiveness and what he wants, it's coming out on the pitch because the lads seem more on the front foot and they've been a little bit more in control of games from what I've seen."

"He's a young manager but he's got a lot of experience. He wants to get in there and he wants to improve and he's saying all the right things of what he wants to do with Stoke's team and Stoke's squad, so he's got the right bounce at the right time because you can already tell only after a short time that although results haven't been great, that the performances have definitely picked up."

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Last week, Stoke City completed the signing of Leicester City goalkeeper Daniel Iversen on loan until the end of the season, and For Fox Sake Podcast, external host, Peter Selby, has been speaking to BBC Radio Stoke's Lucas Yeomans to deliver his verdict on the 26-year-old making the temporary switch to the Bet365 Stadium.

"He's been given a chance at Stoke to revitalise his career, but from a Leicester point of view, I think it will be a loan move to do him good, but also to put him in the shop window for a move permanently in the summer."

"Very, very highly thought of, again at international level, excellent shot-stopper, needs to be slightly more commanding. He's got the size to be commanding and I think that will come with age and experience, but aside from that, very calm and overall a goalkeeper where you can look at him and go, do you know what? In years to come, you could be a very good international quality goalkeeper at the highest level."

"I think Stoke are getting a bit of a gem here. It's no surprise he's been let go. Injuries aside, effectively and obviously from a position at the top of the table, we don't really need him which is a glorious position to be in as a fan of a club, but you are talking about an excellent keeper."

New Stoke City goalkeeper Daniel Iversen says he has to play well to keep the number one shirt.

The Dane joined on loan from Leicester City last week and went straight in to the starting eleven for the Potters FA Cup third round tie against Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday.

Speaking to BBC Radio Stoke for the first time since joining the club, Iversen said:

"I think my agents have been speaking to them [Stoke City] for a long time now and there was a little bit of rumour about in the summer too. But Leicester didn't want to let me go, and finally I come here now and I'm really happy to be here.

"I've been made really welcome, all of the staff and all of the club have been really welcoming to me, so I feel like it's an easy club to come in to.

"Hopefully I can play every game now, also I have to play well to keep my shirt and I will do my best for the club."

Click here to listen to the full interview between Lucas Yeomans and Daniel Iversen.

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Since joining Stoke City from Plymouth Argyle back in December, Steven Schumacher has won one and drawn three of his opening four games in the Championship, so is still unbeaten in the league during his time at the club.

While the head coach will be assessing his options to see whether there is anyone he could sign in the market, he does already have some talented squad members in the building who he has praised during an interview with BBC Radio Stoke.

"I think we've learnt that the players have got some quality, like it's there for all to see, even in the limited training sessions that we've done. I like the way we pass the ball, how we receive the ball, the technique's actually really good."

"As you say, there have been some positive signs, but I do feel as though we can improve as well. I think we need a little bit more end product when we get bodies forward, we need to commit more bodies forward when we can when we're attacking and finish with something on the goal a little bit more often."

"I know we've had a lot of shots or a high number of penalty box entries over the last four games but haven't scored enough goals, so that's what we'll look to try and improve."

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Stoke City have confirmed the signing of midfielder Luke Cundle on loan from Wolves, until the end of the season.

The 21-year-old played under Stoke head coach Steven Schumacher at Plymouth Argyle in the first half of the season, scoring five goals.

On signing for the club, Cundle said: “Stoke City is a massive club, it’s a new chapter for me and I’m delighted to be here.

“I know the boss and his staff well having worked with them previously. I really like the ideas he puts across and how he gets his teams to play.

“He plays attacking, high energy football on the front foot, where everybody runs and passes forward, and that suits my game. I’m looking forward to getting going and letting my football do the talking.”

Stoke City's technical director, Ricky Martin added: “Having played under Steven during the first half of this season at Plymouth, Luke is already well versed in the style of play we are looking to implement at Stoke City.

“Steven sees Luke as one of the brightest young talents around and as someone whose drive and personality will have a positive impact on our group.

“We have strong connections with Wolverhampton Wanderers, they believe Luke’s development will be well served with us, and we are equally excited by what he can bring to our side between now and the end of the season.”

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Lucas Yeomans - BBC Radio Stoke: Sport at Six presenter

They say calling the January Transfer Window ‘tricky to navigate’ is a cliché. That’s because, well, it is tricky to navigate. So Stoke will have to be smart when searching for options to bolster their squad this month; with other clubs either reluctant to sell at risk of jeopardising their own season, or only willing to sell for an extortionate amount – well above said player’s true value.

When searching for signings this window, it’ll have to be a case of need, not want for head coach Steven Schumacher, technical director Ricky Martin and the recruitment team.

So, what positions fall under that banner for Stoke this month? Well, they’ve already ticked off the first necessity, a new goalkeeper in the form of Daniel Iverson, and rumours of a deal for Wolves’ on-loan Plymouth midfielder Luke Cundle are heating up, so what else?

A left back will certainly be on the cards, with the club’s only recognised option at the moment being 33 year old Enda Stevens, who’s only managed 12 starts so far this season. Schumacher was known previously for his emphasis on allowing his full backs to push forward up the pitch, something we’ve seen already in his brief time in charge of The Potters, allowing the likes of Gooch and Tchamadeu to thrive. Whilst Stevens has been reliable when called upon, as has the out of position Jordan Thompson, a true out and out left back, capable of making forward runs and adding to Stoke’s attacking threat, whilst adding some much needed depth seems crucial.

Whilst Stoke seem to have a range of options up front, with the likes of Ryan Mmaee, Wesley, Dwight Gayle, plus youngsters Nathan Lowe and Emre Tezgel itching for opportunities too – they still appear to lack that out and out goal scorer. That being said, a proven goal scorer in the Championship is a tricky find any time of year, and rarely for a cheap price too; do Stoke fish in the lower leagues of the English Football League? Take a risk on an out of favour striker from a rival, or a Premier League youngster on loan? Head of Recruitment Jarrod Dublin will no doubt be working overtime to find the best option in a limited pool.

Stoke City blogger and podcaster, George Weaver from Potterlytics, external gives his thoughts on how 2023 panned out for the Potters and gave it marks out of ten:

"I'm going to go pretty low and go with a four."

"It's a strange one, because you think back on it, emotionally it's probably not felt as bad as a four. There were those moments, like the run in March to April where everyone was really confident that we could make an outside run for play-offs that season or even try for it this season, as we'd made the changes over summer. But I saw something recently that showed that other than Birmingham, we're pretty much bottom of the table for 2023 of the clubs that have been in the Championship for those two seasons. 46 games, 50 points is not a good return for any club, let alone one that has spent the money we have in the summer and given so much control to the manager at the time."

"I think when we started the year we were in around the bottom six, looking at the relegation places and wondering if we're going to keep on going down. And as we've finished the year, aside from the big win at Birmingham we're still looking over our shoulder, so I can't really give it more than a four."

"I'd give them two points for the good work over the summer and the way we seem to have changed the way we work behind the scenes, and two points for that run in March and April that gave us a bit of hope, but it's hard to find much beside that really."

Stoke City could be open to offers for three of their more experienced midfielders. Former captain Lewis Baker, Daniel Johnson and Ben Pearson could all potentially move on this transfer window.

Daniel Johnson has been a regular for the Potters this season, appearing in 27 games, scoring two goals. While Lewis Baker has just returned to the squad following a lengthy injury and has been involved in the last four games.

Pearson, who signed a four year contract with the club just last summer could also leave, although he would command a handsome fee. (TeamTalk, external)

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Every so often, a club has a young player who bursts on to the scene to really get fans excited, and that was certainly the case for the Potters back in 2006 when teenager Adam Rooney, in only his second start for the club scored a hat-trick away at Brighton and Hove Albion.

Sadly, that wasn't a sign of what was to come from the striker. The following season, after making 19 appearances he was loaned out to League One Yeovil Town for the remainder of the season. Rooney returned to the then Britannia Stadium at the beginning of the 2007/08 season, but wouldn't make a single appearance for the club. Instead he would be loaned out to League Two twice, to Chesterfield and then Bury.

Rooney made a total of 19 appearances for the Potters before he made the move to Scotland, where he's arguably enjoyed the most successful periods of his career. He joined Inverness Caledonian Thistle in 2008, and although his first season ended in disappointment with relegation from the Scottish Premier League, the Irishman enjoyed two prolific seasons with Cali - scoring 26 goals as they won promotion back to the SPL. He then finished the following season as one of the top scorers in the division with 21 goals in 42 games.

It was after that season that Rooney caught the eye of Birmingham City manager Chris Hughton, who brought him back for a second spell in the Championship. Sadly, Rooney couldn't rediscover his goalscoring form for the Blues, and after 30 appearances, seven goals and a loan spell at Swindon Town, he joined League One Oldham Athletic.

The Irishman's stay in League One would not last long however. After just six months at the Latics, that included two goals against Port Vale, he made the move back to the Scottish Premier League, this time to Aberdeen, where the striker enjoyed the most successful years of his career.

In his first full season with Aberdeen Rooney scored 28 goals, six of them in the Europa League and finished as the leading goal scorer in the SPL. Over a four and a half year spell with Aberdeen the striker made 194 appearances, scoring 87 goals.

Rooney's time at Pittodrie would be the pinnacle of his career, as after four-and-a-half-years at the Scottish club, he once again made the move back to England, this time in the National League with big-spending Salford City. It wasn't a poor season by any standards for Rooney, who netted 23 times as Salford won promotion to the English Football League for the first time in their history. But the following season would be the Irishman's last in English league football.

In March 2019, having scored nine goals in Salford's debut League Two campaign he once again moved back in to non-league, this time with National League Solihull Moors.

Since leaving Solihull in 2022, the former Stoke striker has continued to ply his trade further down the football pyramid. First signing for Southern League side Stratford Town before moving on to National League North side Brackley Town.

Earlier this season Rooney signed for his 14th club, National League North side Hereford FC.

Stoke City head coach Steven Schumacher says the club have no need to "panic" in the January transfer window.

Schumacher made his first addition of the window last week, signing Leicester goalkeeper Daniel Iversen on loan until the end of the season, with the club also heavily linked with Wolves midfielder Luke Cundle.

On the transfer window, Schumacher told BBC Radio Stoke:

"There's no need to panic in the transfer market. We know where we'd like to improve the team, but as I keep saying there's good players here already.

Creatively we could maybe try and strengthen in that department if possible, but yeah it's going to take not only recruitment but it's going to take time and work and preparation on the training pitch for us to get better."

Mark Calladine - Stoke City season ticket holder

The FA Cup third round paired Stoke with Brighton and Hove Albion, a club in their seventh season in the Premier League, and a team that have gone from strength to strength, even doing well in Europe this season after a sixth placed finish in last campaign.

Brighton, whilst not being seen as big 6 club (yet) are playing some eye catching football and are producing some quality players in the process.

It's somewhat ironic that in 2018 Brighton finished their first season in the Premier League in 15th, having reached the magical 40 points, whilst Stoke fell short with only 33 point and an eventual relegation to the Championship after a 10 year occupation, where Stoke had produced three ninth placed finishes, an FA Cup final and League Cup semi-final success in that time. Just like Brighton, Stoke also enjoyed a spell in the Europa League.

Sadly Brighton have become the team Stoke once were, if not better. They’re progressing year on year, even more successfully than the Potters own time in the Premier League.

Saturday's FA Cup third round tie was always going to be a tough encounter, but would be a great comparison to see how Stoke matched up to a club who, back in 2017, we'd have been the role model and blueprint for.

Stoke fans arrived at the Bet365 with a hope and expectation only the FA Cup can provide, with the majority in attendance being hopeful that we'd at least compete and give a good account of ourselves.

Going a goal up, was a bonus and gave the ‘underdogs' something to cheer, even if only for a short period of time as the visitors equalised with a ferocious and unstoppable shot late on in first half stoppage time.

Brighton shifted up a gear in the second half, scoring an early goal to give them the lead, despite Stoke managing to level up from the penalty spot.

Two further strikes meant that Brighton were true to their league status and ended up winning the game comfortably 4-2. Stoke were by no means disgraced, but at the same time the gulf in class was clear for all to see.

Stoke fans leaving the game could be proud of the team's efforts and if being honest, no-one was surprised at the eventual outcome, Stoke were beaten fair and square by the better team and the FA Cup hopes could be packed away for another season.

In football, clubs tend to move in cycles of relative success, mediocracy and struggle. Were Stokes ten years as a Premier League club a blip out of the ordinary, are we meant to be a club of Championship status? Or can we strive to get back there and learn from Brighton’s model of operation which is currently serving them so well? Who knows, perhaps in a few years time Stoke and Brighton’s life cycles may have reversed again, we can but hope.