Welcome to the first article for Gaffer Guide! I will be covering everything to do with managers in the EFL Championship. There is no way better to start than with reporting the sacking of Stoke manager, Gary Rowett.
Stoke City terminated the contract of manager Gary Rowett this morning. Members of his immediate Coaching Staff have also left the Bet365 Stadium.
The Potters realistically should be steamrolling the league with the budget and squad at their disposal. They have been disappointing with lacklustre performances leading to them currently being 14th place in the league.
Rory Delap, Kevin Russell and Andy Quy will take temporary charge of the first team.
What’s gone wrong for Rowett?
After Stoke City’s long stay in the Premier League they limped out the division with poor performances under Mark Hughes and later Paul Lambert. The Stoke board turned to Gary Rowett who was at the time Derby County manager. It was easy to see why they were so attracted by the proposition of Gary Rowett. He impressively led Burton Albion in League 2 to the Top 4 and this was followed up with him calming the storm at Birmingham City when they were going through a tumultuous period. He was able to land top half finishes in his stay at the St Andrews Stadium. Although he was eventually sacked, this was seen as incredibly harsh as he was on course for a play-off campaign.
In the 2017/18 season he led Derby County to a 6th place finish and therefore the Play offs. Unfortunately he was not able to get past the semi-final stage but he was remembered for bringing consistency back to Pride Park in his short stay.
To Derby’s fans dislike, Rowett decided to jump ship in the summer of 2018 to become the permanent manager of recently relegated, Stoke City. It seemed to be a hasty decision but you couldn’t blame him when Derby were cutting back on finances and Stoke had one of the strongest Championship sides in recent memory.
The season didn’t start as well as many Stoke fans would have anticipated as it took them five games to get their first win in the Championship with a 2-0 win at home against Hull. This would continue into 9 goals conceded in 4 games including a humbling 3-0 loss against newly promoted Wigan Athletic at home as a stand out worrying result for the Potters. This led the Stoke City players to realise how unforgiving and relentless the division can be when you are seen as the ‘team to beat’.
Form picked up but letting in goals was still a problem as they consistently let in two goals a game, with September featuring six games and in five of them they conceded two or more! An experienced back line of, Cuco Martina, Ashley Williams, Bruno Martins Indi and Erik Pieters surely should’ve been doing better. Not forgetting that they have one of the most promising goalkeepers England possess in Jack Butland.
At Christmas they were sat 9th in the table and only 4 points off play offs. Not too bad considering the start they had and many outsiders including myself were expecting Rowett to turn it around and Stoke would eventually finish in the Top 6.
Unfortunately the new year was unforgiving for Gary Rowett as they were unable to win any of their next four games. A draw away against Shrewsbury was all they could muster in the FA Cup and it was the final straw that broke the camels’ back as Rowett was sacked less than 72 hours after the result.
Was it the right sacking?
I don’t think it comes as any huge surprise to anyone that Rowett was sacked this morning. Stoke City have assembled a side that not only should be winning this league but that should also be comfortably surviving in the Premier League. I can’t think of a side that has been as strong as Stoke have on paper, in the Championship. Stoke City aren’t usually a sacking club and are generally seen as a side that give managers time. They obviously went through many years of vast success with Tony Pulis and Mark Hughes and it is only recently that the results haven’t been good enough, that has led to Mr Coates to react.
Let’s go through a list of the players they possess that would walk into any other side in the second division. Jack Butland, Bruno Martins Indi, Ryan Shawcross, Ashley Williams, Erik Pieters, Ryan Woods, Joe Allen, Oghenekaro Etebo, Sam Clucas, Ibrahim Afellay, James McCLean, Tom Ince, Benik Afobe, Saido Berahino and Mame Biram Diouf.
Excuse the long list but it really does put emphasis on how strong and capable this Stoke City team is. It is almost criminal that they are sitting 14th at this stage in the season. Gary Rowett has bemoaned the lack of confidence the players have but surely this is his problem to sort out and he has to motivate them and give them the confidence to go out and play. West Brom came down as well and they are playing free flowing football with lots of confidence, so the excuse of the past relegation cannot be used here.
A more alarming stat is that in the summer of 2018, Stoke City paid 49 million in the transfer window. This is 28 million more than the next closest team, Nottingham Forest. Rowett eventually not only lost the faith of the board but seemingly the players and most definitely the supporters.
What Next for Rowett?
It is an upsetting day for Gary Rowett and it is one that wouldn’t have been predicted when he was appointed Stoke City boss. Once, one of the most lauded and praised English managers in the lower divisions, he now will have to recharge his batteries and wait for the right job to come along.
Derby County fans once loved him but then he turned his back on them and he was branded as a snake. Maybe he will look to that day that he chose to leave, as a big mistake. If he stuck at the revolution he was producing at Derby and kept faith with Mel Morris he may have just got a promotion on his CV this season, you never know.
All in all, Derby and Stoke fans will both be celebrating the 8th of January as the reign of Gary Rowett came to an end.
Stoke City fans, let us know your thoughts on the sacking and who you would like to see appointed as the next Stoke City manager by getting in touch via our twitter @TheBigDivision.
Goodwin out
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