"Absolutely the man" - Steven Schumacher backed as Stoke City play-off claim made | OneFootball

The Potters' boss will be looking to continue the good form that he finished the 23/24 campaign with in the year to come

This summer will have given Steven Schumacher the chance to really make his mark on his Stoke City team, and get across his attack-minded philosophy ahead of the 24/25 campaign.

There were glimpses of quality within the Potters’ performances after he left Plymouth Argyle to take over in December last year, as City successfully turned the ship around after flirting with the relegation places.

The 40-year-old gained a reputation during his time at Home Park for an all-guns blazing approach in the dugout, which saw him steer the Pilgrims to the League One title in the 22/23 campaign, before comfortably adapting to life in the second tier before his departure.

It took a while for the former Bury man to get his new side firing on all cylinders during his time in Staffordshire, but after a strong finish to the previous campaign, Football League World’s resident Stoke City fan Sam Harrison is optimistic about the year ahead.

Stoke City, Steven Schumacher playoff prediction made

With just one defeat in their final eight league matches of the season, Schumacher’s game plan was finally starting to become evident at City towards the end of the previous campaign, with eight goals in their final three matches giving a glimpse of what could be to come at the bet365 Stadium.

A 3-0 win over the City boss’ old employers Argyle was backed up by a 1-0 victory over promotion-winners Southampton, before the curtain came down on the season with a 4-0 trouncing of Bristol City on the final day.

That sort of form and prowess in front of goal has got Potters fans purring ahead of the season-opener against Coventry City next month, and Harrison is among those who has reason for optimism about the year to come.

The City fan said: “I think Steven Schumacher is absolutely the man to get us in and around the promotion places or the playoffs.

“What we have seen with Stoke recently while we’ve been in the Championship is: we’ve brought in a manager who has had pre-season, or half a season and gone into the summer, and then the next season it hasn’t really worked out, and then we’ve brought someone new in.

“But I feel like under Steven Schumacher, we have seen glimpses, or even quite a bit last season, of some really good football, which got us some of the good results we got last season.

“For me, going into this season I’m feeling optimistic, but there should be more of a long-term plan with Schumacher, and I feel like the club are doing that, and you can see what they’re trying to do.

“I feel like we’ll get an improvement this season, maybe a top-half finish, nowhere near the dreaded 16th place that we keep coming near.

“If we can get a top-half finish and look to be involved with the playoffs, that’s how I envisage it for next season, because that should be the aim.”

Steven Schumacher must keep top talent for Stoke City to succeed

While there is a sense of optimism around the Potteries at this moment in time, there will be some nervousness about recent approaches for a number of their standout stars.

Creative midfielder Bae Jun-ho [pictured] has emerged as a top target for Dutch side Feyenoord this summer, while Wouter Burger has been linked to Premier League unit Tottenham Hotspur over the summer.

Schumacher has come out to insist that the pair are still a part of his plans for the season ahead, and keeping hold of his top talent will be crucial ahead of a season where they look to kick on.

Harrison continued: “If we can keep the quality there, bringing addition, and play the football we played last season under Schumacher, then for me he is the right man.

“For all the managers we’ve had in the Championship, he’s the one that I’ve seen that actual good football on a consistent basis, because that’s the one thing that Stoke have not had, is being consistent week in, week out.

“Of course, you can’t really do that all the time in the Championship, but it’s not bad performance, quality performance, and then another stinker, it’s consistent, solid performances, where if we are slightly outplayed, you have to give the opponent credit.

“Will we see that this season? Under Schumacher, I think we will.”