How Narcis Pelach views his Stoke City spell after Potters sack | OneFootball

Former Stoke City boss Narcis Pelach has reflected on his time at the Potters following his departure.

Former Stoke City boss Narcis Pelach admitted that his time with the Potters did not go as he wanted, but believes the experience will only benefit him for future roles.

The Spaniard lasted just four months in the Stoke dugout after succeeding Steven Schumacher in September 2024, with the former Norwich City first-team coach winning just three of his 19 games in charge in all competitions.

In a club statement at the time, Sporting Director Jonathan Walters indicated Pelach was “not the right fit”, with the 36-year-old consistently criticised by supporters for his regular tactical switches.

Since then, the Potters appointed former Coventry City boss Mark Robins, hoping he can be the man to transform their fortunes and help mastermind a first promotion push back to the Premier League since their top-flight relegation in 2018.

Narcis Pelach opens up about failed Stoke City spell

Reported by Cadenaser (via the Stoke Sentinal), former Stoke City boss Narcis Pelach opened up about his short time in the Potteries, admitting it did not go as he planned or wanted.

Pelach said: "Then, at Stoke, I had my chance as head coach, but I only lasted four months. And finally, I finished the season with Graham Potter, at West Ham, enjoying a great league.

"I really wanted to be a head coach again. I had been an assistant for four or five seasons, and I threw myself into it.

"The pressure is very great. The fans are tight, the press too. When you've gone eight games without winning, it's normal for it to affect you. But I knew how to distance myself from it all.

"I didn't live in the city, I was isolated, and I focused on what I know how to do: coaching. Even on the day of dismissal, I left the same way I came in. That makes me proud.

"When you win, it seems like you're doing everything right. We tend to idealize when you win. And when you lose, the same approach no longer works.

"But many times the work is the same. The line is very fine. I try to stay stable and not get carried away by the results.

"If all bad moments have to be like this, welcome them. I have learned a lot, I have grown as a coach and as a person. And now I am at a club like West Ham, in the Premier League, with a top coach and surrounded by a lot of talent."

Stoke City role seemingly came too early for Narcis Pelach

Judging off of his spell at Stoke City, it’s clear to see Narcis Pelach wasn’t well-equipped enough for the cut and thrust of the Championship, particularly after just two interim roles at Huddersfield Town and then a first-team coaching role at Carrow Road.

Every coach takes a different amount of time to learn the trade, and his current first-team coaching job at West Ham under Graham Potter could be exactly what he needs to take tips from a top-class manager so that he can then transition his learnings into his next opportunity.

It’s great that Pelach wants to hurl himself back into a management role in the near future and not let his Stoke stint define him, but he will have to prove that he has learned from his mistakes and can possess a more sensible mindset on the touchline when things are going against him.