Football League World
·23 décembre 2024
In partnership with
Yahoo sportsFootball League World
·23 décembre 2024
There hasn't been as much improvement since the Spaniard arrived as some would have hoped for.
Stoke City boss Narcis Pelach is under pressure to start delivering some results over the Christmas, according to journalist Fraser Fletcher, following their 2-0 loss to Sheffield Wednesday.
This most wonderful time of the year can be not so wonderful for many clubs who get it wrong during these coming weeks. Games are crammed in and you can often find yourselves falling way behind the pack in a very short space of time.
Stoke aren't in such a bad position that they may find themselves looking up at the rest of the Championship before they know it, but they could certainly be sucked closer to that section of the league table if they don't start to pick up more points between now and the first week of the new year.
If their firm doesn't take a turn, the Potters' manager could be in for an even tougher Christmas, with pressure reportedly starting to mount on the Spaniard, as per Fletcher.
The TEAMtalk reporter added that these next seven days are thought to be key in deciding Pelach's future with Stoke, with disappointment in the club about the recent run of results which has seen them go eight games without winning.
Pelach replaced Steven Schumacher in what was an unexpected decision to part ways with the former Plymouth Argyle boss. City hadn't made any sort of flashy start to the new campaign, but Pelach hasn't been able to turn the tide as much as some may have hoped.
The defeat against 10-man Wednesday on Saturday left Stoke just four points above Plymouth at the bottom of the table. The supporters that travelled to watch their side lose at Hillsborough made their feelings known to the boss and his players after the game.
Pelach responded to the displeasure after the match when he said, via the Stoke Sentinel: "We know what the situation is. We've been in football for a long time to know how it's get, but it's not the time for crying. It's the time for getting back out on the pitch and standing tall at our home.
"If we give them something to start with, they'll back us. Leeds is a tough one, probably the toughest in this league, but we will fight and we will not give up. I am not going to put any player on the pitch who gives up. I want the players to represent me. I know what the Boxing Day game means in England, it's a big, big day and we need to step up and stand up."
If push comes to shove and they have to make the decision to axe Pelach, then so be it. It may be the right decision for that time, but it really wouldn't make the Potters look like a well-run football club.
Sacking two managers in one season, especially before the halfway mark, gives off all the signs of a club that could get relegated. And this chopping and changing certainly won't make the bet365 Stadium anymore of an attractive destination in January than it currently is.
Direct