Exclusive: Don Goodman issues "precarious" Stoke City verdict ahead of QPR clash | OneFootball

Don Goodman is worried for the Potters' Championship status if they lose to the R's this weekend

Former footballer and current Sky Sports pundit Don Goodman has issued a worrying relegation verdict for Stoke City as they prepare for a crucial, must-win home game against out-of-form Queens Park Rangers this weekend.

Stoke currently hover precariously above the Championship relegation zone with 10 games of the season to go, following a turbulent campaign that has seen three different permanent managers take the reins in ST4.

Their turbulent season shows no signs of slowing down as a vital second-tier run-in quickly approaches. Most of Mark Robins' men have had a chance to rest and recuperate amid the first international break of 2025, but their full focus will return to club football soon as they prepare to host QPR on March 29.

Don Goodman issues 'concerned' Stoke City verdict ahead of QPR clash

The Potters' decisions at board level have been a major factor in their poor campaign, after Steven Schumacher was sacked in September and replaced by rookie head-coach Narcis Pelach, who never felt like the right appointment from the off and was soon relieved of his duties in December.

Ex-Coventry City boss Robins was hired just after the turn of the year with the aim of saving Stoke's season and preserving their Championship status, but while performances have seen a marked improvement, the threat of relegation is still clear, with just one point and two places separating them and Derby County, who occupy the last relegation spot.

Stoke have won just one of their last six Championship outings, and their home record is among the worst in the division so far this term. Sky Sports co-commentator and pundit Don Goodman has admitted that he would be concerned about the Potters' status as a second-tier side if they were to lose to QPR this weekend, with time running out to pick up points this season.

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, Goodman said: “It’s been a tough season for Stoke City.

“I think the hierarchy would probably acknowledge that mistakes have been made, certainly in terms of hiring Narcis Pelach, and him only being there for a short period of time.

“The upturn hasn’t necessarily come from Mark Robins, and so they do find themselves in a really precarious position. When you look at the fixtures, Queens Park Rangers at home becomes massive.

“Would I seriously be concerned for (Stoke's Championship status) if they lose to QPR? The answer would be yes, but there are winnable games after the QPR game.

“They go away to Preston, which isn’t easy, then they’re at home to Luton and away to Cardiff before Sheffield Wednesday visit.

“So the next five games really, you’ve got to imagine that they will be hoping that they can produce performances good enough to win two or three of those five.”

Mark Robins is confident that he can change the Potters' losing mentality

Stoke's worrying recent trend of conceding late, game-deciding goals needs to stop if they are to stay in the Championship this season.

They had not let in a single goal in added-time throughout the whole season prior to their visit to an in-form Coventry City side earlier this month, but just two weeks later it had happened twice, against both the Sky Blues and Millwall in the space of three games, and could very easily have also been the case against Blackburn Rovers too.

Robins' side let in a late Bobby Thomas winner at the CBS Arena to lose 3-2, while they were mere seconds away from an important point against old boss Alex Neil at The Den last time out, but a slight lapse of concentration from Ben Wilmot saw a controversial penalty awarded to the hosts as Mihailo Ivanovic duly dispatched his spot-kick.

Those fine margins could well end up being the difference between survival and relegation when it comes to the end of the campaign in six weeks' time. Looking back on the 2023/24 second-tier season, Plymouth Argyle stayed up by just one point ahead of Birmingham City, so it is clear just how important every point can be when it comes to the final league table.

Stoke's run of one win in their last six outings is among some of the worst current form in the Championship, so their upcoming run of games against the likes of QPR, Preston North End, Luton Town and Cardiff City are all vital and must-wins if they want to stay up.

The Potters will fancy their chances of picking up three points against QPR in particular, with Marti Cifuentes' side on a current run of five consecutive away losses, and Stoke boss Robins is convinced that he has what it takes to shift his players' losing mentality and guide them to survival this season.

“I think we’re capable of doing a lot more. The league position isn’t somewhere we should be, but injuries impact and everyone needs to understand that injuries impact a squad," he told StokeonTrentLive last week.

"I’ve called it a perfect storm before now and it felt that way, that everything was conspiring against us and all the things can go wrong, go wrong.

"You have to make the best of the hand you’re dealt but you need everyone pulling together and understand what it takes to keep people on the ground, keep people on the training ground, keep people pushing.

“I think they’re good enough, they’re really capable players – you can see it – it’s just how I feel and what I see. I’m seeing some good things and some not so good things but things that can be rectified and you can put things right."

Robins' first port of call needs to be addressing his players' poor levels of performance in the dying embers of games in recent weeks. His side played well for the majority of each of the games against Coventry, Blackburn and Millwall, yet they only have three points to show from those outings.

Stoke must string a run of wins together in their upcoming matches to survive another Championship campaign, and their march to survival has to start this weekend against the R's, or they could find themselves in the bottom three by the end of Saturday if results do not go their way.