Yahoo News Robert Huth makes Stoke City prediction after 'long, long time' of frustration
Robert Huth expects a firm Stoke City identity to re-emerge over the next year or two as he puts faith in his old pal Jon Walters.
Huth has been frustrated as he has followed Stoke’s struggles over the last seven years, relegation from the Premier League followed by six consecutive bottom half finishes in the Championship and a carousel of seven managers.
But he has trust in the appointment of Walters as a sporting director and a steady hand on the tiller that can give stability and direction.
READ MORE: What Nathan Jones told Chris Cohen about Stoke as summer homework revealed
READ MORE: I'll give Stoke youngsters a rocket or a cuddle to help them be better than me
"For Stoke, it’s been a long, long time now stuck in the Championship,” said Huth. “They had a steady decline rather than any incline really.
“I know with Jon Walters now as director of football, he’s keen on getting a good strategy going and getting the right people in the right positions and pushing forward. Because at the moment what was happening at Stoke was managers would get the sack, and another manager would come in and bring his players in and he would get the sack. It needs to be: this is how Stoke play, and that’s it.
“I think over the next season or two or three, we’ll probably see a bit more of the Stoke we know from the past.”
Huth is confident that Steven Schumacher, as head coach, will work well with Walters. It is the pair’s first pre-season and summer transfer window together, shaping the squad ready to try to break that cycle in the Championship.
It was a slog last term to keep Stoke up but play-off standard results over the final couple of months plus the feedback Huth has been getting from his friends at Clayton Wood have left him optimistic about what will happen next.
“Yes, certainly (Schumacher can be the right manager to take Stoke forward),” he said as a guest on the Euro 2024 debate panel for gambling.com
“The feedback is positive from the club. I think the supporters always want you to do better but I thought he had a strong finish to the end of last season, and he’ll be looking to build on that.
“I think he knows how difficult the league is and how important the start of the season is, to get everyone behind you. So yeah, positive. I think he’s going to benefit from a clearer perspective from Stoke’s point of view. Hopefully they can climb up the table.
"I watch them all the time, of course. You keep an eye out for the clubs that you played for, whether it’s Leicester, Stoke or Middlesbrough. You’ve always got a fond place in your heart."
