News from Clayton Wood as Stoke City gets ready for its midweek Championship matchup with Queens Park Rangers, their relegation opponents
Ahead of a crucial Championship encounter against relegation rivals Queens Park Rangers, Stoke City’s players called a “honest” team meeting to discuss their declining play. Steven Schumacher ensured the meeting was constructive rather than confrontational.
With 15 games remaining in the season, Stoke, who slumped to fifth from bottom, take on QPR at the bet365 Stadium on Wednesday at 7.45 p.m. They are only three points clear of their third-bottom rivals, who have a better goal differential by two. In an attempt to pull the team out of danger, Schumacher wants to keep things together in the locker room. He had never lost three games as a manager, much less four.
“Nobody wants to be in this position,” he stated. We were transparent and truthful in our analysis of the Blackburn game on Monday. It’s also critical that everyone accepts responsibility for their actions—including myself—because ultimately, we all have the same goals. Nobody wants to be playing a losing streak of games or involved in a relegation battle. How do we go about trying to get the home form correct? As expected, the attitude has been fine. There are players there that are motivated to succeed.
He continued, saying that there was no hiding spot when you laid out what was expected of the team, what we all agreed upon, and what was non-negotiable, all of which were displayed on the screen and some of which were difficult to see. I’m here to help; you don’t come in here and dig them out. That’s what a competent coach ought to do. “If we follow these steps, our team will have a higher chance of winning.”
That is the reality. The players must understand that I care about them, and I do care about them, so this isn’t and won’t be a slanging match.
It can seem like everything is against them because of “the rhythm Stoke have been in,” according to Schumacher. As a result, it is critical for mood and the league table to interrupt this pattern and find a way out of this rut as soon as possible.
“It’s so important,” he stated. It irritates me. Everyone is aware of this. Winning a game is the best way to change the atmosphere and escape this situation, which no one wants to be in.
A few weeks prior, everyone was really upbeat and said that it was nicer to watch since the football style had changed with our arrival. We had gone seven games without a loss, won a few games, and had some good outcomes. We must never forget that. We’ve dropped a few straight games, but that doesn’t mean the season is gone or the world is ended; we just need to move on to the next match.
