Stoke City exit confirmed as Mark Robins revamps his backroom...

Stoke City has announced that Ryan Shawcross, a hero of the team’s Premier League days and twice a caretaker

manager at the bet365 Stadium this season, will take Alex Morris’ place as first-team coach.

Prior to being transferred to Clayton Wood in the summer of 2023 by then-manager Alex Neil, Morris, a Stoke

supporter since childhood, had essentially spent his entire football career with Crewe Alexandra as a player, coach,

and manager.

He was initially in charge of the under-21s with close links to the first team, but then moved over to the first team

full-time when the side were embroiled in an urgent battle to stay up under Neil’s replacement, Steven Schumacher.

However, the club have today confirmed he is leaving Stoke City as part of a coaching shake-up which also sees Dave

Hibbert moving from under-18s team boss to take Shawcross’s position running the under-21s. Darren Potter will in

turn replace Hibbert.

Shawcross made an impression in the Potters defence with players like Abdoulaye Faye and Robert Huth after being

signed by Tony Pulis as a Manchester United player during the 2007–08 campaign. He led Stoke to the 2011 FA Cup

final and then to the Europa League the following season throughout his ten years as captain.

After Schumacher was fired from the team in September, he was given the responsibility of temporarily taking over

as head coach of the under-21 team. He had rejoined the team as youth coach in the summer of 2023.

He was requested to take up the role again after Schumacher’s replacement, Narcis Pelach, was fired on December

27. He went three games without losing before Mark Robins was hired on New Year’s Day.

“Shawcross, 37, takes over as a first-team coach with immediate effect, working alongside Mark Robins, assistant

managers Paul Nevin and James Rowberry, and goalkeeping coach Darren Behcet,” the club said in a statement.

News of the coaching reshuffle comes on a day of drama at the bet365 Stadium after loan top-scorer Tom Cannon

was recalled by parent club Leicester City, leaving Robins and his new-look team to assess their options ahead of a

game at West Brom on Saturday (3pm kick-off).

Stoke City exit confirmed as Mark Robins revamps his backroom team