Stoke City have had a tough season in the Championship again. SCFC have had little to celebrate since the campaign began back in August.
The Potters, now under the lead of Mark Robins, have been able to tighten things up at the back though. They’ve kept five clean sheets in the last eight Championship games, though only won twice.
A mainstay in recent months has been loan man Ashley Phillips, who has thoroughly impressed at the Bet365 Stadium while gaining experience away from Spurs. He had a brief spell out of the side early in the season at the start of Narcis Pelach’s tenure but has been an ever-present since the end of October, missing just one league game.
Phillips has earned plenty of plaudits from Stoke City fans and media alike, and defensive partner Michael Rose has now voiced his admiration for the 19-year-old.
As quoted by Stoke on Trent Live, the experienced Scot praised Phillips for his ‘brilliant’ performances and tipped him to maximise his ‘huge potential’ in the years to come.
“He’s come on a lot this season, I think just from playing a lot of games,” SCFC centre-back Rose said.
“I think he’s been brilliant, he’s got huge potential and I still think he’s got so much to learn as well, which is a good thing. He’s going to have a big career ahead of him if he keeps playing the way he is.”
A big future
Phillips has been tipped for a big future by many for some time. Stoke City fans are the latest to realise his potential end existing ability and it is clearly impressing his teammates too.
Phillips broke into the Blackburn Rovers first-team aged just 16 and had already starred at U21 level by that age. He made 14 appearances for the club before Tottenham Hotspur swooped in.
They’ve since sent him on loan to both Plymouth Argyle and SCFC, and he seems to be getting better and better as time progresses. With 45 Championship appearances to his name, it can’t be long before he gets a sniff at a Premier League opportunity.
Robins’ preferred partnership?
Stoke City have seen a number of different centre-back partnerships deployed this season but over the past two weeks, Robins has opted for Rose and Phillips at the back.
The two offer the valuable balance of experience and pedigree and youthful promise. It could be that the duo emerge as Robins’ favoured players at the heart of defence, especially if they can help pick up some impressive results.
SCFC defeated Hull City last time out. The 2-1 win could prove to be a big result in the relegation scrap and hopefully spark the start of an impressive run for the Potters.
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