Ryan Shawcross was thrilled to lead out Stoke City as manager so much he says it tops anything he achieved as a player
Ryan Shawcross believes that being the manager of Stoke City is the pinnacle of his football career.
The Stoke legend spent a decade as captain, leading the team to an FA Cup final and top-half Premier League finishes, but he was
overjoyed to be asked to step in as caretaker for a Carabao Cup third round tie against Fleetwood Town at the bet365 Stadium, which he
eventually won via penalty shootout.
He returned to the club as a youth coach in the summer of 2023 and eventually climbed up to become the under-21s’ lead coach, before
temporarily taking over as senior coach on Monday following Steven Schumacher’s sacking.
He witnessed Michael Rose give Stoke a second-half lead, but after a 90th-minute parity, it took a penalty shootout in front of the Boothen
End to send the Potters through to the last 16. He is due to hand over the reins to Narcis Pelach on Wednesday, but he will not miss this
occasion.
“I just said that I think it tops what I’ve done in my career as a player,” he recalled. “This is the pinnacle of my football career.” I’ve
enjoyed every moment of it, from the time Walts (Jon Walters) told me I was in charge to making decisions and having the right to make
them. I loved how open the men were to what I was saying, and I thought they gave a great performance.”
“That is where I want to go. I began my adventure at the age of 25 and began earning coaching badges until I was 32, when I received my professional license. “I’ve worked hard behind the scenes to get to this point,” he explained.
“Walts does not just make you head coach of Stoke City for a game; you must have done something, and I have put in a lot of hard effort,
which will continue. I want to be a manager as soon as possible, but I’m at a fantastic club, and I have a 21s role that allows me to practice,
learn players, improve, and grow myself. An opportunity like this is fantastic for me and my CV, and with the connection I have with the
club, it’s an excellent place to be.”
Read more news on:https://sportupdates.co.uk/
Leave a Reply