Stoke City prepare for a vital Championship game at Sheffield Wednesday, as the transfer market opens for business in a fortnight.
Ben Wilmot and Michael Rose were the only Stoke City players that recognised Jacob Brown as a former teammate during their last match against Luton Town.
Brown left Stoke last season, but due to the club’s turnover, he is unlikely to know anyone in the travelling party at Kenilworth Road. Even the coaching staff has been restructured twice since his departure.
Wilmot and Bae Junho were the only Stoke players signed before 2024 in the starting XI throughout the weekend.
That seems ludicrous in comparison to other Stoke sides over the last 160 years, but it could be a reflection of the times.
Wilmot stated, “It’s almost become normal in every football club.” Every window appears to be so active that player turnover is ridiculous. When I look at my old clubs, there aren’t many players left who I played with.
“It appears that we may do something similar in January, becoming more aggressive, but we must move forward. It’s clearly the manager’s responsibility to get us all on the same page in terms of how he wants us to play, and it’s our responsibility off the pitch to integrate all of the new players, make them feel welcome, and bond them together on the pitch.”
Jake Griffin and Chrsty Grogan, two young Stoke defenders, are taking the first step in their senior careers by joining non-league clubs.
Griffin has joined Brackley Town, while Grogan is at Wythenshawe Town.
Ryan Shawcross stated, “We have a game on Wednesday and then nearly a month with no game, so we can send a player to Conference North and he gets three or four games in a period when he would have received none. Then, in January, he becomes a more suitable project for a Conference team.
“You’re asking players to go out on loan to a lesser league team for their first loan, do well, and then the next level will watch them, teams in the Conference will watch, and it’s the next step of progression.
“I’m thinking about Connor Taylor, who progressed from Hanley Town to Chester to Bristol Rovers over time. Eventually, you’ll receive a loan to try yourself in league football.”
Tommy Simkin, now on loan from Stoke City, aims to defeat Port Vale on two fronts.
The 20-year-old custodian, along with another Stoke youth product Nathan Lowe, is helping Walsall contend for the League Two crown. Lowe has scored 12 goals this season. Walsall leads after 19 games, four points ahead of Vale with a game in hand.
He kept his eighth clean sheet of the season at the weekend, tying for second place in the division with Vale’s Connor Ripley and Crewe Alexandra’s Filip Marschall, and one behind AFC Wimbledon’s Owen Goodman.
He told the Express & Star, “We want to win the golden glove.” Every time I keep a clean sheet after a game, (keeping coach) Dan Still and I are like, “That’s another one ticked off.”
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