Former England international and current pundit Carlton Palmer has urged Stoke City’s chiefs to stick by head-coach Narcis Pelach, after recent reports claimed that the pressure is on the Spaniard to turn the Potters’ poor run of form around or face the sack after just three months in charge.
Stoke caused a stir with their shock sacking of Steven Schumacher back in September, and it is fair to say that their gamble to make Spaniard Pelach his successor has not paid off as yet.
Pelach’s only previous experience as a permanent manager had been in the Spanish lower leagues, with Figueres and Peralada respectively, and while he was a successful coach with Huddersfield Town and Norwich City, that success has not yet translated into being a head-coach at an expectant Championship club.
The Spaniard has undoubtedly been dealt a tough hand in ST4, given the context of his appointment and squad he has to work with, yet his results in the last few months have been poor, and Stoke are now winless in their last eight games.
He has won just three of his 18 games in charge so far, with Stoke now sitting in 19th place in the second-tier, just four points from the relegation places, and the daunting prospect of games against Leeds United, Sunderland and Burnley all up next.
Carlton Palmer tells Stoke to give Narcis Pelach more time in charge
A new update from TEAMtalk’s Fraser Fletcher, via X, has suggested that Pelach is under pressure due to disappointment at board level in their recent run of form, and that the consensus within the club is that it is a big week ahead regarding his future in the dugout.
His side’s latest disappointment came at the hands of Sheffield Wednesday, as Danny Rohl’s side had DiShon Bernard sent off in the first-half, but still went on to beat the Potters at Hillsborough courtesy of goals from Josh Windass and Callum Paterson.
Stoke supporters are beginning to turn on the Spaniard and his players, but former professional and current pundit Palmer has backed the Potters’ board to keep their faith in the 36-year-old for the foreseeable future, given that they trusted him to take over in the first place, and so should stick it out with the decision they made three months ago.
“The two-nil defeat to 10-men Sheffield Wednesday has put him under increasing pressure, and it’s not going to get much easier with their next game against Leeds United,” Palmer told FLW.
“It’s going to be very, very difficult. Stoke sit in 19th place with 22 points, just outside the relegation zone.
“I don’t believe in sacking managers, and they’ve already replaced one this season.
“The problem is that, with the January transfer window coming up, do they back him again, or look to replace him?
“I think they’ve got to stick with him. They paid compensation to get him out of Norwich, thought he was the right person for the job, so they’ve got to stick with him now until the end of the season.
“They’ve got to back him in the January transfer window. I know it’s difficult times, they’re winless in eight games.
“It would have been disappointing, given that Wednesday went down to 10 men in the first-half, that Stoke still went on to be beaten.
“It’s always difficult when the tide turns with supporters too, but I think the hierarchy have to stick with him.
“It’s a difficult run of games coming up, for sure, but they’ve got to stick with him and hope that he can turn it around.
“They believed in him, they went after him, and they brought him into the football club, so now they’ve got to back him and hope that he does the job.
“This does happen in football clubs, when you take over. It can take a bit of time to get your ideas across to the players, and for them to then start performing the way that you want them to perform.”
Stoke must make their decision ASAP or keep faith in Pelach for the long-term
While Pelach has been dealt a pretty tough hand at the bet365 Stadium, he has clearly not been able to get his ideas across to players very well as yet, and is probably lucky to still be in a job off the back of the Potters’ fourth defeat in five outings at Hillsborough last time out.
Sporting director Jon Walters insisted that there was “no doubt” in his mind that the Spaniard would enjoy success as Potters boss, but just three months later he is now fighting for his job, with a crunch game against Leeds United, of all teams, up next on Boxing Day.
Stoke’s second-worst xG in the Championship this season, and the fact that the Whites are the league’s top scorers so far this term points to only one likely outcome at the bet365 Stadium on Thursday, as do the following games against third-placed Burnley, and fourth-placed Sunderland, after Stoke failed to beat either of the play-off chasing pair in respective return fixtures earlier in the campaign.
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