Narcis Pelach is convinced that he can turn things around at Stoke City just like Carlos Corberan did at Huddersfield Town, as long as he can find the wins to gain time and confidence.
On Christmas Day, let’s take a look at Stoke City, starting with the departure of Carlos Corberan, one of the Championship’s top managers.
Corberan’s stock is high after two years at West Bromwich Albion, where there has been plenty of off-field controversy. He previously took cash-strapped Huddersfield Town against the odds to the play-off final.
Despite working alongside Narcis Pelach at Huddersfield, no one expected him to achieve success in his second season in charge.
Pelach acknowledges that implementing his vision required time due to its uniqueness, but the ultimate result was worth it with patience. He hopes to see similar results at Stoke.
“I think that my appointment was a different way of doing things (at Stoke),” remarked the former governor. “You have to remember that I came from another country; the approach is different, the style of play is different, and it will take time.
“In terms of the Championship, of course, I’ve been close to Carlos Corberan, and at Huddersfield, it was difficult to obtain all of the changes. There were many differences in our playing style, and the first year was especially difficult.
“In the second season, we were under a lot of pressure after a fixture (in mid-December) against Bristol City, which we won away from home, and everything changed.” We went on an incredible 20-game streak without losing, but we were almost out before that game. Then we went to Wembley.
“It took some time for it to click, but we believed and kept working with the players until we convinced them. We had the summer window, which helped us a lot to build – the January one was not great, but the summer one was good – and we had a team that allowed us to do what we wanted to do much more efficiently, and it clicked.
“We had to go through difficult times. I had some terrible moments at Norwich last season, but it clicked, the players understood what we wanted, and communication improved significantly. It depends on where you want to go as a club, whether you want to develop something for the future or if you just want immediate success, and that is what you must consider.
“We are trying to build something for the future and it will take time but we need to win enough to make sure everyone believes and to not lose the energy of the fans.”
During difficult times at Huddersfield, Pelach and Corberan remained steadfast in their belief that they were establishing groundwork for future success.
Pelach stated: “Yes, we realised that what we went through in the first season, which was horrible, helped us go to Wembley. We had meetings with the players, and we all recognised that we made it to the final against Nottingham Forest on a shoestring budget, and we would never have made it without that first season. You learn, grow, experience adversity, and the team comes together.
“You can go through tough times, and the team can either fall apart or bond and grow. All of the indications here indicate that the team is growing: the team is talking, the team is believing, the team is not willing to give up, and the dressing room is full. This is absolutely something. The team is healthy. We are all looking inward, and no one is evading accountability, even players and coaches.
“I honestly feel that if we get through this and endure the moment, great things will happen.
“Good stories are not about journeys in a straight line. In a great story, there is always a moment where you must be strong and overcome adversity. This is where we are at the moment but we don’t need to make it bigger than it is. It’s football and we need to face it, we need to fight and we need to go into the next game. We can win it. If it’s not Leeds, it’s Sunderland and then we can see things differently.”
The crucial thing to remember is that just because something happened at Huddersfield and Norwich does not guarantee that it will happen at Stoke.
Pelach stated: “It is not something that comes easily. You must work hard, analyse extensively, practice on the training pitch, then go into games and implement in the real world, with points and pressure and all the uncontrollable events that occur.
“I believe you can grow a lot with a youthful group. Then you realise you can beat the moment, and the next time you go there, you are more composed and approach things with a different mindset. I’ve been there, and I’m not reacting as I would have at 26.
“I have seen what can happen, what you can control and what you cannot control as long as you do everything and it brings you to another mental state and I think that helps the team.”
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