Matt Upson makes claim on Steven Schumacher’s Stoke City future

Matthew Upson has backed Steven Schumacher to bring Stoke City forward if given time.

The Potters appointed Schumacher midway through last season, and he guided them towards safety from relegation to League One.

However, it was a bumpy end to the campaign, which led to speculation over his future at the Bet365 Stadium.

But survival has kept him in the role, and he is now preparing for his first summer transfer window at the club.

The 40-year-old will be looking to work alongside new technical director Jonathan Walters to make improvements to the first team squad for the next term.

Upson delivers Schumacher verdict

Upson has praised Schumacher’s ability as a coach, claiming he has what it takes to push the club towards a promotion race.

He has urged supporters to be patient, as this is a process that could take years to come to fruition.

“Steven Schumacher is a good coach, and given time can get his philosophy across and with the right investment, he can push Stoke City towards a promotion place,” said Upson.

“Nothing happens overnight, so he has to be given time to formulate the team he needs to compete well in the Championship.”

Steven Schumacher’s Stoke City record

Schumacher replaced Alex Neil in charge at Stoke in December, and oversaw the final 25 games of the season.

Stoke won just nine of those 25 games, coming 17th in the Championship table as a result.

The ex-Plymouth Argyle manager will be hoping for better results next year, with the Potters eyeing a return to the Premier League in the near future.

Schumacher guided the Pilgrims to promotion from League One in 2023, with the club winning the League One title in the process.

This earned him a lot of plaudits, with Plymouth returning to the Championship for the first time since 2010 under his management.

Stoke suffered relegation to the Championship in 2018, and have struggled to fight for promotion in the years since.

The Potters have come 16th, 15th, 14th, 14th, 16th and 17th in those campaigns, failing to finish inside the top half once.

This highlights the size of the task at hand for Schumacher, who will be looking to bridge the 17 point gap to the play-offs next season.

The summer transfer window will be key to the club’s immediate fortune, as it offers the manager a chance to mould the squad more to his liking, as well as a good time to shift some unwanted players from the wage bill.

Schumacher needs proper backing to succeed at Stoke

There is a lot of work needed at Stoke to build a team capable of competing further up the Championship table.

Schumacher has proven he can be quite resourceful from his time at Plymouth, where he helped them punch above their weight in League One and the second division.

Patience is needed at Stoke, which might mean suffering through another difficult campaign this year in order to benefit in the long run.

The squad needs to be reworked after their disastrous 2023 summer window, which is a process that could take some time to resolve.

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