I get your frustrations, I really do.

We are all fans & supporters of Stoke City Football Club. We all want Stoke to be playing great football and winning games.

This is fact of everyone associated with the club including the owners and Michael O’Neill. 

Michael O’Neill when appointed as manager had a massive task on his hands, his first task was basically just keeping us in the league. Turning us back into a side that’s challenging to get back into the Premier League, was something of a long term project.

The current predicament is down to a few years of awful management, not only from the manager but the owners too.

The moment the Coates Family refused an approach from Everton, for the then manager Mark Hughes things started to go backwards fast. Stoke recruitment policy changed, with Hughes wanting more control of who was scouted and brought into the club. This resulted in expensive signings who have proved nothing but a lead weight on our ability to keep our heads above the FFP water.

Mark Hughes is not the only one that’s put us in this position, The Coates family have to take some blame for their choice of manager selections there after and allowing Rowett & Jones to blow £70million on sub standard players. 

That £70mill spend is the prime reason we can’t bring in a striker that’s desperately needed right now. 

Stoke just don’t have the wriggle room within the FFP rules to bring in a striker. Financial fair play still exists despite the pandemic meaning clubs cannot generate to income needed to balance the books due to having no fans inside stadiums. All that’s happened is the time that FFP is adjudged has been done over a 4 year period and not three. So Stoke are only allowed to post a loss of £39million over that period. The fact Rowett & Jones blew £70mill ain’t helping plus the amortisation of contracts of the likes of Wimmer, Bauer, Afobe and Imbula are still hurting the club.

Stoke have managed to get Gregory, Ince & Lindsay off the wages for the rest of the season. We have also got rid of the vast cost of feeding Wimmer from the canteen expenses.

Next season Stoke will be in a stronger position within FFP, allowing the Coates family to back Michael O’Neill more than they have been.

This season was all about rebuilding, thinning the side down, removing that deadwood and bringing through youth. All of that O’Neill has done and if not for an unfortunate injury to Tyrese Campbell then we would be over achieving compared to the vast supporters expectations for the season.

I get your frustrations, I really do.

We are all fans & supporters of Stoke City Football Club. We all want Stoke to be playing great football and winning games.

This is fact of everyone associated with the club including the owners and Michael O’Neill. 

Michael O’Neill when appointed as manager had a massive task on his hands, his first task was basically just keeping us in the league. Turning us back into a side that’s challenging to get back into the Premier League, was something of a long term project.

The current predicament is down to a few years of awful management, not only from the manager but the owners too.

The moment the Coates Family refused an approach from Everton, for the then manager Mark Hughes things started to go backwards fast. Stoke recruitment policy changed, with Hughes wanting more control of who was scouted and brought into the club. This resulted in expensive signings who have proved nothing but a lead weight on our ability to keep our heads above the FFP water.

Mark Hughes is not the only one that’s put us in this position, The Coates family have to take some blame for their choice of manager selections there after and allowing Rowett & Jones to blow £70million on sub standard players. 

That £70mill spend is the prime reason we can’t bring in a striker that’s desperately needed right now. 

Stoke just don’t have the wriggle room within the FFP rules to bring in a striker. Financial fair play still exists despite the pandemic meaning clubs cannot generate to income needed to balance the books due to having no fans inside stadiums. All that’s happened is the time that FFP is adjudged has been done over a 4 year period and not three. So Stoke are only allowed to post a loss of £39million over that period. The fact Rowett & Jones blew £70mill ain’t helping plus the amortisation of contracts of the likes of Wimmer, Bauer, Afobe and Imbula are still hurting the club.

Stoke have managed to get Gregory, Ince & Lindsay off the wages for the rest of the season. We have also got rid of the vast cost of feeding Wimmer from the canteen expenses.

Next season Stoke will be in a stronger position within FFP, allowing the Coates family to back Michael O’Neill more than they have been.

This season was all about rebuilding, thinning the side down, removing that deadwood and bringing through youth. All of that O’Neill has done and if not for an unfortunate injury to Tyrese Campbell then we would be over achieving compared to the vast supporters expectations for the season.