And so we head into the final four weeks. Stoke City are still right in the thick of the Championship relegation fight and, if there is one lesson from recent history we have to heed, it is that it is easier to stay in a division than to get back into it.
Staying up is massive for everyone. We had this position in the Premier League six years ago when we ended up being three points adrift of safety and we could all point to matches when we could or should have got more. How far have we been away since then to a return?
We will all dwell on why that is and we will all end up talking about recruitment. The art of the transfer market is to constantly bring in players who are better than what you’ve already got but we have not sung that mantra consistently enough over seven, eight or nine years.
This season – and at the moment – we can look at the quality and balance of the squad but also at constant changes in selection. We will have all been studying the fixture list again and again and that run of defeats in January and February still stings.
Now we are in a do or die situation – but here is the rub. There are seven other teams in the soup and our next two games are against two teams down there with us, Sheffield Wednesday away today and then Plymouth Argyle at home next weekend. Our fate is in our own hands. What more could we want?
I want a minimum of four points. I don’t mind which way they come but I want them in the bag and for us to have reached that 50-point mark before we head into the last two games against Southampton and Bristol City.
I hope that we go into these fixtures with our number one players in their position and a system that suits them. Keep the team together, make sure we’re fully committed, all hands on deck – and then deliver.
Steven Schumacher has been chopping and changing a little. Wouter Burger was out against West Brom but back in at Swansea. Jordan Thompson is in, then out, at left-back then in central midfield. Mehdi Leris was recalled then benched. Million Manhoef has been in and out, Sead Haksabanovic out and in, Bae Junho shifted from the left to number 10 and then off at half-time at Swansea.
I want to see individuals functioning and partnerships being forged but we can’t do that if the pairings aren’t there. And if you can’t build pairs, it’s hard for units to function and you need units to function for the team to click together. That’s always been a key principle.
If I was a player I’d be thinking that I don’t care if there’s nine subs, I’m number one and my mate next to me is number one, my unit is number one and my team is number one. If we get an injury or suspension then the fella who is number two gets a chance to come in and it’s up to him how he performs but the function of the rest of the team is still there.
But ask any other Stoke fan what the next team will be and nobody will know. That can’t be right. We’re told that such-and-such has played so many minutes and needs a rest but we’ve got perfect pitches, perfect kit, a perfect lightweight ball and staff coming out of everywhere whose job it is to get these players into perfect shape but instead we’re told what they can’t do.
What team would you pick? What team would I pick? I’d hope we can keep the back five together as much as possible, even if we were tearing our hair out watching the Swansea game on Wednesday.
Burger has to play and he sets the standard for energy and commitment I want to see in central midfield. I would be tempted to follow the example of the great Marcello Lippi from half-time in the 2006 World Cup final and line up three midfielders in front of defence. If Andrea Pirlo can be prepared to sit in and do a job for the team then I hope anyone in this Stoke squad will do likewise to try to stay in the Championship. Josh Laurent and Thompson seem the most likely for that role this weekend.
Niall Ennis seems in pole position to lead the line and he has to make runs behind. Please! Keep running, keep moving. There will be space against Sheffield and we have to use it and exploit it.
On the right, there are signs of understanding between Leris and Ki-Jana Hoever and Leris can win headers. Haksabanovic might come back in on the left or there is Bae Junho or Andre Vidigal. The opening is here for someone to be a hero.
This is such a big moment for Stoke City. Let’s write our own script.
I WAS stunned last weekend at the Mayor Cup Poomsae Championships in Harrogate when I received an award for lifetime achievement in sport.
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