ROWETT: I’M NOT SILLY OVER SAIDO
GARY Rowett has backed bad boy Saido Berahino to rediscover his scoring touch – but admitted that Stoke would be “foolish” to bank on the goalshy striker.
Called up by England after scoring 20 goals for West Brom in 2014-15, Berahino was also the subject of a £15m bid from Spurs.
But a series of
disciplinary and fitness issues saw the Burundi-born star veer off the rails and it is now twoand-a-half years since he scored a goal in ANY competition.
“Saido’s a great finisher. A natural finisher. He’s a player who hit double figures in the Premier League,” said Rowett, who left Derby to take charge at the Bet365 in May.
“Nobody doubts that he’s a goalscorer. Given the opportunity, he will score again. But at this moment, he’s a goalscorer who hasn’t scored any goals for a long time.
“Our job is to reinvigorate him, and we’re working hard to do that. But we’re also mindful that we can’t rely on it happening. It would be foolish to do that.”
To that end, Rowett has signed Benik Afobe on loan from Wolves and says he has given Berahino no assurances about his place in the team.
Such uncertainty has often led to attitude problems in the past. Exiled from the West Brom side after a spat with Tony Pulis, Berahino piled on the pounds and was eventually sent to a training camp in France.
Then, after a £12m move to Stoke in January 2017, the 25-year-old failed an out-of-competition drugs test before ending last season blacklisted by Paul Lambert. Rowett, though, insists he has seen no hint of the character branded “disruptive” by Pulis.
“I had a good conversation with Saido when I first came in,” said the 44-year-old, “I said ‘Listen, we’ll treat you the exact same way as everyone else. You’ll have to work hard, you’ll have to commit to the group. After that, it’s an open book’.
“So far, he’s done exactly that. He’s worked incredibly hard to impress me and my staff. People around the club tell me he’s the fittest he’s ever been.
“He’s spoken publicly about some of his misdemeanours in the past. Not all of those are entirely down to Saido, but I appreciate that he’s taken full responland sibility. Ultimately, though, it’s down to performances. If Saido stays fit and scores goals in the Championship, nobody will care what happened in the past.
“The key will be to overcome some of the barriers that have stopped him scoring. When you’re a struggling team in the Premier League, you don’t get many chances. That’s the main issue, and I don’t think anyone here filled their boots last season. They’re all capable of more, not just Saido.
Valuable
“My hope is that dropping down a division will give him that little bit of impetus and take away some of the focus and pressure that comes with being a Premier League player. If so, he will be a very valuable asset.”
Stoke, relegated in May after a decade in the top flight, are the bookies’ favourites to win the Championship having – so far – managed to retain the services of England goalkeeper Jack But- and midfield enforcer Badou N’Diaye. For players accustomed to mid-table mediocrity it is a new kind of pressure but Rowett is urging his men to revel in their status.
“There are challenges to coming down,” he said. “The volume of games, quick turnaround. And not every stadium is nice and new and shiny like in the Premier League.
“But there aren’t many players in our squad who haven’t experienced the Championship or a second tier somewhere. Mentally, they’ll be fine.
“And why should they feel pressure? This is exciting. As a player, I found it difficult to know which I prefered: a bottom six side in the Premier League or a top six side in the Championship.
“Once you’ve played at Man City, Arsenal and Tottenham, the novelty wears off. What you actually want to do is enjoy your football and be successful. Hopefully, that’s what this season will be about.”