Tyrese: Potters can fly in near future
CAMPBELL HAILS FRESH APPROACH
STOKE striker Tyrese Campbell says the Potters are finally on the up after being released from the tactical straitjacket of Nathan Jones.
Jones, 46, took charge in January but won just six of his 38 matches in charge and was sacked last month with Stoke lying bottom of the pile in the Championship.
Widely criticised for his devotion to a diamond midfield, Jones’ determination to make his players fit the system frequently forced square pegs into round holes.
Wingers Sam Clucas and James McClean both had stints at full-back, whilst a defeat at Millwall saw centre-halves deployed as wing-backs.
But the arrival of new manager Michael O’Neill from Northern Ireland saw Stoke revert to a basic 4-3-3 and the switch paid instant dividends with a 4-2 victory at Barnsley.
“Even watching from the bench, all our players looked a lot more comfortable,” said Campbell, an unused sub in O’Neill’s first game.
“We had wingers on the wing, not at full-back trying to do two jobs. They knew what they were doing, not because they’d been told but because that’s the position they’ve played in all their lives. You could see it was much easier for them.”
For Campbell, who is now in the final year of his contract and working under his fifth manager in four years, Jones’ ill-fated tenure had few redeeming features.
Personally, there was frustration. Bristling with confidence after a successful spell on loan at Shrewsbury last season, the 19-year-old was dismayed to be overlooked as Stoke’s fortunes went south.
“When the team is doing well, you can’t complain,” says Campbell, who didn’t start in the league until October 5 and scored his first
Potters goal in the following match.
“When the team isn’t doing well, you expect the manager to change it up. That wasn’t the case at the start. The last few weeks I’ve been a lot happier, but at the start of the season I wasn’t too pleased about what was going on.”
More broadly, he concurs with the perception that Jones was too idealistic.
“I thought he was a good coach,” says Campbell. “You could see he had a clear idea of what he wanted to happen on the pitch.
System
“But that’s not how football works. In any game, the other team could play a system to counter you. They could play one long ball, score a goal and you get beat.
“And you need players who can do it. Without that, you can play his system perfectly and it still doesn’t mean you’ll win games.”
Of course, criticism of Stoke hasn’t been confined to Jones. Ever since relegation from the Premier League in 2018, rumours have swirled of a toxic dressing room that was recently described by former Potters player Charlie Adam as “diseased”.
“Nothing against Charlie,” says Campbell, “but he hasn’t even been here this season so how can he know anything?
“If you look at it, our team has mostly changed. A lot of new faces have come in. It’s people like myself, not the big names from the Premier League.
“Since I came back from Shrewsbury, I think the team’s been a lot better. People are talking to each other more, the team spirit is a big improvement on what we had before.
“People talk and they have their opinions. But whatever is wrong, I don’t think it’s that. The dressing room is fine.”
As, says Campbell, is Stoke’s future. “We’ve got the talent,” he says. “We’ve got strength in all positions, players who’ve been around and played at the top level. Once you get them playing and get the right system, I think we’ll be flying. I think the new manager has found that.”