STOKE CITY

Last season was moribund. We won only seven of our final 30 games.

The big talking point among the fans is the extent to which we’re absolutely jiggered by FFP. After years of woeful transfer business, we’re completely hamstrung as to who we can sign at the moment. This season will be different to last

because Tyrese Campbell will be back after a long- term knee injury. It’s no exaggeration that our season hinges on the forward’s fitness.

I won’t be happy unless we approach games more positively. We were duller than Danny Murphy reading the back of a box of Ready Brek last season. Our most underrated player is

Jordan Thompson [ below], the neat Northern Ireland midfielder.

Look out for England U21 keeper Joe Bursik [ above]. There’s a buzz.

The opposition player I secretly admire is QPR’S Lyndon Dykes – always a handful. The pantomime villain will be either Gary Rowett or Nathan Jones. One of our disastrous ex- managers will mug us off, I’m sure. The one change I’d make would be binning the CEO and embracing a sporting director model. Our current structure has been the major cause of the mess we find ourselves in – the club posted pretax losses of £ 88m recently.

Save the date for Swansea. They’ll get a warm Potteries welcome in February, after their last- gasp penalty box belly- flops last season. Other clubs’ fans don’t know that in 1898, player- manager Bill Rowley sold himself to Leicester – even agreeing his own signing- on fee. The FA, outraged, suspended him.

Our key player will be Nick Powell. Creator, goalscorer and all- round pain in the arse for defenders. The fans’ opinion of the gaffer is that our honeymoon with Michael O’neill is over. He saved us from the drop in 2019- 20 but many are growing frustrated by his negativity. If he left, he should be replaced by a Bundesliga backroom wunderkind. We’ll finish 11th.