Stoke boss needs Supreme effort to get his stars onside.. and fast

NATHAN JONES admits he needs to quickly win the confidence of Stoke’s senior players to support his Potters revolution.

The 45-year-old former Luton boss saw his reign get off to the worst possible start at Brentford.

But Jones, succeeding the sacked Gary Rowett, believes that even the club’s veterans will soon buy into his vision.

Stoke, relegated from the Premier League last season, still boast star names like Peter Crouch, Ryan Shawcross, Ashley Williams and Joe Allen.

Jones said: “You have to change things gradually, you can’t have wholesale changes immediately or try to run before you can walk.

“We are a work in progress with a good group that want to learn. There is work to do or I wouldn’t be here, something is not quite 100 per cent. But we’ll get there.

“The senior players can be important in a dressing room, and only your work and how you affect them can win their trust.

“If your work is good, you talk to them and build those relationships, and they will respond to that.”

City winger Tom Ince reckons the early signs are positive – despite this setback leaving the team still eight points off the play-offs.

He said: “The boss has only been in a couple of days and wants a different style of play.

“But he has already brought a buzz back around the place. The lads feel there is more freedom now.

“The boss wants aggression, people being brave on the ball and taking risks, and maybe that is something we haven’t been used to for a while.

“It is a change, but one in the right direction, the players are buying into it.”

Stoke were swamped in the first 20 minutes with wing-backs Rico Henry and Henrik Dalsgaard raiding in the space left by Jones’s REF: famed tight diamond formation. A comical own goal from Shawcross and a sweet strike from Said Benrahma (celebrating, below) put them two-up before a fine goal from Benik Afobe.

The highlight for Brentford, unbeaten in six, came after 54 minutes with a first goal for the club for Henry. And it was a huge moment for the 21-year-old, whose time at Griffin Park has been hit by shoulder and knee injuries.

He said: “I thought I was going to get a nosebleed, I was that high up the pitch!

“I saw the space, skipped round the defender, and swung the right foot I don’t usually use. Luckily, it worked.

“With it being my first goal for Brentford, it really meant a lot to me – I just didn’t know how to celebrate.

“Their diamond shape meant there was a lot of space for me. It was tough getting back from injury after a year out, but I’m

back to 100 per cent.”

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