MEETING FANS WOULD HELP JONES OUTLINE STOKE VISION
A NEW era for Stoke City had a difficult start as Nathan Jones’s team went down 3-1 at Brentford. PETER SMITH picks out the talking points from a trying afternoon at Griffin Park.
JONES MUST FIND ANSWERS
TO OLD PROBLEMS Stoke fans are normally patient – ahem, not quite always – but this new era comes on the back of three very trying years. Supporters will continue to outline the same issues which basically boil down to how the squad from 2015 has become the squad of 2019. So Nathan Jones has to come up answers to the same problems that got the better of Mark Hughes, Paul Lambert and Gary Rowett. It would be wonderful if he could do it with a swagger, to carry supporters along with him on a wave of goals and glory, but basically the essential requirements are to be organised, work hard and win a lot more than we have seen in too long a time. Jones has a strong hand to spell out now what he needs to get in that position. It has been a popular appointment with golden references. His ambition, enthusiasm and energy is infectious. He has a challenge and supporters need to see that he will be backed to really take it on.
WHATEVER THE SYSTEM, STOKE MUST GET THE
BASICS RIGHT Whether it’s a diamond or an inverted Christmas tree it doesn’t really matter if you are conceding goals from corners and letting left-backs go on a march, but also not be able to keep hold of the ball. The most obvious difference in this match was how Stoke tried to up their tempo but, in the Brentford half, this saw their passing struggle. The statsmen say they only 57 per cent of attempted passes beyond the halfway line were completed, compared with Brentford’s 73. Joe Allen’s overall rate stood at 68 per cent and stood out like a sore thumb, it being such a long way from the 91.2 he managed back under Brendan Rodgers at Swansea (2011/12) when moving the ball around at pace in tight areas was his forte. He has been in good form this season after a tricky start and he will be integral to the rest of Stoke’s season. He can play in this style and the quicker he leads the way, the better.
A FRESH START FOR
EVERYONE? Nathan Jones all-but paraphrased Gary Rowett when he suggested he would be offering a fresh start but not a clean slate for the players he inherited. It’s the right message. Every player has a chance now to stake their claim, but there is no time to hang around. It is also an opportunity to be ruthless. There were nine senior players not in the match day squad, plus Stoke’s three most expensive ever signings out loan, as well as Geoff Cameron. It is an excess weight that must be dragging the club through a transfer window.
A CHANCE FOR NATHAN
JONES TO LAY DOWN A MARKER This was tough but Stoke now have three home games in a row for the new manager to get his feet under the table. He will find out a lot more about the capabilities and potential of a squad he has only overseen in two days’ training and he will have a chance to introduce himself to most of the club’s fans. It has been obvious in his early interviews that he already has a long-term vision. He should also take the chance to organise an evening with supporters who seem ready to listen. Stoke might need their patience and Tony Pulis would testify that his early mass meetings with fans, twice, helped him earn that.
STOKE’S LACK OF A BOUNCE Stoke have now had 16 different new managers in the Britannia Stadium era – and only four have won their first match. If it’s any consolation, that start hasn’t always been a good omen. Gudjon Thordarson did eventually win promotion after overseeing a 4-0 debut triumph at Wycombe but Alan Durban and Paul Lambert couldn’t stop relegations and it was almost as good as it got for Brian Little. There have been unglamorous beginnings for managers that have had much to gone on to have much to celebrate. Tony Pulis lost one opener at Walsall – with a background of cries telling him he didn’t know what he was doing – and one at Southend. Lou Macari lost at Bradford, Tony Waddington lost at Plymouth. And as for Brentford, their two showings against Stoke have been among the best Stoke have faced all season... so Stoke will be glad not to have to see them again any time soon.