MANAGER AND BELIEVE GIVEN ENOUGH TIME...’
far as player recruitment and retention is concerned, so I’ll pin my hopes on defensive solidity coming from Phil Jagielka passing on his experience to Harry Souttar, Will Forrester and Connor Taylor.
Sue Bryan: I’d been hoping Nick Powell extends his contract. He’s such a creative player and he can change a game. We are always better with him. Simon Marson: No doubt for me, I can see Lewis Baker bossing the midfield. He will get a good pre-season hopefully and O’neill will make him club captain if Allen goes. He has got everything and looks too good for this league, hopefully he can make others step up to his level alongside him.
In terms of potential new signings who
knows, I would love to see us get Delap on loan in particular now Haaland has gone to City, he would be a real fans’ favourite as well.
ANY OTHER BUSINESS? Rich James:
On a personal note, next season is going to be a very strange one for me as my family relocates across the Irish Sea to start a new chapter.
Our last game of the campaign didn’t exactly see me off with a bang but it was great to be able to say goodbye to many of the friends I have made over the years following the Potters who are now more like an extended family.
I’m hoping to get over for a reasonable amount of games still but will be mostly cheering the lads on from my new home by the sea for the next few years at least.
Thank goodness for my great mate Bob who I’ll be in constant touch with, Twitter, the Stoke Whatsapp group chat and of course The Sentinel!
Paul Ruane: Pre-season trips have been a big part of life for me and Mrs R since we moved back to Stoke-on-trent 20 years ago.
Our last pre-season trip was the Nathan Jones training camp in the Netherlands and a friendly at MV Duisburg.
The world has seen massive changes in the last three years. There has also been massive changes to the club at most levels.
It will be interesting to see whether we can finally get back to feeling that fans can connect with the club, players and coaching staff in a way that allows us to feel that we can enjoy football again.
Sue Bryan: We still have free coach travel and our season ticket prices remain frozen one again. Times are hard for everyone at the moment. To Mr Coates and Stoke City, thank you.
Simon Marson: I feel very passionately that the club need to get the fans back on board, not just with the manager but as a whole. Let’s be honest the atmosphere has been poor for years now and attendances are not as we would have hoped.
I hear fans on social media wanting a fan park type area and it would do no harm, get some decent beer, make it affordable, play some decent music or bands on before the game, get fans to the ground earlier, it will create an atmosphere. We also should make far more of our history both as a club and as an area, we should be shouting it from the rooftops.
The club is brilliant in terms of ticket prices, free tickets for kids and looking after the loyal fans but they need to engage more with average supporters and listen to what they want and think. Here’s to next season anyway. Up the Potters.