Peter Crouch blasts Stoke City's current situation | OneFootball

Peter Crouch has condemned the current situation at Stoke City amid another bottom-half finish

Stoke City looked to finally break their long streak of finishing in the bottom half of whichever league they were in towards the beginning of the campaign, but a miserable slip in form has now extended that trend a decade strong.

Winning four of their opening five league games, taking on Coventry City in November in a 1st versus 2nd clash, and sustaining the best defensive record in the division for a good portion of time, had you told Stoke fans that they would slip to 17th in the Championship table by May, in truth, few would have been too surprised.

That is because for the last ten seasons in a row, the Potters have finished in the bottom half of whatever table they have been in, with nine permanent managers during that period, lurching from one disaster to another.

Indeed, the 2015/16 campaign was the last time they finished in the top half, recording a 9th-placed finish in the Premier League with the likes of Marko Arnautovic, Xherdan Shaqiri, Steven Nzonzi, Ryan Shawcross, and Peter Crouch donning the red and white.

Crouch, in particular, was a staple of Stoke's time in the Premier League, and the six-foot-seven-inch striker has had few kind words to say about his former club's current predicament.

Peter Crouch understands Stoke City supporters' frustration with the club

When it comes to personalities in football, few are more popular than Crouch.

The lanky Englishman spent time with the likes of Queens Park Rangers, Portsmouth, Aston Villa, Norwich City, Southampton, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Stoke, and Burnley across his illustrious career, but it was with the Potters with whom he spent the most time.

He'd make the move to North Staffordshire in the summer of 2011 on deadline day, joining in a £12 million deal from Spurs, and would make 261 appearances, scoring 61 and assisting 21 across the next seven-and-a-half years.

Crouch would leave for Burnley six months after Stoke's relegation to the Championship, and would call time on his career after a brief stint with the Clarets, eventually moving into punditry and other forms of media.

When asked about his former club, Crouch said: "I’ve text Jon Walters [sporting director] a couple of times, and spoke to Ryan (Shawcross) early on, but not recently.

"It’s frustrating all around, but they are good lads, and I they know they very much care about the club, I would back them. I’ve obviously not being privy to exactly what's been going on behind the scenes, but they'd have been as disappointed as anyone.

"It’s not been good enough, the form's not been good enough at all so it looks to me that it's probably leading towards potentially making a change in the summer.

"I think that's probably where the stick for (Walters) comes from, because you can't watch that week in week out and not get offended by it.

Walters re-joined Stoke as sporting director initially on an interim basis and then permanently in April 2024, where he has since sacked Steven Schumacher, appointed Narcis Pelach, sacked Pelach, and appointed Mark Robins.

Football League World exclusively revealed last week that the Potters were eyeing up potential replacements for Robins if he were to be sacked after a dismal run of form.

Indeed, something hasn't been quite right at the bet365 Stadium for some time now, and whether dismissing Robins and bringing in a replacement will fix anything or just further detriment them, remains to be seen.

Portsmouth boss John Mousinho has been linked with the role, though whether he would be willing to make the move to the Potteries, in what could well be viewed as a sideways step at this point, is also up in the air.

As for Stoke, it's a decade-long period of disappointment, and with no clear fix in sight, where the Potters go from here remains to be seen.

Stoke City must be cautious in dismissing Mark Robins and continuing the sorry trend

If Stoke do decide to part ways with Robins, then they must be well aware of the risks that come with that decision.

The former Coventry boss has come under criticism over recent months, with only Sheffield Wednesday picking up fewer points than the Potters over the final 30 games.

Despite this, few Stoke fans are actively calling for his head, such is that lack of trust in the club to get the next appointment right, with many happy to keep the 56-year-old in charge for now.

That lack of trust has caused a disconnect between the fans and the club for some time now, and whatever call Walters and chairman Jon Coates make, they must ensure it is the correct one, otherwise the cycle will only continue.