Stoke City: Surprise Steven Schumacher development emerges | OneFootball

The Potters have suffered a stuttering start to the season.

Steven Schumacher has left Stoke City following an inconsistent start to the 2024/25 season.

The now former Potters manager's final game came on Saturday, as Stoke were beaten 1-0 by recently promoted Oxford United, with Idris El Mizouni scoring the only goal of the match.

Schumacher had endured a tough start to the new campaign, winning just two of his opening five games in the Championship, leaving the Potters 13th in the table after five.

There had been a lot of excitement surrounding the bet365 Stadium following a strong summer transfer window, but results have not quite been what was expected at this point in the season.

Alex Morris and Ryan Shawcross will take over as interim managers until a new permanent solution is found in Staffordshire.

Schumacher news will come as a shock

Stoke 19th in the Championship.

The Potters eventually finished 17th, their lowest league finish since 2003. Nevertheless, after working with a fairly limited squad, it can be said that the 40-year-old overperformed in keeping them away from the dropzone.

Supporters will be disappointed that Schumacher has not been given more time this season to work with the signings that he brought in this summer.

In particular, there will be anger following Stoke's strong end to the transfer window, with the club bringing in Tom Cannon on loan from Leicester City and Tatsuki Seko on a permanent deal from Japanese club Kawasaki Frontale.

Nevertheless, Saturday's defeat proved to be the final nail in the coffin, despite the Potters beating Middlesbrough 5-0 in the second round of the Carabao Cup just under three weeks ago.

The Championship club are set to play League Two Fleetwood Town in the next round of the competition on Tuesday evening, with Morris and Shawcross instead taking charge as they go hunting for a place in the fourth round.

Sporting Director Jon Walters issues statement

There will be plenty of frustration from fans in the coming days, particularly if the next hire does not hit the ground running at the bet365 Stadium.

However, the hierarchy at Stoke believe that the best decision was to end the tenure of Schumacher, despite the first international break of 2024/25 coming last weekend.

Sporting Director and former Potters hero, Jon Walters, said this about the departure of the ex-manager on the club's website: "My role as Sporting Director is to make tough decisions that serve the long-term interests of Stoke City.

“After ongoing discussions with John Coates, we feel the time is right for a change in direction to bring success to the club.

“We have a young, dynamic squad that is eager to develop and a clear vision of how to achieve success, and we hope to announce a new appointment shortly. We will need the fans, staff, and players united in support to achieve our goals.

“As always in football, these decisions are difficult, and we wish Steven and his staff all the best for the future.”

Backroom staff; Mark Hughes, Chris Cohen, Peter Cavanagh and Elliot Turner have also left Stoke following the sacking of Schumacher.