"The jury's still out" - Pundit drops Steven Schumacher, Stoke City claim amid Narcis Pelach regime | OneFootball

Carlton Palmer discussed Narcis Pelach's start to life at Stoke City boss

Former England midfielder Carlton Palmer believes the jury's still out on new Stoke City boss Narcis Pelach and whether he is an upgrade on Steven Schumacher, after a run of three consecutive draws.

Pelach took over on the 18th September and has overseen six games as Stoke boss, winning just once, but they're currently unbeaten in their last four games and sit 17th in the Championship table.

While the former Norwich City first-team coach perhaps hasn't had the wins he'd have wanted just yet, the fact that they're unbeaten in four games is a sign that the foundations are in place to kick on, and Palmer believes the next few games will be an indication of whether Pelach's tenure will be a success.

Carlton Palmer delivers Narcis Pelach, Stoke City verdict

Palmer, who won 18 caps for England, believes that Pelach has steadied the ship with a four-game unbeaten run, but the jury's still out on the Spaniard at this stage.

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, Palmer said: “From what I’ve seen so far, the jury’s still out on Narcis Pelach.

“I think he’s gone into Stoke City and steadied the ship, one win and three draws in the last four games. They had a fantastic 6-1 against Portsmouth and have recently drawn with Swansea, Norwich and Bristol City.

“I think we’ve got to wait and see what will happen with Stoke City under Narcis Pelach. They’re still sitting in 17th place with 12 points after 11 games, so he certainly seems to have steadied the ship.

“I believe that Steven Schumacher is a good manager, he proved that at Plymouth, albeit in League One, getting them promoted, but I think he would have done a job in the Championship (had he not left for Stoke), and I think that Schumacher should have been given more time.

“Obviously, the hierarchy decided to make a change, so we’ll have to wait and see how Pelach’s tenure goes.

“The ship has been steadied, and they’ve started to pick up points, but I wouldn’t say right now that he’s an upgrade on Schumacher. I think it’s unfair, it’s different circumstances and different times, but he’s doing okay at the moment, and we’ll have to wait and see.

“The next few games will tell us a lot about how Pelach’s tenure is going to go.”

Stoke City can be cautiously optimistic by Narcis Pelach's start

While one win in six isn't particularly impressive, four games unbeaten suggest that Pelach has laid the groundwork to really kick in on in the coming months.

Sacking Schumacher, a manager with proven EFL success, to replace him with Pelach was a risk for Stoke, but it looks like it might pay off.

The Potters are playing good football which supporters have enjoyed, but there comes a stage where they need to start winning, and the next couple of games are huge for Pelach.

Stoke have seen plenty of false dawns under managers in recent seasons, and they'll hope that this time it's different and Pelach can help take them up the league table as they look for their first top-half Championship finish since relegation from the Premier League in 2018.