Robert Huth: Steven Schumacher Right Man For Stoke
Former Stoke City defender Robert Huth has backed Steven Schumacher to be a success at the bet365 Stadium.
Schumacher arrived at the club last December after Alex Neil was dismissed following a poor run of form.
Stoke were 20th in the Championship table when Neil departed, leaving them mired in a relegation battle.
Schumacher fulfilled his primary remit of leading Stoke to safety, securing a 17th-place finish, but opinion is divided on whether he is the right man to take the club forward.
However, Huth has thrown his weight behind Schumacher ahead of the 2024/25 campaign, in which football betting sites price Stoke at 7/1 to win promotion.
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Stoke Can Build On Strong Finish
Asked whether the former Plymouth Argyle manager is the right man for the job, Huth replied: “Yes, certainly.
"The feedback is positive from the club. I think the supporters always want you to do better. But I thought he had a strong finish to the end of last season, and he’ll be looking to build on that.
“I think he knows how difficult the league is and how important the start of the season is, to get everyone behind you.
"So yeah, positive. I think he’s going to benefit from a clearer perspective from Stoke’s point of view. Hopefully they can climb up the table.”
City's Struggles Hurt Huth
Huth spent six years on the books at Stoke, making 188 appearances in all competitions.
He was a key part the squad during the most successful period of the club’s modern history, as the Potters established themselves in the Premier League under Tony Pulis before finishing in the top half under Mark Hughes.
However, Stoke were relegated from the top tier in 2018 and they have not come close to returning since then.
In six successive seasons post-demotion, the Potters have finished between 14th and 17th in the Championship.
And Huth has revealed that his former club’s struggles in the second tier have pained him over the last few years.
“I watch them all the time, of course,” he said. “You keep an eye out for the clubs that you played for, whether it’s Leicester, Stoke or Middlesborough. You’ve always got a fond place in your heart.
“For Stoke, it’s been a long, long time now stuck in the Championship. They had a steady decline rather than any incline really.
“I know with Jon Walters now as Director Of Football, he’s keen on getting a good strategy going and getting the right people in the right positions and pushing forward.
"Because at the moment what was happening at Stoke was managers would get the sack, and another manager would come in and bring his players in and he would get the sack. It needs to be: this is how Stoke play, and that’s it.
“I think over the next season or two or three, we’ll probably see a bit more of the Stoke we know from the past.”
Stoke will hope to climb into the top half of the Championship next season, with betting apps offering 11/4 on a top-six finish.
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