4 managers Stoke City must consider after Narcis Pelach sacking

Stoke City announced the departure of Narcis Pelach on Friday, less than four months after his arrival.

Pelach had a big job on his hands following Steven Schumacher's exit, with the Potters failing to assert themselves as promotion contenders since their relegation back in 2018.

The Coates family have injected plenty of money into the club, but it's fair to say they haven't operated very well in recent years and this has led them to their current predicament, facing relegation to League One.

Championship table (19th-22nd) Team P GD Pts 19 Stoke City 23 -9 22 20 Oxford United 22 -15 21 21 Portsmouth 21 -11 20 22 Hull City 23 -11 19 (Correct as of December 28th, 2024)

However, there's still more than enough time to turn things around and below, we suggest four managers who could take the reins at the bet365 Stadium.

1 Tony Mowbray

Tony Mowbray has spent a period of time out of the game after being diagnosed with cancer, but he's ready to return to management and could be a very good option for Stoke.

He has shone throughout much of his managerial career thus far - and has done well at Blackburn Rovers and Sunderland more recently.

Not only will he help Stoke to play good football, but he could also form a great connection with the fans and produce the results needed to lure people back to the bet365 Stadium.

It has been a miserable time to be a Stoke supporter in recent years, but he could help to brighten things up again in Staffordshire.

2 Matt Bloomfield

Matt Bloomfield has done a sterling job at Wycombe Wanderers, managing to keep the Chairboys in the automatic promotion mix despite competition from some seriously talented teams.

He has already been linked with a number of jobs this season - and it may only be a matter of time before he moves on from Adams Park if he can continue to produce results.

Many people would argue that Bloomfield wouldn't be interested in this job, considering the Potters are currently in a relegation battle.

But they have convinced managers to make sideways/downward steps before, with Alex Neil and Schumacher joining in recent years.

3 Steve Cooper

Steve Cooper suffered a torrid time during the latter stages of his time at Nottingham Forest and wasn't a success at Leicester City either.

However, he made such a good impact at Forest during his first season and is clearly a capable manager, so the Potters should be looking to bring in a head coach of his calibre.

After his dismissal at the King Power Stadium, it seems likely that he will drop back down into the Championship, and Stoke could benefit from this.

If he can have half the impact he had at Forest, he could be a very shrewd appointment for the Staffordshire outfit.

4 Mark Robins

Mark Robins is another manager who would be a shrewd appointment, considering how good he was at Coventry City.

He may have struggled at the Coventry Building Society Arena during the early stages of this term, resulting in his dismissal. But when you look at his spell as a whole, you have to say he was a miracle worker.

Having two promotions, a second-tier play-off final and an FA Cup semi-final to his name at Coventry, it may only be a matter of time before he starts getting offers.

Stoke should be looking to open talks with him if he's willing to get back into management, knowing how much of an impact he can make at a club.

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