Stoke City

Mark Elliott
BBC Radio Stoke’s Stoke City commentator

Image source, Shutterstock

Full-backs, it turns out, are quite important.

Stoke City have looked like a different team going forward, at least since the return to fitness of two of their natural full-backs in Eric Bocat and Junior Tchamadeu.

Bocat regularly inverting high, almost as a number eight whilst still offering some width and covering defensively on the left helped Stoke break Oxford down a few weeks ago, whilst Tchamadeu has instantly resumed his position as one of the league's most dynamic and threatening right-backs since coming back from an injury suffered at AFCON with Cameroon.

Both were good again against Watford and Stoke have had to be patient not to overuse either as they build up their fitness after injury.

Aaron Cresswell, the club's other senior left-back, is out and at right-back the hole left by Tchamadeu was never successfully filled by a succession of centre-backs playing out of position.

Maksym Talovierov never looked nearly as comfortable on the ball, Ben Wilmot lacked the athleticism to overlap with the same intensity and Bosun Lawal suffered two injuries trying to replicate Tchamadeu's ability to get up and down the touchline.

At times, Ben Gibson, another centre-back has had to play left-back leaving Stoke without any real dynamism coming from full-back on either side and that in turn has hurt their wide forwards.

All of the above did their best to fill in as square pegs in round holes and deserve plenty of credit but the return of Tchamadeu in particular gives Stoke so much more balance.

The Potters injury crisis has affected every area of the pitch but after the win against Watford, Million Manhoef spoke honestly about the additional options he has on the ball and the added threat he feels he can provide from the right wing when he knows Tchamadeu is in the team and will overlap or underlap enthusiastically.

Balance, variety and athleticism were all missing as Stoke slipped down the table either side of new year but six goals in their last two games suggest much of that is back.

Sam Fletcher
Final Score reporter

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Six goals across two back-to-back home games for Stoke City, who breathe a bit of life back into their season.

Sorba Thomas was back in the starting 11 after serving his red card suspension, adding yet another assist to his impressive tally. He won't be credited for the other two goals but his ability to break, read the game and put in successful cross after cross was central to this win for the Potters.

Thomas has amassed more than 300 crosses so far this season, which is 70 more than anyone else in the league. His presence also seemed to give the team confidence to play.

Perhaps there is a light at the end of the tunnel for injury-stricken Stoke as key players start to come back, including Sam Gallagher, who came off the bench to bag the third.

The question is, without the injury issues, and with a player like Sorba Thomas in their ranks, could Stoke have staked their claim in the play-offs?

Stoke City manager Mark Robins has admitted his side's difficulty in their 3-1 win at home to Watford on Saturday.

Potters winger Million Manhoef bagged a brace to give the hosts a 2-0 lead but it was halved by the Hornets' Nestory Irankunda in the final 10 minutes.

Sam Gallagher however allayed any fears of a Watford comeback when he sent the ball flying into the far corner on the 85th minute to seal the three points for Stoke.

"Honestly, I think the game was a tough game," said Robins to BBC Radio Stoke after the game.

"It's a transition game, wasn't it? Because that's how they play. They're the best in the division by data, and you can see why.

"You give the ball away, you commit bodies forward, they leave people up. If you don't get the quality or the connection or the goal, then they're a threat on the counter-attack.

"So we found that really difficult to deal with and gave up some chances early on in the game.

"But when we were good and we were good in possession and calm, we created our own opportunities."

Stoke have only one win in their past 11 matches and are nine points adrift the play-off places as they welcome Watford on Saturday (15:00 GMT)

Despite Milan Smit's last-gasp equalising penalty at home to Ipswich last time out, Mark Robins' side are winless in their past three.

Watford are ninth, five points outside the top six and their hopes of catching up were dealt a blow by their 1-1 draw at bottom club Sheffield Wednesday in their last outing.

• Stoke City have failed to score in 12 of their last 20 league games against Watford, including each of the last three in a row (D1 L2).

• Watford are looking to get their first away league win at Stoke since a 4-0 win in 2022-23 – the Potters haven't scored in either of their last two visits since (D1 L1).

• Stoke have won just one of their last 13 league games on a Saturday (D4 L8), beating Swansea 2-1 in December. They are averaging just 0.54 points per game across those 13 games.

• Watford have won six of their last eight league games against City teams (D1 L1), with five of those six wins coming via a one-goal margin.

• Stoke manager Mark Robins has only lost one of his last eight league matches against Watford (W2 D5), though it was earlier this season in a 1-0 defeat. He has never lost two league games against the Hornets in a single season.

Image source, Shutterstock

Stoke City striker Milan Smit said it was "a relief" to score his first goals for the club and is glad that pressure has now been lifted.

The Dutch forward, 23, has had to be patient while he gets used to English football following his arrival on loan from Go Ahead Eagles at the end of January.

But in Wednesday's 3-3 thriller against Ipswich Town, Smit played a vital role, scoring his first goal to put them in front on 35 minutes, and staying cool from the spot to convert an injury-time penalty to clinch a point.

Afterwards, Smit told BBC Radio Stoke he was delighted to get off the mark in his eighth appearance.

"Yeah, of course, it's a relief. When you come as a striker into a new club, you want to score as soon as possible," he said.

"If you score your first goals, it takes a bit of pressure away.

"I hoped that I would score a few games earlier but you have to wait and trust in what you were able to.

"I know I can score goals. I knew it was coming, but I'm really happy that it was today."

Smit came to Stoke having scored nine goals in 25 games in all competitions for his parent club in the Eredivisie and Dutch cup this season.

And he said acclimatising to the English game has been tough.

"It's a big difference. If you watch the games here the intensity is so high in 90 minutes," he said.

"If you compare it to Holland, then the intensity is the biggest difference.

"Everybody's talking about the physicality, of course it's a difference, but it's not the biggest difference.

"The intensity running 90 minutes long, which I think that fits me. I'm getting used to it now, every game a bit more, so I'm settling in now."

Mark Elliot
BBC Radio Stoke commentator

Image source, Shutterstock

The Eredivisie is a good league with some big clubs and excellent players.

Dutch football continues to produce footballers who excel at home and abroad but on this evidence, the pace of the game there can't prepare a player for life in the Championship.

Milan Smit belatedly announced his arrival in England with two goals against Ipswich and spoke of his "relief" after getting on the scoresheet in a league he's spent more than six weeks trying to acclimatise to.

He says the "intensity" is different in England's second tier and at times it's looked like the man who signed from Go Ahead Eagles would not overcome the shock to the system.

• Last-gasp penalty denies Ipswich victory at Stoke

Stoke manager Mark Robins revealed the relentlessness of training on top of the matches has been something new for Smit but spoke of the centre-forward now "finding his feet".

There's still work for Smit to do as he tries to get up to speed but the goals he scored against Ipswich alongside his physical traits provide cause for optimism.

He's still only 23 and at 6ft 3in tall, he has the physical attributes to compete and will surely look to get stronger.

His first goal was a poacher's finish while the second was a high-pressure penalty taken with almost the last kick of the game and, taken together, they show his instincts and nerve are good.

Image source, Shutterstock

Stoke City boss Mark Robins spoke to BBC Radio Stoke following their last-gasp 3-3 draw against Ipswich Town.

"We were brilliant in the first half, transition moments really good, average age of 23, good performances all throughout the team, they were really aggressive and we gave them a lot of problems.

"We didn't really give them anything - they played with the wind in the first half and we played against it - and when we came in at half-time I said 'well done, (we want) more of the same.

"We know the wind is going to be against them, we can't drop too deep, we've got do the same things, keep putting pressure on them and use the ball well, but all the things that are pre-requisites for us, we didn't do.

"To go 3-2 down was really disappointing. (But) Lamine Cisse gets thrown to the ground, it may look a little bit soft but it's our first penalty of the season, Smudge shows good technique and good courage and gains us a point after it looked like we'd snatched defeat from the jaws of victory."

Stoke City defender Junior Tchamadeu is looking for more match minutes against Ipswich Town on Tuesday (20:00 GMT) after making his first appearance for the Potters in 2026 in the 2-0 loss to Swansea City.

The Cameroon international has been unable to play a full 90 minutes since suffering a significant knee injury at the Africa Cup of Nations in January, but came on to replace Eric Bocat in the 70th minute at the Swansea.com Stadium.

"It's always tough when you're missing games through injury. I was itching to be back on the pitch with the boys," Tchamadeu told BBC Radio Stoke.

"The biggest thing for me was to not rush myself back, especially because with the injury I had you have to get it right and you don't want any relapses and you don't want to come back too early and [injure] it again.

"Thankfully I'm back available."

Before the injury, Tchamadeu appeared in every game in the Championship for Stoke City, playing the full 90 minutes in all bar a 0-0 draw with Middlesbrough in September.

Stoke were seventh in the Championship and a point from the play-off places the last time the 22-year-old started, but have since slipped down to 15th.

"It's frustrating but I wouldn't say I'm surprised because we've had a lot of injuries to a lot of players who were playing at the beginning [of the season]," Tchamadeu added.

"But to go from where we were last season to where we are now in terms of performances. I feel like we've made a massive improvement."

The Potters host Ipswich Town having only won one of their past 10 league games. Victory and three points could boost them up to 10th position.

"The last 10 games, we've got to stick together and try and get every result," Tchamadeu said.

Listen to the full interview with Junior Tchamadeu and more Stoke City on BBC Sounds.

Ipswich have slipped five points behind the automatic promotion places in the Championship but have taken 10 points from a possible 12 in their past four matches.

Stoke have managed only five points from their past six outings with their solitary win coming against Oxford which means they are now 10 points short of the top six going into this game on Tuesday (20:00 GMT).

• Stoke have failed to score in their past three league games against Ipswich (D1 L2), with their two defeats in that run as many as they had suffered in their previous 16 against the Tractor Boys.

• Following their 1-0 win in December, Ipswich are looking to complete the league double over Stoke for the first time since 1987-88.

• Stoke won 2-1 against Oxford in their last home league game, but have not won consecutively at the bet365 Stadium since November.

• Ipswich have alternated between victory (3) and defeat (2) in their past five away league games, beating Watford 2-0 last time out.

• Stoke boss Mark Robins has lost each of his past five Championship games against Ipswich Town – twice with Huddersfield (2013-14), twice with Coventry (2023-24) and earlier this season with the Potters.

Mark Elliott
BBC Radio Stoke commentator

Image source, Getty Images

"Here we go again," lamented Mark Robins as Stoke picked up more injuries in South Wales.

Eric Bocat is their only fit left-back and left the game, as did captain Ben Wilmot.

Junior Tchamadeu did return after a lengthy spell on the sidelines but by the time he came on as a second-half substitute, the game was slipping away.

The red card Sorba Thomas received in the first half was key but Stoke conceded two poor goals and continue to slide down the table.

It will take all of Robins' experience to turn around a run of results that's seen them take just 20 points from 22 league games since earning 27 from their first 14.

That's almost half a season averaging less than a point a game, which can be classed as relegation form in most seasons.

• Swansea extend home run with win against Stoke

The start to the campaign showed what Stoke can be and a dreadful run of injuries has certainly been a decisive factor in their decline.

Having said that, performance levels have dropped below what's required too often and injuries were not at fault for Zan Vipotnik's easy header from a Swansea corner that gave them the lead.

He is the danger man and the situation should have been defended better.

Injuries can't be blamed for some poor decision-making and execution in the final third either, an all too common theme this season.

Stoke have been really unlucky with the injuries and the luck they've had in some of those 22 games but that isn't the whole story.

Stoke manager Mark Robins lamented his side's lack of a finishing touch in their 2-0 defeat by Swansea.

Eric Bocat and Ashley Phillips were both denied, with Ben Wilmot seeing a goal chalked off for an offside, before the 10-man Potters conceded twice to return to Staffordshire empty-handed.

Robins told BBC Radio Stoke: "We had two unbelievably good chances to get our noses in front. We've got to take those chances and then we had a goal disallowed.

"Then it's compounded by Sorba having a yellow card that didn't look like one – how can you be penalised for trying to take a shot mid-air and somebody putting their head down?

"That put him on a tightrope and then, for all the good he has done, that loss of discipline can't happen if that was a kick out. He has given the game away.

"The goal that we conceded was really poor but we still carried a threat right up until the end. We need to lick our wounds ready for the game [against Ipswich] on Tuesday."

If this were next season, both these sides would still fancy getting in the Championship play-offs with the EFL announcing this week that six teams will qualify from next season, from third down to eighth place.

As it is, this is a meeting of 16th against 14th, who are respectively 10 and 11 points short of the top six.

• Swansea City have kept a clean sheet in their past two home league games against Stoke (W1 D1), having lost 3-1 in the previous two at the Liberty Stadium

• Stoke are looking for their first league double over Swansea since the 2021-22 campaign under Michael O'Neill.

• Swansea have picked up 23 points in their past nine home Championship matches (W7 D2), conceding just four goals. In their previous nine home games, the Swans won nine points and conceded 15 times.

• The Potters have lost six of their past 10 away Championship matches (W2 D2), scoring just six goals in total and failing to find the net in five of them.

• Since the start of the 2021-22 season, only Gustavo Hamer (38) has more Championship assists than Sorba Thomas (37), who has created a goal in his past two appearances for Stoke.

Image source, Shutterstock

Earlier we asked what you make of the news that, from next season, the Championship play-offs will be expanded to include the teams finishing seventh and eighth?

It was announced on Thursday morning that EFL clubs voted in favour of expanding the play-offs from four to six teams.

Here's a selection of your comments...

Josh, Derby: I don't believe this is necessary. I do think that the play-off format should be aligned throughout the top five leagues, but expanding isn't needed. Better distribution of the monies involved and establishing a clear matchday structure to balance various men's and women's leagues would be a better use of everyone's time. This strikes me undue American influence.

Callum, Dartford: I think it's a good thing so teams can push for promotion that thought they wouldn't get near the play-offs.

Cato, Sheffield: If we adopted it to this season, it means that eighth-placed Derby (on 51 points) have about as much a chance of going up as third-placed Millwall (on 63 points). Plus, to accommodate the extra games, would they extend the season into June? I don't like the idea of it at all, and I hope it's short-lived.

Steve, London: Another example of football being ruined, week by week. Don't you dare think about implementing VAR too.

Mark, Stafford: As a Stoke fan, I think it's good news. The season has come to a grinding halt due to being decimated by injuries. Add to that, the quality of what is coming down from the Premier League, it would mean upsets can happen and still allow teams in that mid-table race to dream of greater heights!

Richard, Stansted: Absolutely ridiculous. What is the point of a league format if you are going to make it a bigger lottery to include even more teams at the end of the season? It also brings teams that are even less ready to actually be in the Premier League into scope. But mostly it's the undermining of the league format which makes no sense. I'm a Derby fan - and we look like we would have a chance of benefiting from this if it were in place this season.

Andy, Nuneaton: Anything that expands the opportunities for those outside of the parachute teams is a good thing. We need to get away from this elite view of the Premier League. If it was up to them, they'd stop automatic promotion and relegation and have a system like Rugby Union, where it's based on meeting certain criteria. The eighth-placed club in the Championship getting to the PL? Bring it on!

Ron, Hayling: Money, Money, Money. Players complain about the amount of games they play with the league games and cup competitions so the intention is to play even more at the end of the season. Owners will make some money but that's all that matters!

Barry, Dartford: Yes it's a fantastic for everyone, all the small teams as well as the big boys, to have something to play for. It will give the end of the season something to look forward to.

Benjamin, Poole: I'm a Charlton fan, so it's unlikely we'll come 8th in the Championship any time soon, however, this is ridiculous. More pandering to Americans to make it more likely they'll make money, which is the only thing they care about. Sporting integrity out of the window again. Shame as I felt the Championship was the last bastion of quality and integrity combined. Game has gone.

Broughton, Derby: Absolute ridiculous, put it back to the old days of three straight up, no play-offs. If you don't make top-three you don't deserve to go up.

Julian, London: The worst decision from a footballing point of view ever! The National League teams have been trying to change their system to be like the current EFL system so it seems a very strange decision for the EFL to take. You can finish 8th after 46 games and still get promoted - sporting integrity has been totally lost with this decision. Money over integrity every time!

Stoke City reported a £60.8m profit in their latest accounts but the numbers should not look that good, according to football finance expert Kieran Maguire.

A "structural change" saw owner John Coates waive a £90.5m loan, dramatically changing the outlook of Stoke's end-of-year figures.

"A £60m profit was made - that really is driven by the fact the owner wrote off a £90m loss, if that wasn't the case it would look a lot worse," Maguire told BBC Radio Stoke.

"But there are some positives, there is more money coming through the door. The money coming in is good, the wage bill is a bit better - [it's] under control."

Maguire believes that Coates' loan write-off also has a positive outlook for the club's future beyond their accounts for the year, emphasising what it says about the owner's long-term plans.

"No John Coates, no party. He's a very benevolent owner, there is no doubt about that," Maguire said.

"If the owner's circumstances change or the owner's attitude changes, it can be problematic. The Coates family put in £46m of cash last year in the form of fresh shares which was very beneficial for the club.

"It's certainly a sign of ongoing commitment by John Coates - and also the fact the running a football club is an expensive hobby."

However, Maguire added that turning a profit because of their owner's generosity does not mean Stoke are set for a fruitful summer.

"I think the club will have to be cautious as far as this summer is concerned," he said.

"The reason for that is that the debt write-off is not included as part of your PSR [Profit and Sustainability Rules] calculations so you would have to look at it as -£30m rather than a positive of £60m.

"So the rumours of Kylian Mbappe seen wandering around an estate agent in Hanley are probably overstating the good news."

Listen to Maguire's full breakdown on BBC Sounds

Listen to more Stoke City content on BBC Sounds

Mark Elliott
BBC Radio Stoke

Image source, Shutterstock

For a while it looked like Stoke City would do to Coventry what has so often been done to them this season - namely, steal a point from a dominant side left to regret missed chances.

In the end, they suffered a late defeat that felt eerily similar to what happened in the same fixture last season.

Coventry have a better first XI and better depth than Stoke, partly due to the injury crisis the Potters have long been dealing with and partly due to the quality of the Sky Blues' recruitment.

They are top of the league for a reason and much like Leeds last year, give Stoke a blueprint for future success.

Like Leeds, they combine technique and confidence in possession with a physicality and athleticism at the top end of the pitch that few teams at this level can live with.

Four of Stoke's missing players should be back in training this week and with 11 games to go the club may already have half an eye on next season.