In six years, Gary Rowett has managed Burton Albion, Birmingham City, Derby County and now Stoke City. Rowett left Derby after failing to gain promotion to the Premier League and with a poor start compounded by a 3-0 home reverse against Wigan, Last Word on Football looks at why Gary Rowett has taken a step too far with Stoke City.
Why Gary Rowett Has Taken a Step too Far With Stoke City
When Rowett took the reigns at Stoke city and was asked if he was excited, he didn’t hold back;
”Absolutely. It’s come around quite quick but I’m absolutely delighted to come to such an ambitious football club; it’s one which I know has had amazing stability over the years and obviously been a successful Premier League club. The challenge of course now is to get them up into that division as soon as possible.”
Rowett was backed by the board and whilst a number of players left the football club, several new faces came in to bolster his chances of taking Stoke City back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.
A Step Beyond?
Rowett took his new charges to Elland Road in their first game of the season where they were beaten 3-1. That was followed by a 1-1 home draw against Brentford when after the game he said some of his players needed;
”to wake up.”
The 0-3 home defeat against Wigan was met with boo’s ringing around the Potteries long into the night. It already appears that this job is one step beyond Rowett.
New Signings Not Performing
For a manager to say that his players need to wake up so early in the season must be ringing alarm bells for the Stoke City faithful. These are players that Rowett wanted and the board have backed him financially to bring in players such as Tom Ince, James McClean and Benik Afobe.
The performances so far have been abject at best. Plus, the players look like they don’t know what they are supposed to be doing. This suggests that Rowett is either not getting his message across or the players haven’t bought into the manager’s philosophy.
News that James McClean was involved in a bust-up with some of his new teammates after the defeat to Wigan reveals tensions that run deep at Stoke.
Time Waits for No Manager
In modern football, time is at a premium. Stoke City’s board are known for being patient and loyal to their managers. But even at this early stage of the season, if results and performances don’t change quickly, Gary Rowett may find that he has leapt one stage too far in his managerial career.
Main Image Credit:
Embed from Getty Images
