Gary Rowett Sacked By Stoke City

Failed To Live Up To Expectations?

Rowett was appointed in the summer after joining from Derby County. Derby, now managed by Frank Lampard, occupy the last playoff position.

Rowett was given the task of taking Stoke straight back up. He came with a good reputation, having performed well at his previous clubs. The Stoke City board gave him a large transfer budget in the summer and he spent over £45 million. However, this failed to show on the pitch as he won just eight of his Championship games.

The announcement comes as Stoke failed to win their last three games in the Championship, and drew 1-1 in the FA Cup with Shrewsbury on Saturday. This lead to Stoke fans calling for Rowett to leave the club and have cited bad football as one of the reasons for his sacking.

Too Many Players Signed At Once?

His £45 million spend in the summer was on nine players in total. All had proven Championship quality. However, were these too many signings at once? Their relegated side could have been very competitive in the league with a few extra additions. Their squad already had the likes of Jack Butland, Ryan Shawcross and Bojan; all of whom have Premier League experience. It may have been the case of too many signings at once.

Who Will Take Over?

David Moyes is the bookies favourite for the job. He has been without a job since being sacked by West Ham at the end of last season.

Sam Allardyce and Slavisa Jokanovic are also tipped by the bookies, Both have experience in taking teams up from the Championship. Allardyce took West ham up via the play-offs and Jokanovic managed Fulham in their play-off triumph last year.