Stoke City Championship Odds: Can Robins work his magic?

What do you do with a football club like Stoke City? Since their relegation from the Premier League in 2017/8, they have failed to finish above 14th in the Championship - with any dreams of promotion often over by the time the Christmas lights go up. 

Mark Robins came in on New Year’s Day and has certainly got the experience and calibre to drive them up the table - but can he succeed where so many others have failed? Below you can find the Stoke City Championship Odds, along with a season preview.

Last season Stoke finished 18th as Jon Walters -  sporting director - made some big decisions that backfired. He sacked Steven Schumacher when the club were 13th after five league matches and replaced him with the inexperienced former Norwich coach Narcis Pelach. 

That went badly wrong as he won just three of his 19 games in charge before being dismissed just after Christmas. The appointment of Robins then, seems sensible if stability is the aim for Stoke, given he spent seven remarkably successful years at Coventry - taking the Sky Blues from League 2 to the Championship play-off final. 

Championship Odds

Transfer business

In: Maksym Taloverov (£1.5m), Robert Bozenik and Sorba Thomas (undisclosed), Aaron Cresswell (free), Divin Mubama (loan).

Out: Wouter Burger (£3.5m), Souleymane Sidibe (£2m), Lynden Gooch, Jordan Thompson, (both free), Niall Ennis (undisclosed).

Robins is used to working on a tight budget and getting the best out of players at his disposal, so keeping an eye on his summer business is always worthwhile. Sorba Thomas is a player he has had an eye on for a while and his set-piece delivery could be massive for Stoke this season.

He’s got experience in England with Huddersfield, while Maksym Taloverov comes in from Plymouth having had a decent six months at centre-back prior to their relegation. Aaron Cresswell is a notable addition from West Ham, and he will also provide good delivery into the box, but they have lost arguably their best player. 

Wouter Burger has been sold on the cheap to Hoffenheim while Souleymane Sidibe has also gone out the door for a decent fee. Burger is a tough man to replace, and so Stoke fans will hope Robins has something up his sleeve before the window closes.

Key Player: Million Manhoef

Million Manhoef played at the U21 Euros this summer for the Netherlands and that speaks of his quality. It’s difficult to pick out a star man from a Stoke team that has failed to impress for so many years, but you have to say Manhoef has the quality to shine this season. 

He got five goals and four assists in 34 matches last term, having missed a significant period with a knee issue. Robins started him in six of the last eight games last season so he is a fan of the 23-year-old, and I think he will give him the platform to flourish this term.

Prediction: 17th

16th, 15th, 14th, 14th, 16th, 17th, 18th. They are Stoke’s last seven league finishes in the Championship and so it’s not a surprise that I’ve predicted them to finish 17th in what I believe is going to be a tougher division than we have seen in recent years. 

Football Odds

As a Coventry fan, I’m well aware of the incredible work Robins can do when he gets his teeth stuck into a project, but I just don’t trust Stoke City to leave him in place if they are struggling towards the bottom of the table after 10 or so matches. He needs time to work, and of course at Coventry his partnership with Adi Viveash worked wonders - leaving me with slight concerns that this role at Stoke may not follow the same pattern. 

The squad doesn’t look anything special, and although they should have enough to stay up, I can’t envisage much to get excited about again at Stoke. Give Robins time and he may be able to build something. But it won’t happen in one season. 

Today's Football Fixtures

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