SCHUEY’S HOME DEMANDS
Potters head coach urges his players to make the most of bet365 Stadium games to secure Championship safety
STEVEN Schumacher is doubling down on a demand for intensity and urgency to get Stoke City winning at home.
Three wins and a draw in six games have helped Stoke open up a fivepoint gap above the bottom three heading into the final month of the season.
They have half-a-dozen games remaining, including three at home, to secure their fate and there is an acknowledgement that their record needs to improve sharply at the bet365 Stadium in the short and long-term.
Schumacher, who had built his reputation as a manager at Plymouth on a fearsome home record, has kept repeating his belief that it will take fast-flowing, front foot football to get the right results.
“That’s when I think we’re at our best,” he said ahead of this weekend’s home clash with West Bromwich Albion. “That’s when I think we look more dangerous, when we pass the ball. I keep going on about it. I don’t want to be a team that just goes direct all the time.
“I know there are occasions when you can’t overplay, especially in your own half, but there were times in the middle third when we were really good in the second half, when we leant the ball to each other, played on one or two touches and committed bodies to run forward.
“Once you do that it’s hard for the opposition to defend against and we showed that we could get into some really good areas but just didn’t make those chances count.
“A couple of times we made the wrong pass. One time, Wouter could have played one to the left and Ryan Mmaee could have played one to the right and we get a goal-scoring opportunity. It didn’t quite work out but there were positive signs, especially early in the first half – when I thought we were excellent – and then in the second half, when I thought we were good.”
Stoke supporters have showcased their loyalty over the last couple of years as patience has been tested at the bet365 Stadium. There was a crowd of 23,917 for Monday’s draw with Huddersfield Town despite the visitors only bringing 1,233 fans.
Schumacher had received a bit of stick from individuals as he made his way down the touchline trailing 1-0 at half-time, but he appreciated the backing from the home stands as a whole as his side came back to earn a point with a goal from Ki-jana Hoever.
Stoke are now preparing for a test against Albion, who are all-but guaranteed a spot in the play-offs. They sit fifth and eight points ahead of seventh-placed Coventry with six games remaining, unbeaten in their last eight.
Schumacher said: “It’s another huge game. Hopefully it’s another big crowd and hopefully the crowd can support us again like they did against Huddersfield, when I thought they were brilliant.
“I know everyone is disappointed when we concede and at half-time I’m getting a bit of abuse but that’s part and parcel of football. Hopefully everyone gets in on Saturday and gets behind the team because we’re going to need them.”
The Huddersfield draw, on the back of a Good Friday win at Hull, gives Stoke a five-point buffer to the bottom three. Huddersfield had closed the gap to two points in the inplay table to highlight the importance of Hoever’s equaliser.
“It was dead important not to lose,” said Schumacher. “Yes, we wanted to win it and three points would have been ideal, six points over the weekend would have been brilliant but it was important that we didn’t let Huddersfield get any closer to us. We managed to do that and now we can get ready for the next game.”