Sources: Stoke City’s Mark Robins sack plan revealed
Stoke City are not planning to sack Mark Robins at any point in the near future despite the recent collapse in their Championship promotion bid.
Stoke were flying high in the early stages of the season, but now have just three wins in their last 15 games, and lost to relegation-threatened Charlton last week.
They have now plummeted to 14th in the table, although they remain just five points shy of the playoff places and hope their form can be turned around.
As I revealed on the latest edition of Football Insider’s Transfer Insider podcast, Stoke are still backing Robins as the man to turn around their fortunes.
The Stoke board feel they have one of the best managers in the Championship at their disposal, and believe there are other circumstances contributing to their recent dip.
Stoke City make decision on sacking Mark Robins
Robins is coming under increasing pressure at Stoke, having fallen from their lofty early position, placing them at risk of missing out on a shot at promotion.
However, while they remain in with a chance at making the playoffs given how tight the race for sixth place is, they have no plans for a change in manager.
Robins has set the bar high at Stoke and raised expectations, but will not be a victim of his own success as he is being backed to reverse their form.
Speaking on the Transfer Insider podcast, I explained: “I don’t think there will be that much pressure on Robins’ position. I think he’s done a really good job at Stoke.
“He’s probably one of the best managers in the Championship.
“Obviously it’s been disappointing, the recent form, but I think there’s extenuating circumstances for that form as well.
“They’ve won three, drawn four and lost eight of their last 15 games, so that’s seen their early-season promise fade away recently.
“They’re still only five points off the playoffs, sitting 14th in the table. If they can recapture some of that early season form they can get themselves back in contention for promotion.
“The problem is that Robins has raised expectations at Stoke because of how good a start they got off to, they were second after 17 games around the end of November.
“There’s still a lot to play for and as I said I think Robins still has a lot of credit in the bank that he is still the right man for the job, and as I said for me still one of the best managers in the championship. I think he’s done a good job with Stoke all considering.”
Who is the next Championship manager in line for the sack?
With Stoke hoping to stick with Robins and reignite their push for promotion, a number of other Championship bosses remain firmly in the firing line.
West Brom’s Eric Ramsay remains under intense pressure after a difficult start following his appointment, as the Baggies are still without a win under him.
Sheffield Wednesday boss Henrik Pedersen is also among the favourites, although his position is difficult given the behind-the-scenes situation at Hillsborough.
Meanwhile, Leicester City have moved to appoint Gary Rowett as Marti Cifuentes’ successor as they have been dragged into a relegation battle by their points deduction.
Rowett was sacked by Oxford United in December with the club sinking deeper into the relegation zone, and they quickly appointed Matt Bloomfield as his replacement.
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