Football Season Review

This was another bitterly disappointing season for Stoke who flirted with relegation for long periods before winning three of their last four games to stay up. Nathan Jones was sacked in November following a poor time of it where his formation - a diamond system - just did not appear to work and lacked width. Michael O'Neill was the replacement and although he in the end kept the club up it was not an overly successful few months. Stoke had assembled a squad for plenty of money but few impressed overall. Jack Butland had a crisis of confidence in goal while Ryan Shawcross was injured for long periods. Player of the season was Sam Clucas thanks to scoring double figures from midfield while Nick Powell impressed later on in the campaign and Tyrese Campbell really took his chance in attack ahead of more established names. Stoke need to trim the size of their squad and re-establish some team spirit to challenge next season. They probably need more class in attack too.

Player of the Season: Sam Clucas