Football Season Guide

Stoke’s somewhat scattergun approach to recruitment last summer under technical director Ricky Martin ended up backfiring spectacularly. The initial excitement from supporters around the club signing 18 new players quickly turned into despair when it became increasingly evident that manager Alex Neil couldn’t get them to gel as a team. The Scotsman was sacked in December and Martin soon followed him out the door in February. Steven Schumacher arrived with a growing reputation after bringing Plymouth up to the Championship, but even he struggled initially to get a tune out of this group, remarking that he’d never had to deal with some of the issues that had arisen in his entire management career. The Scouse coach eventually got it right with a strong run in the final two months of the season to keep the club up. Although there were some notable flops, a few of the 18 new signings did make an impact. South Korean attacker Bae Junho became a real fan’s favourite and was named Player of the Season. Wouter Burger added real quality in the middle of the pitch. Andre Vidigal blew hot and cold, but did finish as the club's top scorer in his first season. Young defender Junior Tchamadeu showed promise towards the end of the season and veteran Enda Stevens helped shore up the backline when he eventually got fit. The club haven’t been anywhere near as frantic in the transfer market this summer and a more measured approach could be the answer. The signing of former Norwich centre-back Ben Gibson looks a shrewd one. Viktor Johansson adds depth to the goalkeeping position, which was somewhat thrown into chaos last season when on-loan Mark Travers was suddenly recalled by Bournemouth. Sam Gallagher has arrived from Blackburn and could be the answer to Stoke's striker problem. No one was able to make that position their own last season.