"I would be embarrassed" - EFL expert issues damning Stoke City ownership verdict after Steven Schumacher decision | OneFootball

Ali Maxwell cannot understand the way in which the Coates family are running Stoke City

EFL pundit Ali Maxwell, has condemned the way in which Stoke City's owners - the Coates Family - have ran the club over recent years, in the wake of Steven Schumacher's shock sacking.

Schumacher was relieved of his duties on Monday morning by sporting director Jon Walters after nine months in charge, despite his job seemingly not being in danger after he built credit for his success in keeping the Potters afloat in the Championship last season.

The 40-year-old is just the most recent in a long line of recent Stoke bosses to get the sack after not long in the job, and his dismissal saw him become the fifth Potters manager or head-coach to be fired in the last six years.

Norwich City first-team coach Narcis Pelach has surprisingly been reported as the Potters' first-choice to take the reins at the bet365 Stadium in the wake of his departure, and the Spainard could take charge soon as the club looks to move quickly to get a new man in place.

EFL expert issues concern at Stoke City owners' erratic nature

John Coates became Stoke's outright owner earlier this year, as he was previously joint-chairman with his father Peter, who co-founded bet365, from 2020, after he had previously been chairman since taking over in 2006.

They have managed the club well off the pitch for a number of years with numerous financial issues avoided as a result of their shrewd business moves, but on the pitch has been a different story, with the Potters stuck in the Championship wilderness since 2018.

The Coates', as well as the aforementioned Walters, have come under fire for being quick to get rid of Schumacher with the club looking like it was moving forward on the pitch, and the sacking has led Maxwell to issue a brutal verdict on their style of ownership over the last few years, when speaking on the latest NTT20 podcast.

“I find it crazy that this is a family, the Coates’, that have to be amongst the best owners in the country in non-footballing (terms)," Maxwell stated.

“They have been the greatest bank machine, the greatest ATM possible. Over £300 million (spent), maybe a fair bit more than that, in 18 years.

“They sold the stadium to themselves when that was allowed in order to beat FFP issues, they have consistently footed ridiculous bills with the club spending so much more than it earns.

“They wiped all the debts this summer when Stoke City Holdings Ltd was de-merged by bet365 and is now owned by the Coates’.

"What I just find crazy is, these people that have run a business in the most shrewd way, when it comes to the football side, almost can’t concentrate on one thing for one period of time.

“It’s not just managers, everyone is focusing on the names of those that have been and gone since they were relegated, there’s been so many upper management roles, CEO’s, technical directors and sporting directors.

“They seem to want to give them loads of power. They used to give managers loads of power, now they give directors loads of power, but equally see no issue in culling either of them within a year if they’re not winning football matches.

“Jonathan Walters will probably be sacked before the next manager gets sacked, if this appointment doesn’t work.

“They’ve got themselves in a situation now where they sacked Ricky Martin, then Alex Neil, then Walters came in…I can’t remember which way round it goes, but you see my point.

“If Walters has the keys and he hires Chicho (Pelach), and then he is 13th in six months’ time, do you sack Chicho or Walters?

“They’re not helping themselves, they’re literally continuously cutting their nose off to spite themselves and then, just as it grows back, they see if they can chop it off again.

“If I was a Stoke fan I would be exhausted, and I would be embarrassed.”

Stoke City need to have more stability going forward

With Pelach seemingly set to take over as the main man in the dugout at the bet365 Stadium, if he is appointed, he needs to be given time to implement his ideas and tactics in the young Potters squad that he would inherit.

The 37-year-old is massively inexperienced as a head-coach, and his time in English football so far has been spent as part of the coaching set-up at both Huddersfield Town and Norwich, so Stoke cannot expect instant results if it is him that comes in as boss.

Despite his inexperience, his appointment would certainly seem to make sense given the club's current structure, which sees the head-coach given less control over backroom proceedings and recruitment as they report to director Walters, but more control over the team and the tactics they wish to implement on the pitch.

His potential arrival needs to spell a new dawn for the Potters, with a young coach finally given enough time, or at least more than nine months, to get the team's performances and results improving on the pitch, and the club moving up the table.

John Coates must start to resist the temptation to change yet another head-coach if results don't go their way in the first few months, and begin to change the narrative around his ownership style as a result.