Stoke City: Jon Walters lays out Mark Robins, Coventry City challenge immediately after appointment | OneFootball

Jon Walters wants to see Mark Robins replicate the success he had with Coventry at Stoke.

Stoke City Sporting Director, Jon Walters, has challenged Mark Robins to build something with "real identity and longevity" at the bet365 Stadium, just as he managed during his seven-year stint at Coventry City.

Robins was sacked by Coventry earlier in 2024/25, somewhat harshly, after guiding the club from League Two to the cusp of the Premier League.

He's now back in the dugout with Stoke for 2025 and beyond, succeeding Narcis Pelach, who lost his job following Boxing Day's defeat to Leeds United.

Jon Walters' challenge to Mark Robins

Walters wants to see Robins build something for the future at Stoke, who have struggled for any kind of consistency in terms of results and in the dugout since relegation from the Premier League in 2018.

"We are delighted to welcome Mark, Paul (Nevin) and James (Rowberry) to the Stoke City family," Walters told the club's media.

"At Coventry, Mark built something successful with a real identity and longevity and he left the Club in a significantly better place than he found it.

"That’s exactly what we want to achieve at Stoke City, and he has all the pedigree and experience to help us do that.

"With a record like that behind him, Mark was always going to be in great demand, so we’re delighted that he sees an exciting opportunity to build something special in the Potteries.

"Welcoming two Assistant Managers of such calibre and with such innovative and progressive mindsets in Paul and James is another important part of how we will seek to progress and grow."

That's the long-term, with Walters also looking at the short-term, continuing: "The immediate mission is to climb as high as we can up the Championship table during the second half of this season, whilst also laying foundations for a long-term successful future for our club."

The state of play at Stoke

Robins inherits a Stoke squad languishing in the bottom third of the Championship table.

They entered 2025 just four points above the relegation zone, thanks to Ryan Shawcross overseeing a shock 1-0 win over Sunderland on December 29th.

As Walters states, Robins' first task is to guide Stoke up the Championship table and clear of the bottom-three. He's got the tools to do that and he's the right man to get the Potters moving in the right direction this season.

However, the long-term ambition has to be getting Stoke to compete for a Premier League return. Since relegation from the Premier League in 2018, they've had a number of false starts and never had a sniff of a top six finish, despite entering 2018/19 as the bookies' favourites for promotion.

Robins has a job on his hands getting Stoke to compete in the Championship, but he's done great work against the odds with Coventry and will back himself to be successful.