Stoke City

Mark Elliott
BBC Radio Stoke's Stoke City commentator

Image source, Getty Images

Stoke City dominated the first half against Leicester City, threatened to fall apart in the second, and left the pitch simultaneously relieved and frustrated to have taken a point.

Parallels can be drawn between this game and the season as a whole.

A run which yielded 27 points from their first 14 games now looks like a start that will keep them out of trouble, rather than the platform for a promotion push that players, club and fans all hoped it would be.

A total of just 17 points from 19 games since then has left everyone involved searching for answers.

Over the past few weeks Stoke have been active in the transfer window, made a major change to the coaching staff, and experimented with personnel and formation, but wins continue to elude them.

None of the January signings have made the instant impact the club would have hoped for, although injuries have played a part in that.

The injury crisis Stoke have been dealing with for months has clearly played a huge part in a winless run which now stands at eight games in all competitions, but the players that are fit - even the ones forced to play out of position to cover for the absent players - must feel like they have the quality to have won matches during that run.

The changes, signings and experimentation may yield results over time, but patience is a precious commodity when a team is averaging less than a point per game.

Image source, Getty Images

Boss Mark Robins said Stoke City lacked energy and quality in the 2-2 draw with Leicester City, but said his side are struggling to cope with the number of players missing through injury.

Robins told BBC Radio Stoke that "poor execution and poor decision-making contributed to his side surrendering a 1-0 half-time lead.

"We can be critical. I'm certainly critical," Robins added. "But on the other hand, we've got a group of players that have been put together now waiting for people to come back to give us that extra bit of quality, bit of depth and that ability to go and make changes to improve things.

"Hopefully we can get the injured lads back really quickly because we need them.

"Leicester have got better individuals than us, at present, and I thought we'd done brilliantly well to make it as difficult as possible.

"In the second half, they tried to put us on the back foot and we allowed that to happen, and that was the frustration. There was a lack of energy in the second half."

Image source, Opta

Two sides struggling for form in the Championship will meet when Stoke City welcome Leicester City on Saturday (kick-off 12:30 GMT).

The Potters have seen their promotion hopes fade with just four wins in 18 games since the start of November (D4 L10) to slide from second to 14th - and are without a victory in their past six matches (D3 L3), in which they have scored just two goals.

The Foxes have lost four on the bounce, are without a win in six (D1) and have just two victories from their past 11 games (D1 L8).

Their six-point deduction for breaching PSR rules - which they are appealing against - has only compounded their woes with Leicester facing back-to-back relegations as they start the weekend in 22nd, two points from safety.

• Stoke have lost their past three league meetings with Leicester, conceding nine goals in the process and only scoring once themselves. They have never lost four in a row against the Foxes in their league history.

• Leicester are unbeaten in their previous six league away games against Stoke (W2 D4), with their last defeat there coming in March 2007 (2-4) under Rob Kelly.

• Stoke City are winless across their past five home league games (D2 L3), losing each of the past two – they last lost three home league games in a row in October 2023.

• Leicester have lost four successive Championship games and will be looking to avoid losing more in a row outside the Premier League for the first time since January 2006 (6 defeats).

• Stoke City have failed to score in each of their past three games in the Championship, last going on a longer league run without scoring in March 2019 (4 games).

Image source, Stoke City FC

Stoke City's first team have moved into new facilities at their Clayton Wood training ground.

The £10m development has taken 15 months to build and includes new and improved performance, recovery, rehabilitation, gymnasium, nutrition and sports science facilities along with a cryotherapy chamber and hydrotherapy pool.

"This is a significant step for the football club and it fills me with great pride to see our new first-team training facility in operation for the first time," said club chairman John Coates.

"Stoke City is my passion and I will continue to do everything in my power to ensure our players and staff have the best environment possible to make us successful."

Image source, Stoke City FC

Stoke are now planning to redevelop an existing building on the site which will be used by their category one academy and women's team.

The club say it will take the total investment to more than £25m since it was bought.

"Clearly the facilities need to be matched by a culture of relentless hard work, which [sporting director] Jon Walters and [head coach] Mark Robins continue to drive every day, in our long-term pursuit of being better than we have ever been before," added Coates.

Stoke are currently 14th in the Championship table, five points adrift of the play-off places and meet Leicester City on Saturday (12:30 GMT).

Image source, EFL

Puma's Rainbow ball will return to the English Football League as part of an on-going campaign against discrimination and homophobia.

The special edition rainbow ball was introduced in 2024 to mark LGBTQ+ History Month and will be used at every EFL game from 20 February until 1 March.

Manufacturers Puma will make a donation to Football v Homophobia for every goal scored with their rainbow ball across the Championship, League One and League Two.

The donations will help support education against homophobia and promote inclusion across the season.

The EFL have released a video, external to coincide with the campaign which features a Preston North End fan who was charged with a hate crime following homophobic chanting during an FA Cup fixture against Chelsea.

The rainbow ball will also feature in EFL partner EA Sports' FC 26 video game.

"The rainbow ball is a powerful symbol of the values we uphold across the EFL all season long," EFL chief executive officer Trevor Birch said.

"It not only reflects our longstanding commitment to ensuring the League is representative of all its diverse communities, but also reminds us that we all have a role to play in creating an environment in which everyone feels they truly belong."

Image source, Shutterstock

Stoke City assistant manager Paul Nevin has left the Championship club.

The 56-year-old joined in January 2025 following Mark Robins' appointment as manager, and was named as part of his backroom team.

He's been alongside Robins for 13 months, with the Potters 14th in the Championship.

Sporting director Jonathan Walters told the club website, external: "Paul leaves with our gratitude for his contribution during his time with the club and best wishes for his future career."

Stoke City boss Mark Robins has defended young goalkeeper Tommy Simkin after his mistake handed Fulham a late winner in their FA Cup fourth-round tie.

The match looked to be heading for extra time after Fulham's Kevin cancelled out Bae Jun-Ho's first-half opener.

But Harrison Reed intercepted a pass from Simkin, making his ninth Potters appearance in place of the injured Viktor Johansson, and Gavin Bazunu fired past the 21-year-old keeper to seal a 2-1 win.

"My teams play football and we want try and do that as well as we possibly can do," Robins told BBC Radio Stoke.

"The ball in that instance can go as far out the stadium as it needs to for me with four minutes to go when you're being pressed. Don't play into the press when the player's coming straight down the line of the pass.

"Tommy will learn from that, he'll get on with it and that's all you can ask from him. Other people can criticise.

"Unfortunately you've got to go through some of these moments when you're a young goalkeeper that's come in, and he's performing really, really well in the absence of Gavin and Viktor."

Robins has called on the rest of his players to learn from their near miss going into the Championship run-in.

"Trying to win the game was the mindset, to try and go through and go as far as you can in the competition," he added.

"We almost did it but I don't want to be an almost, nearly team and we will come out with better results in the future.

"It is disappointing to go out, but now it's done we look back and we can be pleased with a lot of elements of that performance to take into the 14 games that we have left."

Mark Elliott
BBC Radio Stoke’s Stoke City commentator

Image source, Getty Images

They say necessity is the mother of invention and even in defeat against Fulham, Mark Robins and Stoke City may have found a way forward.

Stoke are without something approaching a full team through injury and that has played a major part in the collapse of their promotion challenge.

But despite only having a couple of training sessions in which to implement it, Robins' decision to turn away from the 4-2-3-1 he's predominantly used this season almost helped his team to an FA Cup upset.

With the run of results they've been on, the 3-4-2-1 they deployed felt like something fresh and the Potters certainly have the personnel to play it.

They've always had an abundance of good centre-backs and Eric Bocat looks more comfortable in a wing-back role than he does as an orthodox full-back where his defensive deficiencies can be exposed.

He was excellent going forward throughout the game against top-flight opposition.

The change necessitated the selection of top scorer Sorba Thomas in a deeper role but ahead of him Bae Jun-ho and Lamine Cisse were lively.

Aaron Cresswell came in to offer quality distribution out of the back three and an extra defender behind him could liberate Tomas Rigo in midfield.

Stoke haven't got the depth to rotate their wing-backs, particularly with Junior Tchamadeu out injured, but with only 14 league games to go, the new formation looks like a legitimate short to medium term option.

There are five ties in the FA Cup fourth round on Sunday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Birmingham v Leeds (12:00) - BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio WM & BBC Radio Leeds

• Grimsby v Wolves (13:30) - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2, BBC Radio Humberside & BBC Radio WM

• Oxford United v Sunderland - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 3, BBC Radio Oxford & BBC Radio Newcastle

• Stoke v Fulham - BBC Radio Stoke

• Arsenal v Wigan (16:30) - BBC Radio Manchester

Kick-off times 14:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Birmingham v Leeds" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Oxford United v Sunderland", for instance.

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Stoke's boss is my old Norwich team-mate Mark Robins, who is an excellent manager - he clearly learnt a lot from me - but I fancy Fulham here.

I don't know what Marco Silva's situation is with Fulham and if he is leaving at the end of the season, but he will want to go out with a bang.

I really like the way Silva's side play and I wouldn't rule out the Cottagers' chances of going deep in the FA Cup this season.

Sutton's prediction: 0-2

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Mark Robins hopes Stoke's decline in form and "unprecedented" injury crisis will not affect the morale in the Potters' camp.

Since rising to second place in the Championship after 17 games at the end of November, the Potters have won three, drawn four and lost eight of their next 15 games.

City's injury list grew to double figures with Bosun Lawal limping off with what Robins called a "significant" muscle injury in Wednesday's 1-0 defeat at Charlton, which left Stoke 14th.

He joins goalkeepers Viktor Johansson and Gavin Bazunu, forwards Divin Mubama and Sam Gallagher, midfielder Lewis Baker and right-back Junior Tchamadeu among those in the treatment room, while illness has also spread through the camp leading into Sunday's FA Cup fourth round tie at home to Fulham.

Robins told BBC Radio Stoke: "There's illness and significant injury. It's not an easy time, that's for sure, but it's a challenge I have to face and wade through.

"For me, this is unprecedented in my career, I have never known a situation like this before. Each one has a knock-on and to pick your way through it is difficult.

"It's disappointing, it can be demoralising at times, you can be 'woe is me,' but it's the situation we're in and we have to deal with it, there's nothing I can do about it. The injuries were not avoidable."

Despite the crisis, Robins said he is looking forward to the challenge of facing the Cottagers, who sit 12th in the Premier League.

"It's a good thing because we have a chance to play Premier League opponents," he said. "That's what the Cup throws up. You don't get that chance very often, sometimes pre-season, sometimes not at all."

The injuries have been particularly damaging in an attacking sense - Stoke have only scored twice in their past six matches, and not at all in the past three.

Robins added: "It's something we have to be better at. There are times when we get opportunities to shoot but we turn it down or take it a fraction late.

"The whole ethos in this game is to score. We may forget that at times and pass responsibility to somebody else. Is that a confidence thing? I don't know.

"The front end we have learners with the L plates on. They have to stay confident and positive because these times can impact your confidence and morale.

"In the case of (January arrival) Milan Smit, he's been playing and scoring goals in the Europa League and comes here and you find it different and difficult.

"He's going to be a good player for us but it's going to take time."

Stoke City will be hoping to reap FA Cup revenge on Fulham on Sunday (14:00 GMT) at the bet365 Stadium.

It was the Cottagers who won their first meeting in the competition on home soil, but this time round it's this year's hosts who will be hoping to revel in the jubilation of victory.

But the Premier League side knocked out current Championship leaders Middlesbrough in the last round and Stoke's recent second tier outings haven't looked so shiny.

• Stoke City and Fulham have previously met once before in the FA Cup, with the Cottagers winning 3-0 in the fourth round in January 2007 at Craven Cottage.

• Fulham have progressed from each of their last seven FA Cup ties against sides from a lower division, since losing 2-1 at home to fourth tier Oldham Athletic in January 2019.

• Stoke have progressed from five of their seven FA Cup fourth round ties played on home soil this century, though they were beaten in a penalty shoot-out by Cardiff City in this round last season at the bet365 Stadium after a 3-3 draw.

• Fulham will be looking to reach the FA Cup fifth round for the second consecutive season, last achieving that feat in three seasons in a row between 2008-09 and 2010-11.

• Stoke have won each of their last five home FA Cup ties against sides from London, scoring 13 goals in total during that time which includes a 2-0 victory vs Leyton Orient in their last such match at the third round stage in January 2022.

Mark Elliott
BBC Radio Stoke commentator

Image source, Getty Images

At full-time at The Valley it finally felt as though Stoke City's promotion dream had begun to slip away irretrievably.

You could see it in the body language of the players, heads bowed and shoulders slumped.

You could hear it in the frustration in the voices of Steven Nzonzi and his manager Mark Robins.

You could feel it emanating from an away end full of fans who have grown to associate the capital with gut-wrenching disappointment.

Nzonzi is 37 and a veteran of more than 650 senior games but the hurt was visible in his eyes as he tried to put the disappointment the squad were feeling into words in his post-match interview.

Robins rightly made the point that injuries have wrecked the momentum his squad had built over the opening third of the season, admitting that at some point missing eight, nine or 10 senior players, as the Potters have for much of the season, was always going to catch up with the them.

But he also made the point that they cannot expect more if they continue to be so poor in the final third, questioning his team's effort to get onto the end of crosses and a lack of willingness to shoot.

In the end, Stoke created enough to take something from the game but did not and that has been the story of their season.

A season that promised so much is petering out and for a fanbase who had dared to dream after a flying start, that's so tough to take.

In many ways the disappointment is so much greater because the highs of this campaign have been so good but now, the bigger picture has been replaced by something smaller.

Can the team win on Sunday against Fulham to keep their interest in the FA Cup alive and can they play with a bravery and freedom in the league that comes with having little left to lose?

String a few results together and who knows, Stoke fans might start to dream again but for now, it is about rediscovering their identity, playing at pace and throwing at least some of the contagious caution that has come with their recent form to the wind.

Image source, Getty Images

Stoke City's veteran midfielder Steven Nzonzi told BBC Radio Stoke the Potters are being held back by their inability to find the net after the 1-0 defeat at Charlton. It was their 13th Championship blank of the season.

"I don't think it was a bad game overall. We just conceded that goal and we couldn't score.

"Of course we have to do much better on the goal but then offensively as a team, we have to do much, much better. If you want to win games, you have to score goals.

"We are competitive players, we are a competitive team, we are a competitive club and obviously when you lose you have to be disappointed.

"But the season is not finished, you have to keep working hard and keep training hard and trying to get some points. We have to go and try and win as much as we can and try to play freely."

Image source, Getty Images

Striker Milan Smit says he joined Stoke City to play in the Premier League and to become a more "complete" player.

The Dutch forward, 22, moved to the Potters in the January transfer window on an initial loan deal until the end of the season from Go Ahead Eagles.

He has played twice so far, lasting 90 minutes on his debut against Southampton and the first half of the goalless draw against West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.

And Smit told BBC Radio Stoke, he has already noticed the different demands of playing in England.

"After 30 minutes against Southampton I thought 'wow we've only played 30 minutes', so you have to get used to it," he said.

"You get tired and you have to learn how to look after your body and recover in time for the next game.

"I'm learning a lot. It's totally different here in England - the intensity level is much higher than in Holland and I want to develop myself more here as a complete player and striker."

Smit said it was a "pretty easy" decision to sign for Stoke, despite the lure of playing in Europe with his old club, who were competing in the Europa League after winning the KNVB Cup last season.

"It was a like a one-season thing to play in the Europa [League] and I always said I wanted to play in England," Smit said.

"Stoke were interested and you need to listen to that.

"I knew the ambitions of the club and their plan with me so I said to my agent 'yeah I want to go'. It was pretty easy.

"They have a big history in the Premier League and I'm really proud to play here.

"They said they wanted to go to the Premier League again - that's the ambition - and I'm really looking forward to playing in the Premier League with this club."

Smit said he was also keen not to put too much pressure on himself when it comes to scoring his first goal.

"I haven't got a really big chance so far and you have to be patient," he added.

"I've only been here for two weeks and my team-mates have to get to know me and I have to get to know them - how the wingers play and when they cross the ball.

"When that's settled my goals will come."

Charlton Athletic will hope to pull further clear of the Championship relegation zone when they welcome a Stoke City side looking to reignite their play-off hopes on Wednesday night (kick-off 19:45 GMT).

The Addicks are four points clear of the bottom three and have lost just twice in their past seven games (W2 D2).

The Potters are without a win in their past five games (D3 L2) and have only won four of their previous 17 matches (D4 L9), which has seen them fall from second place on 4 November to 13th (as of 9 February).

• Charlton Athletic have lost just one of their past eight home league meetings with Stoke City (W5 D2), winning their only two this century: 1-0 in January 2008 and 3-1 in August 2019.

• Stoke City have won just one of their previous eight away games against Charlton Athletic (D2 L5), a 2-1 victory in January 1997 under Lou Macari thanks to a Mike Sheron double. Overall, the Potters have won each of their past two league games against the Addicks, previously winning three in a row in January 1997.

• Charlton Athletic won nine of 10 midweek league games (Tue/Wed/Thu) between Boxing Day 2024 and November 2025 (D1), but are winless in their four since (D1 L3).

• Stoke City have won just one of their past 41 league games in London (D14 L26) – a run that stretches back to December 2014 – beating Queens Park Rangers 2-0 in December 2021.

• Charlton manager Nathan Jones has lost five of his six previous league games against former club Stoke City, with the exception a 2-1 away win with Luton Town in February 2022.