Favourites to become new Stoke manager as club confirm sacking of Alex Neil

The top six favourites to become new Stoke City manager as club confirm sacking of Alex Neil and it comes as no surprise really.

The Potters are currently winless in six games, lost their last four and suffered six home defeats in last 30 league matches. Technical director Ricky Martin has to come under serious scrutiny too.

The 42-year-old Scot endured a 16 months stay at the club, after leaving fellow Championship side Sunderland to join the Potters in August 2022.

He guided them to a 16th last season, falling down from consecutive 14th place finishes in season before, and have struggled again, sitting 20th in the table with 21 points taken from 20 games played.

Now comes the time to place bets on the next Stoke manager with the odds ever changing.

Stoke City Manager Alex Neil has left his position with the Club.

Announcement in full below.

— Stoke City FC (@stokecity) December 10, 2023

CLUB STATEMENT:

Stoke City Manager Alex Neil has left his position with the Club.

Chairman John Coates said: “Alex is a man of absolute integrity who has given his all for Stoke City, and we would like to thank him for his hard work during his time with the Club.

“We are grateful for the building blocks he has helped put in place in bringing together a group of players in whom we have a huge amount of faith regarding their ability to turn things around this season, and who can help us achieve longer-term success.

“However, with the way the results have been so far, we have made the difficult decision to seek a new direction for the team at this time.

“Nothing matters to me more than the success of our club and we are now working towards the appointment of Alex’s successor.”

Technical Director Ricky Martin added: “The recruitment process is now underway and we will explore all avenues to secure the best person for the job.

“The role represents a fantastic opportunity and I anticipate that it will attract a number of high-calibre candidates.

“With Martin Canning having also left the Club with our sincere thanks for his hard work as Alex’s Assistant, Paul Gallagher has been installed as Caretaker Manager ahead of the forthcoming home fixture against Swansea City.

“Paul will be assisted by Alex Morris, Ryan Shawcross and Jonathan Gould. We wish them all well for Tuesday evening’s game.”

FAVOURITES TO BECOME NEW STOKE MANAGER

BetVictor – 10 Dec – 5:30pm
John Eustace – 3/1
Nuno Espirito Santo – 6/1
Scott Parker – 10/1
Steven Schumacher – 10/1
Graham Potter – 10/1
Paul Gallagher – 12/1
Markus Weinzierl – 12/1

BetVictor – 11 Dec – 9:30am
John Eustace – 1/2
Tony Mowbray – 2/1
Graham Potter – 8/1
Steven Schumacher – 10/1
Michael Beale – 12/1
Scott Parker – 12/1

BetVictor – 12 Dec – 9:30am
John Eustace – 8/13
Dean Smith – 5/1
Paul Heckingbottom – 5/1
Jon Dahl Tomasson – 8/1
Dick Schreuder – 14/1
Graham Potter – 14/1
Tony Mowbray – 14/1

“It requires heart and determination as much as anything else,” Alex Neil said after his side’s 1-0 defeat at home to bottom club Sheffield Wednesday.

“You can talk tactics all day but sometimes football is really straight forward – you get the better of your man, you get on top of people, put balls in the box and be aggressive.

“We have done that in games and shown we can be on top but have had chances and not taken them.

“We need to get ourselves ready and roll our sleeves up for Tuesday, it will be testing but I am not going to shy away from it.

“When you’re confident, you don’t second guess it, you just get it done, put your foot through the ball, and the ball ends up in the back of the net,” Neil said of City’s second-half opportunities.

“When there is a lack of confidence, people take an extra touch or tend to overthink it a little bit.

“We didn’t capitalise on any of those chances and what’s happened of late, certainly in the last three games, is we manage to find a way to lose the game.

“Towards the tail end of the game, I felt as if we would see the game through. I would have been really disappointed with a point, because I thought we deserved to win the game, particularly for a spell in the second half.

“To go and lose it as we did, it was a tough way to lose the game.”

Things seem to be going well for Alex Neil 😂 #SAFC pic.twitter.com/Api7XAxDbn

— Sunderland Limbs (@LimbsSunderland) December 9, 2023

Here’s how fans reacted to the top six favourites to become new Stoke manager as the club confirm the sacking of Alex Neil…

@_WestHamReport: Left Sunderland for this shit

@_toosb: The man who left Jack Clarke and Patrick Roberts behind to work with Dwight Gayle.

@Harrymfc124: Shouldn’t of left Sunderland 🤣

@liam_kelly3: 24 years going stoke , worst manager in my life time. Have some bollocks and think outside the box next appointment

@LukeJFurnival: DONT YOU DARE GET EUSTACE IN

@adamguest: Stoke and Sunderland fans celebrate in unison. Hope you find a job back in League One Alex

@StokeJames_: All the best Alex.

@stephen_dimmock: I think him leaving Sunderland for Stoke has to be up there with one of the worst career decisions in recent years. It was baffling at the time

@10sam_hOrns: Had to happen didn’t it

@JordanJAGardner: I don’t want to be pessimistic, this needed to happen, but genuinely – what’s going to change? 5 have come and gone now and all have failed to stop the rot

@DJmorrissey: It was becoming untenable, had our moments for sure but we played our best football at the start of the season before Neil had instilled his plan on the new players

@bradscfc32: Please don’t fuck the next appointment up scfc x

@Philip_RJ89: He muddied the waters and made our club hierarchy look like the bad guys. He fucked off & attended a Stoke game whilst still on our payroll. He was given control of transfers at Stoke. He failed miserably. What goes around comes around 😂😂😂

@MichaelBowers15: I’ve no issues with Stoke as a club. Should be doing better. But I’m buzzing with this. Grateful to him for getting us out of League One. But the way he walked out on something potentially great will never sit right with me. Clearly didn’t appreciate what he had. 🖕 Alex Neil.

@benarowley: Tried his best, wasn’t good enough, and wasn’t very endearing either. Have very little faith that we get the next appointment right. We could be in a right scrap.

@stokie_blokie: Totally worth giving him the Sheffield Wednesday game and wasting the 7 days we could have had to start looking.

@SuperkevFTM: 🤣 Could happen to a nicer mercenary.

@ElliotYates_: Another disastrous appointment from John Coates. This is what happens when you have businessmen making football decisions. DIRECTOR OF FOOTABLL NOW

@GlennUrwin_: He’s a good manager and he’ll get another job pretty soon to prove exactly that… Fuck knows how it’s got to this and I honestly don’t have a clue where we go from here.

@KyleGatfield97: Another side in and around us about to get a “new manager bounce” and climb the league, we massively need to take advantage into these next 3 games.

@weare_stoke: Who would you like to see replace him Stokies? (Pulis is not a viable option 😂)

@_toosb: Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha fuck you Alex Neil. 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

@StokeJames_: I wish Alex all the best – a good man who tried his hardest at our club. Certainly doesn’t deserve all the personal insults and abuse he’s been getting on here.