Nathan Jones has been tipped to get the sack by the end of October unless he starts picking up some points after what a been yet another disappointing start to the season.
Stoke City currently sit joint bottom in the Championship table after losing two games.
The only win so far came in midweek when a much-changed line-up beat Wigan Athletic to progress through to the second round of the Carabao Cup.
In his latest Mirror column, former footballer and EFL on Quest pundit Dean Ashton writes: “I can’t get my head around how poor Stoke have looked, especially defensively.
“You look at their starting XI and think, ‘This is a great team. It’s a strong team that should do really well’. But they have looked flat again this season.
“I hate to say it – but I would be surprised if Nathan Jones sees past the end of October. They have done business, too. Nathan has been backed in the transfer market.
“It was a big blow losing Ryan Shawcross to injury just before the season started because of his experience, but the pressure is on.”
“Stoke as a football club had a fantastic decade or so and will expect to get back to the Premier League pretty soon.
“But having been to a few of their games last season, when that form isn’t very good, the atmosphere changes very, very quickly.”
STOKE’S NEXT 5 GAMES:
DERBY COUNTY (H) – League
PRESTON NORTH END (A) – League
LEEDS UNITED (H) – League
LEEDS UNITED (A) – Cup
BIRMINGHAM CITY (A) – League
Nathan Jones recently stated: “We want that (first points of the season). We are under no illusions. We want to hit the ground running and there is an expectation with Stoke.
“Now we are not quite playing catch up because we are only two games in and history will tell you there’s nothing won in the first month, or the first two weeks… apart from the Super Cup!
“We know there’s pressure on every game when you’re Stoke City because you are expected to win every game.”
On Charlton and Derby, he said: “There will be subtle changes from past managers but also a lot of similarities such as the energy and quality they have.
“They are perennial play-off contenders and what we can’t do is under-estimate them, or think they are not the same side as last year.
“They are not the same side, slightly different, but equally as potent.
“I think the game will have quality and be very, very competitive, but you can probably say that about every Championship game.
“Nothing worries me about them, and I don’t mean that disrespectfully.
“All I’m concerned about is that we turn up. If we turn up and give the best version of ourselves and play how we prepared, I’ll go home happy.
“Last week (at Charlton) it was difficult. Apart from a few little minor things, I was happy with the performance.
“But you’d never have believed it because inside it was like someone had ripped my stomach out.”
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