After years of underachievement under the likes of Gary Rowett, Nathan Jones, Michael O’Neill, and Alex Neil,
it seemed that Schumacher had finally got Stoke heading in the right direction, and he was popular with many supporters,
so it is fair to say the news of his sacking last week came as a surprise to many.
Journalist Alan Nixon claims that the Potters had considered replacing Schumacher before the end of last season,
with two managers sounded out about taking over from the 40-year-old,
but that makes the decision to allow him to continue into the new campaign even more baffling and
suggests a lack of strategy from the board.
While the inconsistency that has plagued Stoke in recent years still remained,
Schumacher was doing a good job at the bet365 Stadium, and his side were just three points from
the play-offs at the time of his departure.
Taking into account the outstanding work he did previously at Plymouth,
Schumacher’s stock remains high despite his dismissal,
so the Potters’ hierarchy would have expected him to attract interest from Championship clubs,
but they may not have anticipated that he could return to management so soon.
With Pelach’s tenure getting off to a poor start and question marks still lingering over
the decision to part company with Schumacher, the timing could not be worse for Stoke if he does land the Cardiff job.
Potters supporters were not afraid to make their feelings clear after the final whistle against Hull on Friday night,
highlighting the clear discontent among some sections of the fan base at Schumacher’s exit,
and should he go on to have success with another Championship club,
the board could look incredibly foolish for not giving him more time.
Addressing the decision to replace Schumacher with Pelach, Stoke sporting director Jon Walters said that his role was
not to “sit on the fence and wait for things to peter out” and insisted that “I fully believe in what I’ve done”
but he did admit that making such a bold call “brings pressure”.
Of course, it is too early to draw any conclusions on Pelach and the 36-year-old is an incredibly highly-rated coach
but the scrutiny on Walters will only increase if he fails to deliver and Schumacher thrives elsewhere.
Pelach may prove to be the man to take the Potters to the next level,
but Schumacher’s sacking does feel like an unnecessary gamble from the board,
and his impressive track record in management suggests he will go on to achieve good things with his next club.
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