How Steven Schumacher reacted to harsh Stoke City sacking - Was it a blessing in disguise? | OneFootball

Schumacher's exit from Stoke early on in the 2024-25 season came as a surprise to many - but what was his reaction to it?

Stoke City have been through their fair share of managers since being relegated to the Championship in 2018, with some given more of a chance and time than others to try and succeed.

Gary Rowett, Nathan Jones, Michael O'Neill, Alex Neil, Steven Schumacher and Narcis Pelach have all come and gone, with only two of those six managing to get over 50 games to their name as Potters boss.

Mark Robins is hoping to be a long-term success at the bet365 Stadium, and he came in earlier on in the 2024-25 season at a time where Stoke were looking for not their second, but a THIRD different permanent manager of the campaign.

The man who started the season in the dugout was Steven Schumacher, who was headhunted from Plymouth Argyle in December 2023 to take over from Alex Neil, having guided the Pilgrims to promotion from League One the previous season.

A return closer to his Merseyside roots and a bigger budget to play with were strong factors in Schumacher's decision to jump ship - his decision to join Stoke wasn't too much of a success in terms of results in the second half of that campaign, but three wins on the spin to end it, with eight goals scored and none conceded, was a real step in the right direction.

So, for Schumacher to be then given the summer to sign 10 new players, including eyecatching loans for Ash Phillips and Tom Cannon, as well as the permanent arrivals of Viktor Johansson and Sam Gallagher among others, it was then a complete surprise to many that he was dismissed from his job in mid-September 2024.

How Steven Schumacher reacted to surprise Stoke City sacking

Just prior to Stoke's decision to dispense of Schumacher's services, the Staffordshire outfit had just lost 1-0 away at Oxford United, but as far as how their season had started, they had won two out of their first five league matches and were also through to the third round of the EFL Cup after thumping Middlesbrough 5-0 away from home.

The three league defeats that had already been suffered weren't ideal, but Stoke had showed plenty of promise too, so for sporting director Jon Walters to announce that he had to make a decision based on the 'long-term interests' of the club brought about some shock.

Two days after Stoke's managerial decision was announced, Schumacher penned his own statement via the League Managers Association, expressing his disappointment at being blindsided by his job being lost.

“It came as a huge shock to me and my family to be told I had lost my job at Stoke City FC," Schumacher wrote.

"The coaching staff and I have worked tirelessly over the last nine months and for our journey at the club to be cut short is hugely disappointing.

“Our objective last season was to keep the club in the EFL Championship. We achieved what we set out to and the way that we ended the season gave me great confidence that we could achieve this season’s objectives.

“We tried to create an atmosphere where everyone enjoyed coming to work and committed to giving 100% every day. We won seven of our last ten competitive games, and started this season by winning four of the opening seven fixtures.

"In my opinion, after an encouraging start, we were only going to get better and I believe the squad assembled for this season will go on to do really well. I would like to thank the players for their efforts and wish them all the very best for the future."

Schumacher also thanked the Coates Family for the opportunity and also the Stoke fans for their support of him, whilst there was no mention of Walters, who had ultimately made the decision to go in a different direction for the club just a month after the 2024-25 season began - an omission which was somewhat telling of how Schumacher was feeling.

Was Steven Schumacher's Stoke City sacking a blessing in disguise?

Not long after Schumacher exited the club, Stoke and Walters opted to go for then-Norwich City first-team coach Narcis Pelach as the new boss, which on paper was a huge gamble, given his only managerial experience came in the lower leagues of Spanish football with Figueres and Peralada.

A former assistant to Carlos Corberan at Huddersfield Town, perhaps Walters' thinking was that Pelach could tap into the now-Valencia bosses' experience and he would be a carbon-copy - it would not work out however, as after just 19 matches and three victories, the Spaniard was out on his ear and sacked before 2024 ended, where he would be replaced by a much more experienced figure in Mark Robins.

With Schumacher himself stating in his LMA words that he would take the time to refresh before jumping back into a job, it only took four months for him to land a new role, but he dropped down a division and back to League One to take up the Bolton Wanderers vacancy.

Schumacher cannot be really judged on his Bolton results between his appointment and the end of the 2024-25 season if they do not make the play-offs because it is not the squad he built, but he has the promotion-winning experience that could push the Trotters back to the Championship at some point.

It's a long-term fit for both parties, but it was supposed to be that way at Stoke too, and you have to say with how Pelach's appointment ended up, and the fact results under Mark Robins have been very inconsistent, that not much has changed since Schumacher exited.

Therefore, Schumacher may see it as a blessing in disguise for him that he was able to leave Stoke with his reputation still intact, knowing he didn't exactly fail there, as he was still a wanted man after he departed the bet365 Stadium, and they haven't done any better since Walters decided to give him the chop.