GARY Rowett did brilliantly at Birmingham City and Derby. Nathan Jones was fantastic at Luton Town.
Neither has been able to stop the rot at Stoke, who, pre-weekend, were winless in their opening ten games and bottom of the Championship.
As I’ve said before, it’s tremendously diffi cult to lift a relegated club. There’s a depressive spiral that runs through the whole place.
What’s the solution? I don’t know. There’ll be a revival somewhere down the line but they may need to drop another division fi rst. Leeds, Southampton, Sheffi eld Wednesd...