Narcis Pelach's final words as Stoke City head coach with pressure showing and transfer need highlighted
Narcis Pelach spoke about the urgency of January at Stoke City in what turned out to be his final public words as head coach.
Pelach spoke about the need for new blood and the equivalent of new signings from within his own squad, such as Sam Gallagher, Bosun Lawal, Lynden Gooch and Ben Pearson, who are hoping to play bigger parts after being stuck in the treatment room for much of his three months in charge.
A 2-0 home defeat to Leeds on Thursday left Stoke nine without a win heading into a clash back at the bet365 Stadium against Sunderland on Sunday (3pm) and Pelach understood that a run like that could make life as he knew it untenable.
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He said: “We need to pick up points to get ourselves out of this situation. It has been nine games without a win and of course this brings nervousness and less confidence and all of these things that we know but the Championship is very long, we have to be strong and to take this experience as an opportunity to grow and improve all the things that we are not doing at the best level.”
He added: “I’m really positive about the squad but I also know we have to bring players in.
“We have not been helped by availability in my opinion. Sam Gallagher, for example, has made only two starts this season and he is probably one of our best players. Bosun Lawal has not been there and he is expected to be a very good player for Stoke City and now we’ve lost Million Manhoef.
“We have to bring players in during January because the league is very tough and Stoke City needs more players.”
Stoke will have to work within Financial Fair Play constraints next month and it is already a notoriously difficult window - and now they will be looking for a new boss as well as a centre-forward, winger and other improvements.
Pelach said: “It’s not the best window, that’s totally true, and there are also rules that don’t allow us to spend so it’s going to be challenging and not ideal. This I can say today.
“But we have to find a way. We have to find a way to bring players in that we need and there are positions we can see, all of us, where we are in need. Then we also need to recover players and have them all fit and go through bad moments.
“Football can change very quickly. I have come through worse moments. We need to believe and we cannot give up. We have to keep believing we can do it. The dressing room is fine in that respect.
“Of course we are hurting, we are all disappointed. It’s important I mention that because of course we’re not happy but we have to find a way back into it.”
