Yahoo Sport 
I was really hard with Tom Cannon and I was surprised with how well he handled it
Tom Cannon has been showing his mettle and a willingness to improve as he looks to score in a fourth game in a row for Stoke City.
The 21-year-old striker already has seven goals for the season – level with Stoke’s top scorer for the whole of last term – as he prepares to lead the line against Millwall at the bet365 Stadium this lunchtime (12.30pm).
But he has not always had it his own way, having needed time to get match sharp considering he hadn’t started a game for Leicester for several months before joining on loan and being withdrawn at half-time of games at Middlesbrough and Sheffield United.
READ MORE:I'm relieved that Stoke City boss is not just trying to wave a magic wand
READ MORE:Former Stoke City trio's odds to become next Coventry manager as favourite emerges
Pelach said: “He does stuff now that he didn’t do one month and a half ago. I was really hard with him, very tough, but he took it. I was even surprised a little with how well he handled one meeting, another meeting, another meeting, pushing, pushing, pushing. I replaced him at half-time two times, which is not nice, because it makes public that you’re not happy with a performance when you do that as a coach. But I understand that as a coach I have to do it because it’s my job to make sure I look after the team, not just one player.
“But we’ve had conversations and everything has been really good, healthy, and he’s growing. He competes much better in the air, he flicks balls that he wasn’t doing before, he doesn’t get beat, he starts the press on the opposition very well. He understands when to stay and when to go, he can make good tactical decisions with and without the ball. His linking is improving and he’s scoring goals.
“I’m really pleased with him but I still feel like he can do better and do more. It’s not 95 minutes of the best version of Tom Cannon, it’s 65. Now I want him to extend that. I’ve already spoken to him about that, ‘You need to extend it, extend it,’ and we’ll see over the next month if he can do the next step. At least we have done the first one. Now it's about keeping that and doing the next one.”
Pelach is aware of the confidence that can spread through the team and the stands by having a goalkeeper and striker in whom everybody can trust.
He said: “I believe a lot in the keeper and the striker. That’s my biggest belief in football. If you want to be a top team your keeper and your striker need to be the best players. We need to make sure we create the right environment where they can express themselves in the best possible way. That’s the principle. Then you need to think about how you do that. You can do things as a staff to put them in the best possible level.
“I’m very pleased with the performance of Viktor (Johansson) and not just Viktor. It’s Viktor of course but it’s Jack Bonham, Frank Fielding and the young lads who come to support the training sessions. They all create this environment to help Viktor become the best version of himself.
“Then it’s the same with Tom and all the strikers. Tom is the face with the injury of Sam Gallagher but Sam will come back at some point and will give a lot. Tom is doing what he’s been asked. It will be a long period without Sam Gallagher (from the Swansea game to when he becomes available). It’s a big, big, big miss for the football club not to have Sam Gallagher. We all saw the points we got with him in two games, the performance against Portsmouth and the point against Swansea away, which is very valuable. Tom has needed to make one step (to cover his absence).
“But Tom is not done. There is more to do this weekend and I want to see him on the pitch and I expect to see a good performance against top centre-backs and a very, very difficult opposition. Let’s see if he can now make another step.”
