Steven Schumacher, the former Stoke City head coach, said that the lessons he gained during his nine months as Potters’ manager were more significant to him than the lessons he would have gained had he remained as Plymouth Argyle’s manager the previous season.

After a successful first half-season in charge, Schumacher took over at the bet365 Stadium in December of last year, when Stoke was expected to be in the thick of a difficult relegation battle. He led the team to safety with one game remaining in May.

Prior to this term, he was granted the summer to completely overhaul his team. However, just five games into the new season, with the team in 13th place in mid-September, sporting director Jonathan Walters abruptly removed him of his head coach responsibilities.

The 40-year-old, who was replaced by assistant coach Narcis Pelach of Norwich City, stated last month that he still had not received a complete reason for his dismissal. He has since gone on record once more to discuss his time with the Potters.

Steven Schumacher admits that time at Stoke City has improved his managerial skillset

Schumacher will probably still be in shock over the club’s decision to fire him, but he has had time to process the news and accept it while he looks for a new challenge as head coach.

When asked about their decision to fire him, he revealed some of his thoughts regarding his time as head coach at the bet365 Stadium. It may have surprised many that he was a commentator on Sky Sports’ coverage of the Potters’ 2-1 victory over Derby County on Saturday afternoon.

“Over the past six weeks, I’ve had time to reflect and figure out what I believe will help me in the future,” Schumacher stated on Sky Sports, via

 

I believe that the lessons I would have learnt over the next three or four years if I had stayed at Plymouth Argyle were very different from what I learnt in nine months at Stoke City.

“I think in the long run, it’ll make me a better manager and a better head coach.”

Schumacher’s remarks highlight how difficult it will be to get Stoke back to their old glory since, even after the Potters won the third division and started the Championship season with Plymouth, he still feels that he added more skills to his managerial toolbox.

Steven Schumacher still feels that his Stoke City sacking was unfair

Many Potters supporters, neutrals, and the Liverpool-born manager himself were surprised by Schumacher’s dismissal because Stoke wasn’t performing poorly at the beginning of the season.

Along with two additional EFL Cup wins, the Potters have won two and lost three of their first five league games this season while he was in charge. He discussed the decision in greater detail on Sky yesterday, stating that he believed the team was moving in the correct direction under his leadership.

“I just feel like the team was playing okay,” Schumacher stated on Stoke-on-Trent Live, adding that the squad’s performance was not particularly noteworthy or groundbreaking.

“We had some difficult games, including three away league games against West Brom, who at the time, were, I believe, at the top of the league, and we didn’t deserve to lose that home game. We also had two Carabao Cup victories, including a spectacular victory away to Middlesbrough.

“I had the impression that the squad was headed in a good path. On deadline day, we brought in Tom Cannon, a center-forward who would have been essential to my style of play. Regretfully, he only played 70 minutes for us before they decided to make a change.

 

It is reasonable to say that the 40-year-old was being very tactful in his responses, which may have been due to the amount of time that has passed since the decision was made and might not have been the case had he made public statements immediately following the decision. It is unclear if Stoke will advance under new manager Pelach, but Schumacher will undoubtedly have the last laugh if things go south under the Spaniard and Stoke is forced to make another managerial change.