Peter Coates decision was the final nail in Stoke City’s Premier League coffin
Stoke City were in the midst of serious relegation trouble as boss Mark Hughes was sacked in January 2018 but new manager Paul Lambert was no better and his appointment turned out to be the final nail in the Potters’ Premier League coffin.
Stoke had enjoyed some fruitful years under the guidance of Hughes, but had begun to drop off due to some poor transfer decisions and club unrest, and so started the 2017/18 season in poor form, with the 54-year-old eventually relieved of his duties just after the turn of the year.
The Potters’ chiefs surprisingly turned to former Aston Villa and Norwich City boss Paul Lambert to turn their fortunes around, as he was given a two-and-a-half-year contract despite his previous jobs being at lower-end Championship clubs, with 15 games to keep the Potters afloat in the top-flight.
As it turned out, chairman Peter Coates’ decision to appoint Lambert was the final blow to Stoke’s chances of Premier League survival, as he led the club to relegation with a miserly record in the second half of the campaign, and duly departed at the end of the season after just four months in charge.
