Former EFL player Adrian Clarke believes Alex Neil made a horrible career choice by moving from Sunderland to Stoke City and did not appear to be enjoying himself in the Potteries.
Last season, Neil startled Sunderland by resigning to take over at Stoke, where he led them to a 16th-place finish.
The Stoke leadership backed Neil in the summer transfer window to bring in a slew of new players, but he was fired following a poor start to the season and a seven-match losing streak.
Clarke stated that Stoke had shown little evidence of growth in recent years, and that supporters have also been denied attractive football.
He also suggested that Neil’s transfer to Stoke from Sunderland was a mistake, especially because the Black Cats are still on the upswing.
The former Championship player believes Neil was unhappy at Stoke and that the Potters needed to move on.
“I’m sure he got a nice, hefty payoff, but it was a bad move professionally,” Clarke remarked on the What the EFL podcast.
“Sunderland are a team on the rise, and I believe they will continue to rise, but Stoke have been meandering, haven’t they?”
“There has been no real progress for years now, which would be fine if you were watching good football, but Stoke fans have been denied even that.”
“By all accounts, the game against Swansea on Tuesday night was a shambles.” There is simply no quality at all.
“I don’t think it’s a happy club behind the scenes, and Alex Neil never seemed to enjoy it, nor did the players, so where do they go now?”
“I have no idea what they intend to do going forward.”
“They probably need to follow suit and go for an identity manager and try to instil a philosophy throughout the club.”
Former Sunderland manager Tony Mowbray and ex-Rangers manager Michael Beale have been mentioned as candidates for the Stoke post, but the Potters are casting a wide net.
