News from the bet365 Stadium as Alex Neil leaves Stoke City after four successive defeats

Alex Neil has this evening left his post as Stoke City manager.

Neil knew that he was walking a tightrope as he left the bet365 Stadium last night following a 1-0 defeat to struggling Sheffield Wednesday, a fourth loss in a row which has seen his side fall to 20th in the Championship. He is understood to have met joint-chairman John Coates at Clayton Wood this morning and ended his 16-month reign at the club he was brought in to re-shape.

Stoke had lured Neil from Sunderland in August 2022 to replace Michael O’Neill, tasked with overseeing a major long-term project – but he always needed enough results in the short-term to maintain the consent of supporters and board to see it through. The home form in particular never met that standard.

Coates said: “Alex is a man of absolute integrity who has given his all for Stoke City, and we would like to thank him for his hard work during his time with the club.

“We are grateful for the building blocks he has helped put in place in bringing together a group of players in whom we have a huge amount of faith regarding their ability to turn things around this season, and who can help us achieve longer-term success. However, with the way the results have been so far, we have made the difficult decision to seek a new direction for the team at this time.