LONDON: Struggling Stoke City have appointed their third permanent manager of the season, with Mark Robins joining the club on a three-and-a-half-year contract, the Championship side announced on Wednesday.

Robins, who was sacked by Coventry City in November after seven years in charge, succeeded Narcis Pelach, who was fired on Friday just 19 games into his tenure.

Pelach had joined Stoke in September, after Steven Schumacher was sacked following an underwhelming start to the season.

“At Coventry, Mark built something successful with a real identity and longevity and he left the club in a significantly better place than he found it. Thats exactly what we want to achieve,” Stoke sporting director Jon Walters said.

Stoke sit 18th in the table with 25 points from 24 matches, after interim manager Ryan Shawcross led them to their first victory in 10 matches with a 1-0 home win over Sunderland on Sunday.

Former Manchester United and Manchester City striker Robins led Coventry as they were promoted to the Championship in 2020, and narrowly missed out on going up to the Premier League in 2023 after losing the playoff final to Luton Town in penalties.

Robins’ first match in charge will be on Saturday when Stoke host bottom side Plymouth Argyle, who parted ways with their manager Wayne Rooney on Tuesday.

Published in Dawn, January 2nd, 2025