Stoke City

"Frustrating, a bit of deja vu in there as well. Chaotic with the number of managerial changes. Tense towards the end as they continued to flirt with relegation.

"I think you can sum it up by saying [it's] one to put well behind the club, the fanbase and everybody else.

"We'll get this season review out the way and then never think about it again hopefully."

Those are the thoughts of BBC Radio Stoke commentator Mark Elliott following the end of Stoke City's season, which saw the Potters finish 18th and avoid relegation by just two points.

He s presenter Lucas Yeomans on the latest episode of A Cold Wet Tuesday Night to review Stoke's campaign, discuss the squad and what might be needed to improve next season.

Listen to A Cold Wet Tuesday Night podcast on BBC Sounds.

Image source, Rex Features

Stoke City goalkeeper Viktor Johansson says avoiding relegation from the Championship this season was a "relief" and not something to be celebrated.

The Potters finished two points above the drop zone in 18th with 51 points - their worst overall tally and lowest league position since relegation to the second tier in 2018.

"It's been a disappointing season because our goal was completely different," Johansson told BBC Radio Stoke.

"It's not a celebration; it's more of a massive relief. We had different plans for this season and how it was going to go, but then it changed.

"But to be fair to the boys and the fans, we stuck with it and made sure we stayed up, and then next season we can go again. We can't wait to go again."

The Swedish international was named Stoke's player of the year in his debut season but praised the whole team for staying up despite playing under three different managers.

"It has been a tough season, but I think as a group, we've grown loads," Johansson said.

"We're a proper family in there. We each other. It's one of the best changing rooms you can walk into.

"Even though it's been a bit rocky sometimes, we made sure to stick together."

Johansson also thanked the "incredible" fans and said their shows that Stoke is a "great and massive" club.

On whether he will be at the club next season, the 26-year-old added: "I signed for Stoke, so this is where my head and heart are at the moment."

Listen to Johansson's full interview on BBC Sounds.

Image source, PA Media

Stoke City boss Mark Robins spoke to written media after the Potters had their Championship survival sealed with a goalless draw at Derby County.

"It was a rubbish game but we both ended up getting what we needed, so that is the most important thing," he said.

"The game was so lacking in quality it's frightening, but understandable in the circumstances.

"The players managed themselves really well during the week and managed themselves through the game well today.

"Since I came in [to Stoke] in January, it has been a really tough period - I think one of the toughest of my career. It has been really difficult because I'm the third permanent manager and fourth voice they have had.

"It's been a lot of upheaval. This team should never have been anywhere near the bottom, it's a mid-table team at worst. And had everyone been fit and we'd been in earlier, things wouldn't have got down to this day.

"But thankfully we have managed to come out the other side OK."

Image source, Rex Features

Managing Stoke City is not an impossible job and the club has the infrastructure to succeed, according to head coach Mark Robins.

The Potters need to win at fellow-strugglers Derby County (12:30 BST) on Saturday to be assured of Championship football for next season but a failure to take three points would still require wins for Hull City, Luton Town and Preston North End to send them down.

"The challenge is there and significant - it's been branded an impossible job but it isn't," Robins told BBC Radio Stoke.

"Around the club things are good and are moving forward.

"We've got a decent infrastructure but our ers aren't interested in that, they're just interested in getting the result we need."

Robins became Stoke's fourth permanent boss in 13 months when he was appointed on New Year's Day and is staying calm ahead of the trip to Pride Park.

"I understand the seriousness of it but if you've done everything you can in of preparation you can't do any more - we've all been diligent so we'll mosey up to Derby and look forward to it," he added.

"It's a game of football, it's what we do - this is important and we'll give everything we possibly can and as long as we do that we'll be fine."

Both Derby County and Stoke City face the possibility of relegation to League One at the end of play on Saturday (12:30 BST) - but one side could ensure it definitely won't be them with a win at Pride Park.

Neither side currently sit in the bottom three but remain within striking distance of the three teams below them; Preston North End, Luton Town and Hull City.

Only one of those teams will find themselves relegated but should Preston, Luton and Hull all win their respective matches, it'll come down to an all-or-nothing dog fight between Derby and Stoke.

The Rams have the form, having won both their past two matches while Stoke have lost theirs, but it was the Potters who took victory in the reverse fixture with a narrow 2-1 win.

• Derby County are unbeaten across their last four home league games against Stoke City (W2 D2), keeping three clean sheets during that time at Pride Park.

• After winning the reverse fixture 2-1 in November last year, Stoke City will be looking to complete their first league double over Derby County since the 2006-07 campaign.

• After failing to win any of their 12 league games between December and March, Derby have since lost just two of their last 10 (W6 D2), scoring multiple times in six of those matches.

• Over the last six seasons, Stoke City have lost just one of their six Championship matches on the final day of the season (W3 D2), winning their last 4-0 against Bristol City in 2024.

• Stoke City have accumulated just 50 points across their 45 Championship matches this season (W12 D14 L19) and even a win would still give them their t lowest points tally since they were relegated from the Premier League in 2018 (53 in 2022-23).

"If you would have said that, three or four weeks ago, Preston are going to have to go to the last day of the season to get a result, you'd be like no, no chance," former Reading midfielder Jobi McAnuff tells the 72+ podcast.

McAnuff and Aaron Paul are ed by former Barnsley manager Darrell Clarke as they discuss the Championship relegation fight and who they think is most at risk.

For McAnuff, it's Hull City and Preston North End that "are in trouble".

Hull sacked former boss Liam Rosenior after finishing seventh in the Championship last season, but have struggled since his departure and are currently sitting in the bottom three, a point away from safety.

Meanwhile, Preston are among three teams just a point above and have been dragged into the relegation fight after a winless run of seven games - and it's the Lancashire side Clarke is most concerned about.

"I just think to myself, they've dropped off a cliff, they've got Bristol City away, I fancy Hull to get something at Portsmouth," Clarke said.

"Fratton Park is a difficult place to go to... but they are on holiday aren't they">