JUST IN; Is Middlesbrough in trouble? Stoke match comes at a bad time following Jon Walters’ passionate speech
Middlesbrough may be facing Stoke at the worst time after impassioned Jon Walters rallying call
Stoke City’s interim technical director Jon Walters delivered an impassioned rallying call ahead of Middlesbrough’s visit
In recent years Middlesbrough seem to have an unfortunate knack for visiting places at the wrong time, and Stoke City might be no different this weekend.
Off the top of the head over the last two seasons, Boro have visited and lost at Watford, Bristol City and Preston North End on days when celebrations have led to an increase in atmosphere for the home team.
Just recently the visit to Deepdale saw Preston honouring the great Sir Tom Finney, ten years on from his death, and boss Ryan Lowe admitted after their victory that his players had been inspired by the events of the day. As with the previously mentioned occasions, there was a sense of an added atmosphere to buoy the home side and making it that little more difficult for Boro.
The same could also be said now of Stoke City ahead of Boro’s visit to the Bet365 Stadium this weekend. While Stoke aren’t celebrating anything, they certainly have a lot to play for. Michael Carrick’s side head there after the Potters’ most recent defeat sent them into the Championship relegation zone, following just one win in their last seven.
This week, new interim technical director Jon Walters held meetings with the players and staff in what was described as a rallying call to all to ensure they understood their responsibilities to the football club to ensure the worst does not happen this season. And proving his capabilities as a motivator, he delivered a similarly impassioned call to Stoke’s faithful ahead of Saturday’s game.
He told our sister site StokeonTrentLive: “I know for many years there has been a disconnect but I’m not going to come in and point the finger and say, ‘He is to blame’ or, ‘He is to blame. We’ve got to look forward. From now, from today, from the weekend, it’s the first game of the season. We’ve got 12 games to go.
“I think the DNA of this club, the DNA of Stoke City, is that when the chips are down we stick up for each other. The people from this area, I class as my people, I’m one, we stick up for each other. We’ve got a young team, a lot of players coming from different parts of the world, who don’t know what this place can really be like.
