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Former Stoke City boss Steve Schumacher has lifted the lid on the disagreements with Director of Football Jon Walters.
After several difficult managerial appointments, it appears that Stoke City have now found stability under Mark Robins.
That has been far from the case in previous seasons, especially under Narcis Pelach, who proved to find his tenure with the Potters a struggle.
Stoke City followed up Pelach by bringing in Steve Schumacher from Plymouth Argyle, who the Potters were under in the Championship table at the time of his appointment.
There were bright spells for Stoke under Schumacher, but ultimately, his tenure ended with his dismissal by Director of Football Jon Walters, a figure whom the former Potters boss has now suggested that he didn’t have a positive relationship with in a recent interview.
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Stoke City relationship between Steven Schumacher and Jon Walters is now revealed in eye-opening interview
In his life post-Stoke City, Steven Schumacher finds himself at the helm for League One side Bolton Wanderers, in a role that he has started brightly in.
Ahead of the 2025/26 season, Schumacher reflected on his time so far with the Wanderers, but also made things clear about his time at Stoke City, especially surrounding his feelings towards Jon Walters.
“The Director of Football that appointed me with that owner, he was sacked eight weeks after I got there,” said Schumacher speaking to the Inside The Game Podcast.
“The new director of football came in that I never really trusted. [He] didn’t really trust me. [We] didn’t really get on all that well.
“I always had it in the back of my mind, even though he never said it, if he gets an opportunity, he’ll bring his own person in. And I just felt that. When you feel that and you’ve got that sense that somebody hasn’t got your backing, it’s difficult.”
It is not the first time that Schumacher has spoken out about his sacking at Stoke City, having previously said, when speaking to 72+: “I don’t understand and I still haven’t had a full explanation on why I lost my job.
“Jon Walters said he’d sit and explain stuff to me in a couple of weeks when things have died down, but as of this moment we still haven’t had that chat.”
Schumacher was sacked, despite Stoke City sitting 13th in the Championship table.
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Steven Schumacher has got his career back on track with Bolton Wanderers
Steven Schumacher’s spell at Stoke City ultimately ended in despair for the Liverpudlian, but he has done brilliantly to get his career back on track.
It has been a trend that coaches have struggled at Stoke, as Schumacher has done – at the time, it was seen as a brilliant appointment by the club based on the coach’s skills shown at Plymouth Argyle.
After that difficult stint, Schumacher started a new chapter in his career, and already, he has shown once again to be a top manager. Based on how this summer has gone for Bolton Wanderers in regards to signings, bringing in the likes of Sam Dalby from Wrexham, there will be no surprise to see Schumacher’s side pushing for promotion to the Championship.