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Mark Robins is working wonders at Stoke City this season, but fans are baffled by the manager’s choice to exclude one player from his plans.
In the past seven years, Stoke City have not finished in the top half of the Championship table. Suffice it to say, no one expected the Potters to be flying high at this stage of the campaign.
Mark Robins has proven predictions wrong already, but there’s still a long way to go. Just how far Stoke can go remains to be seen, but fans are trying to keep their expectations tempered.
There is very little they can complain about, really. But, there is one decision Robins keeps making that supporters are confused about.
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Why is Mark Robins not playing Jamie Donley?
For the past five league games, Mark Robins has left Jamie Donley sitting on the Stoke bench. In that time, the Potters have lost two games and drawn one.
So, why is Robins not utilising one of the most creative players in his squad when his team are chasing a game? It seems plenty of Potters fans want the Spurs loanee reinstating in the team.
One Stoke fan took to Twitter/X to say: “I have no clue why he’s not playing him, especially with our 10 being poor every game. It literally makes no sense.”
Another supporter suggested Donley could have made a difference at the weekend in the 1-1 draw against Norwich City, adding: “Could’ve done with the change 100%, we need to use him more I think.”
It seems the issue is a prevailing one for fans this season, who do have one nitpick for their manager. “Robins’ in-game management is awful. Refuses to make any changes until around 85 minutes, and it’s normally the wrong player to be taken off and a strange choice to come on,” one fan said. “This season has been appalling for substitutions.”
There is some balance to the argument, though, as one supporter replied: “Yeah I could agree… Definitely want to see him more, but at the moment we are third in the league. He needs to work his way in, his chance will come.”
Tottenham Hotspur fans are frustrated, too. One said: “Stoke were drawing 1-1, looking for a winner yet their final ball was letting them down. It was crying out for Donley with his ability on the ball but again he was left unused on the bench.”
Another simply replied: “Bring him home!”
Jamie Donley took time to adjust at Leyton Orient last season
Whether Stoke City are successful this season or not will not necessarily depend on how much Mark Robins uses Jamie Donley.
But, there is hardly any doubt the Stoke boss will end up giving the Spurs youngster another chance soon. Squad rotation demands will see to that, and the player himself has enough quality to force himself into the plans, too.
You only have to look at last season, where Donley thrived in League One with Leyton Orient, to see he has what it takes.
In October and November, Donley was left out of Richie Wellens’ squad entirely across four different matches. But, by the end of the season, he was the top assister in the division and was one of the best loan signings across the EFL.
Donley will be hungry to prove himself in the second tier this year. After bagging eight goals and 11 assists last season, this is the next natural step for the Tottenham starlet. If he is to ever make it in the top flight, he needs this campaign to be a success.