Stoke City’s £1.9B owner told why relegation from the Championship ‘might actually be a good thing’

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Stoke City are in the midst of a relegation battle but have been told that moving down to League One may actually be good for them.

As second tier football nears its return following the March international break, the Championship relegation battle remains very right.

Right now, Opta are predicting Stoke City to avoid the drop, but a lot can change between now and May.

Prior to the break, the Potters were beaten 1-0 by Millwall and in turn, remain 20th in the Championship table.

They are just one point above 22nd-place Derby County and have a three-worse goal difference than the Rams.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
16	SwanseaSwansea	38	12	8	18	38	49	-11	44
17	PortsmouthPortsmouth	38	11	9	18	46	61	-15	42
18	Oxford UnitedOxford United	38	10	12	16	39	55	-16	42
19	Hull CityHull City	38	10	11	17	39	47	-8	41
20	Stoke CityStoke City	38	9	12	17	37	51	-14	39
21	CardiffCardiff	38	9	12	17	42	62	-20	39
22	DerbyDerby	38	10	8	20	40	51	-11	38
23	LutonLuton	38	9	8	21	34	60	-26	35
24	PlymouthPlymouth	38	7	12	19	40	77	-37	33

Next up for Stoke is a meeting with QPR on March 29, and a loss or draw could be enough to see them move into the bottom three.

• READ MORE: ‘I hate’ – Championship pundits outline ‘key’ worrying Stoke City factors in relegation battle

Why relegation could help Stoke City

However, while no team wants to be relegated, one Championship pundit believes that dropping down to the thrid tier may not be the worst thing in the world for Stoke.

In September 2024, John Coates took the controlling stake in the club, meaning he is now the main owner.

Currently, as per Forbes, Coates has a net worth of $2.5billion (around £1.93b), making him one of the richest owners in the Championship.

He hasn’t really been able to spend a lot of that on Stoke, however, given the PSR rules in place in the Championhip.

In turn, speaking on the Second Tier podcast this week, Ryan Dilks has suggested relegation to League One ‘might actually be a good thing for Stoke’.

He said: “I think relegation might actually be a good thing for Stoke City. Now hear me out here, hear me out.

“I imagine everyone involved with Stoke would much prefer not to go down.

“But we’ve seen with Birmingham, it might actually be a benefit in the long term because Stoke have some of the richest owners in the country right, not just in the Championship, in the country.

“But they can’t spend any money because of profit and sustainability and as Birmingham have pretty much shown everyone in League One, the financial rules are a lot more relaxed down there, so I think if Stoke go down, it might actually be what they need.”

PSR vs Salary Cost Management Protocol

At present, Stoke and every other team in the Championship must comply with PSR regulations.

Profitability and Sustainability Rules mean no side in the second tier can currently lose more than £41.5m over a three-year rolling period.

In League One, however, PSR is not in place, with teams instead having to comply with what is known as Salary Cost Management Protocol (SCMP).

SCMP allows League One sides to spend 60 percent of their turnover on wages and transfer fees on any investment over £1m or higher.

Crucially, all owners in the third tier can still spend an as much money as they wish on non-player related costs, including infrastructure improvements or community projects.