Sam Gallagher is tasked with helping Stoke City break the cycle of bottom half finishes in the Championship
Sam Gallagher is looking forward to embracing the Steven Schumacher demand for intensity and togetherness to haul Stoke City up the Championship.
Gallagher is hoping to make his competitive debut for Stoke this weekend in an opening day clash at home to Coventry after completing his move from Blackburn Rovers last week. The task ahead is clear: break the cycle of bottom half finishes that have plagued the Potters since 2018. The 28-year-old knows the important attributes to do well in this division – and the importance of getting off to a strong start in this division.
He said: “Listening to the gaffer talk about the intensity he wants to bring and the togetherness he wants in the squad, they are the two things that get you far in the Championship. I’m looking forward to working under him. I’ll always bring honest hard work, I want to do everything I can for the club to be successful whether that’s scoring goals or assisting goals or anything that can help the team. I just want to be there and help the club be successful.
“The way the club finished I think in terms of points-per-game in the last couple of months they would have been pushing up the other end of the table. It’s about getting early momentum and believing as a team and as a club that we can fight up at the top.”
Stoke have five games to squeeze in this month, including a Carabao Cup trip to Carlisle United, and Gallagher is underestimating the power of getting into a habit.
He said: “A lot of the league is mainly momentum I think and if you can get a good feel around the dressing room, around the boys, and you get a couple of good results then you don’t have too much time between games to really change too much.
“If there’s a good feel around the place then you’re desperate to get to the next game and the next game and the next thing you know you’ve got a lot of points in a month and you’re flying up the table.
“You can’t underestimate the importance of momentum and equally last season when we were down near the bottom it’s tough when you’re trying to build it back up so hopefully we get off to a strong start.”
Gallagher had spent the last five years at Blackburn, where he had one year left on his contract, but he was ready for a fresh start, especially after talking to Stoke’s sporting director Jon Walters.
He said: “I’m feeling really excited. It’s the start of a new challenge and everything that comes with it so everything is good.
“The opportunity just came at the perfect time really. I wasn’t necessarily looking to leave Blackburn at the minute but once the opportunity came around and I heard there was interest, everything fell into place perfectly.
“Then after speaking with Jonathan Walters and the manager and getting to see the training ground and things like that it was just perfect.”
He added: “You could just feel (Walters’) excitement about what he wants to do with the football club and the things he’s putting into practice and building a culture that will hopefully bring success. It’s exciting.
“He’s been a big part of the club as a player for a long time and had success here so anything he says you want to listen. Now he’s in a position to implement all the things he knows are important as a player and how he sees the ideal way for the club to move forward. Everything seems to be pointing in the right direction.”
