ON THE ROAD: Paul takes a quick glance at his watch and lets out a heavy sigh. 'A season or two ago, this place would have been rammed by now,' he says.

Stoke boss Nathan Jones admitted his much-changed side were 'nowhere good enough' after they crashed out of the Carabao Cup to League Two Crawley.

PETER CROUCH: On the opening day of last season, when Tottenham headed to Newcastle with a dark cloud hanging over, I made a firm prediction. Mauricio Pochettino was the reason for that call.

IAN WHITTELL AT THE BET365 STADIUM: Nathan Jones edged ever closer to the exit door at struggling Stoke with yet another helping hand from his goalkeeper Jack Butland.

Saido Berahino has expressed his disappointment at Glen Johnson's comments and questioned why he never confronted him during their time together at Stoke.

Stoke manager Nathan Jones admits is he is running out of time after a dismal start to the season in the Championship.

Stoke could ask Tony Pulis to return for a third spell in charge of the Championship club if they sack Nathan Jones, according to The Sun.

Stoke have endured a woeful start to the Championship season under Nathan Jones and are rooted to the bottom of the table with just two points from 10 matches.

The former England Under-21 international was due to appear at Willesden Magistrates' Court in north west London on Tuesday morning to answer the charge, but never turned up.

Millwall have appointed former Stoke City and Derby County boss Gary Rowett as their new manager, following the deaprture of Neil Harris earlier this month.

EXCLUSIVE: Stoke City HAVE FIRED manager Nathan Jones, after the club slipped to second bottom of the Championship following a dismal run of results.

Alex Neil is the man Stoke City want as their next manager following the dismissal of Nathan Jones on Friday. The Potters currently find themselves in the relegation zone following a poor start.

Preston reacted angrily to widespread reports that Neil was Stoke's favoured choice and that he was ready to take on the challenge of resurrecting the Championship's bottom placed club.

The Potters parted company with Jones last week after a poor start to the Championship season that has left them fighting a relegation battle and want Clarke to be the man to take over.

Stoke are on the look out for a new manager after sacking Nathan Jones on November 1 after just nine months in charge, with the club rooted to the bottom of the Championship table.

Stoke have made a formal approach to the Irish FA and are ready to pay the £650,000 compensation figure included in the new contract Michael O'Neill signed in February 2018 to bring him to the Potteries.

The Potters sacked Nathan Jones a week ago after he failed to point them back in the direction of the Premier League, and they have now turned to the highly regarded O'Neill.

PETER CROUCH: During a freak football accident, I knocked out a fellow pro. It was one of the scariest incidents I experienced on a pitch. For this reason, I know exactly how Son Heung-min must feel.

MATT HUGHES - AHEAD OF THE GAME: Stoke City's new manager, Michael O'Neill, may be forced to sell players in January to help club avoid falling foul of EFL's profit and sustainability rules.

EXCLUSIVE BY MIKE KEEGAN: A small section of fans of the home club were heard to sing songs including the words 'f*** the Pope and the IRA' and 'f*** the IRA' a number of times.

EXCLUSIVE: Sportsmail understands that candidates to replace Michael O'Neill believe they would have to wait until after Euro 2020 finals to take over should the team make it through.

O'Neill was installed as Stoke City boss last week but it was confirmed that he will take charge of the final Group C qualifiers against Holland and Germany, as well as a potential play-off.

A goalless draw with Holland in Belfast on Saturday ended Northern Ireland's hopes of automatic qualification from Group C, even before their final qualifier against Germany tomorrow.

The 28-year-old Rangers understudy is being considered as Middlesbrough brace themselves for an offer from West Ham for current number one Darren Randolph.

Stoke want £15million for Allen, 29, who is on around £65,000 per week, yet West Ham are looking to pay closer to £8m. Stoke had interest from Burnley in the summer who remain admirers.

JASON MELLOR AT THE RIVERSIDE STADIUM: Lewis Wing added to his collection of stand out strikes to put the brakes on Stoke's bid to climb out of the Championship drop zone.

PETER CROUCH: It's the final Saturday of the decade, so what better time to reflect on the 10 years just gone? I wanted to look back on the highs and lows I've experienced in football.

Sportsmail has put together an utterly comprehensive, infallible and objective guide to the top 10 Premier League goals between 2010 and the start of 2020.

Aston Villa are poised to step up their search for a goalkeeper and a striker with the club expecting Wesley and Tom Heaton face significant spells out of action.

Stoke City midfielder Peter Etebo is in talks over a move to Getafe. The 24-year old is due to join on loan with view to a permanent sale. Etebo joined Stoke from Feirense in the summer of 2018.

The charge relates to chants heard during the Sky Bet Championship clash between Barnsley and Stoke at Oakwell on November 9, which the Potters won, in the run-up to Remembrance Sunday.

Excellent strikes form Anthony Knockaert and Harry Arter saw Fulham overcome Aston Villa in the third round of the FA Cup while Watford blew a 3-0 lead at home to Tranmere Rovers.

SIMON JONES: Manager Garry Monk is having to work on a tight budget but wants to strengthen his goalscoring options as he strives to make an impression on the play-off places.

Celtic are expected to watch Stoke City striker Tyrese Campbell on Saturday ahead of a potential move. The 22-year-old is out of contract in the summer and Celtic are interested.

Cardiff City boss Neil Harris is interested in a reunion with Stoke City forward Lee Gregory after their success together at Millwall.

JANINE SELF AT THE HAWTHORNS: What started as a night of goal-scoring celebration ended with the prospect of a lengthy stint in the rehab room for Stoke striker Tyrese Campbell

Fulham took full advantage of Leeds' slip and closed the gap to the automatic promotion places with a 1-0 win at blackburn. Aleksandar Mitrovic's 20th league goal of the season fired them into third place.

The pair were engaged in a running battle during Preston's 2-0 away victory at the bet365 Stadium, and it appears there is little love lost between the pair.

The 27-year-old joined Stoke for a club-record £18.3m from Porto in 2016 but struggled to make an impression and has been out on loan at Italian side Lecce who held an option to buy at £3.5m.

Kenwyne Jones has lifted the lid on the 'deplorable' pigs head prank he was on the receiving end of at Stoke and had members of the Muslim community contacting him offering to 'handle the situation.' 

The sanction relates to chants heard during the Sky Bet Championship clash between the sides on November 9, which the Potters won 4-2.

He was forced off at half-time after an awkward landing having tripped over Hull's Daniel Batty and will miss the rest of the season before sitting out this summer's tournament in addition.

The nickname was a reference to a former team-mate who, rather than having a drinks break with the rest of the squad, would instead have a chat with the manager and coaching staff.

James McClean has been punished after posting an image of himself in a balaclava, accompanied by a caption that read 'today's school lesson - history', interpreted as a reference to the IRA.

James McClean has attempted to defend his controversial Instagram post in which he appeared to mimic the IRA in a home schooling session with his children. 

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BY IAN LADYMAN: Instead of the intensity of a survival fight and the anticipation of a Euro 2020 play-off game, O'Neill is living his life in suspended animation.

Dykes, who is 6ft 2ins tall and quick, has been followed by a number of Championship sides but Stoke hope they can strike a bargain ahead of rivals once the transfer window opens this summer.

Shaqiri has been a peripheral figure at Anfield having played just 256 minutes of football all season and the Reds are open to bids for the winger but may have to accept a lower fee.

The clamour for Mohamed Sankoh is growing after an impressive campaign at Stoke's academy, scoring nine goals and registering nine assists in his 16 appearances for the club's Under-18 side

Benik Afobe has opened up on having to bury his baby daughter last year after kissing her goodbye, and the outpouring of love his family has received since the tragic event.