HITC understands Stoke City are doing work on potential replacements for Steven Schumacher, and former legendary boss Tony Pulis is a target.

66-year-old Tony Pulis is one of Stoke’s all time greats and the club have looked in his direction as they look to retain their Championship status.

HITC understands that Schumacher – who was only appointed in December – is on the brink of losing his job at the Bet365 Stadium.

Stoke’s owner the Coates Family have a long-standing relationship with Pulis following his ten years at the club – over two different spells.

However, HITC understands that Pulis is not ready to consider coming out of retirement at this stage.

Heath link

Another name that is believed to be on their radar is Adrian Heath – who last year ended a six-year stint in charge of MLS outfit Minnesota United.

63-year-old Heath, who was born in Staffordshire, began his professional career playing for Stoke – playing over 100 games for the club before being snapped up by Howard Kendall at Everton.

Having parted company with director of football Ricky Martin, interim appointment Jon Walters is set to oversee the appointment of Schumacher’s replacement, if and when they make the change.

Stoke, who have dropped into the relegation places this month, are due to face Middlesbrough this weekend and it is believed that anything but a win could very well see a change of manager.

Rallying call

Walters for his part has issued something of a rallying call ahead of the weekend’s clash at the Bet365 Stadium.

He told the Stoke Sentinel: “The fans in Stoke want players to represent who they are and what their values are and they don’t ask for much. It’d be great if someone could do 10 stepovers but they want someone to run through a brick wall and chase lost causes. When the chips are down they want to see that they’re representing them.

“I’ve spoken to the players to say it doesn’t take a lot to get fans onside and use their energy. When you use that, it makes you confident. You don’t even have to touch the ball as a striker for the first 10 minutes but it builds confidence inside, feeding off the energy of the crowd. The energy in here is unbelievable when it’s rocking.

“When there’s a lull, you need to know how to get the fans back onside. There are moments in games when it’s slow and quiet or someone makes a mistake so don’t shrink. When you show you won’t shrink, when you do the basics and the head coach’s non-negotiables, you’ll be ok, they’ll love you. If you can do that and 10 stepovers you’re a god.”