Paul Lambert
Stoke City have appointed Paul Lambert as their new manager to end their difficult search to find a replacement for Mark Hughes.
Although the former Aston Villa and Norwich City manager is not a universally popular choice among Stoke fans, chairman Peter Coates and the board believe the club’s current position in the bottom three require a safe pair of hands to guide them out of trouble.
Lambert, 48, has never been relegated as a manager and gained international experience as a player, winning the Champions League with Borussia Dortmund.
Stoke confirmed the appointment before Monday night’s game against Manchester United at Old Trafford allowing the Scot to watch his new players.
Lambert, who impressed in his interview, will be officially unveiled on Tuesday after Stoke decided he was the right man to keep the club in the top-flight.
Chairman Coates said of Lambert: ‘Paul greatly impressed us with his knowledge of our squad and had a clear plan of how he would improve our results.
‘He’s a man who backed himself as a player, none more so than when he turned down contract offers in Scotland to go on trial in the German Bundesliga with Borussia Dortmund, and it’s obvious he adopts the same approach as a manager.’