Jamie Donley and Maksym Talovierov are having to be patient for game time at Stoke City at the moment
Jamie Donley can follow in the footsteps of Ashley Phillips and get his chance at Stoke City sooner or later as Mark Robins explains his hopes for squad competition.
Stoke supporters were buzzing when Phillips returned for a second season on loan from Spurs after such a strong finish to last term. But the 20-year-old centre-back has had to be patient for his chance after a stellar start to the campaign from Ben Wilmot and Bosun Lawal.
He got the nod to make his first league start on Tuesday as Lawal shifted to right-back so Junior Tchamadeu could be rested – and an injury to Lawal that night means the door is open to cement his position in the side, starting with this weekend’s trip to old club Blackburn.
Eric Bocat, Robert Bozenik and Lamine Cisse came into the team at Middlesbrough for their first Championship starts of the term too.
Donley, like summer signing Maksym Taloveriov and newly-fit Steven Nzonzi, are now waiting for their turn – with demands to be all-in from Monday to Friday as well as a match day to make sure they will be ready when the time comes. Donley, also 20 and on loan from Spurs, has started two Carabao Cup ties but hasn’t got on the pitch in the league since a cameo in the win at Sheffield Wednesday back on August 16.
“They’re all alright,” said Robins. “Obviously there will be levels of frustration but they’ve just got to be patient. The work they do is key to them making a breakthrough. I have to see certain things in each individual to make me think, ‘Right, you’re ready.’
“It takes different lengths of time for people to do that and, within that time, it’s how focused and how determined they are which will determine if they are going to get a lot of game time, a little bit of game time or none.
“I can’t just dish out appearances or starts or minutes for people, it’s not that, but I’m also mindful that we’ve got players here both ours and on loan who will be chomping at the bit – and if they’re chomping at the bit, they will, 100 per cent, get opportunities.
“If they don’t and it becomes too tough for them then it will set them back and it will set us back as well because I want everybody fighting and people should want to get in this team.
“Look, I’m happy with them. I’m not saying (any of) that is happening but I’m saying they’ve got to guard against that.
“Performances in training and if they get on the pitch give me a chance to really have a look at them. I know they are good players. All of them. But they’ve got to accept competition and really drive to get into the starting line-up and stay there.”
No player, Robins insists, has been banging his door down to moan about a lack of playing time.
He said: “I don’t think it’s about accepting things, they’re understanding that the team is playing well and if you’re not in the team then you’ve got to work really hard to get there. At some point, when we’ve got everyone fit, there will be people who won’t want to miss out on the match day squad – although I don’t think they’ll be thinking that far ahead, they’ll be thinking about opportunities now.
“My track record is there for everyone to see. I give young players opportunities, I give older player opportunities… It doesn’t matter, if you are performing to a level.
“If your opportunity comes because of an injury or suspension or whatever, if you have worked hard and you’ve been in it (you can take it), rather than ‘woe is me’ and worrying about not being in the team, when you can short change yourself and let an opportunity pass you by. I don’t want that to happen.
“I want to promote proper competition. You’re looking for people to have a real buy-in and a part to play in the group and the success of everybody. It’s not just 11 players or one person, it’s a collective. That’s the most important thing and, if they understand it, it really does bode well.”
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