SAME STORY FOR HURRY POTTER
Neil: Copy Canaries and we will be in with a shout
STOKE CITY v BLACKBURN Championship: KO 3pm
ALEX NEIL has drawn parallels between Stoke’s campaign and Norwich’s charge into the Premier League eight years ago.
The Potters boss came under pressure during a poor start to the season, but went into the international break on a high after a five-game unbeaten run lifted Stoke away from the danger zone.
There was a major overhaul of the squad in the summer and Neil (bottom right) is convinced his side is beginning to click.
He is also convinced there are similarities to his experience at Carrow Road when he led the Canaries back into the top flight via the play-offs with 17 wins from 25 games after being appointed in January 2015.
“As long as we’re in touching distance and we come out of the window stronger than when we went into it, which I believe most certainly will be the case, then yes, we’ve every chance.
“If we’re in that sort of contention, I’ll be really pleased. I think with any team if you’re going to get promoted, you don’t really know until the end of January.
“You can have a bad five games and be down near the relegation zone, but nothing really kicks in until the end of January.
“I went to Norwich in January 2015 and we were about ninth in the league. We went on to win about 17 games between then and the end of the season.
“The point I’m making is that’s crunch time. That’s when you really need to kick into gear.
“If you can kick into gear at that time, there is always a late surge for a team that makes the play-offs. Every single season it happens.”
Neil’s belief in Stoke’s potential will be tested by a Blackburn side targeting a fourth successive away win in the league and with a better record on the road than at Ewood Park.
Boss Jon Dahl Tomasson said: “I would rather win every game, home and away, it’s true though. We had a fortress at Ewood last season and this season, we’re better away.
“The question is, what’s the reason for that?
“I think it’s down to the timing of the chances, nine out of 10 times we have more than the opponent.”