Ex-Ireland international Rory Delap has been placed in charge of Stoke City on an interim basis following the departure of Nathan Jones after just nine months in charge.
Delap had been a first-team coach under Jones for his entire tenure, as well as serving under previous manager Gary Rowett. With assistant manager Paul Hart and first-team coach Joaquin Gomez also departing the club alongside Jones, Delap has been placed in charge of a team that are 23rd in the Championship.
Jones was sprung from Luton Town in January as a replacement for Gary Rowett. Furthermore, The Potters went into the season as favourites for promotion, yet with just two league wins all season, the departure of Jones seemed written on the wall for a number of weeks.
In a club statement, Jones said:
I would like to thank John and Peter Coates, firstly for the opportunity to manage this Football Club and then for the continued support and patience throughout my time here. I would also like to thank the supporters for their fantastic support. Finally, I wish the Club the very best for the future.
One of the player's earmarked in our most underrated Irish players on The Balls.ie Football Show, Delap started his coaching career in Derby County's academy in 2015, staying with the Rams until June 2018. He'll be joined by backroom staff members Kevin Russell and Andy Quy.
The long-throw specialist has a plethora of Irish talent at his disposal, including Nathan Collins, Stephen Ward, James McClean and Scott Hogan.
Delap's reign won't get off to the easiest of starts, with his Stoke side taking on Championship leaders West Brom at the Bet365 Stadium on Monday night.
