Stoke & Staffordshire

Stoke City can turn around their disappointing start to the Championship season and climb the table, says new signing Ben Johnson.

The 26-year-old full-back joined the Potters from Ipswich Town last week on a season-long loan and made his debut in a 3-1 loss at Southampton on Saturday.

Stoke have lost both their opening games but Johnson, who won promotion with Ipswich last season, believes fortunes can change quickly.

"We're in a tough league - last year at Ipswich we didn't win in the first three games and we're in the situation here," Johnson told BBC Radio Stoke.

"Last season we didn't play great in a lot of the games, it was a grind with teams making it difficult for us to play and teams will do the same here.

"Results will change, we're going to go a goal down or a goal up and it's how we manage the games - once we get a lot of the lads back from injury that will make a big difference to the squad and the confidence of everyone."

The defender was the second Ipswich player to move to Stoke last week with striker George Hirst signing for an undisclosed fee and Johnson believes he will prove his worth.

"I've known him for a couple of years now - he was fantastic last season in his contribution in getting Ipswich promoted and he's an excellent signing for Stoke so let's hope we can get him up and running as soon as possible because he's not really had a pre-season," he added.

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Stoke City have rejected a bid from Hull City for winger Sorba Thomas. The Potters have turned down an offer in the region of £7m for the 27-year-old Welsh international. (Hull Live), external

Find more of Tuesday's EFL gossip here.

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Stoke City boss Mark Robins was frustrated with the quality of his substitutes in their loss to Southampton on Saturday, but former Potters defender Gareth Owen thinks the starting XI also needs to take some responsibility.

"I'd also look at the starters because some of the changes he [Robins] probably didn't want to make," Owen told BBC Radio Stoke.

"He didn't want to take Eric Bocat off, he didn't want to disrupt that back four, but because he was flagging from a physical perspective, he felt he needed to do that.

"The circumstances for Stoke are a couple of players missed pre-season, two new players coming in haven't been the priority players at Ipswich so they have to get back up to speed, look how many games Sam Gallagher played last year, how many games Ben Gibson played last year.

"The club have come out and said they get better over the course of the season but you don't want to give yourself too much to do. Certainly on the basis of that last 30 minutes, you definitely saw a difference in the physicality of the players."

Listen to the full reaction below or on BBC Sounds here.

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We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's match between Southampton and Stoke City.

Here are some of your comments:

Southampton fans

Michael: With so much uncertainty hanging around thanks to the FA and subsequent player transfers, it's doubly hard for Southampton to make progress at the moment.

So a win like this is vital. A testament to Tonda Eckert's coaching skills and his players' ability to overcome such a devastating end to last season.

We stand by the Saints full of pride.

Peter: Phew! A bit lucky! Was at the game on Saturday. Thought we looked very rusty. However, glad to get the result. We need to improve!

Adam: Good win but need players in, especially in defence and midfield.

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Stoke City fans

Mark: Bad game management yet again from Mark Robins, we were holding our own until he decides to change it. It went downhill from there.

There are people at our club that seriously need to take a long hard look at themselves.

David: Strange selection from the manager playing Ben Gibson and not Luke Graham, and also not bringing Million Manhoef on. Shows negativity from the manager instead of trying to win the game. The chance of winning was there but the negative substitutions worked against us, and then to throw the subs under the bus was poor. Please be more positive, Mr Robins.

Craig: Very lacklustre second half for Stoke. They fell to pieces.

Second league defeat in a row for Robins this season and an abysmal record since last January. I reckon he could well be sacked this week as a result.

Mark Elliott
BBC Radio Stoke’s Stoke City Commentator

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The glucose gels were being passed around not long after the hour mark as Stoke's players began to flag in the heat.

Up until then, they'd been the better side but fell away along with their energy levels against a Southampton team that kept the ball well and ran the legs from under the away side.

The Potters have rebuilt their medical department and changed how they work between games to try and avoid the number of injuries that ruined last season, and they hope to get stronger as the season goes on, but right now, they look a bit undercooked.

That means they need their substitutes to make an impact off the bench, but the manager, Mark Robins, was left questioning the attitude and motivation of the players he brought on after the game.

In both of their opening matches, opposition substitutes have been decisive, while Stoke's have struggled to affect the action.

Ben Johnson looks like a good addition to the squad, and George Hirst got valuable minutes under his belt as both made their debuts.

Stoke need a positive result pretty quickly though, to restore the optimism created by a summer of significant expenditure in the transfer market.

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Stoke City boss Mark Robins spoke to BBC Radio Stoke after defeat to Southampton at St Mary's.

For a written selection of his quotes, click here.