Tuesday 24 April 2018 14:19, UK
Stoke have no plans to sack manager Paul Lambert, even if the club are relegated from the Premier League, chairman Peter Coates has told Sky Sports News.
The Potters currently sit in 19th spot on 29 points, four adrift of 17th-placed Swansea with three matches remaining.
Lambert has won just one of his 13 league matches since taking charge at the bet365 Stadium in January, but Coates believes there has been an improvement in the team's performances and organisation.
Coates has told Sky Sports News that Stoke's lack of goals this season has been crippling, with forwards Saido Berahino and Jese Rodriguez currently out of the first-team squad because of disciplinary problems.
However, the 80-year-old feels the goalscoring problem at the club is not Lambert's fault.
Stoke's hierarchy are not yet resigned to relegation to the Sky Bet Championship, but they are beginning to plan for life outside of the top-flight as a contingency.
Sky Sports News understands there is a reluctance to sell any of the club's best players as they seek to build a squad capable of securing an immediate return to the Premier League.
Stoke also have no plans to change director of recruitment Mark Cartwright, despite criticism from some supporters over the club's transfer policy.
Record signing Gianni Imbula, who cost £18.3m from Porto two years ago, is now on loan at Toulouse, while Berahino, a £12m addition from West Brom last January, has yet to score a league goal for Stoke.
Kevin Wimmer, a £18m signing from Tottenham last summer, has not started a game since New Year's Day.
