Shaqiri hails super Stoke supporters

Stoke City fans are not used to seeing their team down in the dumps but winger Xherdan Shaqiri claims the decibel levels have gone up a notch this season at the bet365 Stadium.

The Potters sit 19th in the Premier league after two draws and four defeats from their six games and face a trip to Manchester United on Sunday in another daunting fixture.

Mark Hughes’ men have conceded four goals in a game on three occasions this term, but improved on Saturday in their 1-1 draw with West Brom – although they did ship a 90th-minute equaliser.

But Shaqiri, whose season has been disrupted by a calf injury, remains convinced Stoke will pull clear of danger and enjoy another positive campaign in front of their vocal supporters.

“Fans are not always delighted when we don’t win but we saw that they were behind us for 90 minutes and I’m really proud of them,” he said.

Photo by Ben Hoskins/Getty Images

“I want to thank them because they were amazing and are always behind us.

“We have to improve and have to play better and I am sure when we play like we did – for 95 minutes – we’ll get a lot more wins.

“Of course we are disappointed with the result but I think we played very well and it was a big improvement from the last few weeks.

“The game we played was very positive and I think in the next few weeks we’ll improve more and I am sure that we will come back in with three points more often than not.”