BREAKING NEWS: Apprehensive Stoke City supporters demonstrate to name a new manager in response to the team’s goal deficit in 13 games in an effort to retain their Championship standing..However…

Stoke City have had as few as 35 points from their opening 33 games of a season on 10 occasions since three points for a win was introduced 43 years ago. On four of those occasions they have been relegated; on five they have stayed up – on three occasions their fate being decided on the final day; and then there’s this one, hanging in the balance.

There are 13 matches to decide whether the Stoke class of 2023/24 can pull themselves clear of danger or be damned to infamy in the club’s history books with demons from 1926, 1990 and 1998. It is an infuriating position to be in having ended last season with a blank sheet of paper and a hard-earned healthy budget to set about building an all-new squad.

They are not the only team to be struggling at the moment – five in the bottom half have lost five of their last six games – but Stoke’s crisis seems the most self-inflicted. There was optimism about a reset last summer “to burn off apathy” after five consecutive finishes in the bottom half following relegation in the Premier League, and perhaps that why there is so much anger now.

Steven Schumacher, parachuted in to replace Alex Neil in December, is tasked with making sure Stoke stay above the dotted line and escape falling into League One for the first time since 2002. He has been trying to find a winning formula in a changing room which is bursting with players, to the extent that senior figures are going to miss out even on a place on a nine-man bench. Ryan Mmaee was demoted to train with the under-21s as the head coach made a stance on off-field ‘non-negotiables’.

A sell-out away end let players know their fury after a dismal defeat at Blackburn Rovers earlier this month but Stoke picked up a vital win over Queens Park Rangers before falling to a 1-0 home loss to Coventry last weekend. Stoke have only scored 30 times all year. Now Schumacher is preparing for an away trip to Cardiff and every fixture feels like a cup final. There is pressure from top to bottom: on the players, the coaches, technical director Ricky Martin, head of recruitment Jared Dublin and joint-chairman John Coates.

The mood is anxious, fingers are being pointed left, right and centre about who is to blame, everyone is being scrutinised – and there are tens of thousands of supporters desperately hoping and praying that somehow, anyhow, Stoke can scramble clear and plan for a better future starting at this level. It is a time when conspiracy theories and rumours take on a life of their own, sometimes even if they are stark raving bonkers. The only way to stop it is to win games and trust that Stoke are being navigated in the right direction.

The Coventry loss might not have been the end of the world in itself, but relegation wouldn’t be far from it and no one would be safe from supporter wrath. Stoke fans and fan sites have been having their say in swirling, fiercely-passionate online debates….

Stoke Loud & Proud: I’d like to continue to urge supporters to stop speculating and circulating unconfirmed rumours on social media. We are Stoke, win lose or draw. We love our club. We need to be united, and help our club through this rough patch, and not keep fuelling the fire. I think it’s time we all pack it in, support our club, and get behind the lads. They need your support. I know it’s difficult. If you can’t do this, your support is not welcome

Ian Fone: The fans perpetuating the toxic atmosphere around the club isn’t helpful, but it’s hard to put a brave face on it when it feels like our club is falling apart.

Neil Price: Been a Stoke fan since I was a boy. I saw them in Division One in the 1980s to the great times under Lou Macari, from relegation to promotions seen it all as a fan, and I’ll always support them no matter where they are. As of now, I just feel like the issues that have plagued this club haven’t been resolved and until that gets addressed nothing will get better. It’s clearly the decision making on mostly everything has been the problem, manager choices and player recruitment has failed every season.

Chris Clarke: Rough patch! It’s lasted for six years.

Gary Quinn: Schuey has adopted a type of Pulisball the last couple of games. Pity we haven’t got some better headers at the back though! The last two squads he put out did put the effort in though, with one obvious exception. It’s not going to be pretty between now and and May, but I’ll take it if we stay up. The speculation won’t do any harm in my opinion provided the players get backed each match for the effort they put it. And as long has Schuey keeps the dressing room we’ve got a chance. Agree that John Coates should be reviewing what’s gone wrong with recruitment as his priority though.

Steve Higgins: I think the reason we moan is because we actually care about our club and want what’s best for it. I will continue to support as always, but entitled to a moan when I don’t see things going well.

Neil Johnson: The 84/85 season was in the top tier, and we didn’t have a pot to piddle in. Now we’re in the second tier with mega-rich owners. I doubt there are too many clubs with our resources who didn’t just become a shambles, but stayed one. It just shouldn’t be happening.

Daniel Slee: Back in the day it was ‘My mate Dave has heard Lee Trundle was seen looking for houses, he must be signing.’ Now, it’s ‘But, my mate Dave has a screenshot of a text message so it must be true.’

Lee Davies: Another woeful season, on the back of six more woeful seasons. I really haven’t felt so disillusioned being a Stoke fan in 50 years of supporting them – and my first season ticket was that 84-85 season. This misery has no ending in sight.

Darren Williams: I do feel for Steven Schumacher. I don’t think he realised just what he was walking into.