Stoke City 'to stick with Paul Lambert if relegated'

Stoke City have reportedly confirmed that they will stick with manager Paul Lambert even if they are relegated from the Premier League.

The Potters are 19th in the table, four points from a position of safety with three games left to play.

Lambert has won just one of his 13 games in charge of Stoke, but chairman Peter Coates has backed the manager in an interview with Sky Sports News and vowed not to sack him if the team drops into the Championship.

According to the report, Coates believes that the Potters have shown improvement under Lambert and does not blame his head coach for their problems on the pitch.

Lambert took charge at the bet365 Stadium in January, succeeding current Southampton boss Mark Hughes in the hotset.