Andy Hinchcliffe has stated that it 'could get worse before it gets better' for Nathan Jones' Stoke City side.

The Potters sit bottom of the league having picked up just one point from their opening six games.

September's first set of Championship fixtures sees Jones' side host fifth placed Bristol City at the Bet 365 Stadium, before travelling to a confident Brentford side.

They end the month at home once more, in what will be another tricky contest against a much improved Nottingham Forest team, who look in good knick under new boss Sabri Lamouchi.

Hinchcliffe has questioned Jones' future, and thinks it could be just a matter of time before the boss faces serious talks about his future.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Hinchcliffe said: "At this stage just because you are in the bottom two places it doesn't necessarily mean that you have been the worst two teams in the league.

"Huddersfield have been unlucky to lose a couple of games, while Stoke haven't quite got their formation working yet under Nathan Jones.

"They have created a lot of chances that they haven't taken and let in some really soft goals - Jack Butland, in particular, has had a very tough time.

"For Stoke, who have some really tough games coming up, it could get worse before it gets better.

"It could only be a matter of time for Nathan Jones if they keep on this run, regardless of how they play.

"Things need to improve for them at both ends of the pitch."

The Verdict

It has been a really dismal start to the season for Stoke and to be honest, it really does not look like improving at any point soon.

They'll be hoping that they've found some inspiration over the international break otherwise another loss on Saturday could spell real trouble for boss, Jones.

It's a big game in the context of the season, and with Huddersfield already making a managerial change, it'll be interesting to see if Stoke pull the trigger in the coming weeks or stick with their man.