It has been a hugely disappointing start to the season for Stoke City, who sit rock bottom of the Sky Bet Championship table after the first seven games of the campaign.

Big things were expected of the Potters after they made a host of new signings in the summer, with big names such as Nick Powell, Liam Lindsay and Lee Gregory putting pen to paper at the Bet365 Stadium.

But Nathan Jones has since struggled to get to grips with his new-look squad, and they succumbed to their sixth defeat of the season against Bristol City at the weekend.

After picking up just one point from a possible 21 so far, the pressure is starting to pile on Jones, who has won just four games in charge of the Staffordshire outfit since making the move over from Luton Town last term.

The Welshman has urged the board to remain patient, but latest reports suggest that the club are already starting to prepare for life after Jones.

The Mirror (16 September, Football pull-out, page 18) claims that the club will look to appoint former Brighton and Hove Albion boss Chris Hughton as their new manager if they are to part company with Jones.

This has got plenty of Stoke fans - particularly on social media - excited. Not only about the thought of getting rid of Jones, but hiring a manager who possesses much more experience than his potential predecessor.

It's clear to see why Stoke fans would be happy with the appointment of Hughton - the 60-year-old has won promotion from the Championship twice in his managerial career, with Newcastle in 2010 and Brighton in 2017.

But the veteran coach has been without a job since the end of last season, where despite keeping Brighton up in the Premier League for another year, he was sacked after a poor run of results.

The Seagulls then went and appointed Swansea boss Graham Potter - a younger manager known for his fresh, attractive, attacking style of play, with the club hoping to go up another level under his management.

This indicates that Hughton's ideas and philosophy had become outdated, hence making what was initially seen as a risky move when appointing an unproven boss in Potter.

Hughton's style of play and footballing philosophy is different to that of Jones', and completely changing the way that Stoke play could land them in even more trouble.

If the players fail to grasp a proper understanding of how Hughton wants his team to play, then come Christmas time, the Potters could still find themselves in the midst of a relegation battle - then where do they turn?

In terms of Jones - there a section of Stoke fans who are still backing him to the very end, with plenty hoping that he is given more time to turn things around.

Their performance against Bristol City was a huge improvement from that of before the international break, and it took time for him to succeed at Luton when he first took charge at Kenilworth Road in 2016.

Whilst Hughton would be a more experienced, successful candidate, the Championship has changed a lot in the last few years, and whether he could adapt to life in the second tier is a mystery.