Former Stoke City boss Lou Macari has praised the immediate impact Michael O'Neill has had with the club and has revealed that he is convinced the Potters will stay up.

The Northern Ireland chief was named as Nathan Jones' successor on Friday and was in the dugout on Saturday as the side comfortably beat relegation rivals Barnsley at Oakwell.

O'Neill's men ran out 4-2 winners and put in a strong display, with Macari telling Stoke-On-Trent Live that he is adamant the Staffordshire outfit will remain in the Championship.

"I can’t be the only fan of Stoke City who’s now feeling a lot more confident about Championship survival. I must be honest and say that without a change somewhere, after losing 11 in 15, I was fearing the worst.

"But two things have now changed my mind. The identity of the new manager and Saturday’s win at Barnsley. That wasn’t just a victory in Michael O’Neill’s first game in charge, it was a win over their nearest relegation rivals."

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The Potters are back in action after the international break when they welcome Wigan to the bet365 Stadium.

The verdict

The new boss deserves huge credit because in the matter of a few days he has managed to transform the club and this proves that.

There is a real optimism among the support after the important win and fans will now be looking forward to the next game under O'Neill later this month.

It should be noted that they are still in an awful position but they have the players to get out of this mess and many, like Macari, will fancy the team to survive.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.