Stoke City manager Nathan Jones has no regrets over employing his trusted 4-4-2 diamond formation after his side's 3-1 defeat away at Brentford on Saturday afternoon.

The Welshman was looking to make it the perfect start to his tenure with the Potters, and looked to turn his side's fortunes around after a dismal run of form of late.

The former Luton manager employed a 4-4-2 diamond system on Saturday afternoon, a formation that served him so well during his time at Kenilworth Road with the Hatters - with Ryan Woods at the tip of the diamond, and Tom Ince playing in behind the strikers.

But despite his side's 3-1 defeat to the Bees, Jones insisted that "Rome wasn't built in a day", as he looks to implement his attacking philosophy at the Bet365 Stadium.

"If I was looking to just come here and win the game as a one off then I may have gone a different way today - but we are looking to build something here, we are going to build something here, so I think it is important to get certain things into the players right from the offset."

"Of course, we wanted to win the game, we came here with the intention of doing that, but we are a work in process, and we are having to learn as we move on - Rome wasn’t built in a day."

The result at Griffin Park leaves the Potters sitting in 15th position in the Sky Bet Championship table, eight points off the play-off places after three defeats in their last four games.

They now face Leeds United and Preston North End at home in the next couple of weeks.

The Verdict

I fully commend Jones for going in, not playing it safe, and implementing his own tactics and system straight away, especially away from home.

He's a fantastic, young manager who more than deserves his shot at managing in the Championship.

The formation can work with a plethora of talent in midfield, and perhaps the January transfer window is the ideal time for him to bring in some players that will suit his system.