Stoke City are beginning to hit form in the Championship after a dismal start to the season, following their relegation from the Premier League last term.

Gary Rowett's men are unbeaten in three league games and have won their last two, as the former Derby County manager prepares to host former club Birmingham City on Saturday afternoon.

The Potters sit 14th in the Championship table after four wins, four draws and four defeats from their opening twelve league games, as they look to embark on a promotion push.

It has been a turbulent last few years for the Potters, who were always considered as the epitome of mid-table Premier League finishers.

Here, we take a look at the four most shocking moments at Stoke in the last five years...

The signing of Xherdan Shaqiri in 2015 was seen as the signing of the summer, arriving for a fee of £12million from Inter Milan.

The Swiss winger was linked with moves to many high-profile clubs having featured for Inter and Bayern Munich in the Champions League, therefore shocking the world of football when he moved to Staffordshire just a few years ago.

The current Liverpool winger made 84 appearances for the Potters netting 15 times.

Similarly to Shaqiri, the signing of Bojan was also yet another surprising transfer.

The former Barcelona playmaker was regarded as the next Lionel Messi at the Camp Nou, but his form deteoriated in Catalonia, hence moving to Stoke for a fee of £1.8million.

The 28-year old remains a current player under Gary Rowett.

Last year, to put it bluntly, was a shocking season for Stoke.

Mark Hughes got it woefully wrong in the transfer market and was unable to fill gaps in the side, and actually widened them.

Too many troublemakers in the side and Hughes was sacked before Paul Lambert tried in vain to keep the Potters up - and ten years in the Premier League were gone after a summer of mismanagement from top to bottom.

They may have hit somewhat good form now, but Stoke's start to the season was simply dismal.

With the squad they have on paper, the Potters should really be challenging for the automatic promotion spots, but after just one win from their opening seven league games, have they now left it too late already?