It is back to the drawing board for Michael O’Neill and Stoke City this summer after what was, in the end, a poor campaign for the club.

The Potters showed promise early on in the season, with their form suggesting that they may be able to challenge for a play-off place, but they fell away as the winter approached.

In the end, the club finished the season sitting 14th in the Championship after a particularly rocky period under O’Neill in March and April.

Mid-table is far from where the club are aiming to be, and, no doubt, this summer there will be plenty of transfer activity at the club in order to try and address their deficiencies on the pitch.

With the season over, though, we’ve looked back over the last five seasons at the club, and some of the fine players the Potters have had on the books in recent times.

Here, with some obvious choices in some places, and less obvious ones in others, we’ve picked out our best combined XI from those seasons.

Given his lofty heights in a Stoke City shirt, which included earning England honours whilst at the club, the goalkeeper in our best Stoke City XI from the last five seasons is Jack Butland.

Before departing the club in 2020, Butland made 168 appearances for the Potters, keeping 50 clean sheets during those matches.

The 29-year-old was the clear standout choice for our man in-between the sticks, even if he is reduced to a bench-warming role at Crystal Palace at the moment.

Right back was a really difficult position to choose from, with a lack of a standout option, so here, we looked to the current squad.

After registering six assists in 32 Championship matches this campaign, we've given the nod to current Potters full-back Tommy Smith.

Smith has proved his worth at the club in recent seasons, contributing with the occasional goals and assists whilst also carrying out his defensive duties well.

As such, he gets the nod to go into our best Potters XI.

On to the central defensive options now, and the selections here were slightly easier.

In terms of his ability and level of experience, Dutch defender Bruno Martins Indi gets our nod here.

Stoke City somehow managed to keep hold of Martins Indi following their relegation from the Premier League, and in the end, the defender racked up 137 appearances for the Potters.

Alongside Martins Indi it just had to be Ryan Shawcross.

Stoke City through and through, Shawcross is a legend of the club, and played a monumental role in their success over the last decade and more.

Having racked up 453 appearances for the Potters, Shawcross would undoubtedly be given the captain's armband in our side.

With his height, the powerful central defender also carries a threat from set-pieces, as evidenced by his 25 goals and 16 assists for the club throughout the years.

Another shoe-in in our best Stoke City XI was full-back Erik Pieters.

Pieters just about fits in the last five seasons at the club, but he first joined the Potters in 2013.

Going on to make 206 appearances in red and white, the former Dutch international was a key part of the Potters' efforts in the Premier League, and also initially remained with the club following their relegation.

Pieters recently suffered Premier League relegation once again with his current side Burnley.

In central midfield, we think we have a good partnership, with the first man in the centre of the park being Welsh international Joe Allen.

Like some others on this list, Allen has been a loyal servant to the Potters over the years, appearing 221 times for the club throughout his time there.

At 32-years-old, Allen is having as much influence as ever at the club having appeared 41 times for the Potters in the Championship in 2021/22.

Despite his injury struggles in the last couple of seasons, alongside Joe Allen, we've elected to go with Sam Clucas.

Having made 129 appearances for the club, Clucas' four years at Stoke City have not been without fault, but in 2019/20 when he managed to stay fit throughout the campaign, Clucas showed what a threat he can be.

In that season, the midfielder racked up 11 goals and four assists, and so would provide a goal threat from central midfield in our side.

On the left flank, we've elected to go with Irish international James McLean.

Spending three seasons with the club, McLean offered a consistent threat down the left hand side for the Potters, contributing goals and assists throughout his time at the club.

This is something that McLean continues to do at 33-years-old, starring  for Wigan Athletic  in the third-tier this season, scoring nine goals and registering seven assists as the Latics won promotion back to the Championship.

What choice did we have here at right midfield other than to choose Swiss international star Xherdan Shaqiri?

He may not have made as many appearances for the club as some others on this list, but his impact at the club and fan favourite status is significant nonetheless.

Going on to play for the likes of Liverpool and Lyon since departing the Bet365 Stadium, and starring for Switzerland, Shaqiri's abilities have been there for all to see and as such, he slots in on the right hand side of our attack.

Another easy choice here for our attacking midfielder, with Nick Powell getting an obvious nod from us here.

Powell has been fantastic since joining the club in 2019, scoring 24 goals and registering 10 assists in his 93 Potters appearances so far.

Although he has suffered with injuries this season, when healthy, he is a credible attacking threat from midfield, and as such, he is a shoe-in for our best Potters XI from the last five seasons.

One of the harder positions to choose in the team due to a lack of prolific goalscoring options, leading the line in our best Stoke City XI from the last five seasons is current forward Jacob Brown.

Scoring 13 goals and registering four assists in the Championship for Stoke City this season, Brown offers a clear threat up front, and we believe he would fit well into our side with creative players such as Shaqiri, Powell, and McLean around him.

Now a Scottish international, too, having earned his debut for his county this season, Brown is our choice to lead the attack through the centre.