Gary Rowett took the reigns at Stoke City after their dreadful relegation campaign and was tasked with bringing them back to the top flight.

After a decade in the Premier League, the Potters were relegated to the Championship after an awful season under Mark Hughes, where they didn’t put up much of a fight at all.

Rowett, who had done a satisfactory job at Derby County, jumped ship to Stoke, who offered to give him more money in the transfer window.

That is what they did, and Stoke splashed the cash in the transfer window, with Rowett welcoming a number of signings to the bet365.

In a Championship launch event in August, Rowett joked that Stoke were the bookies favourites for the title, but his start to life in Staffordshire hasn’t been great at all.

Here, we look at three lessons Rowett will have learnt at Stoke in 2018.

Do you agree, Stoke fans? Let us know in the comments.

The Championship is not easy. Rowett will have known this from his spells at other clubs, but it will have been drilled right into him at Stoke.

The club were indeed the favourites to go up before a ball was kicked, but it isn’t working out for Rowett, who will well know how hard it will be to get back to the Premier League.

Rowett will have learnt that he needs a new striker. Benik Afobe and Saido Berahino have shown glimpses, but they are not the level Stoke need to go up.

This may be something Stoke address in January, as they search for a 20-goal a season man.

Money does not buy success, in any division. Many clubs have come and gone and splashed the money, but squad harmony and tactics matter more.

Rowett may try to solve this problem by spending even more money, but unless the players gel together, it means little.