Mark Robins opens up on relationship with John Coates after Stoke announcements

CommentsSportPeter Smith Stoke City reporter14:31, 06 Mar 2026Mark Robins admits he feels a debt to John Coates to drive Stoke City to better times – as it is confirmed the club will freeze season ticket prices for 19th successive season.

It has been a big fortnight of off-field announcements at Stoke, from the new first team training building opening to confirmation in the latest accounts about debts being wiped when Coates took over from bet365 as sole owner.

Now season tickets have gone on sale for 2026/27 at the same price they were set back in 2008, starting at £344 for an adult seat and £1 a game for under-11s.

Robins has been frustrated by his side’s slide away from the Championship pacesetters over the last couple of months and he feels a responsibility to make Coates’ level of investment and backing make sense.

FOLLOW OUR FACEBOOK PAGE! Latest Stoke City news, analysis and more via the Sentinel

He said: “It’s something that is incredible. It’s someone who is prepared to use their personal circumstances in that way to try to help the club that he loves, like everyone else connected with the club, be successful.

“There aren’t really any lengths he won’t go to, to try to make that happen. I think that is there for everyone to see. We owe him that debt of gratitude but also that drive to continue to pursue that goal.”

Robins, who takes his team to Swansea away (Saturday, 3pm), added: “I take it really seriously and want to bring success. We all crave that.

“I feel like I’ve got a really good personal relationship with John and that drives you on more. You feel a responsibility to him as well as supporters. I think that is clear.

“We talk about what he does with season ticket prices and freezing those and the travel to away matches is just another part of it to try to help people who support us, make it more affordable to watch football. We know in this day and age it’s very difficult to do that because of everything else that is going on.

“It’s outstanding, really outstanding, the level of commitment he shows, and 100 per cent I want to show that back.”

Stoke are 11 points better off than they were at this stage last year, even if Robins is clearly annoyed that they are now 10 points away from the play-off places. He doesn’t quite ask for patience as he looks to future progress.

He said: “Of course it’s a longer-term thing. You don’t go from almost relegated to promoted unless you are really, really good and really fortunate because you’ve got to keep people fit, you’ve got to make sure recruitment is right, you’ve got to make sure all elements are right. We get a lot of things right, a lot of things.

“Nothing happens immediately, especially when you’re coming from a place that we have – and that wasn’t just one season, it was over a number of seasons. Change, yes, change for the better is what we are aiming for and it’s always an incremental thing.

“In terms of asking for patience, I’ve been here for 14 months and supporters have been here for life. They’ve had all of their experiences and I’m trying to move things forward as quickly as I can with the resources I’ve got available and make sure it’s in a better place year on year. That’s something I’ve got a track record of doing.

“I look forward to it. It’s a brilliant club, I love working here. I think it’s fantastic. We’ve just got to make sure it keeps happening and I look forward to seeing the supporters again at Swansea and putting in a performance that warrants three points.”

What do you think? Click HERE to join the debate

We have launched a new WhatsApp group to deliver the latest Stoke news directly to your phone. Click the link select 'Join Chat' and you're in. If for some reason you decide you no longer want to be in our community, you can leave at any time by clicking on the name at the top of your screen and clicking 'Exit Group', simple as that.

Every day, the StokeonTrentLive football desk strive to deliver news, features and transfer-related stories as a part of our overall package of Stoke City content.

Our dedicated reporter Pete Smith - who you can follow on X - follows Stoke home and away and offers you comprehensive coverage from matchdays, press conferences and everything that happens in between.

If you prefer reading our Stoke stories on your phone, consider downloading the Stoke-on-TrentLive app, in which you can personalise the content you see by selecting Stoke City as one of your designated topics. You can get it from Apple