Jose Mourinho, Pep Guardiola, Carlo Ancelotti, Guus Hiddink, and now, Craig Shakespeare. The man who has forged a career as an admired No 2 can stand alongside members of management’s royalty in winning his first four Premier League games in charge.
Those garlanded names are the only others to achieve the feat and it is worth recognising the rarity of Shakespeare’s impact in that context. Since replacing Claudio Ranieri, this understated 53-year-old from the Black Country has propelled Leicester from inside the relegation places to in sight of the top half.
Beating Stoke lifts Leicester to 13th and just three points behind their ninth-placed opponents with a game in hand.