Stoke City boss Alex Neil says this season has "hurt" but that he knows "exactly what needs to be done" to get the club back among the promotion contenders in the Championship.
The Potters finished 16th, nine points above the relegation zone and 16 points shy of the play-offs places this term.
The final-day defeat at Watford was their fifth in the last seven games of the campaign.
"It's not difficult to see what we need to try to fix," Neil said.
Neil was appointed six games into the Championship season after choosing to leave Sunderland, and made a solid start with three wins, three draws and two defeats in his first eight games in charge.