At his Tuesday unveiling, Paul Lambert said he did not care if he was ‘fifteenth or fiftieth’ choice for the Stoke City job.
After a rousing second-half performance secured an instant impact for the Glaswegian, the Potters supporters who slated his appointment after others declined the opportunity may well share those emotions.
The bet365 stadium on a freezing January day with a hint of snow in the skies above does not seem like an obvious place for a party. But following goals from Joe Allen and Mame Diouf – and a clean sheet rarer than rocking horse droppings - they were dancing in its aisles.