Mark Robins knows there is work to be done after his first game in charge of Stoke ended in a 0-0 draw against Sky Bet Championship basement boys Plymouth.
Argyle, who had shipped 35 goals in 13 away games prior to this weekend, battled their way to a point with a hard-earned first clean sheet on the road during the current campaign.
The Potters had the better chances but failed to break down the worst defence in the second tier during a frustrating afternoon.
After seeing his side huff and puff without much reward, Robins, who was appointed earlier this week, said: “There’s a lot to work on, clearly.
“But when you’re coming into a third game in a week, whoever you’re playing against, it’s really difficult.
“We created bits and pieces, but there weren’t enough clean strikes of the ball and there weren’t enough clean passes in the penalty area.
“The boys put a lot of work in, a lot of mental work, in terms of what we’re asking of them, we’ve drip-fed quite a lot of stuff into them.
“I said to the boys in the changing room that if you can’t win it, don’t lose it. We didn’t look like we were ever going to win the game, but it looked like it was a real struggle to create anything meaningful in the game.
“They tried to execute everything we asked them to do. For a first game, whilst it could be a disappointment to people, it was a reasonable point. It was a really good shift.
“They’re human beings so you can’t bombard them with information.
“It’s early days. But you’ve got to start somewhere. It’s the third clean sheet we’ve had on the bounce.
“We’ll get to know each other this week before Sunderland and I’d like a little cup run to be honest.
“I’m flexible with systems. It’s all down to the players you have available and the best they can be in a Stoke City shirt.”
Caretaker boss Kevin Nancekivell has overseen back-to-back draws at Plymouth since taking charge after Wayne Rooney’s departure.
He said: “A point away from home is not to be sneezed at in the Championship, especially at a tough place like this.
“There’s a reason why we’re bottom of the division and that’s the amount of goals we’ve been conceding.
“So to come here and get a clean sheet was very satisfying.
“It was just a case of the team doing their job a bit better than we have been doing away from home.
“We’re pleased with a point. It’s a long way to come off the back of a very long week.
“The players worked really hard and tirelessly. I can’t fault their work rate at all.”
