Craig Bellamy breaks silence on James Rowberry’s Stoke City move

Craig Bellamy explains James Rowberry’s Stoke City decision

Wales manager Craig Bellamy has paid tribute to James Rowberry after the coach decided to step away from his role with the national team to concentrate fully on his work at Stoke City.

Rowberry had been part of Bellamy’s coaching staff when he took up the position of assistant manager at Stoke in January 2025, working alongside Mark Robins. Since then, he had been balancing his club responsibilities with his role within the Wales setup.

However, following the conclusion of last season, Rowberry decided that his priority should be his full-time position at Stoke.

The 41-year-old played an important role as Wales secured places in the European Championship and World Cup qualifying play-offs. His departure came around the same time as fellow Wales coach Piet Cremers also moved on, taking up a full-time position with Club Brugge’s reserve side, Club NXT.

Bellamy has since brought in former Swansea manager Alan Sheehan and ex-Stoke defender and Wales captain Ashley Williams to strengthen his coaching team.

Speaking about the changes, Bellamy expressed his gratitude to both Rowberry and Cremers for their contributions during his first two years in charge.

He explained that Rowberry’s decision was understandable because Stoke offered him a full-time role, while Wales does not employ its coaching staff on a full-time basis.

Bellamy also praised Cremers for taking the opportunity to work with Club NXT and said he was excited about what Sheehan and Williams could bring to the Wales setup.

The Wales boss was particularly enthusiastic about Williams, describing the former defender as an outstanding captain and leader during his time with the national team.

Meanwhile, Stoke have strengthened their own coaching staff, bringing in Max Porter from Arsenal during the summer to replace Paul Nevin as joint assistant manager. Ryan Shawcross remains part of the first-team coaching staff, with Darren Behcet continuing as goalkeeping coach.