Robins, who is in his first full season in charge having taken over in January 2025, said it was important the Potters “take stock, move forward and improve” next season.
He added lessons will be learned from their transfer business after several players were brought in from across Europe and took time to find their feet.
“I said in January, bring players in and they’ve got to get up to speed, they’ve got to know what they’re coming up against on a weekly basis, whether that’s a three-game week, different opponents, different tactics, different strengths, weaknesses,” Robins said.
“Until you get to grips with that and make the best of your ability where you can compete properly and show off your attributes, then it can be a difficult and lonely place for individuals.
“That has been sort of borne out. But that isn’t a surprise. If you get players in from different leagues, they have a totally different way of playing. So it just takes a little bit of time.
“We’ve got a stronger group together, but it’s a work in progress. People don’t want to hear it because they want instant success. It just doesn’t happen unless you’ve got the wherewithal to go and spend millions putting your squad together that’s ready-made.”
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(471x244:473x246)/CNN-New-Years-Eve-with-Anderson-Cooper-123124-9952e5f00fc1425f87113ba2bfb97b29.jpg "Anderson Cooper Says He Once ‘Hated’ New Year’s Eve While Co-Hosting CNN Broadcast")
