Recent Stoke City signing Ben Gibson says he hopes his “loud and noisy” on-field persona will rub off on his new team-mates and help the side achieve “really good things” this season.
The 31-year-old centre-back joined the Potters from Norwich City last month on a three-year deal.
The former Burnley defender brings experience of both the Premier League and promotion to the top flight as Stoke aim to improve on their 17th-place finish last term.
“We have a clear objective to make this season very different to last,” Gibson told BBC Radio Stoke.
“We want to implement this winning feeling that the team built at the end of last season.
“It’s a demand we don’t want to fall away from because it’s good habits. It has to stay at that level.”
Trying to maintain that standard is uppermost in Gibson’s mind as he continues to settle into his new surroundings on the club’s pre-season tour of Ireland.
He says he has been “really impressed” by the “athleticism and power” in the squad and hopes he can help his new team-mates with the vocal aspect of his game.
“I know I’m noisy and loud and you’re aware people are already sussing you out in the same way I’m getting to know them – so you have to be mindful of it,” Gibson said.
“But I was brought in because that’s a characteristic the club know I have.
“That’s the type of player I am. I won’t change that, it’s something that aids my game and hopefully benefits the people around me.”
‘There’s no ceiling to this football club’
Gibson has won promotion from the Championship twice – with Middlesbrough in 2015-16 and Norwich four seasons ago – and he joins a club that is desperate to get back to challenging for a top-flight return.
Since relegation from the Premier League in 2018, Stoke have failed to finish higher than 14th in the second tier.
Current boss Steven Schumacher is the club’s fifth manager in a little under five years, having replaced Alex Neil in December.
Despite flirting with the drop in a difficult campaign last season, Stoke rallied to win their last three games in a run that saw them lose only once in eight matches.
And it is that momentum Gibson wants to build on.
“It’s just about guiding that and the club, the manager and the team have made the first steps towards doing that at the back end of last season,” he said.
“They achieved their objectives – they survived – but they didn’t just settle for that, they won their other games and continued to kick on.
“You don’t want to build it up too much – we haven’t played a league game yet – but I’m really happy with everything I’ve seen.
“I think we’ve got some serious talent here. We can do some really good things this season.
“Personally, I hope I can bring and add a lot – whether that’s on the pitch or off it – from a cultural point of view. That’s a big thing but that’s already started to change last season.
“We have to keep on pushing because there’s no ceiling for this football club.”
Ben Gibson,Stoke City,BBC Radio Stoke,Premier League
