Stoke City manager Gudjon Thordarson has a lot riding on this coming campaign after the club's play-off disappointment last season.

The Potters were many people's favourites to grab automatic promotion to the first division but instead finished fifth in the table, and then crashed to a 4-2 defeat in the second leg of their play-off semi-final against Walsall to miss out on a trip to the Millennium Stadium.

Thordarson considered quitting the Brittania Stadium at the end of the season after receiving hate mail and abusive phone calls in the wake of City's play-off defeat believing there was an anti-Icelandic faction who wanted him out.

He has stayed to have another go but, after discussions with the board, has cut the remaining three years on his contract to one - which appears to be a clear indication that it's now or never for the manager.

Thordarson said: "People should have an opinion, but it should never get personal like that. Maybe it's because I am a foreigner. It's a fact a lot of people in England don't like foreigners. Of course what was said wasn't nice and it did cross my mind to leave.

"But I am no quitter and will always stay to fight my corner. If I had walked away then, these people would have been the winners and I wasn't going to let that happen."

Thordarson helped spearhead the Icelandic takeover in November 1999, but remains convinced there has been opposition to the foreign arrival since day one.

"You have to remember about 20 per cent of fans were never happy with the Icelandic takeover," he claimed, "and maybe they are now making the loudest noise.

"But I still believe the big majority of supporters understand my situation and realise what we are trying to achieve here at Stoke City."

Promotion, like everyone else in the division, is what Thordarson is trying to achieve.

And this week has been a busy one for The Potters with plenty of pre-season activity as the manager tries to get the balance right this term.

Grimsby defender Peter Handyside is the latest new recruit with the 27-year-old completing his signing on Tuesday. The central defender joins 24-year-old midfielder David Rowson from Aberdeen.

However, Nicky Mohan and Ben Petty were on their way out this week to join Hull City having been released from their contracts.

Stoke's new faces have been funded by Eire international Graham Kavanagh's near £1million exit to division two rivals Cardiff City - the sort of move which does not sit well with Potters fans especially as there is no love lost between them and the Welsh supporters.

The last time Cardiff played Stoke at the Brittania Stadium violence erupted among opposing supporters which left 12 police officers and 27 members of the public injured.

Stoke are also sweating on the outcome of an appeal as Belarus defender Sergei Shtaniuk tries to get a work permit.

John Rudge, the club's football executive, has also confirmed that more new faces are being sought and that they are monitoring Swansea's Welsh under-21 winger Stuart Roberts and Fulham's former Crewe midfielder Wayne Collins.

Australian goalkeeper Adrian Cagalji and Belgian Jurgen van Deurzen were also on trial with the club this week. City have dipped into the non-league market with 18-year-old goalkeeper Ben Foster taken from Racing Club Warwick for £5,000.

The manager's son, Bjarni Gudjonsson, may not be there by the time Albion meet Stoke as he has been transfer-listed at his father's insistence to protect the 21-year-old from the club's fiercer critics among supporters and in the media.

Highly-rated midfielder James O'Connor could also be on the move as he is on the transfer list but the prolific Peter Thorne, last season's highest scorer, will still lead the line.

If Stoke do get promotion this time around, Thordarson will have done it his way as he is promising a more hands-on approach after coach Nigel Pearson was let go after his contract ended and no replacement was sought.

Mike Legg mike.legg@theargus.co.uk