Sunderland (a) Monday 1st February - Not one for the neutral!

Not one for the neutral. Not one for the purists. Not a great advert for the Premier League. There are any number of well worn cliches that can be attributed to this bore draw (oh, there's another one.) If you're a Stoke fan however, you would simply call it a fairly standard away performance.

This encounter was to be watched at home in glorious sky HD and naturally I invited a few friends around to share in my team's impending victory. Rather foolishly I was half expecting to witness a thrilling away performance that would put to bed and dispel the 'hoofball' label we have been unfavourably tagged with thus far during our top flight stint.

Alas after 94 minutes, I looked around the room at the barely conscious and slightly annoyed faces of my former friends and could do nothing but offer the most insincere of apologies for depriving them of an hour and half of their lives they will never get back. (I say insincere because I'm not THAT sorry, after all, they don't have to watch that week in week out!)

The starting line up once again saw Tone rotating his 'special' forwards Tuncay and Fuller, and playing one of them alongside Big Mama. This is a controversial subject for many Stoke fans, who still fail to see why Tony won't play Riccy and Tuncay up front together. I am slightly on the fence on the issue, as I can understand the need for a tall target man in some circumstances rather than two fast and skillful ones. The key thing to bare in mind however, is that the system Tony Pulis plays, his whole style of football, the style he's played his entire management career and has refined here at Stoke, revolves around having a player like big Mama on. When Mama isn't on, the system doesn't change, it just gets less effective. Obviously, there have been the odd exceptions to this rule, and no-one is in any doubt that Tuncay and Fuller COULD play together and be an effective partnership, but it is always going to be a rare occurrence under Tone and this isn't going to change any time soon.

Anyway, back to the 'action'.

We had a guilt edged chance to seize the advantage inside the first 2 or 3 minutes as a sublime Tuncay flick put Dean Whitehead through on goal. Maybe he was still getting warmed up, but his tame shot was hit straight at the keeper who easily palmed the effort away. Whitehead has improved significantly in recent weeks adding much needed bite in midfield and he possess a terrific engine late in the game. It's a shame he hasn't banged in a few more goals, but hopefully there are more to come.

The ex-Sunderland man was lucky to be on the pitch at all after a clash with Lee Cattermole, a player, much like Michael Brown, who seems determined to forge a reputation as a slightly less well known, but equally loathed Robbie Savage type figure. Loved by his own fans, seen as a dirty thug by most others. In this instance though, Whitehead was bang to rights. After a solid but unfortunately legitimate challenge from Cattermole, Whitehead had a moment of madness and kicked out petulantly at the Sunderland man's leg.

The ref was obviously feeling generous however and luckily for us only gave Dean a yellow card. Maybe our luck is finally changing? Whatever prompted this leniency from Howard Webb, may I be the first to say that it is a wondrous and brilliant thing to see in the modern game and he is a true credit to the Premier League. This brilliant refereeing was again demonstrated by Webb's willingness to let frivolous offences like Robert Huth cradling the ball in his own area go unpunished. Quite right too. Sure, some Sunderland fans may have been screaming blue murder for what they see as a cast iron penalty, but they must understand it's the only chance big Robert gets to practice his Basketball skills, and Mr Webb quite rightly didn't want to hinder the German's progress. Bravo Mr Webb.

As the game wore on and both teams managed to cancel each other out, the home fans at the Stadium of Light began to get impatient. Chances were extremely few and far between and Sunderland had only a Steed (does anyone else think his name is actually Steve and he's just trying to tart it up a bit?) Malbranque shot in the first half that stood out as a chance of note.

Sure enough, as the second half wore on, the odd boo began ringing out and groans of disbelief became a common occurrence. Frankly it was all too understandable as well. From an away team's point of view, a scrappy point on the road is definitely acceptable and against an established Premiership team like Sunderland, is nothing to be scoffed at. For a home team however, you expect a bit more drive and creativity. Tonight however, the mackems looked truly toothless and thoroughly uninspired going forward. Judging by many accounts, it has been this way for a while now. Their run of no win in ten games speaks for itself.

The home side persisted with playing a hopeful punt up the field to striker's Bent and Jones , a tactic that is rarely going to work against a solid Stoke defence renowned for its strength and power in the air. Yet it went on throughout the game, the ball was launched into the box and Shawcross and Huth headed it comfortably away. These poor tactics ensured Sunderland never really looked like scoring throughout the game and come the last ten minutes, my usual sense of impending doom was nowhere to be found. Stoke were as comfortable as they have been in any away game this season. Steve Bruce needs to turn things around, and soon, if he wants to keep the demanding mackems fans onside.

On the topic of Sunderland's attack, Steve Bruce recently taunted rival teams, Stoke amongst them, claiming they couldn't afford "£40 million Kenwyne Jones". £40 Million? If Bambi-on-Ice is worth £40 million, Fuller is worth £80 million, Mama is worth £20 million and I'm worth about £100,000. What planet is he on? I'd rather have any of the forwards we currently have than Jones, and the day he sells for £40 million is the day that not just football, but the universe as we know it, will implode and die a painful death.

Towards the end of the game Riccy went close after a typically powerful run on goal and Huth glanced a header wide from a well placed corner. It would have probably flattered Stoke if they did steal the win, but we definitely finished the stronger of the two sides. Nevertheless the match finished even and the home fans made their feelings clear with a chorus of boos at the whistle.

Despite being a fairly woeful match, it was definitely a decent point for Stoke and one closer to the magical 40 mark. Some away days are going to be like this, and we have to accept that thanks to our combative and dogged style, we are rarely going to go away from home and try and out play the opposition. For now, we stick to what we know and pick up the points where we can.

This Saturday thought we are at home to Blackburn . This is a game where we really HAVE to go for 3 points. Anything less must be seen as a great disappointment.

We have to expect a few of these scrappy games along the way, it's part and parcel of Premier League survival. Though I'm not sure my friends will be joining me for another Stoke away game any time soon.

Liverpool (h) Saturday 16th January - A scrappy but deserved point.

It was slow at first, a whisper here, a subtle piece of punditry there, but somehow Stoke City were being touted as favourites for this game. First Liverpool lost to Reading in the Cup, then their three star players Gerrard, Torres and Benayoun were ruled out for several weeks a piece. Before you knew what was happening, unfashionable Stoke were being tipped to further Rafa's misery and provide yet another exciting installment in the scouse soap opera.

I could see the logic, the scousers were on a poor run of late, far from the force they were last season and a shadow of the side that tonked us 4-0 at Anfield back in August. With their three main (if not only) goal threats out injured and an uncharacteristically dubious defence, it was all set up for Stoke to pile on the misery. Or so the media and any neutral fan who I spoke to the few days before match day would have me believe. Naturally, I had other ideas.

Now granted, this was the best chance we'd have to beat Liverpool in a long while, but to think this game would be an easy one for Stoke was just silly. While they may have been hideously under performing of late, Liverpool's squad is still peppered with international stars of considerable calibre. Kuyt, Lucas, Mascherano, Aurelio, Carragher, even poor old Alberto 'money well spent' Aquilani, are all quality players with the ability to cause Stoke problems.

In addition to this, we cannot for a second underestimate Stoke City's considerable ability to produce a monstrous anti-climax. While we played brilliantly away at Villa and for 45 minutes against Fulham, we snatched defeat from the jaws of victory at Hull and went AWOL for 45 minutes against Wolves. Stoke are far from consistent this season and the Britannia is no longer the impenetrable fortress it once appeared.

So with cautious optimism, I went into this fixture, aware that we perhaps could cause an upset, but never forgetting that while the cavalcade of comedy that is Liverpool's abject failure this season is highly amusing to all and sundry, it doesn't guarantee three points for the Potters.

In my eyes the Rafa saga has been done to death now by the media and there is little more to be said about the slightly unhinged Spaniard. A list of his unsuccessful signings and the millions he has spunked up the proverbial wall ( www.redandwhitekop/forum/index.php?topic=249365.0 ) makes for astonishing reading. Furthermore, when he opts for unproven flop Degen in a midfield role over Aquilani, the most expensive bench warmer in town, you can't help but question his methods. He has put together a squad that basically revolves around two players, messers Torres and Gerrard. Even more foolishly he decides to build a squad with only one recognised first team striker, thus ensuring that whenever Torres picks up a slight knock, rather than rest up and get fit, he has to play on and make things worse.

Consider the glut of strikers Liverpool have offloaded in recent years, Crouch, Bellamy, Keane, Morientes. Surely one of these proven goalscorers could have been kept hold of in case fragile old Fernando takes a slight knock. Not so it seems. Rafa's decided he's just fine with Fernando Torres, Dirk "second touch is always a tackle'" Kuyt and David Ngog. Oh Rafa.

Of course Rafa also persisted for two and a half seasons with the woefully inept Andriy Voronin, a player so useless he made David Ngog look like a viable option. The Ukrainian striker was clearly out of his depth in the Premier League and knowing his obvious limitations, it raises further questions about Rafa's thinking. Did he really see Voronin as an attacking alternative going into this campaign? Whatever his thinking, one thing's for sure, unless he secures the signing of a second quality striker in this transfer window, it's difficult to see where Liverpool's goals come from in Torres's absence.

The first half of this dismal encounter was fairly even and with very little incident. Liverpool got the ball to their midfielders, who gamely ran about a lot but visibly panicked when their big brother Steven wasn't there to pass to, or indeed their strangely attractive sister Fernando wasn't there to sprint into space.

Instead they were stuck with David Ngog, a man who appeared to be merely impersonating a professional footballer this afternoon. He could well be the most ineffective forward I've seen at Stoke this season. Sometimes with players, you have to accept that the manager sees them on the training ground all week, he sees him play week in week out, he knows all too well what that player can do. However, quite how Rafa feels Ngog is the an acceptable choice to lead a club like Liverpool's forward line is astonishing. Even Dirk 'Iain Dowie's long lost Dutch brother' Kuyt would surely be a more valid option.

Shawcross and Huth easily contain him the entire game and it's down to the sprightly Lucas to pose some attacking threat. The busy midfielder charged into the Stoke penalty area mid way through the first half and appeared to be pole-axed by a lunging Danny Higginbotham. Luckily for us, the referee decided Lucas had dived and waved their penalty claim away before booking the aghast Lucas. Now replays do suggest the Brazilian may have gone to ground rather theatrically when Higgy scythed him down, but for me the defender clearly made contact and Lucas couldn't of stayed on his feet if they were encased in cement. Nevertheless, a brave and courageous decision from ref Lee Mason and one I wholeheartedly endorse.

Stoke lost both Abdoulaye Faye and Rory Delap in the first half. Rory was predictably playing on the right wing in order to accommodate Salif Diao in the middle, much to the continuing frustration of the Potters faithful. It is a general consensus that if Rory has to be played, then he is more effective in the centre then out wide. Diao actually played well today, but his ultra-defensive nature and astonishing lack of attacking prowess, is not particularly becoming of a home team searching for a win.

Rory went off with a calf strain with around 20 minutes gone and was replaced by Liam Lawrence, who for me has still to prove himself as a Premiership midfielder. He's undeniably a tireless worker who, on his day, can change a game. Recently however he has simply not produced the goods with too many misplaced passes, and far too few goals. Rory's throw ins are a superb asset to utilise against the better teams in the league. I firmly subscribe to the view that relying on his long throw every week is often a counterproductive tactic. However in most away games and in home games against the top 6/7 teams, it could well prove to be our best chance of a goal. When Rory went off, so with it went our only threat on goal thus far in the game.

The second half began much as the first ended, with both teams doing their best to ensure the Match of the Day editors had the toughest job possible to put together match 'highlights'.

On 57 minutes, Liverpool earned a dubious free-kick and defender Sotirios Kyrgiakos bundled the resultant cross over the line from yards out after a Sorenson fumble. The travelling fans rejoiced and Match of the Day editors thanked the lord for something at last to work with.

The next half an hour or so of football was far from pretty but nevertheless vintage Stoke. Free kicks, crosses, even long throws (who knew Salif Diao is an acceptable long throw deputy, obtaining an impressive distance if not the same velocity as the Delapinator), were constantly launched into the Liverpool box. Reina and his defence held on valiantly and almost did enough to secure the win.

Ricardo Fuller was brought on with 66 minutes played, and he once again made a huge difference. His powerful runs and dogged determination was a constant thorn in the Scousers' side and he must have won us at least 4 corners all on his own. It was off one such corner that our chance finally came in the 89th minute. The ball floated to the back post where Higgy headed it back across goal. A faint flick on from Diao and it fell perfectly at Huth's feet for him to smack it into the net from yards out.

You really can't beat a last minute goal when it goes for your team. The fact that it was yet another disappointment for the beleaguered scouse away following made it all the sweeter. The crowd knew just how important this goal was, earning us a valuable point in a game we could very easily have lost. The ensuing celebrations were up there with the best of the season so far.

There was still time for Dirk 'I wonder what his real middle name is' Kuyt to miss an absolute sitter in the last few seconds of extra time (arguably thus demonstrating why Rafa doesn't want him leading the line). Luckily his diving header rebounded back off the post and the still celebrating crowd collectively exhaled a huge sigh of relief.

Another disappointment for Rafa and his multi-million pound squad of European also rands. A priceless point for us.

Anyone who has read this blog before may remember me bemoaning our bad luck in the Villa away game and how I questioned whether this bad luck would eventually even itself out over the course of the season. Well, after Shawcross's blatant handball against Fulham went unpunished and Liverpool's solid penalty appeal was waved away here, perhaps it's fair to say what goes around has truly come around.

It'll take more than luck to win our next game though, on-fire Arsenal are at the Brit for red-hot FA cup action. I sense the Match of the Day editing team are slightly more excited about their prospects for this encounter.