A gruelling end to proceedings.

It first hit me at about 16:45 on the 17th April. The referee blew the final whistle and Stoke had somehow contrived to throw away a one goal lead and lose at home to Bolton in a game we should really have put to rest long ago. I stood up dejectedly, looked across at the grey sky above the grim incinerator smoke, then looked back at the glum faces of fellow supporters and then at the dejected players as they trudged slowly off towards the tunnel. What hit me was this simple thought, "Christ I wish the season would hurry up and end".

By the time I got back to the car and had, along with Keeling senior, fully deconstructed where we had gone wrong and what needs to be done for the next season, I had calmed down somewhat and accepted the loss as a partial blip in an otherwise successful season. I consoled myself with the knowledge that, despite the result, we were definitely guaranteed a second year of top flight football.

Then, the Chelsea away game happened.

This embarrassment was the straw that broke the camel's back, and alongside the disappointing loss to Bolton and the continuing stories of dressing room unrest, it saw a gloomy cloud forming over fortress Britannia. With Stoke limping towards the footballing finish line, I once again muttered to anyone within earshot, "Christ, I REALLY wish the season would hurry up and end".

Let me make my position clear however, I am by no means disappointed with our second season, and indeed since I first thought about this blog entry, we have gained a solid home draw with Everton and a cracking away win against Fulham. We have bettered our points tally from last season and have cemented ourselves as a solid mid-table Premiership side. This is of course no mean feat and Tony and the boys deserve any plaudits they receive.

It's just after witnessing these lacklustre results, and with various tales of unhappiness leaking out of our dressing room at a great rate of knots, it's just hard to muster up much enthusiasm for the remaining few games, especially when you know you're already safe and have essentially nothing to play for. The World Cup is beckoning and a summer of beer, barbeque's and bitter disappointment lies ahead. As the 7th Chelsea goal flew in, I couldn't help but wish for the drudgery of the season to end, and the summer to begin.

The disappointing loss to Bolton was made all the more excruciating by the comically easy chances we spurned. Tuncay hit the post after an inch perfect lay off, from only about 8 yards out. How he didn't hit the target I don't know. In the dieing moments, Faye also construed to miss an absolute sitter from merely yards out, which was really a chance harder to miss than to score.

It was the Chelsea game that really hurt though, in 3D. It was devastating in all three dimensions. It seemed a great idea at the time, get a few of the lads down to the pub to bask in the technological breakthrough of 3D football all the while seeing the potters bravely battle to upset a previously rampant Chelsea team.



Never again. That will teach me to venture out of the sanctity of my front room to watch Stoke away games that are on TV. It was like when your mum shows all your friends embarrassing pictures of you from when you are young. Suddenly they have an insight into your secret life and have seen a side of it you never wanted them to know. And to make matters worse, they are quite rightly laughing their tits off at you.



To lose 7-0 to a team in your own league, is inexcusable. End of. Unless you are woefully out of your depth, like Derby a few seasons ago, then you should be able to at least give any other team in your league a run for their money.


I'm the first the complain about the inequalities in football, but if anything, this season saw the gulf between the 'big 4' and the rest of the league decrease noticeably. Spurs broke into the hallowed Champions League places. Man City and Villa pushed them close, and all three finished above Liverpool. Whats more, the big teams all lost an unprecedented number of games, with Chelski losing 6 and United 7.



Stoke against Chelsea however were just shit. Pure unabashed, shit. We looked like a bunch of Year 7's playing an end of season special game against the big boys in Sixth form. I half expected Frank Lampard to steal Glen Whelan's dinner money at the end of the game.

Chelsea were just too fast and too strong for Stoke and by about the 80 minute mark it resembled something of a training ground game for them as every slick move resulted in a good chance on goal.


Tony Pulis did in fairness agree with my critical sentiments, if not in fact the exact wording, and made clear to the players that this performance was not good enough. For the fans however, it was a worrying eye opener as to our own frailties. More importantly however, it made me look even more longingly at the Match magazine 'Countdown to the World Cup' chart we have in our front room. We are all 25, going on 14 in our house.



On top of the problems on the pitch, it has also become quite clear that we may have one or two problems off it as well. Following on from the incident at the Emirates back in December when Tony Pulis may or may not (he did) have headbutted James Beattie in the dressing room, we have also seen a spate of players storming off down the tunnel after being substituted. I say spate, I'm not sure if two incidents constitutes a spate, but when it goes from 0 to 2 after years of 0, I think spate is a legitimate word to use.



Tuncay has done this a few times now, and on the last occasion against Bolton, it saw him receive a few boos from the Stoke faithful. Tony has partially forgiven Tunny however acknowledging that he is from a different culture and perhaps can't be held t the same standards as the homegrown lads.


Dave Kitson however, has certainly incurred the wrath of TP. He stormed off after being substituted in the Chelsea game, an act of mercy for which he should really of thanked Tone. It wasn't like Kitson was taking it to Chelski all on his own, peppering Cech's goal with shots and terrorising their defence with Messi-esque runs. He was barely reaching Gifton Noel-Williams levels of effectiveness. So quite why he spat at out his dummy when Tony pulled him off (chortle) is anybody's guess.

It's not the first time the ginger whinger (Am I the first to come up with that name? maybe I should pursue a career in headline writing for the tabloids) had caused a rumpus in the dressing room, and his relationship with the management was clearly strained as he was shipped out on loan to Middlesboro earlier in the campaign.

Upon his return however he was slowly earning the love of the Stoke faithful thanks to two factors. Firstly he put in a couple of good performances and even bagged a couple of goals. This is perhaps the norm for other club's strikers, but it's a considerable achievement for Stoke's.

Secondly 'Super Dave' benefited from the simple fact that he wasn't Mama Sidibe. The growing anger aimed towards the Malian Mauler (on second thoughts, best keep the tabloid career on hold for now), meant that big Dave was seen by many as the preferred partner for Riccy in Stoke's attack.

This new found adoration was soon over however as Kitson made the fatal mistake of publicly criticising the City regime in the press and even going as far as to label himself a scapegoat for all problems at Stoke. That was all Tone needed to hear and Dave hasn't featured for us again this season and almost definitely never will again.


It was also widely rumoured that either Dave, the forgotten man Beattie, or perhaps both of them, may have leaked another tale of dressing room strife to the press that occurred on our fateful trip to Stamford Bridge. Without boring you to much with the minor details of this slightly bizarre story, the general gist is that Glen Whelan questioned Abdoulaye Faye's commitment to the cause after the club captain appeared to be taking a half-hearted approach to a team warm up by doing it in his sandals. After escalated discussions, long story cut short,.......Faye lamped Glen one in the face.



Unfortunately the story somehow found it's way into the hands of the press, much to the dismay of Tony and both Abdy and Glen, who appeared to have shrugged off the story by the next week. It was the leak that upset the club more than the fiery argument, and the blame was squarely placed at the two disgruntled forwards feet. For a club that prides itself on its team spirit and us-against-them attitude, this is a most unwelcome distraction in the dressing room.



So, as proceedings draw to a close, and after witnessing a respectable but uninspiring scoreless draw against Everton at home, coupled with the poor home loss to Bolton, the atrocities of Chelsea and the unrest in the dressing room, my desire for the season to end is not I don't think entirely without merit.

This is not me being too expectant or having ideas above our station, far from it. I am more than happy with our final league position and our points tally in general and firmly believe this season can be counted as a success for the Potters as we cement our position as a Premier League team.

However after a long slog of a season with few memorable highlights like those which peppered our first season in the top flight, coupled with this gruelling ending, the summer break filled with World Cup excitement begins to look very enticing.

Mind you, as England crash out in the quarter finals once again on penalties, I'm sure my gaze will hungrily turn to the forthcoming fixture list and I'll begin to pine once again for the thrills and spills of the domestic season.

Unless we have Chelsea away first game.

The business end of the season.....

As the end of another season looms ever closer on the horizon, fans across the country are bracing themselves for a tense finish. Some teams find themselves locked in nail-biting tussles for European glory whilst others fight for mere survival. In the Premier League however, there are a select few, namely Birmingham, Sunderland, Blackburn and the mighty Potters, whose seasons are now as good as over, and all that's left to do is to take pleasure in denying other clubs, who do still have something to play for, a vital three points.


In the case of Stoke, we still have a big role to play in events at both ends of the table. In the relegation dog fight (see '101 favourite tabloid football phrases' alongside "business end of the season" and "threw themselves a life-line"), we still have to play Wolves at Molineux, with Mick's boys looking fairly safe primarily on the basis that at least two of the teams below them are even crapper than they are. We also have a home game against Bolton in which the Trotters will be going all out to pick up vital points.


With regards to the title race, we could potentially have an even bigger say as we still need to travel to both Chelsea and Manchester United. I say 'potentially' have a big say, the reality is both of these games will probably see our 'goals against' column take a bit of a battering. Our trip to Old Trafford on the last game of the season could be crucial to their title bid. It may be as they need a win, perhaps even by a certain amount of goals, in order to finish top. As if the ticket price wasn't reason enough to put you off going to this game, the thought of Rooney and co. going all out to bang in as many goals as they can should do the trick.


Up until these past two seasons, Stoke fans know all too well that nervy feeling that creeps up around mid march as the reality hits home that you really are running out of games to get the necessary points. Certain tell tale signs begin to remind you that time is running out. That crap team in one of the lower leagues who stormed their own division the season before but have been rock bottom of their current division since around mid September, already have a big embarrassing (R) next to their name in the table. TV pundits pour over upcoming fixtures and assess in minute detail who has 'the easiest run in'. The games themselves occur in nice pleasant sunshine (in theory), almost mocking you for the preceding 7 months of cloud and drizzle that have ruined your enjoyment of the bulk of the season. This upturn in weather also ensures that your long lost Baseball cap and forgotten replica shirt get dug out and given a few fleeting airings.

The mood at football matches changes drastically in this period, swinging from hopeful optimism to blind panic in the space of only a few matches. Stokies will remember several nervy play-off pushes and a sprinkling of relegation battles in recent memory, as well as the nerve shredding run in that accompanied our promotion season in 2008. I'm fairly sure the final 6 or 7 games of that campaign have each taken about a year off my life expectancy.


In many ways, this is the first uneventful end of season we've had in quite some time. Our safety was realistically assured several games ago, and as we sit in 10th spot with a good 15 points between us and the drop zone, we can already call this an impressive second season. With any luck, another win can be achieved and that 3 points will see us beat last seasons total. I'm sure all but the most fanciful of Stoke fans would have set this as their main goal when we started this campaign back in sunny August.

Since starting to write this entry, I've actually attended the aforementioned Wolves away game, and witnessed a tepid snore draw (another tabloid favourite there) that severely tested my footballing patience. Nevertheless, it was a decent away point, and we never looked in any great danger of losing the game. A few missed headers by Abdoulaye, a stinging long range effort from Glen Whelan and a customary missed sitter from Mama ('fantastic' in this game according to Tony, 'a waste of f*cking space' according to everyone who sat near me), was all the goalmouth action we managed to muster.


By about 70 minutes, the fiery atmosphere that would usually accompany this derby(-ish) game was all but gone, with the lacklustre game proving to be the answer to the local constabulary's prayers. When the final whistle went, Sunday roasts and an afternoon spent basking in the sun were already on supporters minds, as was the ridiculousness of starting a game at 12 noon on a Sunday.

Now i'm a footballing romantic in many ways. I ideally want all games to be at 3pm Saturday, or at 7:45 on a Tuesday or Wednesday. I accept the need for TV revenue grudgingly however, and so also accept the need for Saturday 1pm and 5:30pm games, and even a Sunday 4pm one (at a push). I'd rather there were no games on a Sunday, not for any religious reasons, purely because Saturday is football's day and should be kept accordingly. Midday on a Sunday however IS NO TIME FOR FOOTBALL.

Lounging on a sofa, pouring over the match reports from the day before, roasted meat aroma emanating from the kitchen and hangover farts emanating from your person. That's what midday on a Sunday is about. But, in their infinite wisdom, one of either Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club, or West Midlands Police, decided that if the game was at 3pm on a Saturday as planned, there was no possible outcome but a full on riot. Somehow Stoke managed to stage their encounter between the two teams at this time, but Wolves couldn't quite manage it.

The thing is, the people who make trouble at these games don't care when it kicks off. The fine gentlemen who accompanied me on the morning train from Manchester and were 5 beers deep before I had even woken up properly, didn't care what time the game kicked off. It was a crap decision and it was an undeniable contributor to the game's muted atmosphere. The other, much larger contributor being the dross that was served up as entertainment in this, the finest league in the world. The Police got lucky there as they could now step back and bleet about how the early kick-off ensured there was little or no trouble. 'Oh no, it wasn't the kick off time. It was boredom killed the beast.' It didn't matter when that game kicked off, if Stoke slammed home a 94th minute winner thanks to a controversial winner (for example), the atmosphere would still have turned rather nasty. It's no time for football.


There seemed to be even more long throw opportunities than normal in this encounter, a threat with which Wolves coped with relatively comfortably. The barrage of throws was much to the disdain of those footballing purists that follow Wolves however, who greeted each newly awarded Stoke throw with a 'boring, boring' chant. These same budding wordsmiths also enquired of the Stoke support, 'how do you watch this every week?'.


Wow. Where to start with this one. First of all, whilst such an enquiry could perhaps be accepted from fans of Barcelona or Arsenal, this was being asked of us by Wolves fans. People in boring glass houses, should perhaps not throw stones, ay chaps? Take out Jarvis and Doyle and what did that Wolves team have going forward? Nothing. There was barely an attack on the Stoke goal the entire game, so lets not not get any delusions of grandeur here.


Secondly, the main reason we can watch this every week my dingle chums, is that we are currently 10 points ahead of you, safe from relegation and looking forward to our third straight season of Premiership football. As you yourselves are no doubt aware, a couple of decades away from the limelight sees priorities change and expectations likewise. In other words, we aren't playing Scunthorpe and Gillingham away anymore, and we don't have to consider a home game against you lot as our biggest game of the season.


This brings me neatly back to the point I was making earlier, namely that surely survival and improvement on last year, was most Stoke fan's goal for this season.
After the game, there was understandably a few grumbles amongst the travelling Stoke fans. Shelling out £40 to watch that game would do this to the most upbeat of fans. Yet aside from legitimate grumbles about team selection and tactics, the type of grumbles that one cannot be a football fan without, some people seemed to lack a little bit of perspective.


There were a few people walking off from the ground, also a fair number who post on the Oatcake forum, and also a small number ringing into Radio Stoke's Praise and Grumble phone-in, who seem genuinely unhappy not only with this result, but also with Pulis in general. Now while being anti-Pulis is nothing new, surely being 10th in the Premier League and ensuring the club is amongst the most stable and secure in the English game, should buy him a little bit of slack?


I've said from my very first blog entry, that for me, this season was always about consolidation. I don't care too much about the standard of football, as long as we stay up, and hopefully improve on last year. Tony himself has suggested that it will take in fact 3 seasons to consolidate our position in the top flight, and then we can begin to push on. Ok, well, I said 2 seasons, a professional manager says 3, I'm willing to accept that he might, perhaps, know more about managing a football club than me, so will grudgingly accept his assertion. I hope we can 'push on' (football management speak for 'do better') next season however and with a few more quality signings, namely a forward to take some of the pressure of Riccy, a right winger, and a midfield maestro, we shouldn't have any problems cementing our position as a mid table top flight club.


Those potters fans who want to see a severe change next season however, should brace themselves for disappointment and perhaps curb their expectations slightly. We have done exceptionally well to stay where we are, and Tony is obviously not the type of manager to change his style of play on a whim. We are not going to suddenly turn into a Barcelona, a Brazil, or (god forbid) a West Brom. Expect more of the same next time round, only with any luck, a few more quality players brought in over the summer can see the percentage of games spent playing attractive football increased, and the reliance on set pieces etc, diminished.


We should bare in mind that the next step up from where we currently find ourselves means competing with the likes of Everton, Villa and Spurs. We are a long, LONG way off this yet. We cannot get ideas above our station and need to accept that for the next few seasons, our best case scenario is another mid table finish. I think all of us hope we begin to play a little bit more football, and with any luck, now we are established as a Premier League side, the players of the calibre we require to play slightly more attractive football, will be willing to come to us.


Next season sees the return of those perennial yo-yo favourites West Brazil Albion. With Tony Mowbray being busy playing the game 'the right way' up in Scotland, and proving just about as successful there as he was with WBA, the Baggies are now under the tutelage of Roberto Di Matteo. Another footballing purist who likes his team to play a pretty, passing game.

I applaud this mentality in the Championship, but surely West Brazil need only look at their own recent history to know that this approach may not work once you're mixing it with the big boys. Just ask West Ham and Burnley fans how their scintillating football is going at the moment. I'm sure Bob Matthews (to give him his English name), will be all to aware of his teams limitations, but whether he will be able to make them adapt to a much tougher opposition is another matter. Given the choice between a season of dogged, scrappy games that see us push into mid table or a season of well-meaning and occasionally attractive football that sees us lose continually to teams that are simply better at it than us....I know which i'd pick.

Dad.....what's an 'FA Cup run'?

Long before Lou Macari, seasons before Mark Stein, and decades before Rikki Dadason, Stoke City were actually a rather high flying club. I'm sure any of us with relatives over the age of 35 have been reminded many times that back then it was the likes of Liverpool and Man United we used to call rivals. On top of this, we regularly played in front of 50 000 fans, won most games by four or five goals and all the while played the kind of silky flowing football that would make Arsene Wenger break down and weep at the mere sight of it.


Ok, well maybe I exaggerate slightly, but the point remains that in years gone by, we were actually a powerful force in English football, regularly making forays into the latter rounds of the two cup competitions. For those of us raised on Division 2 football and Martin Carruthers, this all seems a little hard to believe I know.


In the past twenty or so years, our record in the cup competitions, has been pretty awful to say the least. The League cup in recent years has seemingly been an opportunity for Stoke to aid the smaller North West clubs in progressing to the next round. Rochdale, Oldham, Macclesfield, these titans of the modern game regularly prove too much for Stoke to handle in the junior cup competition. There have been some bright spots however. Drawing with Liverpool at Anfield. Beating Man United in the first leg at the Vic. We even dumped Chelsea out in late 90's which was also a bonus. That's all I can really recall however.


In the FA cup, our record is hardly any better. Not including the past two seasons, take a few seconds now to try and remember a memorable FA cup victory. I tried. You know what I came up with? 2-0 at home to Lewes. That's it. That's my total enduring memories of 'the magic' of the FA cup. Upon browsing our record, the forgotten memories come flooding back. Telford, Nuneaton Borough, even the Vale proved too much for us. EVEN WEST BROM BEAT US. That's right, even our perennial scalps, the baggies, beat us in the cup. It even took us a replay and a penalty shoot out to beat Tamworth.

This year however, for the first time in a long while, we were treated to some degree of Cup magic. It may not be a cup run that will be talked about for years to come, but it certainly was an enjoyable ride while it lasted.

We overcame York in the third round with relative ease. Their was the typical early scare as York went ahead, but three goals, including a sublime free kick from Etherington, was enough to comfortably see us through.

Next up were Arsenal at the Brit. I'm always more confident when we draw teams at home, as I'm sure most teams are. You always sense that at home, it's always possible we can get a result against anyone on our day. Unlike when we play away from home of course where the opposite applies and we can lose to anyone on any given day. Arsenal came into this game with a number of injury worries and a typically weakened team as priorities lay elsewhere. That's not to take anything away from the teams performance however as we still faced a team including Fabregas, Campbell, Traore, Walcott, Denilson in it's starting line up and saw the likes of Eduardo and Ramsey come on for most of the second half.

As the game went on, Arsenal rapidly ran out of ideas and were simply no match for our physical game, and with about five minutes to go, somehow, we were 3-1 up and cruising. I could scarcely believe my eyes. It was so comfortable, even I wasn't overly worries about us giving the lead away. We were the team on top and we even had a fourth goal disallowed late on. A comfortable 3-1 win at home over Arsenal, that's one for the record books.

I actually said after the game, that with Arsenal and Man United now out, the only teams we wanted to really avoid were Chelsea (more on them later) and Man city. Naturally, we went on to draw the blue half of Manchester away in the fourth round. Typical.

As it turned out, this was one of the most enjoyable away days of the season so far. A lacklustre home support were easily out sung, as the travelling Stoke fans were in typically fine voice, with a wide array of witty (kind of) songs aimed at poor Wayne Bridge over the John Terry shenanigans.

It was a close game, and one that was only broken up in the first half thanks to a comically bad own goal from England's Ryan Shawcross (as he shall henceforth be known). Wright-Phillips latched onto a through ball and reached it just before the on coming Tommy Sorenson. Flicking the ball forwards, he and England's Ryan Shawcross gave chase to a ball that was seemingly bouncing harmlessly out of play. England's Ryan Shawcross took no chance though and in attempting to shepard the ball out, manged only to crumple gracelessly to the ground, keeping the ball in play with his head, and in doing so laying it off right into SWP's path who gratefully slotted it home. One destined for the Christmas blooper videos come December.

Stoke gave as good as they got though and almost pulled level through a spectacular Danny Higginbotham strike from about 30 yards out. We were directly behind Higgy as he struck this, and a sweeter strike you won't see all season.

The second half saw Stoke looking lively, whilst City looked progressively more and more toothless. With their wealth of attacking talent, you expected to be bombarded with wave after wave of flowing football but alas it was never to be. Eventually the Potters equalised through a Rory long throw and a clinical header from Fuller.

As the game wore on, City missed a couple of good chances and Santa Cruz in particular wasted a golden chance for the home side. In the several games I've seen him play for City now, I'm yet to understand what exactly Santa Cruz brings to the side. Maybe with a run in the side he'd look slightly sharper, but he seems completely innocuous at times and it's a relief in anything when he is brought on for Adebayor or Tevez.

Ultimately the lads held on for a good away draw, and the travelling supporters celebrated as if we'd won the game. Taking the tie back to the Brit gave us a great chance of progressing to the Quarter finals and for once what ITV commentators would call 'the magic of the FA cup', was surrounding me.

The second leg was a tight affair for the most part, with both teams going all out for the win. It took a silky move between Tuncay and the returning Dave Kitson to break the deadlock on 79 minutes as the rejuvenated striker showed what he is capable of and deftly slotted home Tunny's flick from close range. The Brit erupted, but the celebrations didn't last long as Craig Bellamy showed his quality to slam home a knock down from Adebayor just two minutes later.

With the two sides cancelling each other out, the game was evenly poised, but a few minutes after he set up his team's goal, Adebayor was shown red by referee Steve Bennett for raising his arm in England's Ryan Shawcross's face. I actually missed this at the time, and to be honest it seemed fairly innocuous. Replays later showed that the Togolese forward did raise his arms to fend off England's Ryan Shawcross, and certainly caught him in the face. It was perhaps a harsh red card as there was little or no intent, but by the letter of the law he had to go. Let's see it as karmic justice for a certain questionable refereeing decision that occurred in our last meeting with the blues (it still smarts Wiley).

Once he had gone, there was only one team going to win, and despite holding out to force extra time, two quick goals from England's Ryan Shawcross (nope, still not tired of it) and Tuncay saw Stoke stride into the lead and never really look like losing it.

When the final whistle went, Stoke fans celebrated their first FA cup quarter final in decades and spent the rest of the weekend eagerly awaiting the draw.

I would put good money on the fact that every Stoke fan uttered the phrase "anyone but Chelsea" in the run up to this draw. Anyone else and you really fancied our chances of getting a result.Sure enough though, the draw rolls around and with crushing inevitability, we wind up drawing Chelski. Of course. Who else would it be. At Stamford Bridge too. Perfect.

At home and as I've already said, you always give us an outside chance against anyone. At the Bridge though, against an in form Chelsea, it was always an uphill task.

Ultimately, it proved one top 4 team too far. We were by no means over run by Ancelotti's boys, but at the same time, we never looked too dangerous. An early chance powered in from the edge of the area by Whitehead was cleared off the line. Not too long after, a similar chance fell to Frank Lampard up the other end and unfortunately, his chance ricocheted into the goal and past a helpless Sorenson. I always think that Frank must be a real whizz at pinball. His knack for guiding the ball into the goal whilst ensuring it hits the maximum number of bodies on the way in must be transferable to something.

As the game wore on, we struggled to create chances and when Chelsea doubled their lead it was game over. The boys hadn't disgraced themselves, but were ultimately beaten by a superior Chelski team.

Ah well. Que sera, sera. We had a good run and it was fun while it lasted. We'd finally rekindled a bit of the magic of yesteryear and kept our interest in the FA cup going longer than that typically gloomy January weekend like normal. For once I could take part in that tense, if not slightly over blown, experience of a new rounds draw and it's numerous possibilities and permutations. Only one game shy of Wembley still represents a good achievement for Stoke and is a sure sign of progress.

Maybe this is the start of a glorious new era of Cup endeavour from the Potters. Maybe we can go that extra step or two next season and give our fans a trip to Wembley. (I could rant here about the absolutely shite decision by the FA to have the semi finals at Wembley which not only devalues the final itself, but also benefits no one but the assorted London bigwigs and sponsors who get two days out in the hospitality lounge rather than one. I could make that rant here.....but I won't). Who knows, next year, could really be our year.

...................Mind you, we could just lose away at Rochdale.

Arsenal (h) Sat 27th February - Never really at the races.

Beauty and the beast. Skill versus strength. Continental flair against dogged determination. Over the course of two seasons and five meetings between the two clubs, the matches between Arsenal and Stoke have come to epitomise the contrasting styles of football on offer in today's Premier League. Arsene Wenger has built up a young and hungry side that plays the beautiful game "the right way", and is a joy to watch to the neutral observer. On the other hand, Tony Pulis has built up a solid and determined squad that plays a version of the beautiful game "his way", which can barely be stomached by neutral observers....and for that matter a fair number of Stoke fans too.

I have never had very strong feelings either way towards the Gunners. I'm not old enough to remember the FA and League cup semi-final controversies from the 70's that have forever turned many older Stoke fans against the side. Just mentioning the words 'Arsenal' and 'semi-final' to my dad is enough to prompt Vietnam Vet style reactions as he winces and yells "you weren't there son, you don't know what it was like, you don't know what we went through".

I also only patchily remember the era of 'boring, boring Arsenal' under George Graham. For most of my adult life thus far, the Gunners have been under the tutelage of Mr Wenger and have played some breath-taking football that it's hard not to be impressed by. The likes of Henry, Bergkamp, Pires, Ljungberg and more recently Van Persie and Fabregas, have provided some of the most impressive and memorable goals in Premier League history.

Set against the mass corporate juggernaut of Man United, the billionaire's play thing of Chelsea, and, well, Liverpool, they come across as the more sensible and likable of the big four. It has to be said however, that this accolade has been achieved despite the best efforts of their long serving manager Arsene Wenger. Few managers can match the Frenchmen in his ability to frustrate and annoy with his one sided view of the game.

How could he never seen Patrick Viera foul someone? Every week on Match of the Day when Patrick had emasculated yet another opposition midfielder i'd watch convinced that this was the time Arsene would have to admit his team was capable of foul play. Just once. I was sure he'd slip up once and admit it. Alas, it was not to be, the wily Frenchman was so persistent we all stopped caring and grudgingly accepted his unflinching stubbornness. You won that round Arsene.

Since Stoke's arrival in the big time, we have, perhaps inevitably, encountered the wrath of Mr Wenger on several occasions. After a bruising encounter at the Britannia last season, Wenger called the Stoke team 'cowards' due to their penchant for heavy tackling, and even went as far as to suggest we went out of our way to deliberately injure his players : (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/arsenal/article5081556.ece) Sound familiar?

Then, earlier on this season, in what was clearly a thinly veiled critique of our style of play, he was quoted as suggesting the long throw should be banned as it is against the idyllic view of footballing purity that he believes in. (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1238500/Arsenal-boss-Arsene-Wenger-wants-scrap-throw-ins.html)

Then of course, there was his take on the unfortunate events that occurred during this Saturday's encounter at the Britannia.

Before I get too into this topic, I think it's only fair to mention that before the game, Wenger did actually offer Stoke a rare compliment of sorts. He conceded that we have progressed from last season and now fully capable of combining our usual direct game with passing and movement. (Why Mr. Wenger, stop, you flatter us too much. We'll be attempting the counter attack or the short corner next!)

And so to the cause of Mr Wenger and Arsenal's ire, THAT tackle by Ryan Shawcross on Aaron Ramsey.

My humble opinion is thus; it was a slightly mistimed tackle, that was not overly aggressive and certainly wasn't in any way malicious. The vast majority of the media and general football watching public seem agreed on this, with the only slight point of contention being whether it was a red card offence or not. It certainly wasn't an excessively aggressive tackle and it should be noted that Ryan's studs were down and he went in one footed.

It was slightly late, due to Ramsey nicking the ball off Ryan's toe at the last minute, but the ball was there for Ryan to go for, and he had every right to try and win it. The more I've seen the incident, the more undecided I become. It probably isn't a straight red offence, but I can understand why Ryan was sent off. The referee didn't feel he had a choice due to the horrific injury Ramsey suffered, and it was this injury that swayed him (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/s/stoke_city/8541466.stm).

While this would seem to be the pertinent debate, Arsene wasted no time in wading straight in after the game and describing the tackle as "unacceptable", adding that it was "ridiculous" that Shawcross would only be suspended for only three matches : (http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/feb/27/arsene-wenger-ryan-shawcross). It was his opinion that once again Stoke had deliberately set out to injure his side and Ryan's crime was one so terrible that a lengthy ban was the necessary punishment.

In the heat of the moment, this could almost be understood. He was upset and angry that one of his hottest prospects was facing a lengthy lay off from such a dreadful injury. A man with the media savvy and wealth of experience that Arsene has however, should not really be making such wild and unfounded accusations. Giving him the benefit of the doubt however, lets say he was upset and speaking in an emotional state. Allowing the dust to settle, maybe he'd see he was perhaps a little over zealous and shouldn't have said what he did.

Alas, it hasn't proven the case. Arsene has stood by his guns (pardon the pun), and is maintaining his hard line stance. Now we all know how frustrating Wenger can be, but when it's against your club, it tends to rub you up the wrong way that little bit more.

It's worth noting however that even my Arsenal supporting housemate who normally gives Arsene a run for his money in the astonishingly biased viewpoint stakes, has agreed that the challenge was not malicious and merely mistimed. Anyone who knows my housemate will know how big a deal this is. I've seen him on a regular basis flatly deny clear Arsenal infractions and yet somehow see heinous crimes committed by the opposition that everyone else in the room, and of course the biased commentators, did not see. Even he agrees that Ryan did not set out to injure Aaron Ramsey Arsene. Even he.

Such is the stubborn nature of Mr Wenger however. He does not like Stoke's style of play, he does not like any physicality in the modern game, and everyone is out to hurt his starlets. This is what he believes and nobody is going to change that. He is an infuriating man who makes it harder and harder for me to enjoy the brilliant football his team can produce.

Providing we stay in this league for the foreseeable future, as I truly believe we will, then I can see games between our two clubs maintaining a bit of tension and bite for a few seasons yet

The game as a whole takes a backseat once such a horrific injury occurs. It really is a sad sight to see and I know all Stoke fans wish Aaron Ramsey a speedy recovery. This weekend there will have been much worse tackles committed that will have led to no such injury. Liam Ridgewell's for Birmingham on James McCarthy and Michael Ballack's on Carlos Tevez, were both arguably worse challenges, in that they were cynical and showed no obvious attempt to play the ball. Yet due to circumstance, the victim in those two incidents didn't suffer a horrific injury. It really was an unfortunate incident that nine times out of ten would not have had the outcome it did. Get well soon Aaron Ramsey.

To be honest, the game taking a backseat is probably for the best in this instance. Stoke were never really in it, and despite taking an early lead, were struggling to contain Arsenal from the off. Today Arsenal stood up to Stoke's aerial dominance and despite needing two late goals, never looked in danger of losing the game.

I still maintain that I'd rather the Gunners won the league than any of the other 'big 4'. I want to enjoy their flowing football and see them triumph over United or Chelski, but Christ on a bike if Arsene doesn't make it hard for me to do so at times.

Portsmouth (a) Saturday 20th Feb - Justice, thy name is Salif.

Let me start out by issuing a unreserved apology to a Mr S. Diao. In my previous blogs I have questioned your performances and even your ability to pass to men in the same colour shirt as you. However, after Saturday's game, I believe you are in fact a king amongst men and deserve the key to the city of Stoke-on-Trent and the right of Primae Noctis over all newly wed brides.

Whilst I may, perhaps, be running the risk of getting carried away with myself after the excitement of Saturday evening, it is certainly no exaggeration to say that this result went some way to making up for Wiley-gate (as it shall never again be known).

For the hardy souls who made the daunting trip down to deepest darkest Hampshire, the celebrations when Salif smacked in Riccy's pull back deep into injury time, must have been a cathartic release that had been pent up since the previous Tuesday. For those of us watching in our living rooms, the feeling is never quite the same, but rest assured, jubilant celebrations were held in living rooms of Stokies across the country. I wager however, that many of these celebrations, (including my own), were delayed by about ten seconds while we focused in on the referee and nervously awaited his confirmation.

The game was a scrappy performance from the potters, as Wilko was given his marching orders for a harsh second yellow and we were once again forced down to ten men. Prior to this, we fell behind to a Porstmouth team that outplayed us in the first half, but struggled in the second. Huth had drawn us level with a comfortable header from a Whelan corner, and for a while, it looked like we could start to push for the winner. The dismissal of Wilko however meant a more cautious approach, and we struggled to create any more chances.

The boys really dug in though and never really looked liking going behind to a beleaguered Pompey side. Once again Riccy was our main (or only) attacking threat, and it was his perseverance deep into injury time that led to him bustling through the Pompey back line, drawing the keeper out of his goal and squaring the ball in front of an open net.

I will hold my hands up here and admit I was less than complimentary about Salif when he was brought on, and may even have said something along the lines of "Tony's definitely settling for the draw now". Nevertheless, there he was, steaming into the area just at the right moment to twat Fuller's cut back into the roof of the net and send the travelling Stokies, as well as us at home, wild.

Diao is a frustrating player, who clearly shows signs of his quality, but too often lets himself down with silly tackles and misplaced passes. I truly hope however that he can start playing again to the best of his abilities, as on his day, he can be a valuable defensive midfielder.

It was a precious three points in only our second away win this season, and whilst I'm far too pessimistic to suggest we are now safe, it certainly sets us in good stead as we are now ten points clear off the relegation zone, and just two wins away from the magical 40 point mark.

Salif may not score many more goals for Stoke, and he certainly won't score any this dramatic.

Stoke City FC, we really do only need ten men.

Man City (h) Tuesday 16th February - AAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHH

There are certain footballing fantasies that every fan at some point harbors. I'm a big fan of such fantasies and I actually referred to 'the mythical 95th minute lob' in my first blog entry. Here I outlined the reasons why I keep going to football, namely that for all the boredom and disappointment you experience at times, you hang in there for that one rare fleeting moment of unpredictable magic that makes it all suddenly seem worthwhile. These moments are few and far between.

The last major one for us Potters was the play off semi final against Cardiff several years ago. There, at a volatile Ninian Park, an equalising goal in the dieing moments of normal time and then another at the end of extra time saw us miraculously overcome the Bluebirds and ensured the name Souleymane Oulare was etched into Stoke City folklore forever.

In recent memory, obviously the promotion clincher against Leicester comes close, but it was not ultimately that dramatic come the last game of the season. I'd say the last minute leveller against Villa at Villa park last season was pretty special, and certainly ranks up there with the most memorable of matches in recent seasons. (I think there's something incredible about last minute goals that makes any result much more dramatic. The last-ditch element just gives any draw or victory an extra edge.)


On Tuesday night, the 16th of February, 2010, a true mini footballing fantasy almost came to pass. The ingredients were all there. Not only was it a 95th minute winner, it was also scored by a defiant 10 men who had battled against the odds and looked to have snatched a memorable victory.

This is Roy of the Rovers football. This is the type of magic that happens every 5 or 6 years, maybe more. This would have been one of the greatest mentals the Britannia has ever seen.


But Alan Wiley snatched it all away from us. He robbed us off our mental. Alan Wiley destroyed my footballing fantasy.


A Man City supporting friend of mine conceded that we were a hard side to play against, but also asked me "how can you watch that every week?" His point is a common one in my experience with supporters of other clubs. They see the scrappy games and the at times 'direct' approach, and think every week is a boring snorefest with no excitement whatsoever. For me, such criticisms are valid but missing the point entirely. I have always been of the train of thought that it's the results that matter, and not so much the style with which we obtain them. I know this is a contentious point with some, but there we go.


In other words, I can always overlook the occasional (and it is only occasional, we do genuinely play some nice football in some games) bland and unimaginative football. We accept the long balls and the throw-ins, because we all know that they are effective and get results. It's the goals and victories we tend to remember, not the flowing moves, or indeed the long throws that lead to them.



The reason we can watch TP's style of football every week, is that every now and then, it can produce amazing results, and big shocks, that we never could achieve by trying to 'out play' the opposition. Alan Wiley robbed us off a big pay off, the kind of evening where all the disappointments and boredom that we have suffered in our years supporting Stoke, are forgotten about and it all somehow seems worth it.



I know this is slightly melodramatic, as it was only a disallowed goal in a generic league game, but it's the denied drama that has angered me so. A draw at home to Man City, when we've played half an hour with ten men, is not to be scoffed at. This is a decent result....in theory. Having been there at the Brit however, and seeing how hard the lads worked, it leaves a severely bitter taste that their endeavours were not adequately rewarded.


The whole team rose to the challenge and can count themselves proud of their efforts. The sight of Dean Whitehead, covering at right back, surging forward pass 3 City defenders, with 90 minutes played, a third of that time with a man down, was a joy to behold.





The rest of the game pales in significance really compared to this one crucial twist. Looking back it reads like a catalogue of contentious refereeing decisions from Mr Wiley. First he misses Patrick Viera kick Glen Whelan in 'the midriff ' (as football commentators always call it). Then, when Viera is tussling with Whitehead and seemingly clocks him round the head, the ref blows up, gives a free kick and books the Frenchmen. Surely it's either accidental and to be ignored, or he has raised his hands and its a red?


Then of course there was the sending off. Faye failed to deal with a searching ball for Adebayor and let it go over his head in the hope he would out pace and out muscle the big City forward. Unfortunately for Abdoulaye, he was out fought by Adebayor and found himself falling behind the pacey striker. His resultant challenge was clumsy but on first viewing, he appeared to get the ball. Wiley initially waved the City claim away, but his linesman flagged for the foul. After a brief discussion, Wiley adjudged Faye to be the last man and had no choice therefore but to send him off.

Tone was very honest about this and stated he had no complaints about the sending off. For me, I think Faye got some of the ball and Collins would have got over to cover, so I think the red was a little harsh, but who am I to dispute this with Tone. If he's happy with it, I'll let it go.


Mr Wiley also waved away a strong penalty claim from Ricardo midway through the second half. He appeared to be clattered by a pair of City defenders, right in front of the linesman as well. However the officials saw nothing wrong and allowed play to go on.


Then, there was THAT goal. A goal that every pundit, presenter and player, as well as anyone I have spoken to about the game, has said was a legitimate goal.




Alan Wiley. You inept Buffoon. He decided that Ryan Shawcross fouled Shay Given when the two went up for Rory's throw. If you watch the clip of this incident, this claim seems ridiculous. Ryan never even looks at Shay, keeps his eyes on the ball and his arms at his side. He simply jumps before Given and rises higher. A perfectly good goal. Ryan claims the ref said to him after the game words to the effect of "you can't challenge the keeper in the six yard box". While this claim is ridiculous in the first place, it's also plainly not what happened. Given ran into Ryan if anything!



It was a solid performance up to Faye's sending off. We weren't creating much, but we were containing Man City's threat and Fuller was a handful as ever. Glen's goal gave us all hope and it was about time he got one on target after a couple of John Gayle-esque balloon's over the bar. When he smacked his shot into the bottom corner around the 70th minute mark, many of us no doubt drifted back to the same game last season where we went down to ten men and held on for a win. Alas it wasn't to be repeated tonight. Man City's equaliser was a scrappy affair that it looks like Sorenson could have dealt with much better. They had a lot of pressure but very few chances.


On this performance, the Manc's need to seriously up their game if they want to make the Champions League. They lacked any cutting edge going forward and struggled to deal with Stokes physical presence.



The FA cup replay is on the horizon and I don't doubt that a packed Brit will be roaring the lads on with more passion even than normal. Revenge will be sweet.



As for Mr Wiley, I imagine he's going to dread any return to Stoke-on-Trent, as we Stokies have long memories, just ask Rob Styles (Two ridiculous red cards against Gillingham in the play offs.....I HAVEN'T FORGOTTEN YOU STYLES).

I'm sure i'll let this go in time, but for now, i'll simply say this...You owe me one bona fide Roy of the Rovers football fantasy Alan Wiley!!!! You owe me!

Wigan (a) Tuesday 9th February - Another priceless away day point.

As anyone who attends live football has no doubt at one point noted, even the most raucous of stadiums can appear strangely empty merely minutes before kick off. Then suddenly, the drinkers emerge from the concourses and in the blink of an eye, the empty spaces fill up and suddenly the ground is a buzzing hot bed of noise.


Then of course, there's the DW stadium and Wigan Athletic.


In my entry for the home game against Wigan I was fairly critical of their away following and fans in general, so I won't spend too long doing so again. Slagging of Wigan for having a crap attendance is a bit like shooting fish in a barrel. It's like having a go at Man United fans for being gloryhunters or having a go at Stoke for being slightly one dimensional. Their owns fans are well aware of their stigma, and the criticism is really nothing new. So, with that in mind, I'll simply say that rather unsurprisingly, there was little in the way of atmosphere at the DW tonight, but the travelling Stoke fans were in fine voice and got behind their team as ever.

My final point on the matter is this: any fans that needs music pumped through the speakers to give an illusion of atmosphere when their team has scored, has to ask serious questions of their home support.

Anyway back to the game itself. In typically unpredictable fashion, Tony has decided to tinker with the side that beat Blackburn 3-0 and dropped Lawrence and Fuller to the bench bringing in Glen Whelan and Tuncay to fill their places in the starting eleven.


The first half was far from vintage stuff from Stoke as we struggled to create many chances and struggled to contain the likes of N'Zogbia and Rodallega as they broke forward at pace for Wigan. Credit where credit is due to Roberto Martinez and his Wigan side, they looked to play some decent football and caused our full backs plenty of trouble throughout the first half.

Things were looking so bad that at one point I uttered a sentence I never thought I'd utter at a Stoke game again, "we are missing Salif today". As soon as the words left my lips I took a step back and had a long hard think about what I'd just said. The fact is, with Salif, you never know quite what you're going to get. Every now and then you see the tough tackling defensive midfielder who can offer a much needed physical presence and really break up any midfield that tries to pass its way through the centre. Unfortunately, it's very rare you see that Salif Diao. More often than not its the Salif that gives away more free kicks around his own area than the rest of the team combined, and couldn't find his own men with a pass if his life depended on it. On careful appraisal I retracted my own comment and thanked the lord for Glen Whelan.


We conceded a disappointing goal on in the half early on from a set piece as Robert Huth failed to track his man and Scharner rose highest to nod home a well placed free kick. It wasn't by any means against the run of play and the home team probably deserved their lead at the break.



The second half was a much better affair from the Potters. We appeared much more willing to have a go at Wigan and predictably once Fuller was introduced on the hour mark, we looked even more dangerous going forward.

I can, in a way, understand why Tony sometimes likes to use Ric as an impact sub. With half an hour still to play, there can be few more daunting sights for a tiring defender than a fresh Ricardo Fuller entering the fray. There were some rival fans I spoke to before Stoke entered the Premier League who didn't think Ric would make the step up, but over the past season and a half, despite a fairly low goal return, he has definitely proven them all wrong. When you see him play week in, week out, you see the immense impact he has on any game he plays in. The driving runs and jinking twists and turns can have defenders tied in knots.


Tonight, Riccy entered proceedings at the expense of Rory, which meant that Tuncay went out onto left wing, moving Ethers out onto the right. The benefits of having a pacy and skillful player on both flanks was plain to see, as we pressed hard for the draw. Soon enough, Ethers embarked on another darting run down the wing and his pin point cross was met brilliantly by Tuncay to nod in unopposed at the back post.


Once that goal went in with 15 minutes to play, Stoke looked the more likely side to score. More bustling work from Riccy set Mama up for a header, but the big man was always stretching and he did well just to deflect the ball onto the bar.


Tony went for one last roll of the dice late on as Beattie was brought on for Mama and Lawrence on for Tuncay. This was good to see from Tone as you'd half expect him to thrown on a more defensive minded player and old out for the draw, but he is clearly showing that he believes Stoke can go away from home and win games.

With minutes to go, the ball found its way to an unmarked James Beattie just inside the area. He caught the ball well with his right boot but unfortunately put it too close to Kirkland in the Wigan goal. Beatts showed a lot of fight and desire when he came on, which is good to see for us Potters fans. He's clearly been out of sorts of late, a spat with the manager and reportedly nearly leaving on transfer deadline day have left him looking slightly like the forgotten man in the Stoke squad. We can't forget however that it was his goals that played no small part in keeping us up last year. That glorious header against Man City at the Brit being one that sticks firmly in the mind.


If Beatts can hit that type of form again, it will be like having a new signing, and while Tony shows no signs of dropping Mama just yet, Beattie can still expect plenty of chances to come on and show what he can do. If only he had stuck this chance away, it could of marked the start of a great resurgence from the striker.


Anyway, the game finished all square and Stoke were definitely thankful for the point. We are now at the 30 point mark and way on our way to that mystical 40 point target. With other sides in the bottom half also regularly picking up points and no one seems to be slipping out of touch just yet, it seems like the relegation battle will go right down to the wire.

I don't think either Wigan nor Stoke will be down there at the very end of the season, but for now, points like this are priceless and get us that bit closer to safety.

Blackburn (h) Saturday 6th February - Can we play you every week?

With about ten minutes still to play in this game a strange sensation hit me. It was a sensation I haven't known at a football match for some years now. I believe those in the trade call it......enjoyment. I was actually enjoying the game in front of me completely care free and safe in the knowledge we had three points in the bag.


I reclined into my seat, took a deep lungful of air and took a good look round at the smiling happy faces of my fellow fans. The hopelessly deluded woman who sits behind me was suddenly as quiet as a mouse. The over-enthusiastic gent who sits in front of me and commentates the whole game to himself was somehow less annoying than usual. Even the arch Mama hater who sits next to me and insists on booing his name every time it's read out, seemed positively jovial. Birds were chirping, the sun was shining and everything was right with the world.



This felt weird.


I'm not used to this. I'm used to feeling many things at football, usually a mix of misery, fear, nervousness and apprehension, but enjoyment....this is all new. I've often been criticised for my pessimism at Stoke games, and it's true, I do always assume we are going to mess it all up. I'm not sure how it all began, numerous last minute goals conceded and numerous hopes shattered have left me naturally wary of taking a lead. "We need another to be sure" is my usual response to Stoke scoring first as I lean gingerly back into my seat and prepare to adopt my patented 'Stoke-holding onto a lead' position of head in hands.



Today though, we were never in any danger of throwing it away. We were dominating the game and even before Samba was given his marching orders for Rovers, we were looking incredibly comfortable. This was of course aided by the fact that Blackburn could well have been the worst team we've seen at the Britannia since our entry in the Premier League. Isn't Big Sam supposed to produce tough and rugged sides? The type of side that makes commentators say things like "you know what you are going to get with a Big Sam side"! It would appear not.



Today Blackburn were weak at the back, utterly devoid of ideas going forward and may or may not have had a midfield on the pitch, I will need to double check that fact to be sure. Either way, Stoke ran them ragged and could easily have scored several more.


I'm hoping one lesson Tony will take away from this game will be that it is ok to really go for it at home against a fellow mid/lower table side. I say 'really go for it' as this is the term used by Stoke City coach Mark O'Connor to describe, on Radio Stoke before the game, the team we would be putting out to face Blackburn. 'Really going for it', thems fighting words Mark, what the devil are you going to do!



It turns out, 'really going for it', in Stoke terms, means....playing a winger on either flank. Wow. Talk about all guns blazing. Isn't that what most teams do week in week out? Only in a Pulis side would the notion of playing wide men on either side, rather than one winger and a central midfielder playing out of position, be considered 'going for it'. Whatever next Tone? It'll be full backs playing at full back next rather than centre halves!!! No, no, that's just crazy talk.


In all seriousness though, with Whitehead and Delap in the middle, and Lawrence and Etherington on either wing, Stoke were playing about as attacking a formation as Tone will allows us to play, and it was a decision that clearly reaped dividends against a poor Blackburn side.

After a superbly taken volley by Danny Higginbotham put us into the lead, Stoke began to look increasingly in control and as decisive going forward as we have been all season. Shortly before the half time break a superb Etherington cross was bundled over the line by big Mama to the delight of the Potters faithful (except of course the Mama hater who sits near me, who begrudgingly stood up and could barely conceal his disappointment).

Etherington has been playing out of skin recently and there has been talk amongst many Stoke fans of him being due an England call up. Many claim if he played for a more fashionable club he would be guaranteed a look in on current form. This could well be the case and it is undeniable that the winger has been in the form of his life the past 2 or 3 months. I fear however, that he will unfortunately continue to be overlooked by Fabio, as the likes of Steven Gerrard, and Joe Cole, to name but two, will always be ahead of him in the pecking order. For now I'm just happy he plays for us and is in the form he is in. Does his form warrant England consideration? Yes, definitely. Will he receive and England call up any time soon? Don't count on it.

Matty capped a scintillating display with a quality solo goal which saw him jink past a bunch of despairing Rovers defenders before cutting inside and curling the ball deftly around an outstretched Robinson in the Blackburn goal. Three goals to the good, and if it wasn't for several last ditch goal line clearances from the visitors, it could have been more.

As we sauntered away from the ground bathed in the sweet blissful euphoria that only a comfortable win can produce, our conversation turned to our next four upcoming home games. Man City, Arsenal, Villa and Spurs. 4 of the top 7 teams, all desperate for points to secure Champions League football. It is a daunting task, but it is worth remembering that in these four fixtures last season we got four wins and witnessed four of the most memorable games in the Britannia's history. Remember Mama's last minute goal against Villa? (I bet that bloke near me almost had a stroke when that went in). Remember the roar that went round the ground on 70 minutes against City as the boys dug in with only 10 men? Remember the relief at the final whistle as we held on against both London rivals?

Realistically, it is unlikely we will see such memorable games again this season. Footballing lightning very rarely strikes twice in the same footballing place (not a saying I know, but go with it.) At the Brit though we are more than a match for any travelling side, and I honestly think we can get two wins and two draws from those games if we play like we did against Rovers.

I'd forgotten what it felt like to cruise to victory, and if I'm honest, it's nowhere near as exciting as snatching victory out of nowhere in a hotly contested match, but for this one time, it was an unexpected treat.

Blackburn Rovers.....can we play you every week?

I hope the irony isn't lost on him....

I notice that Harry Redknapp was quoted in an article on TEAMtalk stating that "All footballers, and not just the England captain, have a duty to be role models - on and off the pitch".

That's Harry Redknapp. "Honest" Harry Redknapp, as he isn't known.

In other news....Jeffrey Archer says all politicians should be more honest, Darren Day says men should be more faithful, and a giant pot calls a kettle black.



Unbelievable.

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.