STOKE V MAN CITY WSC Preview

This orginally appeared on When Saturday Comes Website:

http://www.wsc.co.uk/wsc-daily/1152-september-2012/9001-stoke-have-made-astute-signings-despite-budget-cuts

I wrote it, so I am reproducing it on my blog

Last time Stoke played Manchester City, in late March, Peter Crouch managed to control the ball, swivel and loop it over Joe Hart from 35 yards, illuminating a rather dull league campaign for the Potters.

The 2011-12 season will be remembered by fans for the Europa League run, which started as a bit of a laugh but ended in the last 32, rather than for anything that happened domestically. Last term Stoke were were dull, functional and almost totally reliant on set-pieces, scoring barely any goals from open play.

We were so poor to watch that even the famously rock-solid relationship between manager Tony Pulis and chairman Peter Coates was said to be under strain.

It began in the early close-season when Coates announced a massive expansion of the youth set-up. Pulis is famously reticent when it comes to playing youngsters – 28-year-old Andy Wilkinson is still a "kiddie" in interviews – and soon began sniping in the press that for all the background improvements "the front of house needs to be looked after too". Coates retorted by saying after last year's £22 million deadline-day splurge, after which two of the players signed – Cameron Jerome and Wilson Palacios – barely started, the manager would have to wheel and deal this year.

Whatever Coates meant by this, it is clear it wasn't "wheeling and dealing" in the conventional sense. Seven players arrived while not much transfer revenue was recouped. Most of the incoming players were midfielders which was odd because we have a lot and, frankly, never play much silky stuff through midfield anyway. We did need full-backs desperately, but they never materialised.

As always Pulis made some late deals. First, he persuaded Charlie Adam to swap one mid-table north-west club for another and in doing so got us a proper playmaker at last. Then he got Stephen Nzonzi for what looks like a bargain price and, finally, ended the Michael Owen saga by landing him too.

Time will tell whether the trio are Crouch-like successes or Eidur Gudjohnsen/Tuncay/Palacios style big-name Britannia misfits. Whatever you think about Owen's form, fitness and desire, he would have scored at least one of the two sitters missed by Jerome at Wigan.

The 2-2 draw at Wigan means we are still unbeaten and Stoke's record against City isn't bad if we forget about the 2011 Cup final. The Potters haven't lost at home against the "Big Four" for nearly two years and, if Crouch can't smash a wonder goal this time, then Owen might do the job instead.

Praise And Grumble

Listening to Praise & Grumble on Radio Stoke on Saturday evenings after a game can often be a chore.

From the “We are going for the top six” brigade after we win a game or two, to the “we are going to get relegated” mob (often the same people!) two weeks later after we have lost a couple, it is not just P&G, but all phone in’s, that don’t offer a particularly balanced view.

By their nature, of course, they are for immediate, and often emotional, reaction so perhaps shouldn’t be taken too seriously, but nonetheless there is a recent strand to the calls that has been really getting on my nerves.

There was one last week after we lost to WBA. A chap rang up and said: “the thing is, John [Acres] these people who are moaning, they want to remember where we were five years ago.”

Leaving aside the fact that just over five years ago we destroyed WBA at home (Ricardo Fullers hat-trick if you recall) that entire argument is a load of nonsense.

My first game was in 1985 as a nearly 10 year old boy. I have had a season ticket since 1987. Every decision I have ever made in my work or social life since has been to enable me to watch Stoke play.

I haven’t missed a league game since 2002 (in that time I have missed the Millwall cup game in 07, when I was so ill I couldn’t get out of bed) and four Europa cup games away this season for two reasons 1) My brother couldn’t get there I walk with sticks and going to these places on my own isn’t that easy and 2) I have a crippling fear of flying (as previously discussed on this blog). And for this reason I am not going to Valencia either.

I have missed family weddings, mates birthdays, you name it. All to watch Stoke City play.

I am not saying these things because I believe that I am a “better” fan than anyone who can’t for whatever reason go to this amount of games, but I am saying it because I am EXACTLY the sort of person who knows where we have been and who is proud of what have done as a club in the last six years.

But I was extremely annoyed by our display against Albion. Just as I have been in other games (Bolton, Sunderland, Swansea, QPR and Wigan to name but five) this season.

Have I not got the right to be? Or do we always have to praise them because of “where we were?”

The other thing that makes the “they forgot what we have achieved….” merchants wrong is that our current first XI only has two of the players we had then. And with those new – and extremely expensive players – comes higher expectation.

If we still had the same players as in 2007 then I could just about accept the argument, but we don’t so it’s a redundant point.

Similarly, if we criticise Tony Pulis that doesn’t mean we a) we want him out or b) that we don’t appreciate the job he has done for the club and therefore – by extension - for us as fans. It does however mean that we can justifiably criticise TP for playing Jonathan Woodgate in a right back spot he is not suited for, for playing Ryan Shotton on the wing when Pennant is sat on the bench, and for not changing his strikers round when one of them so obviously needs a rest.

So can I suggest that, just as much as the kneejerk reactions are stupid, then so is the suggestion not to moan at anyone. Ever. For anything.

Constructive criticism is our right, and moreover our duty as fans and never, ever, means we don’t know the history of our great club.

So praise by all means, but for God sake, let’s grumble too.

A Little Belief Would Go A Long Way

There is something that’s been on my mind for a while and with the Liverpool game this weekend and a trip to Old Trafford looming it seems an apt time to bring it up.

It’s a quite simple question: Do Stoke City have an inferiority complex?

I ask that because it seems to me that however well we have done in the Premier League, we never seem to quite believe that we can get something off one of the big boys.

I totally understand that these teams are superb, of course I do, and at home it is a different matter. But that doesn’t mean we should be frightened to play them away from ST4 either. And I would argue that is exactly what we are at most away games against the top six.

Against Manchester City before Christmas I don’t believe for one second that any player in red and white believed they could get anything from the game and the same thing rings true for nearly every game against them, Chelsea, Man Utd, Arsenal and Liverpool.

Of course you could argue that most teams get thumped at those places, but our record against those five is one point from 13 games – an extremely fortunate draw in September 2008 at Anfield (it was a magnificent day, and a fantastic, battling display, but on another afternoon we would have got destroyed). To that you can add a narrow, heartbreaking loss at Stamford Bridge and a narrow reverse at Old Trafford last January.

In short, it’s fairly grim.

I left Spurs out of that list deliberately, given the fact we beat them in 09 (again, luckily, lets be honest – although it didn’t stop me grinning all the way home) but more for the fact that last April we actually went somewhere and had a go, scored two superb goals and but for Jon Walters not making a proper connection we would probably have got a draw.

The key phrase in that paragraph is “had a go.” Too often it seems we accept defeat away (and no one will ever convince me that anyone at Stoke gave that game at Man City a month or so ago the remotest thought the second the came off the field). Surely the time has come for us to know that we belong at this level?

TP was extremely good at playing the little-Stoke-City-are-doing-ever-so-well-card for the first few seasons – he still is, and we have, but we are better than that now, aren’t we? We are eighth on merit, we are in the Europa League knockout stages because we deserve to be - we have some extremely good players and a very good squad.

A squad and a team, I would argue, that is every bit as good, if not better, than the Villa’s and Newcastle’s of this world, but those clubs, and others,sometimes seem to find some extra reserves of belief that we don’t have and get points at Chelsea and Man Utd recently (though the Geordies did meekly surrender at Anfield the other week).

I don’t expect us to beat these types of teams and before anyone says it I acutely remember where we have come from and I know what has been achieved since 2006. I do, however expect us to try and win these games and not just be grateful to be on the same pitch as the boys from the top table.

Liverpool are playing well – and are unbeaten at home – but they are by no means infallible. They have no Suarez and Andy Carroll looks desperately out of sorts. We have lost one game in the last 10 and have won four of our last five away from The Brit.

There is no need for us to be scared on Saturday when we step out onto the pitch – and for once I hope we aren’t.

There is a sign at White Hart Lane at the opposite end to where the away fans sit. “To Dare Is To Do” it says. That might be Tottenham’s mantra, but there is absolutely no reason why we shouldn’t adopt it as our own for the next two away games.

We deserve to be in this league. We have earned the right. Now lets get out there and prove it.