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<p>Stoke once again have compounded the critics and not only avoided the dreadful “second season syndrome”, but actually improved their points and placing from last season. It’s a fantastic achievement for the club and its passionate and noisy fans. I have to say that as an away fan at either the Brittania Stadium or the old Victoria Ground, listening to the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7SqgtuJdbk&amp;feature=related" target="_blank">Stoke fans regal you a blast of “Delilah” is an experience</a> you have to witness. Hats off to them, it’s an impressive sonic attack that seems to come from everywhere.</p>
<p>To the modern fan, most people assume Stoke have seemingly come from nowhere and when I started watching football, Stoke City were unfortunately on the way down. They have suffered over modern seasons, but don’t be fooled by the clubs league standings over the last 20 years. Throughout most of the 20th century the club were a well established First Division side.</p>
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<p>Now they’ve begun to re-establish themselves and a lot of credit has to go to Tony Pulis for the work he’s put in at the club since he returned for his second stint as manager. Today he’s had an interview with the BBC’s underated Juliette Ferrington in which he’s opened up about some of the leaks and gossip that threatened to derail the clubs progress earlier this season. Following on from Benoit Assou-Ekotto’s refreshingly honest interview in the Guardian, it makes such a refreshing change for someone to deal with the issues fans actually talk about.</p>
<p>I find Pulis an interesting interviewee, his experiences in the lower leagues as a player and manager stands him in good stead. He’s been where it really matters in football, rather than the cossetted world of top flight football. He has an astounding record of never being relegated as a manager so far at the 6 jobs he’s had since he replaced Harry Redknapp at Bournemouth in 1992 and he knows what a club needs to keep it up. It may not be pretty sometimes, but it works.</p>
<p>In the interview today, he’s named names and laid it out for all the fans to see. He’s fed up with people running to the press and leaking stories, which in his opinion destabilises the club.<strong><em>“I thought Beattie was one of the main reasons we stayed up in the  first year, he was exceptional, but he hasn’t had a good season in my  opinion. “Kitson was our record signing, and I don’t think we’ve  got what we thought we were going to get, to be perfectly honest.”</em></strong></p>
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<p>Regardless of what players may think or what John Terry may say to the press, the power at a football club has to lay with the manager. Fans may have favourite players, but ultimately it is the manager who’s neck is on the line every time his team kick off. He’s the one who gets the stick if the side loses and stands back when the team win. Players don’t get sacked when the team struggles, the manager does. The last thing a newly promoted side needs is a couple of ego fuelled players thinking they’re the only thing that matters at a club.</p>
<p>The two players he names can point the fingers all they want, but they simply haven’t performed this season at all. Kitson’s tenure has been a bit of a disaster to be honest, but you can’t go shouting your mouth off about the manager. He was bought to score goals and simply hasn’t produced anywhere near the form he showed at Reading. Beattie on the other hand, has always had a reputation as a bit of a “prima-donna”, so it was seemed more a question of when he’d blow up rather than why. He is a classic example of potential being wasted by poor off field discipline. Ironically both have drink driving convictions.</p>
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<p>Martin Keown tonight criticised Pulis for his comments, but I applaud him for his honesty. I’m sick to death of pampered players whining because they are not the be all and end all at clubs they clearly feel aren’t big enough for them. Pulis would do well in selling the pair of them and investing in some raw talent that has it all to prove rather than two players who feel they are bigger than Stoke City. No doubt, someone will want them but Stoke City are better of without them.</p>

Stoke Keep Improving But Can They Shift The Troublecausers?

Stoke Keep Improving But Can They Shift The Troublecausers? - World Soccer Talk

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<p>On a day where the weather saw two Premier League ties called off, one London side will be glad their match was played while Liverpool will be wishing their tie at Stoke City was frozen off.</p>
<p>Whenever Arsenal and Bolton get together, you know two things are certain. The first being it will be a physical affair and the second being it will be a tight affair regardless of how well each side is doing in the league. How Kevin Davies played the first half without a yellow or even a red card is beyond my imagination. But Bolton’s style was to be expected. It almost was as expected the way Arsenal struggled to get the opener.</p>
<p>Until the 70th minute, I didn’t think Arsenal had a goal in them. But once the cross bar was hit, it just seemed like it was a matter of time. Clichy finding Van Persie on the run and Bendtner just getting in front of Jlloyd Samuel to keep them in distance of the top four. Doing so after a frustrating afternoon with six minutes to spare only helped those matters. After the lunchtime kickoff, it would have been another blow to have only received one point.</p>
<p>Special people help create those defining moment of a season, and for Arsenal Robin Van Persie has been that person for them this season. To finally put that final puzzle piece together for three points was something they needed to warm up on a bitterly cold afternoon in North London.</p>
<p>Liverpool on the other hand are probably wishing their tea time affair with Stoke City would have been frozen off. After nearly giving up a goal that should have never been allowed (the crossbar saved Liverpool…and the referee’s blushes twelve minutes in), Liverpool were almost left in the dust with sixteen minutes left after a Delap rocket found the head of Dave Kitson. That ball didn’t miss by much and really cemented the fact that while Stoke City didn’t have much of the ball, they were certainly more in control of the game.</p>
<p>Liverpool though seem to find a winner from nothing in these situations, and late in the match they had their chances. Steven Gerrard’s free kick six minutes from time probably the best chance. However the angle from which the free kick was taken, I can’t classify it as a quality chance at three points. Gerrard’s chance in the first minute of stoppage time I’d qualify as half a chance at best.</p>
<p>It’s embarrassing when a team that has 2/3rd of the possession only can get off 11 shots, 2 of those on target (per Soccernet). Stoke City from my eyes had the two best chances of the game and Liverpool were very lucky to get a point out of this match. Liverpool’s lack of quality chances cost them. For a side to have as much talent as they claim, they should be able to break down a side that was intent on attacking via the counter and the Delap special. It makes me also wonder if Benitez opened his mouth a little too soon?</p>


Arsenal Escape the Cold While Liverpool Left Out to Freeze

Arsenal Escape the Cold While Liverpool Left Out to Freeze - World Soccer Talk

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Stoke Keep Improving But Can They Shift The Troublecausers?

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Arsenal Escape the Cold While Liverpool Left Out to Freeze