I Love Stoke City

Shaqiri wants to win trophies

Posted on July 21, 2017  in Stoke

Stoke City winger XherdanShaqiri has stated that he wants to win the Premier League as well as the Champions League while playing for Stoke City.

He believes that the club can do it if they invest in the club and that they already have the necessary foundation for success.

He was speaking after the club announced the signing of Darren Fletcher. The club made an interesting start to the season but their form dwindled during the campaign, and they ultimately finish 13th in the table.

XherdanShaqiri said that this time the club should be aiming for higher. He said that he will be doing his best to help the club finish higher in the table this season but that the club should also continue in purchasing quality players.

When asked whether Stoke City can replicate what Leicester City has done, he said that he is convinced that the club could achieve the same feat. He believes that there are some great players within the team and that they have the necessary experience to challenge for titles. (more…)

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Hughes Confident in the Coates Family

Posted on May 12, 2015  in Stoke

Peter Coates is the chairman of Stoke City; he is one the main figures responsible in offloading cash whenever it may be needed in order to sign players that can reinforce the Premier League side Stoke City.

The manager of the English club, Mark Hughes has voiced his support and confidence towards Peter Coates and his spending power.

During the first season of Mark Hughes in charge of Stoke City, he managed to push the team to the 9th spot of the Premier League and Hughes wants to continue finishing the season in one of those top spots but the coach believes that in order for that to happen a few signings might need to be made.

Stoke City’s Mark Hughes displayed the confidence that he has concerning Peter Coates and his ability to sign high quality players that can help the team continue finishing in the top 10 spots of the Premier League as the manager told reporters.

“We have done some good deals and done some good business and bought good players. We are pleased with that but that can’t be a strategy moving forward. We will have to reinvest significantly in the team” he told this source.

“If we want to continue to get better and be a consistently successful side in the Premier League which for us equates to top-10 finishes every year – then we will have to add more quality and that costs money. We understand that and the Coates family understands that.”

“I am very comfortable and very confident that if we have the opportunity to bring a really top player here that costs a significant amount, the means to do so will be made available.”

Mark Hughes has already said that finishing in the top 10 spots of the Premier League is his priority and that is what he will focus on doing for the remainder of the English League which is a possible thing to accomplish but Stoke City will have to claim a few more victories in their remaining matches of the season.

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Group C Review

Posted on June 26, 2012  in Stoke

This was a game where Sweden supposedly stood no chance of winning (and thus qualifying) and only a bizarre set of results on the night would be enough to deny France progression to the quarter finals. Little did we know.

France’s best moves early on came from Ribery on the left who was giving right back Andreas Granqvist a torrid night but few clear cut opportunities were to come France’s way as the Swedes held strong.

Instead, Sweden had the best chances through Ola Toivonen who had clipped a post on 12 minutes before then putting a decent headed chance over the bar. Some lazy runs into an offside position squandered some decent positional play as the half wore on.

Scoreless at half-time the game didn’t look like it would burst into life, but suddenly Sweden conjured a goal from nothing on 54 minutes thanks to a vintage piece of Zlatan Ibrahimovic magic. As the ball swung in from the left, the AC Milan striker swivelled and hammered an unstoppable volley past Lloris, potentially the goal of Euro 2012 so far.

Sweden’s captain had been a little subdued up this point but his strike saw his side take a well deserved lead. For a time, France were a little flat and were restricted to long range efforts. When they did advance into the penalty area, the Sweden backline held firm.

However, Arsenal target Olivier Giroud was introduced on 83 minutes and should have scored with his first touch as a corner from the left found him unmarked. But he connected poorly and it sailed wide.

France still looked the more likely to add to the goal tally but as injury time approached, Sweden countered and with the defence stretched, Seb Larsson settled the game with a fine volley.

The 2-0 defeat sees France sheepishly progress in second place in Group D where they now meet Spain in the quarter finals.

An poor French performance here means they are 4.25 to win that game in 90 minutes while Spain are favourites at 1.80. Laurent Blanc’s side were third favourites at one point to win the trophy but have now slipped to sixth in the betting and can be found at odds of 11.00 to repeat their success of 2000.

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HIGGINBOTHAM UNSURE ON FUTURE

Posted on April 24, 2012  in Stoke

Stoke City defender Danny Higginbotham has said that he is uncertain about the future with the Premier league club after returning at the end of his loan spell with Nottingham Forest.

Danny Higginbotham was one of the first-team regulars at Stoke City only a few seasons ago, but he has fallen down out of favour in recent seasons.

As a result, Stoke City decided to loan him out until the end of the season in order to provide him with regular football. The defender joined the Championship team Nottingham Forest in the January transfer window and made six appearances for the club.

Now, the Championship season has almost reached its finale, which has led to the loan spell of Danny Higginbotham expiring. After returning to the club, the defender said that he is extremely unsure about his future with the club given that he has only one year left on his current contract.

The 33-year-old has missed a lot of action for Stoke City in the last few seasons mainly due to injury. He was even not involved in the squad that took on Manchester City in the FA Cup final last season. He would be 34 by the time his contract comes to an end, which has prompted questions regarding his future.

“I’ve got a year left here and you just don’t know what will happen. You want to be playing, but ultimately that’s something that will be decided for me. I’d love to stay but if you’re not playing it can be frustrating.”

Not playing has also cost Danny any hopes he had of a place in the European Championshps, with the latest euro 2012 odds giving him almost no chance of making it into the final squad.

“Your career is soon over and you want to play in as many games as you can while you can. In the short term I’ll train with the rest of the lads this season to keep my fitness up,” Higginbotham told The Sentinel.

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STOKE DISAPPOINTED WITH SPURS DRAW

Posted on March 26, 2012  in Stoke

Stoke City lost a chance to get famous away win in North London after they let in an equaliser from Tottenham in the dying minutes of the match.

Stoke City made the trip to White Hart Lane for the match against Tottenham on Wednesday night, and it was a match that provided Stoke City with the opportunity to take all three points given that Tottenham were coming into the match on a poor run of form.

As expected, it was a very sluggish start from the team in third in the table. They created only one worthy opportunity in the first half through Luka Modric, as Stoke City’s defence played really well.

Stoke City then took the lead through Cameron Jerome in the 75th minute, which finally looked like bringing an end to any relegation trouble they may have come the end of the season. Stoke City are currently in the 11th position in the table with 37 points on the board. They are fast approaching the 40 point mark, which will guarantee their safety for the next Premier league season.

After Stoke City took the lead through Cameron Jerome, Tottenham were woken into life. They created a number of chances in the dying minutes of the game, but the Stoke City defence held firm throughout, right up until the 90th minute.

The 90th minute equaliser from Rafael van der Vaart was crucial for Tottenham, as it brought the run of three consecutive defeats to an end.

Tottenham given face Chelsea during the weekend, with 3/1 being the best football odds available. Stoke City, meanwhile, will be facing second placed Manchester City at home. Manchester City come on the back of a 2-1 morale boosting win over Chelsea.

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HUTH LOSES APPEAL

Posted on February 17, 2012  in Stoke

Stoke City defender Robert Huth will now be missing again for Stoke city after having lost his appeal against the red card issued in a match against Sunderland recently.

Robert Huth was sent off in the match against Sunderland during the weekend. It was a decision that was highly controversial because of the fact that Sunderland were able to take advantage of the 10 man Stoke city to power themselves to a victory in the end.

Stoke City manager Tony Pulis was extremely critical after the match of the refereeing decisions, which saw his side lose their home match.

Robert Huth was dismissed early in the first half after his lunge on the Sunderland player David Meyler. The referee deemed it to be a worthy of a red card. Red cards are now being issued quite normally for players going in with 2 foot off the ground.

It has become a serious issue in the Premier league nowadays, especially after the injury to Arsenal striker Eduardo a few years ago. David Meyler made a meal of the challenge and it seems to have persuaded the referee to give a red card, although the replays have since shown that the former Chelsea defender did not actually make any significant contact with David Meyler.

“An independent regulatory commission has today dismissed the claim of wrongful dismissal of Stoke City’s Robert Huth. The defender will serve a three-match suspension with immediate effect following his red card for serious foul play in the game with Sunderland on February 4,” read an FA statement on the official website.

As a result of this suspension, Robert Huth will be unavailable for the matches against Fulham and Swansea in the Premier league and also the match against Crawley town in the fifth round of the FA Cup. His suspension has affected Stoke’s latest Premier League betting odds, with their chances of netting European football next season drifting out to 10/1.

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PULIS NOT LOOKING FOR NEW BOYS

Posted on January 11, 2012  in Stoke

Tony Pulis has said that he is not looking to sign a number of players immediately after the opening of the January transfer window.

The transfer window, which opens in the middle of the season, has often been used by clubs is struggling in the bottom end of the table or teams having a number of injury problems.

Stoke City, however, have not had any such issues, as they have been able to make use of the high-profile signings they have made in the summer quite brilliantly. Peter Crouch has become a mainstay of the Stoke City side, while they are set to welcome back Wilson Palacios soon.

Hence, Tony Pulis has said that he will not be making any buys immediately after the start of the window, even though fans are betting on QPR and other ricals to make as many as 8 signings! Stoke are currently in the eighth position in the table, although they did suffer a dip in form during the October months.

As a result, Stoke were sliding fast down the table, but Tony Pulis rescued the side by shifting their focus from the Europa League towards the domestic Premier League. The move paid off greater dividends given that they have been able to achieve qualification to the next stage of the Europa League with the second team.

“We think we have got a decent squad. If people become available who we like, then if we can do something, we will. It won’t be as busy as it has been,” he said. Tony Pulis said referring to the summer transfer window, in which Stoke City were extremely active by signing a number of new players.

This season has been regarded as the one in which Stoke City establish themselves as a proper Premier League team without any threat of relegation, with the Premier league betting exchanges making them favourites to finish in 7th place this year.

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PULIS PRAISES CROUCH

Posted on January 10, 2012  in Stoke

Stoke City striker Peter Crouch is the fittest player in the team it seems, or so the statistics read. The lanky striker has beaten off competition from irrepressible strike partner Jon Walters and has been putting in the hard yards during The Potters’ matches and in terms of running stats; he is far ahead of anyone else on the team, revealed manager Tony Pulis.

The manager went on to add that the recovery rate of Crouch was simply phenomenal and because of the fact that he doesn’t carry too much weight, he will not be losing his fitness anytime soon.

Tony Pulis signed the player from Tottenham Hotspur for a minimal fee at the beginning of the season and the lanky forward has repaid the faith showed in him by the manager by netting 6 times already in the 15 English Premier League games he has featured in for Stoke City. Pulis went on to say that he believes Crouch is extremely happy at the Britannia Stadium and has adapted well – something that has helped him on the pitch as well as off it. And he’s been so impressed with Crouch that he is also looking to bring in another version – in the shape of 6″8 Michael Uchebo.

When asked if England manager Fabio Capello should take the striker to the Euro 2012 in May – June, Pulis stated that it was entirely the England manager’s decision but if he did go, it wouldn’t hurt England’s chances in the tournament. However, in the scenario that he isn’t picked for the squad, Pulis will be glad for him to have some time off from football and return fresh for next season with The Potters.

Pulis, Crouch and Stoke City are currently sitting at eighth in the English Premier League (and according to the latest football odds are likely to finish there) and are looking good to finish in the UEFA Europa League places and earn a place in the competition for the second season in a row, which will be a great achievement for the club.

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No Stoke complaint over missiles

Posted on December 16, 2011  in Stoke

Stoke will not make a complaint to UEFA despite a number of their players being targeted by missiles in the recent clash against Besiktas.

Ricardo Fuller and Jermaine Pennant had a number of items thrown at them as they played in the Inonu stadium, but according to manager Tony Pulis the English club will not be asking for the incidents to be examined.

He claimed that Stoke “won’t be complaining to anyone” as they were not that kind of club.

However, Pennant revealed the exact nature of what had gone on, claiming that coins and lighters had been thrown at him as he looked to take a set piece.

“I didn’t want to take [the corner] because every second I could see things flying past me,” he said. “Until that stopped, I didn’t feel comfortable taking the corner and then obviously the referee called me away.”

He added that as he had played in the stadium before, he knew what to expect in terms of atmosphere.

Despite this, Pennant, who came on as a half-time substitute, he was unable to help Stoke secure victory and they went down to a 3-1 defeat. Those following the weekend Premier League betting odds will be wondering if the side can bounce back.

The English club took the lead through Fuller’s deflected strike, but when Matthew Upson conceded a penalty and was sent off, the game changed.

Manuel Fernandes equalised from the resulting kick, before Mustafa Pektemek and Edu secured the win.

The result was enough to send Besiktas through to the next round, while Stoke had already secured their progress.

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