I Love Stoke City

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.

Stoke City manager Tony Pulis has said that he is extremely proud of his players after they won against Norwich City during the weekend.

The win is extremely crucial for Stoke City given that they have been distracted by the European campaign experiences during the middle of the season.

However, having been knocked out of the Europa league recently, Stoke City can focus their attention on the Premier league once again. Following the 1-0 win over Norwich City, Tony Pulis says that he is extremely proud of his players, who have achieved this victory even after the ‘draining campaign’.

Stoke City have recently played their 44th match of the season. This is an extremely large amount of football for the club but that does not have deep squad like the clubs like Manchester City and Manchester United. As a result, they were not expected to be at their best for the home match against Norwich City. However, Stoke City won the match after a goal from Matthew Etherington in the second half gave them all three points. It also puts them in the ninth position in the table, thus ensuring another season of Premier league football.

“It is draining, but what the players have done is get their heads down. They got a great result at Crawley – we went there and won with 10 men – and for that game, the Swansea game and now Norwich, the lads have really got their heads down and worked tremendously hard to get the results we want. We are sitting mid-table in the Premier League,” Tony Pulis said after the match. Aside from Aston Villa, none of the teams closer to the top half of the table need to worry about relegation as of now. Stoke City have 36 points on the board right now.

Stoke City striker Peter Crouch has said that he is extremely confident of their ability to hurt Valencia when the two sides meet in the Europa league.

Stoke City have qualified for Europe for the first time, and even better is the fact that they have qualified for the knockout stages of the tournament.

Stoke City will be facing Valencia in the round of 32. Manchester city and Manchester United are the other two teams from England left in the competition. The former Tottenham striker Peter Crouch has become a first team regular for Stoke City this season. He has spoken with confidence about Stoke City’s ability to hurt Valencia when the two sides face each other shortly.

Valencia are currently in the third position in the la Liga. However, this will not stop Stoke City from trying their best against Valencia according to Peter Crouch. Even though Stoke City do not have the threat of relegation as of now, they are still close to the relegation zone. Stoke City manager Tony Pulis will want to make sure that the first clear threat of relegation before progressing in Europe. Striker Peter Crouch, however, is a player who believes that Stoke City can make good progress in the Europa league this season.

“It’s going to be incredibly tough, we know that – but Valencia don’t hold any fears for us. We have already met some top European sides at the Britannia Stadium this season and done well in all of them, beating Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool, while also giving a good account of ourselves in draws with Chelsea and Manchester United,” Peter Crouch said in an interview given just before the match against Valencia. Peter Crouch is one of the experienced members of the squad when it comes to European experience.

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.

English Premier League club Stoke City’s manager Tony Pulis does not expect to be buying during the January transfer window and admitted that there are more chances of players leaving during the transfer window than any new arrivals.

The Potters, who signed five top players in the summer – three of which during the last day of the summer transfer window – are reportedly happy with the squad as it is, but might just sell one or two players to release some cash, if there is need for it. One player who is almost certain to heading for the exit door at the Britannia Stadium is former Arsenal and Liverpool midfielder Jermaine Pennant, whose indifferent form has failed to impress the manager.

Speaking to the media, Pulis said that he is extremely happy with the players in his squad who have managed to take Stoke City to eighth in the English Premier League and progressed to the knock out rounds of the UEFA Europa League.

The season kicked off with a bang for The Potters who beat both Liverpool and Chelsea at home and managed to draw with the champions Manchester United. Pulis believes that these performances are enough to reinforce his belief that the side is good enough.

However, the manager did admit that some players might have to leave the Britannia Stadium in order to balance the books and went on to add that if any of their long term targets became available in January, then he will definitely think about moving in for the player but that doesn’t seem to be happening. The Stoke City manager also added that there were also some squad players who needed some game time.

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.

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.

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.

After suffering four consecutive defeats, Stoke City managed to bounce back to winning ways with a 2-1 win over Blackburn during the weekend. It has finally arrested on the slide that had brought so many relegation fears amongst the squad and their manager.

Rory Delap says that the reason that Stoke have bounced back from their defeats is the fact that they have gone back to the basis once again. After spending a lot of money in the summer, it is thought that Stoke perhaps forgot the fact that they had come up from the Championship only a few seasons ago.

Before this weekend, Stoke City were only a couple of points ahead of the drop zone. It needed quick action on the part of both the manager Tony Pulis and the players to halt the decline. The Stoke City fans were more than happy to see their team return to winning ways, even if it meant a return to less sophisticated football.

It was the ideal match to get all three points and once again marks the Premier League as the top priority for the Potters – it is thought that one of the contributory factors for their failures this season was that they had taken eye off the Premier League after the recent success in the Europa League. However, they know that the bread and butter is more important than the extras.

After the important win, one of Stoke City’s most important players Rory Delap said “We simply haven’t been good enough. We haven’t done what we do well enough. If you can’t do that then you are going to get punished in this league, and that’s what has happened in our last four games. We played well for perhaps 10 or 15 minutes at a time, but that’s not good enough.”

Rory Delap made his 550th appearance in the club game when he played against Blackburn.

Stoke City manager Tony Pulis was far from happy with referee Lee Probert after last night’s defeat to Newcastle United.

Stoke had a number of contentious decisions against them, including a goal disallowed at the end of the first half. It would have been an equaliser for the Potters, and could have completely changed the shape of the game, had it been allowed.

“We have had Lee a few times now and had three goals disallowed,” said Pulis.

“One at Aston Villa a couple of years ago, a great goal by Tuncay against Everton last year, and tonight it was a perfectly good goal.

“You will have to ask Lee why [he disallowed it] because we don’t know why.”