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Thursday 8 March 2012

Stoke's Summer Swoop?


Stoke are lining up a summer raid on the Championship with Blackpool's Matt Phillips top of their wanted list.
The winger has shot to prominence this season as the Seasiders bid to return to the Premier League.
And Potters boss Tony Pulis hopes £3million will be enough to prise the 20-year-old from Bloomfield Road.
Stoke have regularly sent scouts to watch the youngster, who was called up to the Scotland squad for last month's friendly against Slovenia.
Phillips was forced to pull out through injury but had committed to playing for Craig Levein's side despite being born in England.
He qualifies through his grandmother but represented the country of his birth at Under 20 level last summer.
Pulis is also keen on Birmingham's Nathan Redmond and Wilfried Zaha of Crystal Palace, according to theDaily Mirror.

Tuesday 6 March 2012

Woodgate Closes In on New Contract


Stoke City defender Jonathan Woodgate is on track to earning a new contract.
The Daily Express says Woodgate is on course to earn a new contract with Stoke after rebuilding his career under Tony Pulis.
Woodgate is poised to trigger a clause in his pay-as-you-play deal that guarantees him another 12 months at the Britannia Stadium.

Pope Pleads Stoke Fans To Watch Vale Tonight



TOM Pope has appealed to Stoke City fans to back Port Vale's fight for survival.
As a life-long Vale fan, the 26-year-old striker has been hit harder than most by the club's spiral towards administration.
So he is urging sympathetic Stoke supporters to cross the Potteries divide tonight to watch the Valiants in action against Burton Albion at Vale Park (7.45pm).
Sneyd Green-born Pope said: "I'd welcome Stoke fans at tonight's game.
"I'm sure there'd be some who wouldn't like that, but in this situation it's all about communities coming together.
"Vale fans hate Stoke fans as much as they hate us, but if we don't survive they'll have nobody to have banter with.
"It's all about that rivalry, at work and at home, so both clubs need each other, even though one is in the Premier League and the other in League Two."
Pope himself is committed to staying put to help get Vale through the crisis ... but accepts other members of Micky Adams's squad may have to move on.
Having not been paid last week, some players may look elsewhere to ensure they can pay the bills.
Others may be forced to leave once the administrator begins to make the savings necessary to keep the club in business.
"I don't think anybody wants to leave as this is a great club and all the players get on with each other," said Pope.
"I'm happy here, but money doesn't grow on trees.
"I've been lucky in that my nan and other family members have helped me out a bit. But if you've got a young family and bills to pay then you need to put food on the table. We've got some decent players and I'm sure there will be clubs interested in taking them.
"So they're in the shop window and need to keep playing well because the majority of them are out of contract in the summer anyway.
"If they can get out of the club and get paid next month, then I'm sure a few of them may do that."
Adams's players have been in demand already, and the manager fears his squad will be ripped apart after receiving "a number of inquiries" about them.
There were also 35 scouts in attendance for Vale's 1-1 draw with Crewe Alexandra last week.
Story from The Sentinel 

Will you be at Vale tonight. Comment with your ideas.

Saturday 3 March 2012

Stoke 1-0 Norwich

Stoke moved up to eighth in the Premier League table after Matthew Etherington's second-half strike earned them a 1-0 victory over Norwich at the Britannia Stadium.
The Potters dominated for large periods of a scrappy contest and were eventually rewarded for their persistence on 72 minutes when Etherington pounced on Cameron Jerome's flick-on to fire past John Ruddy at the near post.
Ruddy had earlier kept Norwich in the game with a stunning point-blank save to deny Peter Crouch three minutes before half-time.
Paul Lambert's Canaries struggled to cope with Stoke's high tempo and direct style, with only Grant Holt threatening with a first-half header which Asmir Begovic easily saved.
The defeat means Norwich, who drop down to 10th after their third successive reverse in all competitions, have now failed to win on seven visits to the Britannia Stadium.

Fierce strike

The only change to the Potters' starting line-up from the Swansea game saw defender Robert Huth return after serving a three-match suspension, replacing Matthew Upson.
Norwich's first XI showed three adjustments from their 2-1 defeat to Manchester United, manager Lambert bringing in midfielder Jonny Howson for his Canaries debut, as well as Elliott Bennett and Russell Martin, with Simeon Jackson, David Fox and Adam Drury the men making way.
Walters made the game's first attempt on goal in the ninth minute, getting the better of Kyle Naughton and unleashing a fierce strike which goalkeeper Ruddy initially parried before gathering.
Six minutes later, Huth came forward to get on the end of Ryan Shotton's cross but the German could not direct his header on target.
Referee Michael Oliver waved for play to continue when Shotton went down in the area under the attentions of Naughton, and then penalised Crouch for committing a foul as the forward jumped to head the ball at Ruddy.
Howson picked up a booking for a challenge on Glenn Whelan, before Walters slipped in Whitehead, who could not get sufficient power on his effort to trouble Ruddy.
Stoke were forced to make a substitution in the 25th minute, with Andy Wilkinson having to come off for Jermaine Pennant, and Huth then swung a wild attempt into the stands.
Norwich had offered little going forward, but called Begovic into action on the half-hour mark when Holt met a free-kick with a header at the far post.
Holt hacked a shot wide from outside the box five minutes later, but it was the Potters who went close just before the break, Crouch having a header blocked by Bradley Johnson and then a shot kept out by Ruddy.

Tame shot

Lambert changed things around at half-time, substituting Anthony Pilkington for Jackson.
Crouch tried to connect with an Etherington cross but was beaten to the ball by Naughton, with Ruddy punching away the resulting corner, and at the other end a tame shot from Bennett rolled through to Begovic.
Crouch flicked a header wide before Holt won a free-kick in a useful position which was taken by Andrew Surman and caught by Begovic.
Pulis refreshed his attack by replacing Walters and Crouch with Jerome and Kenwyne Jones, and within three minutes the hosts finally broke Norwich's resistance.
From a throw-in - which replays suggested perhaps should have been given to the Canaries - Jerome headed the ball to Etherington, who touched it past Elliott Ward before firing beyond Ruddy.
The lively Etherington then delivered a cross which looped wide off Jones' head.
Martin got in the way of a shot by Jerome in the final 10 minutes, but Stoke had done enough.
From Sky Sports

Friday 2 March 2012

Stoke vs Norwich Preview


Norwich will look to strengthen their bid for a top-10 Premier League finish when they visit a Stoke side that returned to winning ways last weekend.
Norwich remain 8th after losing to Manchester, They contended well but lost to a Giggs goal.
Stoke ended a woeful run of four consecutive defeats when they secured a home triumph over Swansea, a win which lifted them into 12th place in the table.
Another home victory, which would be just their sixth of the season, would see the Potters leapfrog Norwich, with just two points separating them in the standings.
The two sides have already met once this term, back in August, when a stoppage time strike from Kenwyne Jones cancelled out Ritchie de Laet's opener to seal a 1-1 draw at Carrow Road.
Before that clash they had not gone head-to-head since the 2007-08 season, when Stoke did the double over the Canaries during their promotion-winning Championship campaign.
The Potters' recent home record over their visitors is solid, having gone unbeaten in their last six against Norwich at the Britannia Stadium, winning the last three.
But the Canaries have proved this season they can trounce home records, having recently become only the second top-flight side to leave Swansea's Liberty Stadium with a maximum haul.

Team news

Stoke have Robert Huth back available for the clash, with the defender set to return to the Potters side having completed a three-match suspension following his sending-off against Sunderland last month.
Manager Tony Pulis will check on the condition of midfielder Glenn Whelan, who suffered a knock on international duty with the Republic of Ireland, ahead of kick-off.
Norwich team news to follow.
Possible starting XIs:
Stoke: Begovic, Wilson, Upson, Huth, Wilkinson, Shotton, Whitehead, Palacios, Etherington, Crouch, Walters.
Norwich: Ruddy, Drury, Whitbread, Ward, Naughton, Fox, Surman, Pilkington, Johnson, Holt, Jackson.

Stoke and Newcastle Chase Kevin Mirallas


Stoke and Newcastle are monitoring Olympiakos forward Kevin Mirallas.
CSKA Moscow had a £5m bid rejected for the 24-year-old Belgium international.

Thursday 1 March 2012

Pulis Still Mates With Pennant

Stoke City manager Tony Pulis
Stoke boss Tony Pulis insists there is no problem between him and Potters winger Jermaine Pennant.
Having previously been a key figure for the Staffordshire outfit, Pennant has only made a handful of starts since early December.
Pulis has played down any suggestion of a rift with the former Liverpool and Arsenal midfielder and is keen to point out the form of the man who has been occupying Pennant's place on the right flank for Stoke, 23-year-old Ryan Shotton, who is enjoying an impressive breakthrough season.
Speaking ahead of Saturday's Barclays Premier League clash with Norwich at the Britannia Stadium, Pulis said: 'Anything I do with players, it is between me and the players, but there are no problems.
'I have a lad called Ryan Shotton who I thought was outstanding against Swansea (last weekend's 2-0 home victory in the league) and is playing well.
'He is a young lad, born and bred in Stoke-on-Trent and playing on the same side as another player who is born and bred in Stoke-on-Trent (right-back Andy Wilkinson), which is fantastic.
'I have been criticised at this football club for not playing young players, or for playing certain players and not others.
'That is just what happens - it is part and parcel of the game and you have to accept it and get on with it.
Out of favour: Jermaine Pennant'The thing all managers do is pick teams to win games, because if they don't win games they don't keep their jobs. So I pick a team that I think is going to win a game of football, whether I like players, dislike them or think they are good or bad for the group.
'There will be people who want to make an issue of it because it is Jermaine.
'If so, fine, but there isn't an issue with me and he has not been in to see me. He has got on with it and trained well, so it's fine - not a problem.'
Stoke go into this weekend's game having arrested a run of four successive league defeats by beating Swansea.
Potters defender Matthew Upson scored his first goal for the club in the match, having looked set to leave the Britannia Stadium not long ago.
Upson was recently linked with a move to Chinese side Shanghai Shenhua but the transfer did not materialise, with Pulis revealing that Stoke's demands for a fee were a stumbling block.
The manager now hopes Upson can push on with his Potters career.
'He knows what's going on, there's no hidden secrets,' said Pulis, quoted in The Sentinel.
'It was an unbelievable offer and he had to look at it.
'But the club wanted money for him and that was between Matthew and the club.
'He's got another year left on his contract with us and I've always said how pleased I have been with him, both on and off the field.'
Meanwhile, Pulis has confirmed that he is looking to send Uruguayan midfielder Diego Arismendi out on loan to an npower Championship club in order to boost his experience of English football.

Stoke City Reduce FA Cup Ticket Prices


STOKE City are subsidising tickets for their FA Cup quarter-final at Liverpool to try to get a 6,000 travelling army at Anfield.
Liverpool have priced adult away tickets at £35 for the March 18 game, but Stoke are waiving the 45 per cent they are entitled to from sales so they can instead offer the tickets to their own fans for £20.
In the past, ticket prices for cup ties have been mutually agreed between the clubs. However, the rules have changed this season so prices are set by the home club.
Stoke's chief executive Tony Scholes said the club wanted to keep the game affordable.
He said: "We felt that the prices set by Liverpool would put people off with the game being televised live and the kick-off late on a Sunday.
"We also considered the fact it is a pretty expensive time for our supporters because 'early bird' season tickets are going on sale next week."
City have frozen season-ticket prices for the fifth year running and hope to go close to the record 22,000 sales they achieved for this campaign.
Scholes said subsiding FA Cup tickets would give Tony Pulis's side extra support at Anfield as City attempt to make the semi-finals for the second year running.
Other prices for Stoke fans at Anfield will be £15 concessions and £5 juniors.
"Our players will get a lift when they see the entire lower tier of the Anfield Road Stand filled," added Scholes.
Tickets go on sale to platinum plus members tomorrow, platinum members on Saturday and gold members next Monday.
Tickets go on sale to silver members next Wednesday before any remaining tickets go on general sale next Friday.
STOKE'S trip to Tottenham, which was scheduled for March 17, will now be played on Wednesday, March 21 (7.45pm).
The away game at Aston Villa on Monday, April 9 will now kick-off at 5.30pm, while the visit to QPR has been put back to Sunday, May 6 (2pm).

Arismendi Has A Future At Stoke

Stoke City boss Tony Pulis insists Diego Arismendi has a future at the Brit.
Arismendi, the club's only major overseas signing after joining from Nacional in a deal for around £2.5m in 2009, has already spent periods on loan at Brighton and Barnsley.
He still has over a year left on his current contract and Pulis said: "He has got time and he has got the talent."

Wednesday 29 February 2012

Sorensen Annoyed By Rotation


Thomas Sorensen has spoken out about his frustration with Tony Pulis' squad rotation policy at Stoke.
The Denmark international has been forced to share goalkeeping duties with Asmir Begovic for the Potters this season.
Pulis has opted for squad rotation due to the club's Europa League campaign that has seen Stoke already play 43 matches in the current term.
Sorensen has started 23 of those games with Begovic getting the nod for the other 20 and the Dane reluctantly accepts the role.

Frustrated

"I am frustrated, but the coach has kept his rotation system all season," Sorensen told Ekstra Bladet.
"I have got to accept that he wants everyone to be in shape. He has also done the same with the other players."
The 35-year-old was also keen to point out he is not responsible for the club's disappointing results this season.
Sorensen added: "We have had a spell where we haven't got the results we should have had. But I don't feel that it's my fault at all."

Tuesday 28 February 2012

Lund's Loan To The Pirates Extends

Matthew Lund's loan to Bristol Rovers had been extended to the 28th April.



Lund joined the Pirates at the end of last month and has since featured four times for the League Two side.
Rovers manager Mark McGhee is pleased to have secured Lund's services for the maximum period allowed for emergency loans, which covers all but one of the club's 14 remaining league games.
He told the club's official website: "We are delighted that Matthew is staying as he has become an important part of our squad.
"I'm sure he is going to make a huge contribution to the finish of our season."

Shotton To Move Position

Stoke boss Tony Pulis has told Ryan Shotton his future position at the Britannia Stadium will be in midfield not defense.

Shotton has made his way through the ranks at the club playing either at full-back or in central defence but Pulis sees him as a midfielder and aims to play him there in the future.
The 23-year-old only broke into the Potters first team 10 months ago but has been used in various positions since then and Pulis believes he is a star of the future.
Pulis says Shotton put in his best performance in a Stoke shirt in the 2-0 victory over Swansea at the weekend and sees him as a wide midfielder in the future.
"It's a fallacy that he's a defender, as everyone seems to think," Pulis told thisisstaffordshire. "If you ask him, he played as a centre-forward as a schoolboy here, but Blakey changed him to a centre-half.
"So he's always been a forward-thinking player who got turned into a defender. He's got good energy and pace, while the three crosses he put in against Swansea were of the greatest quality.
"Playing in midfield is very much a long-term option for him."

Brunt's Loan At Rovers Extended

Tranmere have extended their loan of Ryan Brunt by another month.



The 18-year-old moved to Prenton Park in January and has made five appearances for Rovers , scoring in the 1-1 draw against Charlton in League One last week.
Rovers boss Les Parry told the club's official website: "I'm delighted to keep Ryan for another month.
"He's done well since he has been here and is a handful for opposition defenders.
"He took his goal really well against Charlton and hopefully there are more to come.
"I'd like to thank Stoke manager Tony Pulis for allowing Ryan to stay with us."

Sunday 26 February 2012

Potters End Losing Streak


Stoke end their Premier League losing streak 2-0. The Potters haven't won a league game since the beginning of January.
Brendan Rodgers doesn't blame stand-in goalkeeper Gerhard Tremmel responsible for Swansea's 2-0 defeat at Stoke.
Premier League newbies, Swansea, beat Stoke by 2-0 in the reverse fixture in October, were dealt a blow before kick-off when Michel Vorm was ruled out through illness.
The Dutchman has been one of the star performers for Rodgersa' team this season, and it was certainly not an easy game for Tremmel to make his Premier League debut in.
The deadlock was broken after 24 minutes as Matthew Upson powered in a header from a Matthew Etherington corner as Tremmel chose to stay on his line. The visitors were undone again six minutes before the break from another set-piece when Peter Crouch nodded home following Ryan Shotton's long throw.
Rodgers said: "I thought Gerhard Tremmel dealt well with most of what he had to do. I thought some of our play was very good but we were disappointed with the two goals we conceded because we obviously know the threat that Stoke have.
"Their quality into the box is very good and they get people on the end of it. We're disappointed with the scoreline but performance-wise I thought there were a lot of good moments."
Match Statistics From Sky Bet
Stoke CityTeam StatisticsSwansea City
2Goals0
21st Half Goals0
2Shots on Target3
3Shots off Target4
4Blocked Shots2
8Corners4
14Fouls8
0Offsides0
1Yellow Cards0
0Red Cards0
66Passing Success84.7
26Tackles26
65.4Tackles Success61.5
26.4Possession73.6
56.4Territorial Advantage43.6
194Total Passes616
26Total Crosses19
156Lost Balls167
43Recoveries61
20.71st Half Poss.79.3
27.32nd Half Poss.72.7
Please remember they are from Sky, so they are biased against Stoke

Saturday 25 February 2012

Sorensen and Woodgate


Stoke defender Jonathan Woodgate believes the visit of Swansea to the Britannia Stadium on Sunday will in some ways be a tougher test than Valencia. Stoke goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen insists he expects to start against Swansea when the two sides meet at the Britannia on Sunday.

The Potters went down to a brave 1-0 defeat at the Mestalla on Thursday, which sent the Spaniards through to the last 16 of the Europa League with a 2-0 aggregate win.
And with Brendan Rodgers' side earning numerous plaudits for their style of play, Woodgate claims City will have to be well prepared for the encounter.
The centre-back feels the side from South Wales could even prove more difficult than their European conquerors.
The former England defender said: "We have a big game on Sunday and we need to win it.
"Swansea are similar to Valencia. They play just as much football as them, in fact they even pass the ball a bit more than Valencia. We should be used to that now and it should be a good game.
"They (Swansea) have been first class. The way they have played their football and got to where they are is a credit to them. They had more possession than Arsenal, and they beat them - that is some job."
With manager Tony Pulis usually selecting Asmir Begovic for domestic cup and European games, the Dane was a surprise inclusion for Thursday's game in Valencia.
But Sorensen does not expect the Bosnia international to reclaim the number one jersey ahead of him for the clash against Brendan Rodgers' side.
He said: "I want to be playing on Sunday. I will be very disappointed if I don't. I don't think I could have done anything more (against Valencia) and that's all you can do when you get the chances."
Despite the uncertainty, he was pleased to be picked for the game in Spain, saying: "These are the sort of games you want to be playing in, so I was delighted."
The Potters are looking to arrest a run of four straight league defeats that has seen them drop to 13th in the table.
Sorensen has set his sights on two victories from back-to-back home games against Swansea and Norwich to steady the ship.
"We need a win," he said. "We have two home games against two of the promoted sides who have done really well, but we need to get some momentum going and, on paper, we need six points just to calm things down and get the confidence back up. Then I am sure we can go from there."