Yellow Fever

Ozil with a hand in all three Arsenal set-piece goals

A sign of a good mid-table team is after losing a game, you can reflect on it and say "we didn't deserve to lose that". The two games we have lost this season, both away at Liverpool and last Sunday at Arsenal, we have come away feeling that lady luck just had failed to shine brightly enough on us at the end of the day. Lady luck is a tempestuous topic amongst some football supporters, angry when she is used as an excuse for a poor game of football, but I think she is worthy of being discussed on the past weekend's matches. With the match at 2-1, we saw Stoke's best period of the match where we dominated possession but failed to capitalize on the territorial advantage that we had. Only a day before, Southampton went to Anfield and managed to score a goal that secured them all three points. It was in this period, where we were doing all the work, that just a fluke deflection at a set-piece or a sloppy bit of Arsenal defending would have warranted the goal that we deserved. Fate would have it that we concede another goal to a player who had not scored in over a year, just to rub salt into our open wounds. At 3-1, despite bringing Jermaine Pennant on, I think even the most ardent Stoke fan would have struggled to believe we could muster a comeback. At 2-1, it was never impossible, which as far as the transition from Tony Pulis to Mark Hughes goes is a sign of the progress the team have made this season.

Geoff Cameron, the unlikely goalscorer

So set-pieces were our undoing at the weekend, but there are plenty of positives to take out of the game. Geoff Cameron deserves to be singled out because I have to admit that at the start of the season I doubted his capability to play at full-back preferring Ryan Shotton in my opening day line up back in mid-August. I still believe that Geoff could be opened up if a tricky customer is played against him - watch out this weekend with Nathan Redmond! - but where positionally he is perhaps still adjusting, as far as the rest of the attributes a current Stoke City full-back needs, Geoff is showing game after game that he can cope with the role. His main strength in the Mark Hughes era has been making runs forward to support Jon Walters on the right wing, offering himself as a crossing option or as a player who can keep possession. His speed allows him to track back well if Stoke are caught on the break, while his natural ability as a central defender is still there if he needs to make a last-ditch tackle. As we saw on Sunday, he also has a good strike in him, with his shot from a Marko Arnautovic rebound leaving no doubt that it would reach the target. With Erik Pieters still adapting to Premier League football, with steady if not spectacular performances, Geoff is showing that even if he can't break past the established Shawcross/Huth partnership, he's willing to play wherever he has to as long as he plays every week.

Tranmere Rovers Away:

Cool finish, potentially a starter against Norwich?

Our second game in a week wearing our black and yellow away kit resulted in a 2-0 away win at Tranmere. Now as Port Vale showed today, winning at Tranmere is not difficult at the moment. They are on a poor run at the moment and for Ronnie Moore's sake I hope they pull themselves out of it soon enough. However, as far as Stoke's performance went, we appeared as professional as always. The first goal came from a rare sight, a clinical through-ball from Arnautovic to Ireland, the latter finishing neatly into the far left corner. While we did not score again until the last kick of the game, thanks to Peter Crouch's nicely dinked over the goalkeeper finish, Tranmere rarely threatened, with misses from Chris Atkinson and Jean-Louis Akpa Akpro the most notable chances Tranmere had of pulling themselves back into the game.

Careless Canaries:

Javier Acuna put Watford ahead, only for the Hornets to lose 3-2 AET

On paper, statistics do not always reveal everything. Possession does not always result in goals, as Arsenal's win at Swansea tonight proved. Swansea, despite having the ball for 58% of the game, scored one goal, whilst Arsenal with 42% of the ball possession scored two goals. Goals scored statistics can also be deceiving, with Fernando Torres having scored no goals this season, according to some, whilst others would argue that he has scored two. Does the UEFA Super Cup count to some? It should, but some people forget. Then there are the statistics that should exist, but do not. Jan Vertonghen in this instance should have had a red card accredited to his playing record against Aston Villa in midweek, and as a result of this statistic never occurring, the aforementioned Torres now has one instead.

Statistics on Stoke City vs Norwich City,
 thanks to 'Fortress Britannia'.

So how does this relate to this weekend's game against Norwich? So far this season, they have kept one clean sheet (against Southampton in a 1-0 win) whilst conceded one goal without reply twice (against Hull and Aston Villa). This suggests that if Norwich score, they have the capability to defend a lead and not turn a winning position into a losing one. However, it also reveals that if they are the team to concede first, they will most likely struggle to reply and regain a foothold in the game. This is where statistics are useful. My argument is that Stoke City need to score first to have the highest probability of winning the game. But shouldn't this be the case anyway? And it is also convenient from my perspective that in the Norwich results I looked at, I did not refer to Norwich's comeback against Everton on the opening day, just because it may obscure the point I was trying to make. On that note, it should be worth noting that the last three meetings between Stoke and Norwich have finished 1-0 to the home side. For those of you that like a flutter, it'll be interesting to see if the statistics truly do lie tomorrow afternoon.

Away from the Brit - Capital One Cup Crunch Time:

Jesse Lingard, unavailable to play against Stoke City
in the Capital One Cup

At first glance, the Capital One Cup has become a little less of a Mickey Mouse Cup. In the last sixteen teams, only three of them are from The Football League. Birmingham, Burnley and Leicester are their league's sole representatives, and as for Burnley and Leicester, I hope that they do well to make the cup competition feel a bit more exciting. No offence intended towards Fulham or West Ham fans, who in the past could have said the same of Stoke, but I would find their inclusion in the last eight of the cup a little less exciting as a neutral compared to seeing two Championship sides, potentially, up against the best that English football has to offer. Whilst West Ham have got a valid reason for not being at full strength having put all their eggs into a very shaky looking shaped Andy Carroll basket, Fulham are looking very uneven at the moment. They don't look like scoring in most games, whilst their usual defensive solidity, personified by Brede Hangeland, seems to have come unstuck recently. Burnley, West Ham's opponents in the cup, have started the season well, whilst the introduction of on-loan Michael Kightly to their side has not disrupted their ascension up the table. Leicester, whilst not exactly wowing me, have collected a steady amount of points in their opening games to suggest that they want to push for promotion once again. A cup run, whilst sometimes considered a distraction, could benefit them in this instance if they can collect a scalp against Fulham. Then any potential match in the last eight would only boost morale at having reached a stage that most football supporters may not have predicted come the start of the season.

6"6 defender, capable of scoring important goals - Dan Burn

As for Stoke, although I am glad we are playing Birmingham City away compared to Chelsea away, I still believe it will be a tough game. Jesse Lingard, although unavailable for the Stoke game, has added to a very strong unit that brushed Swansea aside in midweek. Dan Burn, a defender built for Stoke if I ever saw one, will prove to be a tough player to get around, whilst Paul Caddis being utilised in midfield will give our midfielders no quarter. They appear to be utilising a 3-4-3 formation at the start of the season, although at times have switched to a back four which suggests that it has not worked in every game so far. That leads me to think, if it works, we could have a tough game ahead as Wigan in the past have showed how tough a back three is to attack, but if their system does not click on the night, we could be in luck.

Quick Snippet - Clough out, Pulis in?

Nigel Clough and Tony Pulis in their only meeting,
a 2-0 win to Stoke in January 2012

My quick snippet for this week was originally going to relate to Paolo di Canio's sacking at Sunderland and how Tony Pulis, on paper as a manager, would be a better candidate than Gus Poyet for the vacant position. However, the sacking of Nigel Clough at Derby within the last few hours has forced me to reevaluate my opinion, especially considering rumours were abound that Tony was at the ground with Derby's Chief Executive.

First of all, I'm surprised that Derby have gone and sacked Nigel after doing well with a club that never break ground in terms of player expenditure, yet always seem to stabilize themselves around mid-table each season. Saying that, their home form at the start of this season has been shaky with no wins and few goals scored to entertain the fans with. However, considering only two weeks ago Derby secured a tasty 5-1 win over Millwall at the Den, you would have been forgiven for thinking Nigel Clough would've been given a little longer to address the sliding form. However, it looks like a decision, taken in the heat of the moment after a local derby will open the door for Tony Pulis to return to management. I had been routing for Derby this season in terms of promotion, and if Tony gets the job, they will still have my backing. Now that the fourth longest serving manager in England has lost his job though, it'll send nearly all managers going to bed, sleeping a little less soundly than usual.

A Tale of Two Players

So it continues. A tackle, made by Stoke City defender Ryan Shawcross against Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey in February 2010 is still being referred to three years on. Stoke City supporters feel aggrieved at the recurrence of the topic, not just prior to games against Arsenal but whenever Ramsey had a flutter of form. Further background may be required for those unacquainted with the story's depths. Prior to the tackle, Ramsey was being touted as the next best midfielder behind now Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas, the heir to the throne. He had been in a fairly rich vein of form and looked to be a mainstay in the side for some time to come.

The tackle, which can easily be found on YouTube if you desire to look, was agreed by most neutrals to be a 50-50 challenge, one that both Ramsey and Shawcross had a right to challenge. Although I am a Stoke supporter, I do believe the challenge was one to which Shawcross had a right to go in for. Using his left foot, not both feet which is usually a definition of a dirty tackle, Shawcross challenged for the ball, admittedly missed, resulting in an injury that left Ramsey out of action for nine months. On paper, this is a bad injury. Just this week, we have heard about an injury to Jores Okore of Aston Villa which will keep the defender out of action for a similar amount of time. These injuries happen. What happened after the tackle is what to this day annoys Stoke supporters. With their player down, suffering from a broken tibia and fibula, the Arsenal players chose to berate the referee into sending Shawcross off, rightfully I must admit considering the result of the tackle, instead of supporting their injured colleague. That duty was left to Stoke's Glenn Whelan, who to this day does not get the comments he should for the support he gave to a fellow player that day.

Then there was the immediate aftermath. Shawcross was banned for three games, and I do not believe he would ever have contested it considering he wept for Ramsey when leaving the pitch. However, what should have been a happy day for Shawcross after being called up for the England national team for a friendly match against Egypt, the media aftermath of the injury killed any immediate chances of a debut international cap occurring. To this day though, the punishment handed to Shawcross has not seemed to be enough, for Arsenal supporters, or Ramsey himself. 

To come back from the injury, enough to play first team football, it took Aaron Ramsey nine months, going on loan to Nottingham Forest to gain match fitness in November 2010. He returned to the Arsenal starting eleven in March 2011 against West Brom, and then scored is first goal after the injury two months later against Manchester United in a 1-0 win. During these 15 months of returning to fitness and regaining a position in Arsenal's first team, Ryan Shawcross had become the captain of Stoke City, yet the affects of injuring a player had clearly impacted on his style of play. Whilst still being dependable for his club, the calls for him to be considered for the England national team had died out. What had once made him stand out as one of the best young defenders in the league had gone. That bravery to tackle had gone, as if he were afraid of a repeat of injuring a player as he did Ramsey again. Like all Stoke players, he remained committed in the tackle and unafraid to challenge for the ball, yet something was missing in his game.

Now here is where I would consider the tale to finish. Ryan Shawcross did overcome his mental block and returned to his old form, making his England debut against Sweden in 2012. Ramsey has now returned to his pre-injury form and is arguably looking better than before. If I had control over it, I would call this saga over and this article would conclude it for good. Yet as the media needs a pre-match story, each year the story is dragged up again in an attempt to dig up the past. Stoke fans are regularly infuriated at Ramsey and Arsenal's refusal to kill the story, neither party willing to say something along the lines of "the injury no longer defines the player". So we go into tomorrow's match at the Emirates, with bets being taken across Stoke-on-Trent on how long it will take pundits and commentators who resort to lazy journalism to drag up old news. Lazy journalism isn't a term I enjoy, yet considering the fluctuating home form of Arsenal, the steady early form of Stoke, or the new signing for the Gunners in Mesut Ozil, supporters in the Potteries will be waiting for the inevitable comment "Ramsey, he's come back from his injury well hasn't he?" And in return I say: Shawcross hasn't done bad either to return to his best, just like Ramsey.

Away from the Brit - Chelsea shooting blanks?

A lot has been made in the last week about Chelsea and their lack of a clinical finisher. Whilst having possibly the world's best stable of attacking midfielders, pundits have criticised Jose Mourinho's side for lacking a 20+ goal a season striker. I think from the outside, the pundits have a point. Whilst players such as Oscar, Eden Hazard, Kevin de Bruyne, Juan Mata and Willian are capable of scoring goals as well as creating them, that one extra player up front up could be relied on to score the goals to win the team the league seems to be missing. Here I will look at their current options who are contracted to the club and assess their standing in the Premier League at present.

Fernando Torres:

Fifteen goals from 86 league appearances in not a good return for any striker, let alone one which cost Chelsea £50 million. This is common knowledge. However, what is sometimes underrated is that during his time at the club, the 35 goals he has scored in all competitions have helped the club towards winning the FA Cup and Champions League in 2012, and the Europa League in 2013. Despite his goal return, Torres is a winner. At the age of 29, he is probably past his prime now, unable to return to the heights that he was infamous for at Liverpool, but if he can still score goals, key goals, then he will remain a valuable player for Chelsea. The main surprise for me is that since signing Torres, the club has had a large overhaul in midfield, shifting from a traditional 4-3-3 formation to a strict 4-2-3-1 shape, introducing a more fluid passing style to their game rather than the more brutish style that was employed during Didier Drogba's reign as Chelsea's number one striker. With the players available now, this team is built for Torres. The missing piece of the puzzle is likely to be a Steven Gerrard-esque player, who can send a long ball upfield for Torres to chase onto when the neat interplay he is used to playing with Spain fails.

Demba Ba:

One player that I am actually surprised to still see at Chelsea is Demba Ba. When Deadline Day reports said that he was on the verge of leaving for Arsenal, although the club in mention surprised me, the idea of him moving on did not. At Newcastle, Ba was ruthless in front of goal, sometimes being deployed on the left of a front three, other times more centrally. Whenever he played though, he was the main man. At Chelsea, he had to share this honour with Fernando Torres during his first half-season at the club. However, I do not believe that the reason he scored two Chelsea goals in 14 league appearances compared to the thirteen Newcastle goals in 20 appearances during 2012/13's season is to do with sharing the pressure. At Newcastle, Ba's strength was the more direct style that the club would play, occasional long-balls mixed with a short passing build-up and crosses that he could fight for in the air. At Chelsea, the build up at present in largely on the ground, with fewer crosses coming into the box as the emphasis on play is through the middle rather than via wide areas. Although Ba might be selected for certain games, such as the game against Stoke in December where physical players may be more appreciated, I believe that Demba's days at the top of the league are numbered.

Samuel Eto'o:

Signing for an undisclosed fee this summer, Samuel Eto'o returned from the domestic wilderness and joined Chelsea. Since joining, he has started all three games he has been involved in against Everton, FC Basel and Fulham. Despite this, he has looked less threatening than an Ice Warrior in a firefight in these opening games, leaving the field open for critics to suggest that his age is exacting its toll. There are suggestions though that this could be true, going back as far as 2009, when Barcelona sold Eto'o to Inter Milan. Despite scoring 36 goals in 52 appearances in his final season at the Nou Camp, Barcelona considered swapping Eto'o, then at the age of 28 a reasonable deal to get Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The next season, despite helping Inter Milan to complete a treble - under the stewardship of Jose Mourinho - his scoring record dipped, scoring 16 goals in 48 appearances. Considering Serie A had a reputation during this period of being an easier league to score goals in, backed up by Zlatan Ibrahimovic finding goals harder to come by in Spain, was Eto'o's goal dip a sign of things to come? In the summer of 2011, Eto'o moved to Anzhi Makhachkala, scoring 36 goals in 71 appearances. Whilst the Russian league is a fairly competitive league, with a few recent Premier League imports coming from Russia, it is by far less competitive than England, Spain or Italy. Should the lack of goals from Eto'o be a surprise? No. Earlier in the summer, when Anzhi announced they were to clear out their high-earners, my thoughts went to Eto'o, but not in relation to Chelsea, but Stoke. His wages would always have been an issue in that day-dream, yet the fact remains that even before his first game for Chelsea, I doubted his prolific nature from Spain, and his semi-prolific nature from Italy would return when playing for the blues of London. Whilst being the best player for the striking role Mourinho wants Chelsea to play, the best available is not necessarily the best.

Romelu Lukaku:

One of the more baffling transfers of deadline day was Chelsea's decision to loan out Romelu Lukaku to Everton for the remainder of this season. Whether it was Lukaku's decision to play more regularly or Mourinho's, I have to admit I find the decision baffling as Lukaku would offer more than any of the three options I have listed so far. He has the pace to run channels if long balls are the option, he has the strength to hold the ball up and allow midfield runners to support an attack, whilst he also has the goals in him based on his spell at West Brom last season, plus scoring on his debut for Everton this afternoon. Whilst having plenty of time ahead of him to cement a starting place at Stamford Bridge, I think a large portion of Chelsea supporters would have preferred to see Lukaku being cemented into the team this year rather than gambling on the options I have listed up to now.

Andre Schurrle:

Whilst not considered as a striker, Schurrle has played in this position for Bayer Leverkusen in the past and was utilised as a lone striker in Chelsea's away game at Old Trafford recently. Despite not grabbing a goal in this game, Schurrle does have the potential to be a striker as he has the pace and strength the all good Premier League forwards need to have. The only question remaining is in regards to his finishing ability, with Schurrle only scoring 18 goals in 65 league appearances for Leverkusen. At the age of 22 though, he would have time to adapt to a role in a more advanced position, and potentially score more goals than he has done in the past.

Quick Snippet - Qatar gone mad.

I recognise the need for diversity in football. If we only played World Cups in common footballing nations, countries such as Qatar would never have a chance to host the greatest international football competition. It has to be agreed by most neutrals, that whoever agreed that the Qatar bid was the best bid for a summer World Cup, they obviously had not looked at the facts, rather choosing the country for its location on the globe rather than for its ability to supply the world with a football tournament. Qatar seem convinced, still, that they could host the tournament in the summer with air conditioned stadiums and areas for supporters, yet at the same time UEFA have supported FIFA's comments that the tournament should be moved to the winter to take away the risk. My view is that the tournament should be deferred for another four to eight years, allowing Qatar to not only set up the stadiums and fan areas to prove that they could host a tournament, but this would also allow European football leagues to remain undisturbed in the short term. If Qatar, then, could not prove that they could maintain player safety, then the tournament could be abandoned in their nation and be moved to another Middle Eastern nation, dependant on whoever may be interested.

Stoke City vs Manchester City - Post Match Thoughts

Charlie Adam impressed, willing to take shots on goal from distance

On the surface of the game, any neutral football supporter, peering at the results and seeing a 0-0 scoreline between Stoke City and Manchester City, would assume a dominant performance from the title challengers, and Stoke to be hanging on for dear life. Whilst it was not to this extreme for either team, Stoke City certainly put in a performance that merited praise from pundits across the country. Manchester City had made several changes from their last league game against Hull, most likely with their midweek game against Viktoria Plzen. Joleon Lescott, Fernandinho, Jesus Navas, Sergio Aguero, David Silva and Edin Dzeko were all dropped from the team in favour of Javi Garcia, Jack Rodwell, James Milner, Stevan Jovetic, Samir Nasri and Alvaro Negredo. On paper, it could be considered that City replaced great players with great players. However, the sheer number of changes seemed to disrupt the Citizens as despite keeping nearly 58% possession in the game, there were few penetrating passes for Stoke's defence to deal with. Ryan Shawcross and Robert Huth, despite the latter being knocked unconscious towards the end of the game, marshalled the defence manfully, tackling when required, yet doing the simple things the right way as well. Early in the first half, Shawcross, one-on-one with Negredo had the choice to close his man down, or to stand off him and invite a shot. He chose the latter, knowing his goalkeeper would be able to save any shot from that distance, and positioned his body correctly so that it would fail to cause Begovic any trouble. In the second half, with the ball at his feet and Manchester City forwards closing him down, he managed to play the ball out and the resulting forward moves created a chance for Stoke. Huth on the other side of the pitch proved why he is considered an unstoppable force, throwing himself into a clearing header moments after recovering consciousness after two or three minutes out cold on the pitch. This defensive solidity allowed Stoke to threaten more than their Manchester counterparts, the Potter's troubles coming from a lack of clinical finishing. Jon Walters was culpable of missing the best chance of the game, although Kenwyne Jones and Steven Nzonzi may look away from any television set when showing highlights of the chances they had to grab a goal in the game.

Shooting practice is in order for the midfield passing maestro

The introduction of Marko Arnautovic, as well as Stephen Ireland, promised much in the remaining 20 minutes of the game, yet an injury to Kenwyne Jones seemed to force Mark Hughes's hand when perhaps he had other ideas in mind regarding his final substitution. Arnautovic showed glimpses of his ability, being confident enough on his debut to take a free kick (sending it into row Z though) and forcing a good save from a surging cross into the box which deflected goal-wards off Matija Nastasic. He could have even stole the game for Stoke in the final touch of the game with a late effort that rippled the top of the net and had supporters of the Potters dreaming of a famous Britannia Stadium victory. Stephen Ireland had less impact in the game than what I had hoped for, but he did show how he is willing to prove his critics wrong, running into tackles and showing a good work ethic when trying to recover possession, even if his creative output was ultimately limited. I feel that for now, the bench is the best place for Ireland to start his Stoke City career, but in the months ahead, I believe he will prove to be a valuable starting player, once his fitness and form have improved. He linked up well with Kenwyne Jones, and later Peter Crouch, performing the role of a number 10 efficiently, if not effectively.

Has promise, but don't expect too much too soon from him

After four games, it is worthwhile to look at how Stoke have set up at this early stage in the season. The shape that the team takes is fairly similar to that was employed by Tony Pulis, with a man in the hole supporting a lone striker. However, Mark Hughes has adapted his tactics to suit this system, employing Jon Walters to play this role, despite being positioned on the right of the three man forward line. Walters has a free role when attacking, getting as close as possible to Jones or Crouch to react to their flick ons, whilst Geoff Cameron is given license to bomb forward and offer himself on the right wing. When this happens, this is where Marc Wilson's role in the team becomes evident, offering cover for any attacking full-backs, shifting to auxiliary right or left back if the space is left bare when the opposition counter attack. This change in tactic allows Stoke to carry as many players forward as possible when attacking, whilst not risking defensive solidity at the back. Ireland's introduction yesterday though showed that whilst we have a plan A, we also have a plan B, with Ireland taking over Walters's free role in the hole, and allowing the team more solidity by not breaking shape when attacking. With next Sunday's game with Arsenal in mind, I would not be surprised to see this plan B being utilised at some point during the ninety minutes, with Arsenal's threat on the counterattack greater with the introduction of Mesut Ozil.

Away from the Brit - Fight for Seventh:

After four games, the decision on who to back for the top of the pile, outside of the traditional top six, is getting harder to decide. Here is a list of those, excluding Stoke City, who I think have a chance of being the top of the rest of the league.

Newcastle:

Despite only making one signing, on loan, this summer, they have a fairly good squad and a good fan base. Their final league position will come from how Alan Pardew uses his resources. Whilst they are not my favourites to be the top of the pile, they are a team that should not be underestimated.

Norwich:

Norwich have made quite a few signings this summer and so far they have had a few disappointing results, but after the Stoke City game in a fortnight's time - my bias showing here sadly - I believe they will be a really tough team to play against, that no team will fancy playing. A top ten finish should be a priority for the club in my opinion considering the money they have spent this summer.

Southampton:

Despite there only being considerable outlay on four outfield players, Southampton have strengthened their team by bringing younger players James Ward-Prowse and Callum Chambers into the first team, whilst the additions of Victor Wanyama and Pablo Osvaldo, to name two, add experience to the squad. The Saints supporters will be hoping for a top ten finish, although after recent results, they may be willing to settle at the moment to just get around the top ten.

Everton:

The clear favourites for the fight for seventh, yet will they do it? The only doubt that they will do it comes from the change in management, as the signings that the club has made can only strengthen the group they already had. As long as the passing style of football that Roberto Martinez is trying to implement does not destabilise the group, they could even go beyond the top seven, if any of the predicted top six slip up.

Swansea:

Another of the clear favourites for the top seven spot, after finishing in the top ten last season. The doubt that they have over whether they will achieve this target is whether they can combine playing in the Europa League and compete in the Premier League. If they can, they have a team and style of play that is hard to beat, whether you are a top of the table team or relegation contender.

Aston Villa:

Like Newcastle, they had a rough season last season, but unlike their North East counterparts, they have strengthened their team significantly, although the majority of players are unproven in the Premier League. If their defence, which at times last season was a leaky as a tap, can be more solid, they have a chance of causing a surprise or two this season with a star striker like Christian Benteke up front.

Away from England - Belgium:

Courtois, Witsel, Benteke, Dembele, Kompany, Vertonghen,
Alderweireld, De Bruyne, Hazard, Mertens, Vermaelen
Belgium's Bright Future

It won't have escaped everyone's attention, but Belgium should be considered one of the favourites for the World Cup in 2014. Despite having players such as Kompany, Benteke and Hazard as regular starters, there are some who can't even get into the starting eleven on a regular basis, such as Romelu Lukaku, Simon Mignolet, Kevin Mirallas and Tottenham new boy Nacer Chadli. They have a wealth of talent in their squad and in their squad to play Scotland, only four players still plied their trade in their homeland. Kevin Kilbane wrote recently about how Ireland should follow Belgium's example and try to hone Irish player's talents before they depart for foreign shores and get lost in a Premier League team's U21 squad. If only England could do this. Ireland and Belgium are aware that their native leagues are not the strongest, but the English Premier League cannot use this as an excuse. We have to not just create good English players, but play them. Perhaps we could follow this blueprint of developing our younger players and sending them out on loan to foreign shores, getting them used to continental football, with less pressure to win and succeed, preparing them for playing without inhibitions in future years.

Quick Snippet:

Pulis and Reid, Stoke's best league finish when both worked in tandem

From the two snippets I have seen of Tony Pulis and Peter Reid on 'Goals on Sunday', I can see why they made such a good partnership in the 2009/10 season. What I noticed was that whilst Pulis would offer his opinions quite freely on Stoke or England, when Reid jumped in, it was with a worthwhile point. This also worked the other way round as well with Pulis challenging Reid's opinions. The general consensus from Stoke supporters is that Dave Kemp, Stoke Assistant Manager for the majority of our Premier League stay until May 2013, he was unwilling to challenge Pulis in the dressing room. Based on how Pulis and Reid interacted with one another, you can see that Reid was unlikely to be a yes man, but more so if he had a point, Pulis listened. It makes you wonder what could have happened if Reid had not gone on to manage Plymouth. Could the two have made greater history for the club than what Pulis achieved on his own?

God Save Our Team?

Rightfully annoyed, Danny Welbeck

It was not a yellow card, he should not be suspended for England's next game against Ukraine, but the reaction to Danny Welbeck's booking has been over the top to say the least. I like Welbeck as a player, and he will be missed like any player in the England squad. However, in that left-sided forward position, we have James Milner, Raheem Sterling, Ashley Young and potentially Andros Townsend if we were desperate. This is not the crisis that the media would have us believe.

Two goals, two caps, what more can he do?

One of the reasons I believe this is because of the early season form that Rickie Lambert is showing. In an ideal world, we would not want to be playing a two cap player in a crucial qualifying match. However, with two goals from those two caps, I feel optimistic that Lambert will do a job for England, and hopefully help the team to the win. Although they are different in many ways, Lambert and usual England number ten, Wayne Rooney share a common asset: strength on the ball. Supporters crave pace in their team, but strength is something that should never be underestimated as a player who can hold onto the ball can compensate for a group of players who aren't as zippy as we would like. However, with a speedster like Theo Walcott alongside him in attack, Lambert can be a crucial player in any England counter-attacks on Tuesday night.

My England XI

Moving away from the game against Ukraine, and the following two against Montenegro and Poland, what is the best team England can field at the moment? After Greg Dyke's recent comments, it got me wondering about whether England do have a team capable of winning, or at least progressing in a tournament. Based on the team last night, I'd argue that the weakest area of the side is defence, with Phil Jagielka being the weakest link. Whilst a dependable player for Everton, I do not think he can handle the best that the world can offer. I argue this by saying that Manchester City were in need of a centre-back this summer, yet instead of looking towards Jagielka, a player who has previously formed a great partnership with Joleon Lescott, they went for unproven Premier League player Martin Demichelis. Whilst he has experience in Europe with Bayern Munich and Malaga, the fact that City targeted him over an English player such as Jagielka suggests that the club do not believe he can cut it with the best in the world, which is where they are aiming to be. For this reason, in my England XI, I have not included Jagielka. I would include him in my 23 man squad for a tournament, but he would not be a starter. I include Phil Jones based on his physical presence on the field, reminding me at times of Robert Huth in that he can become an imposing defender, leaving a mark or two on a forward by the end of the ninety minutes. Whether he gets to this standard by the end of the 2013/14 season is another question, but he has the potential to be great. Also in my XI, I have also placed Leighton Baines as the left-back over Ashley Cole, largely due to this younger age plus his attacking qualities from open and set play are far greater than the Chelsea star. If we were 119 minutes into a game, veering on penalties, and we had a set-piece, there is no one I would trust more to take it than Baines, which is impressive for a left-back! Cole is certainly not a wasted player, but I would prefer to choose youth and attacking options from defence, rather than reliability and security from Cole in this team.

Oxlade-Chamberlain, England's hope, not Jack Wilshere

One of the inclusions I have imposed on this XI is Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, a player who I believe can add great versatility to England's starting XI, when fit again. Whilst known as a winger, he has also played well as a central attacking midfielder, and also as part of a midfield three for Arsenal in the Champions League. This means that in any given game, Chamberlain can be moved to allow versatility amongst the other three forward players. If Chamberlain wants to play central, Danny Welbeck can drift out wide, or Wayne Rooney, to pull players out of position and allow Chamberlain space. Theo Walcott has stated that he wants to play as a striker more often than a winger, so in games if he wants to play closer to the forward, Chamberlain or Welbeck can cover his position on the right and maintain the team's width, without any loss of quality. These four forward thinking players can inter-change with ease, creating unpredictability which could challenge world class defences on their day. With two quality midfielders of Gerrard and Wilshire's quality, the supply would be there for the forwards, and defensively, the team would not suffer with having all of these players in the same team. Whilst Roy Hodgson will most likely have all of these eleven players available to select at some point in the next few months, I will be surprised if this team gets selected at any point as he may veer away from having so many attack-minded players in his XI for the World Cup and beyond.

Deadline Day Done!

Shaky ball skills already!

One of the most tedious transfer sagas came to a close on Monday, 2nd September, 2013: Gareth Bale to Real Madrid was completed. Another 'dream move' was finalised, out of the pockets out the English tax-payers it should be noted. Fantasy Football moves like this aren't nice when facts like this come to light, that's for certain. Did Real Madrid need Bale? Did Arsenal need Mesut Ozil? Or did Manchester United need Marouane Fellaini? All three are probably no. Prior to Madrid's purchase of Bale, they had one of the most lethal front lines in world football in Di Maria, Ozil, Ronaldo and Benzema. With new signing Isco and young talent Alvaro Morata waiting in the wings, did they really need to buy Bale? No. It is true that Kaka leaving did complicate team planning, in that they were about to lose a once world player of the year. However, as Kaka's reason for leaving was a lack of playing time, it begs the question again: why sign Bale? The answer is simple. An egotistic owner wanting to puff out his chest and claim to the world his team is the greatest, whilst borrowing money to do this.

The signing they wanted, but needed?

The signing of Bale appears to have been the last straw for Mesut Ozil who left for Arsenal in a fairly bizarre transfer. I can understand why Ozil would want to leave. In fact I think most of world football can understand this. But two things are incomprehensible. First of all, why did Real Madrid sanction the sale of the player who their star, Cristiano Ronaldo describes as "the player who best knew my moves in front of goal," for any price, let alone the £42.5 million quoted. The other question is why would he go to Arsenal when they were not in need of midfield playmakers, or number 10s. As allured to, the transfer of Marouane Fellaini was confusing for the same reason. Whilst Fellaini does possess attributes that the current midfield players at United do not, he does not possess the qualities they were desperate for, notably creativity. Manchester United will benefit from having Fellaini, just as Arsenal will benefit from having Ozil, but why they went to their respective clubs is baffling.

Quick Stoke Snippets:

Stoke's new number 10. As unpredictable as Ricardo Fuller?

Stoke have signed a maverick player, but without seeing him yet, the way he uses his talent will be interesting to see. Marko Arnautovic, a player who José Mourinho described as having the attitude of a small child, will offer Stoke more attacking options, but his off-field issues concern me. Whilst I hope they are in the past now as he appears to be settled with his family, and they are all moving to England with him, I hope during the duration of his four-year contract I see him more on the back pages than the front of the local newspaper.

Ireland, part of Villa's 'Bomb Squad'.

The player I am more excited to see is Stephen Ireland. I feel that the position Charlie Adam has held in the team for the opening two or three games is not competitive enough and the signing of Ireland will either bring the best out of Adam, or it will allow us to play a better player in the position, in Ireland. I will admit that I am already fed up of hearing in the media of how excited Ireland is to be at Stoke, ready to stick "two fingers up" to his critics and show the supporters what he is capable of. I'm glad that he is ready and willing to play and fight for a position in the team, but until next Saturday, I want him to just buckle down, stay away from reporters, and crack down in the hope of getting in the matchday squad to play Manchester City. For me, this is an important game. At the moment, there is no team I dislike more than Manchester City, and this also coincides with my first appearance at the Britannia this season. Singing "We'll be with you" in front of a television set doesn't feel the same as belting it out alongside 27,000 other supporters, and for this reason I cannot wait. Bring on Manchester City, and to my fellow Potters, let's grab another unfancied three points.

West Ham United vs Stoke City - Post Match Thoughts

Played three, won two, lost one. Considering the loss was against a Liverpool side that today beat last season's champions, I don't think Mark Hughes will be losing sleep over those three points lost. Especially when we have gained six after crucial wins from Crystal Palace and West Ham United.

The winning goal, what a beauty!

In the five years Stoke City have been a Premier League Football Club, we have not been adventurous away from home, notable for sending a reserve team to play at the Mestalla in our most prestigious Europa League game in 2012 against Valencia. This lack adventure by our previous manager was also compounded by heavy losses on the road in our first four seasons in the top division, including a 4-0 loss to Sunderland, two 5-0 losses, one each to Bolton Wanderers and Manchester United, plus a 8-0 loss to Chelsea that will haunt Asmir Begovic still when thinking of his Stoke City debut. It is fair to say that those supporters who I admire the most, the away supporters, have had a fair share of bad games to endure across the last five years. Whilst this is not an article aimed at criticizing Tony Pulis's record at Stoke City, the change of style that Mark Hughes has implemented since taking over at the Britannia Stadium was clear to see in this dominant away performance.

Jones taking a shot against West Ham

Stats found via BBC Sport at http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/23822679

Where we have failed in the first two games, we shone against the Hammers, dropping Peter Crouch for Kenwyne Jones being a decisive factor. Whilst he did not get on the score-sheet, his presence up front allowed the side to impose themselves onto West Ham, compared to Crouch whose preferred method of playing involves bringing the ball down and spraying it around. Jones compared to Crouch is harder to bully on the field, hard for experienced defenders such as James Collins to shake off the ball, yet he still has a good knack for moving the ball into open space at the right time to offer players an opportunity to score. This shows in the improved number of shots we took during the game, based on the two games we have played at West Ham since they gained promotion. Last season, we had 12 shots compared to the 15 we had in yesterday's encounter. Crucially though, we restricted West Ham yesterday to 9 shots, none of them on target. Considering last season 'The Hammers' had 16 shots and 11 of them were on target, I believe Stoke's defensive unit deserve credit for keeping West Ham so quiet. What Kenwyne excels at as well, although it is disputed by some supporters, is his ability to hold onto the ball and win the ball back. Crouch lacks mobility on the ground, looking isolated up front and does little to involve himself in play when the ball is not in his team's possession. Jones on the other hand chases the ball - crucially, more frequently than Crouch does - to the extent that at one point in yesterday's game he chased a ball back to the full back position and won a throw-in for Stoke. Little things such as this helped Stoke to dominate the game, explaining our advantage in possession (54%) compared to last season (46%).

Whelan in action against Walsall

As a team we improved when the two substitutions were made. Glenn Whelan impressed in midweek against Walsall and was unlucky to be dropped for the game, but his presence calmed the team down when West Ham were just starting to try and put a bit of pressure on the Stoke defence. At the same time, Jermaine Pennant came on, and the two of them were involved in the goal. Whelan, fouled by Mohamed Diame, won the free kick from with Pennant dispatched with aplomb, curling it over the wall and into the top right corner. Arguably one of the best free kicks you will see this season with the short distance from the point of kick and the goal line.

Pace, but threat?

The only change I would have liked Mark Hughes to make would have been to bring Oussama Assaidi on for his league debut after playing 45 minutes against Walsall. Like a few Stoke supporters, I am still iffy about what Assaidi can offer the team, but what is undeniable is that he has tricky footwork that can beat a man, and he has raw pace. If he can shoot and score is a question left to another day, but at the end of the game, a goal up against a team pushing for an equaliser, I would have liked Assaidi come on just to pressure Guy Demel and/or Joey O'Brien for the remaining minutes of the game. After a two week break from league football, perhaps we will have a new chance to see what Assaidi has to offer against Manchester City.

Away from the Brit - Rule Britannia?

One goal wonder? Or could it be two in two?

Watching England play has become a bit more of a chore than a way of enjoying football. I do love my country and I love the idea that a player such as Ryan Shawcross, or Rickie Lambert even can play for their country after impressive league performances. The standard of some of the performances in recent internationals though have been poor. Sloppy goals have been conceded, Big-Time Charlies playing instead of Reliable Robins, they're just a bunch of common reasons why people don't tune in to watch England play anymore.

From Everton to England in three games

Besides my love of football and that I watch it whenever I can, the main reason I watch the internationals is to see how the team is shaping up. I like it when younger players such as Danny Welbeck, Daniel Sturridge, Phil Jones and in the case of this call-up, Ross Barkley and Andros Townsend get a call-up. Players such as Jermain Defoe are clinical finishers but can't play forever, whilst Frank Lampard and Steven Gerard can't cling onto the world-class midfield tag they were dubbed with for much longer. Games like this will give players hungry for international caps a chance to impress and perhaps stake a claim to be on the plane for Brazil, that is assuming we progress through the qualifiers. That is the optimist in me anyway saying this. For example, if Andy Carroll goes to Brazil over Rickie Lambert, just because he is a bigger name, then I think that would devalue the national team's reputation further than it already has been. Granted, both Lambert and Carroll have another 8-9 months to prove who is the better target man, but considering his rags to riches story, I do hope Lambert gets a shot at firing England to glory, now, and hopefully in several months time in Rio de Janeiro.

Quick Snippets:

He got his 'dream move', lucky for the rest of us.

At last he has gone! Gareth Bale to Real Madrid has been one of the longest sagas since Fabregas to Barcelona, and to be honest, my relief comes out of boredom. After reading about it every day for weeks and weeks, I'm just glad that perhaps the media will change the track a bit now and let us enjoy some football rather than pestering managers about specific players and their futures. It is where I agree with Roberto Martinez that the transfer window should close before the start of the season as it bothers me that with 26 hours until the British transfer window shuts, Stoke could still lose Asmir Begovic to potential bidders.

Another dream move?

There is one thing though: at least players who move are getting their dream move. In Bale's statement after moving he uses the words: "I can honestly say, this is my dream come true." These words follow on from Willian's transfer to Chelsea where he said that "it's been a dream of mine to come and play here." I wonder if I go and wish for a surprise call-up for Stoke City, I might get it? That'd be a dream come true. These dreams are just ambitions realised, plus pockets lined with money.