Post-Season Review

At the start of the season, I made some predictions. Following this, I amended my predictions at the halfway point of the season, and now at the end of the season we can see how far away from my predictions I was:

Arguably the worst predictions I made were regarding Sunderland and Cardiff City. With Paolo di Canio initially in charge of the Black Cats, I felt that they were destined for a poor season, and by January I had seen very little from di Canio's players that suggested that they would get away from trouble. However, a late surge inspired largely by Connor Wickham not only helped Sunderland to survive, but they also finished 14th in the league, 5 places higher than I predicted in pre-season. Cardiff City on the other hand had the potential for a good season whilst Malky Mackay was in charge. Although the 'Bluebirds' weren't glamourous under Mackay, they were efficient, showing their stubbornness to leave the Britannia Stadium with a clean sheet and a point. Once Mackay left, the trapdoor opened and although Ole Gunnar Solskjaer may prove himself to be a top-class manager, this was one baptism of fire. Before his appointment, I had said that if the right manager took over, they could look forward to a finish around 15th place. Instead, Solskjaer sold or loaned out most of Mackay's recruits, brought in players of his own that largely failed to make an impact and from there, relegation was inevitable.

At the top end of the table, my biggest mistake was backing Manchester United to retain their title, with their 7th placed finish a far cry away from where they should be finishing. On the flipside, Liverpool took advantage of United's vanishing act and mounted a title challenge that bar a slip from Steven Gerrard would have resulted in their first title in 20 years. The reasons behind my prediction errors are not hard to see in hindsight. Whilst Liverpool had been outside of the top four for several seasons and Manchester United were embarking on their first season post Sir Alex Ferguson, I had failed to take into account each team's style of play. Liverpool in the 2012-13 season had begun to gain momentum during the final months of the season, finally playing how Brendan Rodgers had been anticipating they would in his early days as Liverpool manager. In 2013/14, they carried this on, without any European distractions, which ultimately allowed them to concentrate on securing a top four finish and challenge for the title. United however were a ship in disarray from the moment David Moyes entered United, yet I had felt that he would be given time to mould a team in his image. Whilst Liverpool looked like a team with direction and a target, United looked confused and lost, as if Moyes had bought all of the squad that very season rather than all but one being Ferguson purchases across a decade. In pre-season I could not have known this, but by the half-way point I should have predicted failure to qualify for Europe for Manchester United in 2014/15.

The prediction that I am most pleased about is naturally Stoke City. Prior to the season's start, I had said Stoke had the capability to finish 8th in the league. By January I felt that 10th would be a resounding success for Mark Hughes and the team during his first year as manager. Yet the team finished in 9th, and whilst I may have had closer predictions with other clubs, I feel immense pride that Stoke finished in the top half, something that they have never achieved before. On the flip-side, the prediction I am most surprised about is Norwich City, who after making numerous purchases during the summer transfer window I had expected to be making a top half challenge alongside Stoke. Despite their victory at the Britannia in September, they never took off and their eventual relegation was surprising to see in one manner, but completely understandable at the same time.

Finally, based not just on my predictions throughout the 2013-14 season but also the performances of the clubs who participated over the season, I believe the team who performed best across the season were Southampton FC. To be clear, when I say 'performed best', I refer to the team that caught the eye during the season, had bums on the edges of seats, and perhaps were not expected to do as well as they did. Counting Rickie Lambert - who joins Liverpool in July - the Saints will have three representatives in the England squad that plays in this World Cup. If anyone outside of Southampton had been bold enough to predict that at the start of the season, then I tip my metaphorical hat to you. Mention of course must go to the league leaders Manchester City who by winning the league were by default the best team of the season, whilst Liverpool took up the mantle well of unlikely challengers. For me though, Southampton are the team who have had the best season, and based on Rickie Lambert and Mauricio Pochettino's departure from the club, it could be their best season for some time if the right replacements aren't brought in.

United Strength is Stronger

Celebrating a goal is becoming second nature to the Stoke players

It has been described in the days since that Stoke's victory over Fulham was one of the most complete performances from a Stoke side in the Premier League, that the word 'excitement' had been brought back to life at the Britannia Stadium, while the facts do not disagree from these statements. Stoke are on the verge of completing their sixth season in the Premier League, their first with a different manager, and are on course for their highest finish, potentially their highest points total and already the label of Kings of the Midlands are just a few of the headlines in the Potteries. Since the Stoke City's FA Cup Semi-Final against Bolton, supporters have been looking for the next complete performance, the one that can be held in the same high esteem as the thrashing of the Wanderers. Despite the whispers that this was the one, I disagree, but it was not far off! The key to the semi-final keeping its place in supporter's minds is the domination in all areas by the Stoke players: the defence were solid, the midfield controlled the game, the forward-thinking players took their chances and created more. It was the perfect demolition job. Whilst better in technical execution than the Boxing Day victory over Liverpool last season which has been held as the best result since Wembley for a time now, Stoke's victory over Fulham was not faultless. Again, it was close to faultless, holding so much promise for the season ahead, but not the perfect result.

Richardson not choosing his battles wisely with Arnautovic

The game plan from Stoke was perfect, dropping Peter Crouch for Oussama Assaidi, allowing Peter Odemwingie to play centrally, flummoxed the Fulham back-line who had shifted Dan Burn to right-back in their starting line-up in an attempt to counter Marko Arnautovic's threat. Instead, the rookie defender came up against a masterclass performance from Oussama Assaidi in his last appearance at the Britannia Stadium, for now at least. Every time Assaidi took Burn on, he beat the six foot six left-footer and created opportunities for Odemwingie, Ireland and Arnautovic. Equally on the opposite wing, Arnautovic had one of, if not his best game for Stoke so far, showing such fantastic close control on the ball, excellently shown in how he kept the ball in play for the first goal before, laying it off to Stephen Ireland whose shot hit the bar, but fell invitingly to Odemwingie who tapped in with his head. Fulham attempted to help Burn out by bringing Ashkan Dejagah onto the field to support Burn in defence more, however Assaidi kept pulling him out of position, dribbling past him with ease and on the stroke of half-time, Arnautovic was unlucky not to have scored Stoke's second goal. It would not take long though for Arnautovic to get onto the scoreline, and here I have to praise Mark Hughes. He knew that Fulham would have to put pressure onto Stoke to have any chance of surviving this season, therefore he let Fulham attack, knowing that his front four would be able to attack with pace if a counter attacking opportunity presented itself. Again Assaidi was at the heart of the goal, releasing a pass into Odemwingie's stride, who seeing that Arnautovic was free in the centre squared the ball to his teammate and Fulham with that touch were relegated. Stoke added to Fulham's misery with the third goal, which came from good Stoke attacking play as much as poor Fulham defending. Mohammad Diarra, limping with an injury was forced to chase back Marko Arnautovic on another counter-attack, but was ultimately unable to prevent him from getting in a cross for Assaidi who had another simple finish to cap off a fine performance from the Moroccan. He made way for the final appearance in Stoke colours for Matthew Etherington, who shortly after coming on continued where Assaidi had left off, tormenting his right-back, though this time it was Scott Parker who was struggling, Burn having left the field with stars in his eyes. Beating Parker, Etherington squared the ball and in that moment you wondered if Etherington could have had the fitting final contribution to his Stoke career, but alas the chance came to nothing. At the other end, Fulham clawed a goal back through Kieran Richardson who executed his finish well on his weaker foot, yet you wonder if Stoke's defence had switched off by this goal, leaving Richardson too much room to take his chance. Marc Wilson and Marc Muniesa - the first defensive partnership not to include Robert Huth or Ryan Shawcross since 2010 when Abdoulaye Faye and Danny Collins marshalled a defence against an Aston Villa squad that included now Fulham player Steve Sidwell - did not have much to do during the 90 minutes, but they conceded a goal. As a defender, you would expect they would both be looking into the reason why, yet that does not detract again from how poor Fulham were as a whole, John Arne Riise showing why he is past his best, just like the Cottagers. For Jon Walters to beat a defender for pace and finish as he did, it is a credit to Walters for keeping his cool and not messing up the finish, but also a discredit to Riise who could not keep up with one of the slowest forwards in the league. Cries of 'Ole' were rightfully shouted around the Britannia Stadium during the game and after when the players paraded the pitch with their children, and the Fulham game was a glimpse of what is to come, and the future looks bright.

Away from the Brit - Baggies Bye Bye?

Andy Wilkinson in a rare appearance for Stoke this season

Unless Stoke and Norwich both produce the performances and results that generations will talk about for decades to come, West Brom will be in the Premier League next season. With a 17 goal swing required for Norwich to survive, you suspect Stoke would need to score the majority of those considering Norwich are facing cup finalists Arsenal this weekend in the final game of their daunting run in. So for another season, the Baggies will not have to worry about becoming the yo-yo club that they were known as for such a long time, but you wonder where their problems have come from this season. After a highly respectable eighth placed finish last season, you would have thought they would have pushed on this year and at least finished in the top 12 teams. The pivotal moments of their season seem to have come during the first Deadline Day, when their signings were Victor Anichebe and a botched attempt at signing Romelu Lukaku again on loan. The next pivotal moment came when they sacked Steve Clarke, who despite being on a downward spiral in his first managerial job was a safer bet, knowing the Premier League, than Pepe Mel who took time to adjust to the unrelentless nature of English football. This was evident in how he lost points in two games after scoring three goals in a game, both late equalisers coming in the final moments of the game. Results tightened up in the final fixtures of the season, but arguably West Brom were saved by Norwich's horrendous run-in rather than due to their improved performances - which is something that Sunderland supporters can argue well.

Pepe Mel, a good man, but a good manager?

One of my criticisms of Mel's short tenure has been not knowing his best forward, and then playing him regularly. At one point it appeared to be Anichebe, then it was Vydra, then Berahino comes back into the side against Arsenal last weekend. Does he know his best front-line? In their best run of form, Vydra led the line and Anichebe came on as a substitute if a goal was needed or to be the front man who's been told to protect a lead. Against Tottenham, Vydra took his goal well, whilst against West Ham Anichebe came on after Berahino's opener to protect the lead and hold the ball up in the corner. Against Stoke it could be a mixture of any of the forwards that starts, but I think the one that would give the most trouble to the returning Shawcross and Wilson partnership would be Vydra, purely for his pace and his shooting accuracy. Whilst his goal tally this season isn't high, I would argue that is due to a lack of game time rather than a lack of talent, and if West Brom play Victor Anichebe, I will be less concerned about them going forward, and as a result more excited about what Stoke can produce when they go forward.

Alternative Stoke City and Premier League awards:

Stoke City Player of the Season - Ryan Shawcross has been a model of consistency this season, with room for improvement still. Whilst I have criticised him at times this season for goals conceded, it is because he sets such high standards. Whilst a call-up for Brazil is highly unlikely now, you would hope that next season Roy Hodgson would find his map again and realise that Southampton isn't the only city in England he is allowed to enter. Ryan would be worthy of another call-up, and hopefully a start this time so that he can be judged on a full 90 minutes instead of a 15-20 minute cameo against one Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Stoke City Young Player of the Season - Charlie Ward. If you consider a young player to be 21 or younger, the options are limited. Whilst Marc Muniesa would have been a worthy winner considering he has only just turned 22 (in March), I feel that awarding a member of the development squad for the progress they have made this season would be a better allocation of the award. Charlie has been a regular in the development squad this season, earning a call-up to the bench for Stoke's away victory at Aston Villa (coincidentally a former club of his) in March. Whilst Charlie will have a lot to do potentially to bridge the gap between the development squad and the first team, he has made a step. As shown by James Wilson this week, if you are given a chance to impress, you can only do what you are told. If Charlie is given an opportunity next season, the only people who know how he could do are Charlie himself and Stoke City. Here's hoping his small progress this season is repeated next year.

Villain of the Season - Nicolas Anelka edges this award for me just for typifying his nickname 'Le Sulk'. Whilst there is a debate about the nature of the quenelle gesture he made, regarding his alleged intentions and its actual meaning, his reaction is what makes him this season's villain. Instead of taking his punishment and accepting he did something that is culturally not acceptable, he terminated his contract and wandered off into the wilderness. Good riddance 'Le Sulk'.

Joker of the Season - It would be fair to say that Jonathan Walters get a bit of stick from Stoke supporters for his lack of natural talent sometimes. Against Tottenham this season, he appeared to show a comical side to his character that I'm sure endears him to his team-mates, taking a drink out of spectators coffee cup after being barged into the ad boards. Just for showing a bit of cheek in the heat of the game, he wins the award for me this year. Mesut Ozil gets a mention as well for his close control earlier in the season when dribbling a bit of gum on his boot before carrying on chewing.


Player's Beard of the Season - Up until last week I would have awarded this to Marc Wilson for his super effort
this year. But after seeing and hearing of Adam Clayton of Huddersfield earning £1,717 for charity by dying his beard in Huddersfield's sky blue and white, I feel the award goes to him for his efforts. Other honourable mentions go to Tim Howard and Ashley Cole for their attempts at hot fuzz that fizzled out.

Harshest Sacking of the Season - On the day that his settlement with Cardiff has been agreed, Malky Mackay's sacking has to be judged as the harshest as far as coaching talent goes. As the adage goes, if the supporters are sad to see a manager go, he must have been unlucky to get the sack and Cardiff's season since Mackay's sacking as been one of far more downs that highs. Mentions must go to Rene Meulensteen and Chris Hughton as with both a neutral would have expected both to see out the season with their clubs before eventually departing.

Quick Snippets:

Greg Dyke trying to reorganise English football into a Spanish structure

B Teams - The news of trying to introduce B teams to English football has been met with mixed responses. Whilst Premier League squads have welcomed the possibility of their clubs potentially being able to offer their younger players a more competitive league to play in, Football League and Conference clubs have seen the possibility as unwelcome, disrespecting the role that their clubs play in developing younger players. I think that the notion has pros and cons, but perhaps the biggest sticking point is the actual purpose of the B team. Could a team finish 11th in League Three but still gain promotion to League Two? What purpose would that serve to the clubs that gain promotion, would it make them stronger when they play in League Two? No. They'd've played half a season against a team of reserves effectively. Of all people, Arsene Wenger has made the most potent point on this proposal, stating that it is not a lack of games that the young players have, it is a lack of quality training to allow them to break into the first teams at present.

Roy Hodgson has selection dilemmas ahead of Monday's announcement

My England 30 Man Squad - Joe Hart, Ben Foster, John Ruddy, Fraser Forster, Glen Johnson, Phil Jagielka, Gary Cahill, Phil Jones, Chris Smalling, Ryan Shawcross, Steven Caulker, Leighton Baines, Luke Shaw, Ashley Cole, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, James Milner, Adam Lallana, Michael Carrick, Ross Barkley, Jack Wilshere, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Raheem Sterling, Jordan Henderson, Danny Welbeck, Daniel Sturridge, Wayne Rooney, Rickie Lambert, Andy Carroll, Jermain Defoe.

Italicised players would not be included in the final 23 man squad.

Seeing the Forest through the Trees

Peter Whittingham not missing from the penalty spot

The past two weeks as a Stoke supporter have been equal measures of pride and disappointment. On the surface, Stoke presented their fans with two respectable performances against Cardiff City and Tottenham Hotspur, yet the fans left both matches with a total of one point out of the six available. In the title of this article, I refer to not seeing the forest through the trees because that is an epitome of a Stoke supporter at the moment, seeing the positives through the negatives. From both matches it is refreshing, in fact exhilarating, to see the Bear Bit atmosphere of the Britannia Stadium returning at last, both home and away. The cause for the fight though appears strange however, with referees in the two previous games appearing to have stirred the supporters into a frenzy over debatable decisions. Howard Webb, against Cardiff City, was the villain for clearly missing a foul on Peter Crouch that resulted in his shirt referring to him as 'Cr uch' for the remainder of the game. As a referee, he made a mistake and that was strike one, a fair call for Stoke supporters to be disappointed. On the stroke of half time, Webb then proceeded to gift Stoke a penalty, and the word 'gift' is used due to the soft nature of the penalty, rather than the legitimacy of it. Peter Odemwingie was nudged off the ball in the penalty area by Kim Bo-Kyung and Marko Arnautovic slotted the resulting penalty kick home. Howard Webb though was forced to make another decision in the second half, rewarding Cardiff a penalty for another soft penalty, this time a fractionally late tackle by Steven Nzonzi on Frazier Campbell. Webb had the choice of awarding neither of the penalties or both, and by the letter of the law, both were correct decisions. Peter Whittingham pulled Cardiff level from the spot and Stoke could have gone on to win the game via late chances by Peter Odemwingie, Jon Walters and Oussama Assaidi, with Assaidi's the pick of the misses where a cool finish was all that was required after all the hard work had been done.

Danny Rose an unlikely goalscorer, but a likely villain of the game

Andre Marriner followed up Howard Webb's performance by playing the role of a pantomime villain against Tottenham, both to the Stoke fans and in the eyes of the Stoke manager Mark Hughes. After missing a clear elbow by Emmanuel Adebayor on Ryan Shawcross, Marriner forced a decision upon himself just after half time. Having already booked Ryan Shawcross for a foul in the first half, a clear foul that could not be denied, he had the choice of booking Shawcross for a second foul in the second half or warning the Stoke captain. He chose the former, forcing Ryan Shawcross to lose his ever-present status this season in the Premier League. This angered Stoke supporters, but I question the extent of their anger. Yes, Marriner could have called it a foul and left it at that, but if you isolate the challenge from any other challenge in the game, it would have been a yellow card offence as Shawcross's foot was high. Whilst it is disappointing that Stoke's captain left the pitch, he caused the referee to ask the question "Is it a second yellow card?" which Marriner ultimately decided it was. This was the filling of a spicy sandwich of a game that was filled with incidents involving one Danny Rose. The left back, a former figure of dislike amongst the Potters for his theatrics a year previous when on loan at Sunderland was the only player on the scoresheet after heading in a cross from Adebayor after the Togo forward got away from Glenn Whelan too easily. After being the recipient of Shawcross's late challenge that resulted in his second yellow card, Geoff Cameron sought retribution for his team mate, clattering Danny Rose when challenging for the ball on the touchline. Rose, taking offence at this ran ten yards or more to push Cameron and was substituted moments later to a symphony of boos from the home supporters. In past matches, officials have sent players off for initiating headbutts or acts of extreme aggression, yet incidents such as those from Saturday usually result in yellow cards for both players involved for being involved in an act that brings the game into disrepute. In this case, it could, and perhaps should, be argued that Cameron was lucky not to receive a yellow card for goading Rose after the initial push. Again, I revert back to the title of this article, referring to not seeing the forest through the trees. In the past two games, Stoke supporters have been that distracted by refereeing decisions that they have not placed any blame on players for not taking chances. A number of supporters have claimed that the sending off of Shawcross galvanised the players, with the team performing admirably in his absence. Yet the fact remains that Stoke took no points from the game. Whilst I encourage supporters to remain positive, enjoy the plaudits the team has received for the football played, I equally say do not let standards slip when it comes to searching for the reasons behind a poor result. In the past two games, Oussama Assaidi and Marko Arnautovic, two of Stoke's stars this season in attack, could have gained the team an extra four points than the table currently possesses. This is no criticism of the individuals mentioned, merely a point that whilst performances have been good, refereeing decisions do not shape a game as long as a team do not let them. Stoke were the better team after Shawcross's red card, and for the performance to have been perfect, Stoke would have turned the performance into a result.

Felix's Fulham:

Dimitar Berbatov, recently of Fulham, challenged by Erik Pieters

Felix Magath has been an odd entry into the catalogue of Premier League managers this season. At times he has looked more than capable of keeping Fulham in the Premier League, such as when they gained back-to-back victories over Aston Villa and Norwich, but then back-to-back losses against Tottenham and Hull raise questions again. Magath has some pedigree as a manager, being compared to Tony Pulis as being a manager who has never been relegated. What I would expect from him, being bequeathed with a tag such as that, is he is capable of bringing the best out of a group of players he did not sign. Whereas Tony Pulis at Crystal Palace has formed a settled back four of Mariappa, Dann, Delaney and Ward, with two holding midfielders in Jedinak and Ledley, Fulham have set up in a similar shape, but with less stability. Whilst Riether, Hangeland, Amorebieta and Riise have started a number of games recently, with Sidwell and Diarra in front of them, as a unit Fulham have looked less secure. As a midfielder, Steve Sidwell would not instill me with confidence that he would protect the back four, whilst Mohammed Diarra has only just returned to club after being without a club since leaving the previous summer. Perhaps Magath realised that Fulham's team needed beefing up by switching to a 5-2-2-1 system against Hull at the weekend, with Riether and Riise allowed to act as wing-backs, and Scott Parker coming into the midfield to allow Steve Sidwell to support Lewis Holtby and Hugo Rodallega in attack. The front three did not appear to have much effect in the first half as Sidwell was replaced by Darren Bent and Holtby was replaced by Ashkan Dejagah who went on to score Fulham's opening goal. Adding in the half-time substitution of Kieran Richardson for John Arne Riise and Fulham had a problem of their own making when Hull scored in the 75th minute to make the score 2-1: how do you change a team with no substitutions left? With so many forward thinking players on the pitch at this point, it was too easy for Hull to exert some dominance at the end of the game and the Hull strike partnership of Jelavic and Long exploited Fulham's nerves. Assuming Fulham attempt to play a similar shape against Stoke, can the Potters exploit Fulham's inability to keep a clean sheet?

Hugo Rodallega is a past nemesis of Stoke City in his Wigan days

The key will be in the finishing, as simple as that sounds. As previously stated, Stoke have had plenty of chances in the past two games to get at least four more points on the table, yet an inability to convert good chances meant that only one point went onto the table. Peter Odemwingie, dare it be said, could be one of the most lethal finishers the Britannia Stadium has seen in the Premier League era, but he could do with finishing the season with a flourish. Whilst the same tag cannot be applied to Marko Arnautovic on the other wing, the Austrian is mercurial, occupying the thoughts of the opposition full-back for a full 90 minutes. Again though, Arnautovic could do with improving his finishing statistics for the season. Despite having three goals for the club, for a player that is held in such a high stature at the moment, he needs to finish the season with a higher output into results. Unless Peter Crouch is dropped for the final two games of the season, Odemwingie and Arnautovic need to step up to the plate in wider areas to cover for the target man's lack of pace in attack. If they both hold their positions as high as possible in attack, staying on the shoulder of their full-backs, they should get breaking opportunities with the pace both of them possess.

Quick Snippets:

1) Moyes Out - Whilst it was no surprise to see David Moyes lose his job last week, it was a surprise how he lost his job, to a point. You expect the media to hear of the news before any managerial departure nowadays, but what is unexpected is the manner of Manchester United declining to comment on his departure hours before the official announcement. As a football supporter who backs giving a manager a long time at a club, I feel sorry for Manchester United and David Moyes that it did not work out, but Moyes did not have a vision for the future, and ultimately that cost him his job.

2) Giggs In - Just as I back clubs at the highest level to stick by their managers for long periods of time, I also like to see clubs to try to employ British managers/coaches. This is not a dislike of foreign coaches, but more of wanting a stand or a public endorsement of what makes British football British. Whilst Ryan Giggs is the second favourite, behind Louis van Gaal to take the United job, I would want him to have the job over a foreign coach. Equally I would like another British coach to be given a fairer chance in the bookmakers odds, though the best British managers at present belong to Liverpool, Tottenham and Newcastle, according to the league table at least! After that, it is between our own Mark Hughes and the unfashionable but effective Tony Pulis. I may like to see a British manager get a chance at United, but at present it seems that the foreign influence is to continue into the Premier League.

3) PFA Player of the Year - There was no doubt across the country that Luis Suarez would and should have won the PFA Player of the Year award. It is a massive turnaround for a player that twelve months ago was having elevenses via Branislav Ivanovic's arm, but in the interests of leaving the past in the past (for Ryan Shawcross and Aaron Ramsey) it is good to see such a controversial player's esteem grow in the eyes of his peers. I feel Daniel Sturridge was unlucky not to win the Young Player of the Year award, but as stated weeks before, he is also lucky to be eligible to receive the award. His goals, alongside Suarez, have given Liverpool their best shot at a title in 24 years, and personally I felt that edged him ahead of Eden Hazard this season. However, Hazard's goals have kept Chelsea within some contention of winning the title and his winning of the award is far from unjustified.

4) RIP Tito Vilanova - There have been a few deaths in the past week relating to the world of football. Sandy Jardine, whilst not a name I knew myself, was someone to a lot of people. The same can be said of Vujadin Boškov who died aged 80 this week, a manager who had won a domestic double with Real Madrid in the 1979/80 season. Again, a name I would not have known, but to others, he was someone. When I say Rest in Peace to Tito Vilanova, it is because his death is tragic being so young, but like Boškov and Jardine, they were all men who contributed to the sport we love. Therefore, I say: Rest in Peace Tito, Vujadin and Sandy with all equal respect for your contributions to the sport in life and now in death.

Vengeance is Swift

Was it a cross or a shot? He doesn't care after his first goal in six years!

Back in October, I wrote about Stoke City's relationship with Lady Luck being fractious, with many decisions in games around the period in question seeming to go against the Potters. Skip forward six months and Stoke seem to have kissed and made up with the fictitious lady of fortune as Erik Pieters was the man who scored a goal that even he admitted afterwards he did not intend to find the back of the net. Given the tight scoreline in the game, had Lady Luck not been on Stoke's side, the game could easily have tilted in the favour of the visitors from the North East. Newcastle had shown their ability to take advantage of bad luck back in December when coming back from a goal down to win 5-1 over the Potters, after two unfortunate red cards for Glenn Whelan and Marc Wilson. The fortunes of both sides have tilted since that day with Newcastle now calling for their manager's head whilst some Stoke supporters have tentatively suggested that Mark Hughes should be considered as one of the nominees for Manager of the Year.

Tim Krul thwarted Peter Crouch on numerous occasions to keep
the scoreline respectable for Newcastle

If there is one reason why Mark Hughes has deserved the credit he has received recently, it is down to getting results, whether impressive ones such as the victories over West Ham and Aston Villa, or the scrappier ones against Hull City and Newcastle. What was clear from this game is that Newcastle are fighting for their manager, even if he has done more fighting of late, yet the fight they are showing, fortunately for Stoke, is not being converted into results. Geoff Cameron was lucky not to concede a penalty in the first half whilst Vernon Anita had a great opportunity late in the second half, both of which could have converted a loss into a win. On the other hand, Stoke had multiple opportunities through Peter Crouch to take the lead and had any of those gone in, some simpler chances than others, the floodgates would likely have opened for Newcastle based on their recent results. Nevertheless, it is still three important points for the Potters in their chase to overtake Newcastle, and potentially Southampton in the closing month of the season.

Crime and Punishment - Cardiff vs Stoke City:

Cardiff are one of four teams to prevent Stoke scoring at home this season

Cardiff's first crime was to embarrass Stoke on their home turf without taking away three points. Back in December, mere days after Stoke had been humiliated by Everton 4-0, Cardiff came to the Britannia Stadium and became the last team to date to prevent Stoke from scoring at home. Stoke, on a poor run of form at the time, were made to look amateurish and credit has to go to Cardiff and then-manager Malky Mackay for preventing Stoke from taking their frustrations from Goodison Park out on them. Their second crime was to sack the aforementioned Mackay for the likeable but inexperienced Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Their third crime, purchasing Stoke wantaway Kenwyne Jones, has been paid for with interest in the deal to bring Peter Odemwingie to the Britannia in exchange for the Trinidadian. There is still an outstanding debt this club owe not just to Stoke City but to the Premier League, and hopefully on Saturday the debt is repaid in favour of the Potters.

With four games left, would now be the time to rest Crouch?

Perhaps for a striker of Peter Crouch's quality this will appear harsh, but after his misses against Newcastle last week, there is an argument to rest him for one or two of the final four games of the season. Whilst John Guidetti's loan at the club will likely finish without a goal, Peter Odemwingie has been told he will be offered an opportunity in the central striking role during his time at the club. Against his former club, would it be unfair to suggest that Odemwingie would have a point to prove to the club that poorly utilised him? Whilst he is likely to start regardless of whether Crouch starts or not, positioning him up front alongside Crouch or instead of him would offer him more chances to not just get goals but hopefully finish the season on a high with the club. As he has shown in his short time at the club, he is also a lethal finisher, whose first clear fluff at a shot also came in the game against Newcastle. In a game where Cardiff will be fighting to survive their first season in the Premier League, perhaps having our most lethal forward at the top of our forward line could be the decisive move that brings the three points back to the Potteries?

Away from the Brit - Title Race:

The game that tipped the title in Liverpool's favour

When asked recently what he thought of Liverpool or Manchester City winning the title, pundit and ex Manchester United player Gary Neville described either winning the title the equivalent of choosing a man to sleep with your wife. As far as Stoke supporters are concerned, a consensus would say that we don't care who she sleeps with as long as it isn't Neville and Manchester United. Liverpool's victory at the weekend effectively decided where the title would be heading, IF Chelsea fail to win at Anfield in the final match-days. Chelsea could still win the title as Manchester City, hungover perhaps from their loss at Anfield surrendered points to nearly relegated Sunderland in midweek, meaning they'd need Chelsea to win at Anfield just to keep their lingering hopes alive. Personally, if I had a choice between Liverpool and Chelsea to win the title, I'd edge towards Chelsea for the simple reason that if Liverpool do win the title, they could dominate for years to come again, and for Stoke, the longer a trophy drought goes on, the better it is for those who will play them regularly. However, if the question is who do I think will win the title, Liverpool is the only answer, and you cannot argue it would be undeserved as they have played the better football this season, being the only team in the top four to have won at the Britannia Stadium (with some debatable decisions going their way it must be said!), whilst their goalscoring feats in Sturridge and Suarez has been commendable. For the neutral, I'm looking forward to some highly entertaining games to close the season as all teams involved cannot afford to drop any more points.

Quick Snippet - Cheating Palace?

Crystal Palace will be investigated for alleged use of leaked information
regarding the Cardiff City team sheet a fortnight ago.

It might just be me, but what is the harm for a manager if their team sheet is leaked the day before a match? This is a honest question, and even if a Sunday League manager is reading this, I'd encourage you to reply to this question as I cannot see why Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Cardiff City are making a formal complaint about Crystal Palace allegedly finding out their team sheet in advance of their game on 5th April 2014. If the reports about the leak are correct, Tony Pulis put pressure on Iain Moody to find out the team ahead of Palace's game with Cardiff, something that by the Friday of the week Moody had found out. My question is: what could Tony Pulis have done or told his players within such a short space of time between seeing the team sheet and the matchday to guarantee his side's chances of victory to the point that Cardiff's claims of cheating are validated? Some managers such as Jose Mourinho have voluntarily released their team sheet ahead of a game to play mind games with opposition managers, so what is the issue, beyond the dirty tactics these allegations portray Pulis and Palace as using?

A Bridge Too Far

Willian the playmaker in chief against Stoke at the weekend

Last Saturday, Stoke City were sent onto the football field with a gameplan: to nullify Chelsea and attack them on the counter-attack. By Saturday night, a combination of Chelsea attacking like a wounded animal and Stoke failing to inspire anyone with their performance led to a comprehensive 3-0 defeat. Whilst Stoke did not turn up, defending and attacking without conviction, Chelsea were wasteful, exploiting so many gaps through the centre of the field and not taking advantage when through on goal. Willian was a key architect, though his co-conspirator Mohamed Salah played his part in two of the evening's three goals. The first goal came from a cutback cross in the box that no Stoke player could get a foot to, yet Salah could lash the ball into the box with a hint of venom: in other words an unstoppable shot.

Cameron out of sorts, injured, and replaced by Andy Wilkinson
at half time in the defeat to Chelsea

Stoke made two changes at half time, bringing Andy Wilkinson and Charlie Adam on for Geoff Cameron and Wilson Palacios. This suggests that Hughes knew that Plan A wasn't working (possibly what I suggested last week unfortunately) so he tried to shake up the midfield whilst steadying the defence after Cameron was off form and possibly injured. The substitutions in fact did have an impact, but only negative ones as Andy Wilkinson, not long after his introduction, conceded a penalty that even the staunchest of Stoke supporters could not deny was a stonewall decision. Asmir Begovic did better than he has ever done at a penalty before and made an initial save, but could do nothing about the rebound that put Chelsea 2-0 up and put Frank Lampard on 250 Premier League goals. Chelsea's final goal was a defender and goalkeeper's nightmare, as it was a situation where they would say collectively "if you can score that goal, you've earned it," and Willian obliged by curling the ball from distance around Ryan Shawcross and past Asmir Begovic into the top corner. A bad day at the office for Stoke City in general with set pieces providing minimal hope for the travelling supporters that a goal at Stamford Bridge could come, but by the end it proved to be too much to ask.

Revenge is Black and White:

Yohan Cabaye: a big cog missing from Newcastle's machine

For the first half hour on Boxing Day, Newcastle United did not show up for their match against Stoke City, so when Oussama Assaidi took the lead in the game, it would be unfair to say it was an undeserved lead. Two questionable refereeing decisions moments later and Stoke City were down to nine men and any potential momentum they were trying to gather for future matches was depleted with a demoralising 5-1 loss. Yohan Cabaye was influential that day in keeping the Newcastle midfield ticking over, not sublimely, but efficiently to make sure that the two-man advantage they had counted. Since then they have won 3 out of their last 16 matches, and are on a current run of form that consists of four losses out of five, 12 goals conceded and only one scored in their tight victory over Crystal Palace. Consider as well that before Stoke's visit to Chelsea they had scored 8 goals in three games, conceding only two, this should be a game with some goals in it.

Erik Pieters battling with Hatem Ben Arfa

It will be a positive inclusion if Stephen Ireland is able to overcome the illness that kept him out of last week's defeat to Chelsea, with his ability to keep the ball moving forward a useful trait to have in the team, something that admittedly was missed last week. The only other change I'd be tempted to make is at right back, depending on how Geoff Cameron has recovered from his injury against Chelsea. With a World Cup on the horizon, it would not be unfair to give arguably Stoke's player of the season (at the very least one of the contenders) a break before travelling to Brazil and give Andy Wilkinson some games to brush off the rustiness that he showed during last week's defeat. Whilst Wilkinson is uncompromising in the tackle, his poor decision-making that lead to Chelsea's penalty can come from a lack of game time so I would be inclined to give him a second chance if Geoff is showing signs of not being 100% fit. As for Newcastle, they have set up in recent weeks in an unorthodox manner, similar to West Ham, by placing a strong central midfielder, Moussa Sissoko, in the wider areas of the pitch. Whilst he may have the license to drift inside whenever they attack, it is unusual to see as wingers are usual fast and tricky rather than tall and muscular. Erik Pieters should be able to handle any attacking threats that come from his wing, whilst on the left it is a choice between Yoann Gouffran or the riskier Hatem Ben Arfa who throughout the season has been a better impact player than starter. Newcastle's defence looks particularly frail as well, with Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa and Davide Santon both trying their luck at right back in the absence of Mathieu Debuchy. Mike Williamson and Fabricio Coloccini are capable and experienced defenders, yet Stoke will be looking to exploit any lack of pace from either of them through Peter Odemwingie and Marko Arnautovic, hopefully by running onto any flicks (aerial or on the floor) by Peter Crouch.

Champions League Semi-Final Draw Thoughts:

4-2 on aggregate but Bayern fought hard for to progress

For the neutral, the semi-final draw is fairly mixed, with an entertaining match on offer with Bayern Munich due to take on Real Madrid, whilst the last survivor of the English contingent - Chelsea - will face off against Athletico Madrid which is already being feared as a drab encounter. Both Athletico and Chelsea have attacking players in their respective squads, yet both focus on the defensive aspect to their games before focussing on the attack. This has been shown in the pre-match punditry focussing on Thibaut Courtois being able to play against his parent club and potentially knock them out en route to the final. The danger of using the loan system, as Chelsea have done, is that they could have a star in their hands, such as Courtois, but not be able to use them as they have bought him too soon. If Courtois makes an appearance against Chelsea before appearing for them, it shows that something has to be done internationally about clubs loaning players out consistently year after year without any chance of making a first team appearance. In the other tie though, it is the match of the would-be champions, both prior to the match considered the favourites to win the cup. Despite a 2-0 loss at Borussia Dortmund this week, I would still tip Real Madrid to be too strong for the encounter, as long as Cristiano Ronaldo is fit again after a recent injury. His absence from the pitch reflected on the pitch with Real struggling to take a grip on the game once they had an early penalty saved by Roman Weidenfeller. If Ronaldo is fit, I would back them for the victory across the two legs as Bayern Munich did little to impress me, tactically or in their performance. For Wednesday's second leg against Manchester United, they set up with the intention to counter United's plan to counter attack by deploying so many men forward in their team's shape. At one point the formation was close to 2-3-4-1, with Philipp Lahm and David Alaba acting as attacking midfielders behind Toni Kroos and Mario Gotze. Whilst it was inventive and did prevent Manchester United from consistently counter-attacking, they still conceded the first goal using this tactic. Their comeback was more to do with United being unable to settle down after taking the lead than Bayern suddenly waking up, as Arjen Robben argued. Pep Guardiola, for all his success at Barcelona seems determined to find a new way of winning football matches, with it being his Barcelona team to first use the false number 9 position that Messi now occupies. Whilst this was a brave attempt to break down an opposition that parked the bus (or as one onlooker said 'parking the plane'), Guardiola will have to use a more tried and tested shape against Real if he does not want his team to be punished.

Quick Snippet - Player of the Season:

PFA Young Player of the Year and the Player of the Year?

Whatever you think of Luis Suarez as a person, it cannot be denied that he has been the player of this season. In close second I would have to say it is Yaya Toure, just for the larger contribution to results he has made this season than in any past season, while Eden Hazard would receive the bronze medal for his improved goal tally which has helped to keep Chelsea in the title challenge. Suarez though has surpassed most expectations from outside of Merseyside prior to this season, forming an effective partnership with Daniel Sturridge, who in my opinion deserves the Young Player of the Year award. Whether he should be up for that award considering his age is another question, but due to the pair forming a strong and effective partnership this season that could well earn Liverpool their first title in two decades, it would be a pair of awards well earnt.

And They Laugh No More

40 points gained after Saturday's victory - 18 points left to play for

Although the victory against Aston Villa certainly didn't leave Stoke City supporters with a nervous twitch at the bottom half of the table, hitting the 40 point mark with a victory against Hull City certainly was the signal for everyone connected to the club to have a collected sigh of relief. Whilst relegation had not been a concern for a quite a few weeks, hitting 40 points is not only a sign of safety, but it holds the promise of looking up for the remainder of the season rather than down. Heading into the game against Hull City, a victory would cement Stoke's position inside the top 10, whilst also giving the club a six point buffer against the bottom half of the table. A win would also force Newcastle United and/or Southampton to look over their shoulders in the closing weeks of the season. These motivations did not appear apparent during a tepid first half that was uninspiring for the home side, where Hull, despite not showing any dominance, had the clearer opportunities to take the lead. Games such as this, where the balance of the match is easily tipped, are usually decided by a mistake or a moment of magic, and arguably there was a bit of both of these elements as Stoke took the lead. Ahmed El Ahmady trying to play his way out of trouble sent a cross-field pass straight into the path of Peter Odemwingie who, running at the Hull defence, cut inside onto his left foot and scored a goal for Stoke from outside the penalty area, again, a type of goal that has been a rarity in recent years for the Potters.

Peter Odemwingie, the clinical finisher Stoke have been wanting

Whilst Stoke controlled the game once they had taken the lead, the only chance of note fell to John Guidetti after good work again by Peter Odemwingie, who after jinking his way into the Hull penalty area, delayed passing the ball of to Guidetti, overhitting his cross when he eventually released the ball. This sort of bad luck seems to have summed up John Guidetti's loan stay at Stoke and you would hope that in the last six games he would be given a few more minutes on the pitch to try and justify why he was brought to the club. Arguably his most important action as a Stoke player has been winning the penalty to gain a point at Norwich, yet if he had been given more time on the pitch, perhaps due to an injury or drop in form with Peter Crouch, he may have shown more. His loan has been a disappointment for Guidetti undoubtedly, but for Stoke and Mark Hughes, it has arguably brought the best out of Crouch, something that cannot be described as a bad thing.

Away from the Brit - Baying for Blood:

On the deck, but not knocked out, yet

It is true that there is never a good time to play a top team, but coming into the game off back-to-back defeats to Crystal Palace and Paris St Germain will not have created a cool and calm atmosphere at Stamford Bridge. For Stoke supporters, they will be wondering which Chelsea will turn up to play in the late Saturday night kick-off against their team: the one that beat Manchester City convincingly only several weeks ago, or the one that has capitulated under the pressure of a title challenge? Jose Mourinho has blamed his forward line in the last two games for not creating enough chances to compensate for defensive lapses, yet you wonder how much he can blame his forwards. Here I do not refer to Torres, Ba and Eto'o who have only 15 league goals between them (compared to former Chelsea striker Daniel Sturridge who currently has 20 goals on his own), but rather look at those who sit behind the main striker. Eden Hazard had been tipped only weeks ago to be up for the player of the year award, yet could he really justify that tag? His last four league goals have been from the penalty spot, whilst his last from open play was against Newcastle in February. Oscar, whilst scoring two against Arsenal two weeks ago, is far from a regular scorer, where he only scored 12 times in 64 appearances for Chelsea last season, though he has improved this season to have only scored one less in 21 fewer appearances. Whilst this is an improvement for the Brazilian, you would expect a number 10 to score more goals considering the area of the pitch they play in.The final man on the attacking trio tends to be rotated between Andre Schurrle and Willian, who are on 7 and 2 goals respectively. Willian tends to be picked for his work-rate over Schurrle who has the higher goal count, yet this may be the reason why Mourinho played the two over Torres or Ba against PSG on Wednesday night. After seeing Bayern Munich play without a recognised striker for the first 60 minutes of their game against Manchester United, it is a common tactic in European football now, so allowing Schurrle and Hazard to rotate up front was a feasible option. Despite going a goal down, the tactic appeared to be working when Chelsea earned a penalty and got back into the game, being unlucky not to take the lead when Hazard's first time volley only hit the post. Once PSG went a goal up in the second half, Mourinho felt compelled to revert back to the system he prefers with a number 9 at the tip of the team. This, combined with Zlatan Ibrahimovic's substitution which brought Lucas Moura into play created a static shape to Chelsea's play, one that proved costly come Javier Pastore and PSG's third goal of the night. If Mourinho had stuck to his first game plan, Chelsea could have gotten back into the game, yet by making the change, Chelsea lacked threat in the final third, unable to create or capitalise on opportunities.

Nemanja Matic challenging Stephen Ireland

It would be a surprise to see Chelsea go into this game without a recognised striker up front, so it appears to be a toss-up between whether Demba Ba or Fernando Torres starts against Stoke. If you are a betting person, you'd suspect that Ba would get the nod ahead of Torres as long as Eto'o remains out injured, with Ba offering a more physical presence up front compared to Torres. This should be comfortable enough for Ryan Shawcross and Marc Wilson to cope with, yet they have conceded goals to Ba in the past so there should be no complacency that this is a striker that always seems to up his game when Stoke are lining up. For the purposes of this game, it would not be a surprise to see Stoke revert to the line-up that won away at Aston Villa, with Wilson Palacios returning to the side to solid up the midfield, offering a two man shield with Glenn Whelan for the defence. Considering Oscar's plaudits are for his ability to find space and perform the playmaking capacity of an advanced midfielder, stacking up players in the middle of the field would narrow the play and force Eden Hazard and one of Willian or Andre Schurrle to stay wide to try and provide some width for their team. If they come inside, then Branislav Ivanovic and Cesar Azpilicueta will be expected to push forward to provide this width, thus requiring both of Stoke's wingers to work as hard defensively as they will going forward. If Chelsea's back-line looks susceptible, it is through pace, which is where Peter Odemwingie should come to the fore. If he can lurk around John Terry, then he should have the beating of the Chelsea captain. If Odemwingie fails to get into the game this way though, Marko Arnautovic will have to win his battle with Ivanovic on the other side of the pitch as it will be tricky for Stoke's midfield to push forward in support in a game like this. Avoiding a loss and maintaining current form should be the aim of Stoke's players, as results may not be the priority any more (as far as survival goes at least), but to become the Pride of the Midlands and to have more points than in any previous Premier League season, a loss would be detrimental to achieving these targets.

Champions League Thoughts:

Gareth Bale vs Borussia Dortmund scoring the opening goal

If there was one surprise scoreline in the Champions League, I'd look away from Old Trafford and venture towards the Bernabeu Stadium. Whilst the result seemed fairly certain prior to kick-off, with Dortmund missing key players and Madrid at full strength, this game showed Europe why Real should be considered the team to beat this year, if anyone had a doubt. For all the plaudits Bayern have received this season, they could not beat an under-achieving Manchester United away from home, whilst Barcelona only managed to salvage a draw in their away trip to Atletico Madrid. I expected a similar result here with Dortmund scoring, but Madrid going on to win, mainly due to Madrid's inconsistent defence. From Dortmund I expected a solid defence but a plethora of goal-scoring chances, some of which wouldn't be taken. So for me, this was the surprise result as I did not expect it to be so easy, or at least appear that way for Real Madrid.

A header that Mama Sidibe would be proud of

At Old Trafford I believed that Manchester United would not concede, despite their recent results against the top teams in the Premier League. Whilst they did concede, they were more solid, sacrificing possession on the ball for hard work off the ball. This was a David Moyes team, set up to destroy rather than create, and despite conceding an away goal, his tactics worked for the most part as Bayern rarely threatened. Putting this result into perspective, there is no surprise to still see Bayern as favourites for the tie as they have the away goal, have won their domestic league and are the better team. Being destructive will not be enough to get a goal at the Allianz Arena, but it gives Manchester United fans hope that perhaps this season has merely been a blimp, and that after months of attempted training sessions, David Moyes has finally gotten his players to play the way he wants.

Quick Snippet - Oh Lord Abdoulaye!

Abdoulaye Diagne-Faye: A warrior of a defender

If there was one player I wish had been selected last weekend when Hull travelled to the Britannia Stadium, it was Abdoulaye Faye. Whilst in the twilight of his career now, he was the rock of our defence as Ryan Shawcross just began to blossom. I may be one of a few to say it, but if Abdoulaye was offered the opportunity to return to Stoke as a player, even now, I would still take him as even if he only played one game a season, he'd have the same impact as Ledley King did for Tottenham, adding a touch of class to whatever game he appeared in. As it appears this will not be the case, I believe the mural adorning the Britannia Stadium is a fitting tribute to a player who not only kept Stoke City up during his first two seasons at the club, but typified what we were, and to an extent still are: fighters.

What Crisis?

Peters Crouch and Odemwingie after the latter's equaliser

It is two months ago now that Stoke travelled to Sunderland, hoping for an upturn in form after poor results against Crystal Palace and Chelsea had threatened to derail their season. An unlucky goal conceded allowed Adam Johnson and Sunderland to take the lead and secure the three points that night, and some Stoke supporters feared a tough relegation battle. Three days later and these fears were not dis-swayed after the 'pizzagate' incident resulted in cries of celebration amongst Tony Scholes and co for the arrival of their late-night munchies and cries of anguish from supporters outside hoping for news of a marquee signing who would guarantee the club's survival. This was only two months ago. In the small amount of time since, Stoke have become one of the form teams in the Premier League, currently sitting in 5th in the Form Table. Wins against Manchester United and Arsenal boosted morale against a backdrop of mediocre results against Swansea and Norwich, whilst their only defeat during this period has been against Manchester City, notorious for only being beaten once at home this season, in the league. This upturn in performances and results reached a new height as Stoke secured their first away win since August at Villa Park. They were made to do it the hard way after conceding an early goal, with Geoff Cameron and Ryan Shawcross both questionable in their defensive duties, Cameron not strong in enough to prevent Fabian Delph crossing the ball into the box, whilst Shawcross, at one point so close to Christian Benteke, allowed him to drift into space and score with ease. It was a goal gifted to Aston Villa and it gave them extra impotence in their attacks during the first 15 minutes of the match.

Steven Nzonzi doubling his goal tally for the previous season

Whilst it has been clear in this run of form, it can also be said that for the majority of the season, one of the hallmarks of this Stoke City team is that they do not know when they are 'beaten'. Under Tony Pulis, it would have taken a huge leap of faith to suggest Stoke would have come back from a goal down to take all three points. With the current side, you suspect that they will get back into the game, if not win it. So when Peter Odemwingie ran onto a Peter Crouch flick-on, slotting home coolly to level the score, you knew Stoke could go on to win the game. And so they did, with a goal oozing class in different attacking quarters of the pitch. A long pass from Ryan Shawcross landed on the boot of Marko Arnautovic who backheeled the ball to an onrushing Erik Pieters, who holding off an Aston Villa challenge found Peter Crouch in acres of space who finished the move off with great aplomb. A year ago, the ball to Arnautovic would've been classed as a long ball rather than a long pass, whilst in that same time a winger would not have been flicking a ball onto an onrushing full-back, more conspiring with them to see which one will send a cross in from deep. The biggest improvement though was there for all to see with Stoke's third goal, a move that took 15 passes to complete with a forward-minded Steven Nzonzi finishing across Brad Guzan.. Patience in play was the key to the move, and again something that Tony Pulis would not have condoned in his players, preferring to play more direct. Villa threatened to get back into the game during the second half, but Stoke held firm and the most worrying moment was when Christian Benteke fell to the ground too easily and made frustrated claims for a penalty, only receiving a yellow card for his troubles. The fourth goal for Stoke came in the last minutes of the game and put the gloss on a fine performance with Geoff Cameron bursting through the middle of the field, showing the pace and power that make some consider him a better option in midfield than at right-back, to latch onto a Marko Arnautovic pass in the box to slot home. As away performances go, it was 75 minutes of perfection. The next step is to get to 90 minutes.

Back to the Brit - Battle of the England Unfortunates:

In the Away Corner, Curtis Davies, impressive
upon his Premier League return

Hull City's success this season has been built on a solid defence, and at the heart of that solid defence has been Curtis Davies. Perhaps taking tips from team-mate and former Stoke idol Abdoulaye Faye, Davies has become the player he was tipped to be when he joined Aston Villa in 2007. For a player who was once rated around the £10m mark, his fall from grace was spectacular, culminating in his move to Birmingham for a fraction of that valuation. He rebuilt his reputation in the Midlands however and earnt a move this summer to Hull after six months previously being linked with a move to the Britannia Stadium. Whilst Davies has been the bedrock of Hull's successes this season, their team has a good mix of graft and guile, with workers such as Jake Livermore working well alongside technically better players in Tom Huddlestone. Their flexibility with formations has been key as well, with the ability to set up with both four and five at the back during any point of a game. Right wing-back Ahmed El-Ahmady, who caused Marc Muniesa trouble in the December fixture, is the key player in this system, tucking in when playing against tougher opposition, then being allowed to ramage down the wing when the opposition is easier to tackle. David Meyler is asked to perform as a left wing-back at times, depending on the position which Maynor Figueroa takes up to start with. If this is the case on Saturday, it should be an interesting prospect for Peter Odemwingie in his current form as Meyler made his name as a central midfielder, and his better performances this season have been in the centre of the team alongside Livermore and Huddlestone. The use of wing-backs has an impact at the tip of the team, with Hull's new strikeforce thriving off good delivery. Both Shane Long and Nikica Jelavic are good headers of the ball, yet I'd question whether both are as prolific as the media suggest. At West Bromwich Albion, Long scored 19 goals in 81 appearances for the club which works out at just under a goal every four games. Jelavic's record was marginally better with just over a goal every four games, but if you take out the goals he scored in his early Everton career, ones which may have been when he was at the crest of a wave, his record was just under 1 goal every 5 games. Compare these statistics to Peter Odemwingie who during his three years at West Bromwich Albion averaged just about a goal every 3 games, and Peter Crouch who scores a goal on average just over every 4 games since he joined Stoke, then you wonder if Hull have got the deal people suggest they have.

Ryan Shawcross attempting to better Phil Jones
in the 'weird face whilst winning the ball' competition

Whilst Curtis Davies has come back to his best after a seasons in the wilderness, Ryan Shawcross will be looking at the season just passed as an opportunity missed rather than an opportunity not given. There has been criticism in Roy Hodgson's direction at times this season for not travelling up to the Britannia Stadium often enough to judge Shawcross himself, and the added incentive of playing well in the hopes of making an international appearance could have spurred Ryan on further. However, too many times this season I feel that he has been so close, yet so far from the perfect defensive performance.

Last week was a prime example in that he made an early mistake by letting Benteke gain space for his goal, but afterwards the Villa strikeforce did not have a sniff at goal. As Stoke City supporters, these mistakes can be forgiven because we won the game, the mistake did not cost the team any points. If Shawcross had made that mistake against Uruguay playing for England though, who would have the same faith in England that they could recover from being a goal down? This is just one example, but look back across the season and Ryan has been at fault for a fair share of goals, whilst still contributing to solid defensive performances. If he cuts out his own individual errors, makes the right decision more often than not, then I would hope that Roy Hodgson's satnav finds its way to the Britannia Stadium, especially with the quality of football on show at present.

Away from the Brit - UEFA Nations League:

San Marino, could they win a league format? I'd doubt it!

On Wednesday, UEFA announced a replacement for the current international friendlies system: games at the same time, in a league format, that give smaller countries a second chance to qualify for UEFA competitions. Doesn't some of this sound like they are just replacing meaningless friendlies with slightly meaningful friendlies? By 2018 when these plans are expected to be initiated, will Wayne Rooney (an expected future England captain) be looking forward to a fixture in the Nations League perhaps facing a Switzerland or Austria, or would he have preferred to be playing Argentina in a glamour friendly? Save Wayne Rooney, would anyone choose Switzerland or Austria over Argentina? The incentive for competing in the League of Nations is qualification for the European Championships, outside of the normal qualifying process, yet you wonder again why this would matter to England? Yes in 2008 they failed to qualify, but that year had there been a League of Nations they would have failed to qualify that way as well! For England, I fear that this is just a replacement of the word 'friendly' and it has been changed to 'prearranged match with little to no glamour', and that the only thing preventing England from putting second-string teams out will be pride.

England U21s now, potential stars of the future?

What if England as a nation though could put more than pride at stake though? If these matches were used to give caps to young players, it could be seen as a way of promoting youth to the main England team in time for major tournaments. For example, if England were to treat squad selection as Great Britain had to for the Olympics, by only selecting three over-23 year olds, then the rest of the squad were under 23, it would be a great opportunity for younger players to be given their first chances. If this system were to run from next season, it would give Jack Butland a chance to get a consistent run for England and to show Roy Hodgson that he would be a capable challenger to Joe Hart, whilst it would also showcase Will Hughes's ability on a bigger stage after several years of playing in the Championship. However, if England were to select players from any age range, I believe that we would learn nothing, whilst even if we won the league system, we would gain nothing. Yet if we failed with a squad of largely U21s, morale would be low for a time perhaps, but it would show that we are putting more faith into youth than what it appears we do at present.

Quick Snippet - Is it a bird, is it a plane? Oh wait, it's a plane...

Wrong One - Moyes Out: the banner proclaims

A number of Manchester United fans have clamoured together enough funds to charter a plane to fly over Old Trafford with a banner proclaiming 'Wrong One - Moyes Out'. Two things entered my mind here. First of all, the truck driver with a 'Hughes Out' sign before the Stoke City manager had even signed on the dotted line must be relieved that someone has outdone him after recent results for Stoke, yet the other thought revolved around the words. As the words are supposedly a reply to the banner hung at Old Trafford saying 'The Chosen One' as a nod to Sir Alex Ferguson's parting words at the end of last season, you would have thought the banner would say 'Chosen Wrong - Moyes Out'. If you're going to club together to charter a plane to send a message, at least send out the right message!