There was an inevitability about the recent criticism directed at Manchester City supporters, as tickets for their FA Cup semi-final against Brighton went unsold. Man City have dealt with empty seat jibes for a number of years now. Sections of sky blue at the Etihad Stadium not reflecting the domination of Pep Guardiola’s team. Last … Continue reading Empty seats should shame football, not football fans

In the first of what will hopefully be a regular feature, we take a quick look at an upcoming Stoke game with a fan from the opposition. Today, Stephen Carroll from The Jack Cast podcast and the Swansea oh Swansea fanzine answers our questions ahead of Stoke's trip to The Liberty Stadium on Tuesday night. … Continue reading Quick Preview: Swansea City (A)

Nathan Jones is a devout Christian who credits his faith with getting him through bad times. He has several religious tattoos on his body including praying hands and the crucifixion on his left bicep and forearm, Jesus Christ on his right bicep, and Michaelangelo's 'The Creation of Adam' across his back.[48] "It keeps you grounded. There's a lot … Continue reading Nathan Jones isn’t the messiah

In the first of a new series, Jase takes a look at Stoke City’s appearances in various football books. This week he tackles The Mixer, by Michael Cox. What is it? The book is called The Mixer by Michael Cox, described as “The Story of Premier League Tactics, from Route One to False Nines”. From … Continue reading Wizard’s Library – The Mixer by Michael Cox

Plucked from smaller, less fashionable southern clubs and thrown into cauldrons of expectation in the Midlands, Dean Smith and Nathan Jones face unenviable tasks in trying to restore their respective clubs to former glories. The appointments of Dean Smith and Nathan Jones at Aston Villa and Stoke City may signify a broader trend for football … Continue reading Smith and Jones: The Waiting Game

Please forgive me if this fails to do the man justice, as it inevitably will. It is a black morning for English football. We have lost a giant. Not only did one of the game's greatest players leave us, we also lost a kind, gentle, humble and thoroughly decent man. A greater ambassador for Stoke … Continue reading Gordon Banks, 1937-2019

Passing backwards, that’s a booin’. Losing at half time, that’s a booin’. Losing at full time, oh you better believe that’s a booin’. A binary thought process seems to have settled over the club, there appears to absolutely no nuance to the way in which matches are viewed. Passing forwards, winning matches – good; passing … Continue reading Stop. F*****g. Booing.

I recently dissolved my personal Twitter account. There were plenty of reasons for this, but a lot of it boiled down to just going weary of outrage, fake news, and outrage about fake news. It can be a cesspit, and while I did my best to cultivate a timeline that was generally made up of … Continue reading All football fans play the victim

"Act as if ye have faith, and faith shall be given to you. To put it another way, fake it till you make it." - Leo McGarry, The West Wing As our new manager might well attest, a lot of life is spent believing in things despite a lack of tangible proof. That's not a dig at the religious, because even as … Continue reading Back to reality

“I think we play a brave style of football. I think the areas we ask them to play when pressured – it doesn’t matter what the opposition do to us we ask them to keep doing things that we do in training. When it’s difficult and when there’s 10,000 fans wanting you to score – … Continue reading Shine on you Crazy Diamond: Nathan Jones’ footballing philosophy and Stoke City