Sambegou Bangoura and Mamady Sidibe were on the scoresheet last time Stoke won at Hillsborough, with Johan Boskamp's men lifting themselves to seventh in the table in November 2005. A lot has happened since then for both clubs, but it's taken The Owls to be in a particularly poor state for Stoke to break their … Continue reading The eye test: Sheffield Wednesday (A)
As Mark Robins emphasised post-game: "It's one game. It's one game. It's one game." Football is a game of emotion and it's only natural that the serotonin hit of Divin Mubama's 96th-minute header has fuelled a sense of optimism not seen since last year's opening day victory over Coventry, or the tonking of Rotherham the … Continue reading The eye test: Derby (H)
“Meet the new boss, same as the old boss” Stoke didn’t really reset during pre-season as much as they remained on standby. After four opening games in which criticism of Michael O’Neill intensified on the airwaves, terraces and social media cesspits, the verdict for the season is already in with 42 games to go. We’re … Continue reading Meet Stoke City, a club failing to hit ‘reset’
Association football is lovingly referred to around the world as the ‘beautiful game’ and it has been a constant source of iconic sporting images throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. There are certain photographs which are instantly recognisable to football supporters, either because they showcase a special moment in time or encompass the emotions … Continue reading Stoke City Legends: Mark Stein
The numbers don’t just say stick with Jones, they scream it. Ask any professional stats person, which I am in no way one of, and they will tell you that the rule of thumb is that you can control 50% of what goes on in a football match. This means the other 50% is up … Continue reading Things can only get better: Why Stoke should stick with Nathan Jones
There we go, five months of Nathan Jones and it was...well, it probably wasn’t everything we had all hoped it to be. Stoke stumbled to a 16th placed finish and results wise Jones failed to improve on Rowett’s abject failure. But for some reason I, and I believe a relatively significant proportion of the rest … Continue reading Jonesball Revisited
I’d like to start with a moan. Could Frank Lampard’s Derby County politely piss off into oblivion. ‘Oooo don’t they play good football. Oooo they gave Chelsea (‘s reserves) a good game. I bet Stoke fans wish they didn’t have Rowett.’ Piss off. (If any Derby fans are reading this yes, I’m rattled). Put bluntly, … Continue reading Shithouse? What Shithouse?
A Week In Red, White & Purple September 22nd, 2018 4:30pm. We reach my dad’s car in one of the industrial car parks outside the Bet365, having opted to leave on 70 mins whilst Stoke trailed Blackburn by 3 goals. I check my phone, it’s 3-2. We pull away from the ground, messages fly in, … Continue reading Embrace The Chaos
Resident stats nerd Tom Thrower takes a look at Stoke's opponents in the opening six games... Leeds United Pre-season Record: P6 W3 D2 L1 GF12 GA10 Last season Finished: 13th Marcelo Bielsa, provided he has not left before our clash on Sunday, is without doubt the most exciting manager in the Championship. The Argentinian, nicknamed … Continue reading Championship Preview – Part 1
Football should be fun, and a lot of people seem to forget that. From those berating your team's best player at the game, to the maddening cyber-twats of Twitter and the forums, I wonder what a lot of people actually get out of football other than higher blood pressure. Of course, I regularly join in … Continue reading Daring to Expect
The Wizards of Drivel Podcast 