"I wish there was a way to know you're in the good old days, before you've actually left them" 3 wins in 3 and top of the league is one thing, but Stoke's win on the south coast was by far the most significant statement of the Mark Robins era so far. Under Pressure The … Continue reading The eye test: Southampton (A)
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)
“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
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
This was supposed to be about Joe Allen. I had a series of gifs with some proper MNF lines and circles going on them, but I’ve revaluated mine and Joe’s relationship and decided it is a toxic one and it only gets worse the more I feed it; so this isn’t going to be about … Continue reading A Clean (International) Break: How Rowett Can Fix Stoke
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 