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
While Ricardo Fuller asking “Who is he again, Mark Cartwright? Really? If Stoke wasn’t in the Premiership, would he be here?” is entertaining there is a question to Cartwright’s role and many seem to be confused over what exactly he does. People seem to blame him for plenty of the issues at the club, without … Continue reading In Defence of Mark Cartwright (Sort of)
“Optimism. Noun: hopefulness and confidence about the future or the success of something” Ten years in the Premier League have come and gone for Stoke City. It wasn’t a shock departure either, instead it was a slow deterioration which began when Mark Hughes’ Stoke side were knocked out of the League Cup semi-final by Liverpool, … Continue reading The Optimism Paradox
This is the first relegation I've properly experienced. I was too young in 1998, when we went down to the third tier. So after being a season ticket holder for 17 years, this weekend marked the first time seeing Stoke City on a league table in bright red. Bottom of the pile, with the 'R' … Continue reading Premier League Years
We all know that Stoke City are in a world of hurt, and it’s difficult to pinpoint one reason for being so futile. Charlie Adam being fat, Saido Berahino being a dick, Jesé thinking he’s Batman, Hughes just being awful are just a few that come to mind. Putting all of these to the side, … Continue reading Pace odyssey
Stoke are going down. It probably helps to admit it. Unless you're a player or member of the Stoke City management team, in which case please carry on as if we're not yet. With every passing week, there's a simultaneous arithmetic and divination exam we all set for ourselves. "Well, we'll only need two wins … Continue reading The Blame Game
Guest blogger Chiraag Gokal says it's time for change at Stoke. Patience has worn thin around the bet365 Stadium. The fanbase has long been irate with a manager under-achieving for the worse part of 18 months, and with the hierarchy that has indefinitely offered him a chance at redemption. Four and a half after his … Continue reading Time to go, Hughes
It was a great time to be a Stoke fan in 2011, as our Wembley demolition of Bolton allowed a new generation of fans to experience The Potters in Europe. Though it would end in disappointment at The Mestalla, we did experience a proper Europa League run, playing six different clubs from all quarters of … Continue reading Where are they now? – Stoke’s Europa League Run
The season is nearly here. It's the time of year where Sky do a montage of grass being cut, stadiums looking resplendent in the sun and camera-friendly, official-shirt clad fans marching down terraced streets that very few Premier League grounds are anywhere near anymore. These images might release the right amount of endorphins to convince … Continue reading The Wizards of Drivel 2017/18 Manifesto
On the face of it, a commercial relationship between 2.Bundesliga’s FC St Pauli of Hamburg and our very own Stoke City is a bizarre one. How did these two clubs even come into contact with one another, let alone negotiate a partnership that, as the clubs prepared statements state, “will see them liaise in terms … Continue reading Stoke and St. Pauli: Best of Comrades?
The Wizards of Drivel Podcast 