Leeds Utd v Stoke City - Carabau Cup

Stoke City v Leeds Utd

Tuesday 27th August 2019 7.45pm | Elland Road


Three days after the Bet365 massacre, the Potters have come back for more!!! I'd take a punt that it's not voluntary, yet a big scalp from the Premiership potentially lays in wait for the winners in round three of the Carabao Cup!

Bielsa will make plenty of changes to Saturdays team. Expect to see Meslier make his senior debut. The 6'7 teenage shot stopper has impressed for Carlos Corborans U23's and will relish the opportunity to play in front of circa 30,000 fans.



Nketiah will be looking to add to his two goals, and push for a starting position at Elland Road on Saturday against fellow promotion prospects Swansea City. Expect the gaffer to also give starts to Davis, Shackleton, Stevens (hopefully) and Costa. You never know, Jack Clarke may even get a game!

Stoke boss Nathan Jones is between a hard place and a rock. Surely, he needs to concentrate about digging his team from the basement of the Championship, though I'm sure another loss may spell the end of his tenure in the Black Country.

 

Matt - Stoke, the Black Country, really mate.

 

Old England, it was Mercia, the king of Mercia was based in Staffordshire.

 

But the Black Country is in the West Midlands. I know the folk of Wolverhampton like to say they're black country but they're not. Even Wolvo council like to put it on the signs going into the City but they're wrong too. Stoke is 34 miles north of Wolvo, so not a chance.

 

So where exactly is this Black Country?

 

Africa

 

With the 5 loan rule I’d expect White or Harrison to be dropped and the fringe players to all start. I always want us to try and win and it’s been a long time since I’ve believed 5 fringe players are as good as first team selection.

 

Meslier
Dallas Berardi Struijk Alioski
Forshaw
Costa Shackleton Clarke
Nketiah

?

 

Mateusz Bogusz ?

 

I'd like that but I just don't think Bielsa will change much, do you?
I do think that we have to give Stoke respect, they've got some quality in their squad who don't seem to like Jones.
IBWT

 

The other option is Klich but Mateusz is also Polish, so not too much of a change

 

Dallas been a doubt for last 2 games, so maybe worth giving him a rest, Cooper too even if fit.

.......................Meslier

Shackleton...Berardi....White........Davis.

.........................Phillips...........

Costa........Klich........McCalmont.....Alio

........................Nketiah


Clarke didn't look up to speed last round, otherwise I'd move Costa to left and put Clarke on right

 

I'd drop Alioski and play Clarke just because Alioski covers Harrison and Douglas, I'd consider McCalmont in Phillips position and put Bogusz in. A tricky one as I want us to progress but with Swansea fast approaching I think it is zero risk time.

If Cooper and Douglas are ready to play I might pop them on the bench with a view to giving them 15 minutes at the end

 

Londonistab

 

Stoke certainly is not part of the black country now, but historically it was linked as a kingdom, with it's own king.
You're not going to like it but Wolverhampton, is part of the Black Country, from the industrial revolution and goes up to near Telford (Iron Bridge) , Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton which has more of a claim than South of Birmingham.
Mercia which was the largest of the 3 main kingdoms of old, went from Watford up past Stafford and Chester.The North Staffs army regiment was amalgamated into the Mercian Regiment after the Korean War and is now part the Mercian or the Midlands unit.

 

Doesn't exist anymore, snowflakes have scrapped it.

 

.......................Meslier

Shackleton...Berardi....White........Davis.

.........................Phillips

Costa........Forshaw........McCalmont.....Clarke

........................Nketiah

 

Like I've said many times before, he makes it up as he goes along.

 

It's like saying Chester is Welsh

 

Settle the argument on the Black Country.

The Black Country has no single set of defined boundaries. Some traditionalists define it as "the area where the coal seam comes to the surface – so West Bromwich, Coseley, Oldbury, Blackheath, Cradley Heath, Old Hill, Bilston, Dudley, Tipton, Wednesfield and parts of Halesowen, Wednesbury and Walsall but not Wolverhampton, Stourbridge and Smethwick or what used to be known as Warley".[3] There are records from the 18th century of shallow coal mines in Wolverhampton, however.[6] Others have included areas slightly outside the coal field which were associated with heavy industry.[7][8]

Bilston-born Samuel Griffiths, in his 1876 Griffiths Guide to the Iron Trade of Great Britain , stated "The Black Country commences at Wolverhampton, extends a distance of sixteen miles to Stourbridge, eight miles to West Bromwich, penetrating the northern districts through Willenhall to Bentley, The Birchills, Walsall and Darlaston, Wednesbury, Smethwick and Dudley Port, West Bromwich and Hill Top, Brockmoor, Wordsley and Stourbridge. As the atmosphere becomes purer, we get to the higher ground of Brierley Hill, nevertheless here also, as far as the eye can reach, on all sides, tall chimneys vomit forth great clouds of smoke". He also stated that "Wolverhampton is considered to be The Capital of the Black Country", as well as "The Capital of the Iron Trade in the Black Country".

Today the term commonly refers to the majority or all of the four metropolitan boroughs of Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton[3] although it is said that "no two Black Country men or women will agree on where it starts or ends".[9][10]