http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/fo...y-are-so-much-more-than-a-new-Wimbledon.html? Stoke Cityâs 1-1 draw against Manchester United at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday was the latest in a long line of positive results achieved by Pulisâs team and, such is Stokeâs strength nowadays, Sir Alex Ferguson will ultimately regard a point as a good dayâs work. But, just as Wimbledon before them, Stoke suffer from being cast as a team who play only one way â a physical outfit who bombard opponents with aerial balls and who are happy to rough teams up. Many people hated Wimbledon, but although they famously beat my Liverpool team in the 1988 FA Cup final, I didnât hate them. I wasnât a great admirer of their football and, if they played within the rules, they were only just inside them. But Stoke are miles inside the rules with their approach to the game and Pulis deserves credit for the progress his club have made since being promoted to the Premier League three years ago. Put simply, they play to their strengths and exploit the weaknesses of their opponents, yet that is a basic principle obeyed by all successful teams. When I was at Liverpool, we had a European game against Dynamo Dresden and the information we had was that they were susceptible to diagonal balls from right to left. I can still recall pinging a 60-yard diagonal ball to John Toshack and seeing him flick it on for Ray Kennedy to score. The lesson from that is that it is not all about playing total football. It is about winning the game by identifying weaknesses and capitalising on them. Stoke do that very well. They also work really hard as a group of players and clearly spend lots of time on the training ground, fine-tuning their tactics. But they are better than their one-dimensional reputation. If they were totally reliant on set-pieces and throw-ins, they would only get so far, yet they are actually making progress again this season. And you have to give Pulis credit for being clever in recognising the need to alter the approach with subtle changes to the way his team plays. Yes, they continue to thrive off Rory Delapâs enormous throw-ins and heap pressure on opponents by deploying tall strikers such as Peter Crouch. They have also got their delivery from corners down to a fine art with Matthew Etherington and Jermaine Pennant able to whip in dangerous and accurate crosses. But in Etherington and Pennant, Pulis also has two players who are tricky, pacy and capable of delivering good balls from the flanks. Dealing with aerial stuff unsettles defenders, but when you add the ability to cause problems on the deck into the mix, then it becomes a real challenge to defend against them. Pulis appears to have recognised that, because Stoke now threaten opponents both aerially and with invention. Another smart move by the manager is to instil and foster an âitâs us against the worldâ mentality within his squad and you can even see it spreading to the supporters, who are some of the best in the Premier League with their vocal backing for the team and the way they play. The Stoke fans never get on their playersâ backs and you can sense the togetherness that exists on and off the pitch. A strong togetherness inside the dressing room used to be a given 30 years ago, but the game has changed and it means that teams like Stoke have a huge advantage over those sides who are not so united. Some teams will fall apart when things begin to go badly, but those that are strong and together find something extra when the going gets tough. The kind of squad unity they have at the Britannia Stadium shines like a beacon. Wimbledon had that and their spirit was a major factor in their success and the ability they had to sustain it against the odds for so long. But once that spirit began to crack, it all fell apart for Wimbledon and they ended up sinking without a trace. That is not going to happen with Stoke City, though, because there is a clear sense from the outside that the club is well run and that the managerâs system is trusted by everybody. The mark of Stokeâs progress is that nobody would even have given a second thought to them being in a relegation battle this season. Watching the top six go at each other is fantastic, but the Premier League still needs stories of clubs punching above and beyond their weight and Stoke deserve credit, rather than criticism, for the way they have impressively built themselves into an established top-flight team.
Sgt Thanks for posting this as I was going to start a thread along these lines.. I have just listened to Radio Five 606 and Robbie Savage was full of praise for not only yesterday, but how we handle Manchester Utd and in general he said. "Stoke are no longer a hoof it or hit it long team these days, they do play plenty of good football too! His co commentor said.. " it is about time Stoke City got some respect for the way they play now as too when they were first promoted" Even a Man Utd fan said " I would rather we drop pts aginst a team like Stoke becasue in Tony Pulis, they have a manager who has had to work at it with a limited budget. Unlike A.V B. the Chelsea manager who walked into a club with world class players already at the club.. In short Sgt, it seems we are now getting more possitive feedback for our "football" these days from all quarters... Ain't that sweet but of course we've always known that we do in fact pass it around much more than some would believe. As indeed we did yesterday. We even had an Arsenal fan who once slated us come back and say.. I got it wrong having watched your game v Utd you played lots of FOOTBALL.. I honestly believe that in Crouch, Palacios and Jerome we can look forward to a good season, maybe a very good one! HOW PROUD I was yesterday to be there and see us at times, have Man Utd just HOOFING the ball away because we did cause them problems. But for two world class saves we maybe would have won the game. And, I don't blame Utd for doing that, they were defending their corner which,is of course what you are supposed to do. Didn't we used to get slated for doing just that...? Hansen also mentions us, the fans. Well all I can say is, where has he been the last few years? Yesterday was amoung the best I have ever experienced at a home game. I even took the wife along as the seat next to me wasn't sold. I think? we have another converted Stokie in the making and going on yesterdays performance, our brilliant fans and the squad we have now. The more the better keep it up fellow Stokie's yesterday you were simply the best. But, you already knew that... KTF guys and I would love to know the views, hopes of other Stoke fans, and of course ANY other fans who well, may have now changed their own view on. "OUR football TEAM" Sgt Pott's
Match of the Day, Hansen aside, still refuse to say anything on the show that isn't about our hard work, which still irks me. Our football is steadily progressing, I just hope to see more of it away from home as well. Some of our stuff yesterday was very pleasing. Playing more to Crouch's feet as well as his head will ultimately benefit us and our football. He is an underrated player Crouch in my opinion, he showed some lovely touches yesterday, really good footballer, comes across a smart footballer on the pitch as well. Once Palacios gets fit we will really look a very good team.
