I Love Stoke City

Stoke City manager Nathan Jones cut a frustrated figure on Saturday afternoon after his team squandered a 2-0 advantage against Rotherham United to settle for a 2-2 draw. The Potters earned a comfortable two-goal advantage before the break with Sam Vokes and Sam Clucas finding the scoresheet but they could not sustain the same pressure in the second period where Rotherham made the comeback.

Goals from Will Vaulks and Matts Crooks levelled the proceedings for Rotherham in the second half and the Potters were eventually lucky to come up with a point after some top-notch goalkeeping from Jack Butland at the end. Speaking after the game, Jones was far from pleased with the showing and emphasised the need to concentrate through the entire 90 minutes.
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Stoke City defender Ashley Williams has said that he is prepared to fight for his position at the Potters despite dropping down the pecking order in recent months. The Wales international has not started for the Championship outfit since the beginning of February with Ryan Shawcross and Danny Batth being the outright picks for the central defensive duties.

In a report covered by the ECHO, Williams admitted that he is facing a frustrating situation at the Bet365 Stadium where he has barely featured in the past few months. Nonetheless, he is not prepared to give up on his career and he will continue to give his best shot for the remaining games of the campaign.
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Stoke City Nathan Jones has expressed his disappointment after his team squandered the chance to secure the maximum points on the road to Ipswich Town. The Potters appeared primed to grab a 1-0 triumph over the Tractor Boys on Saturday until Will Keane came up with a dramatic 92nd-minute equaliser for the hosts.

Speaking after the game, Jones was far from impressed with the Potters performance as they failed to attain their first win on the road since October. He added that the game should have been finished within the first period where they had multiple scoring opportunities and the failure to do so cost them with Ipswich coming out fighting following the break.
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Stoke City’s winter signing Danny Batth is determined to transform the club’s fortunes despite an unfruitful start to his career with the Staffordshire outfit. The experienced centre-back joined the Potters from Wolves on a permanent basis in January and he has since directly made the lineup with the surprise of the captain’s armband.

In the opening two games, Batth has witnessed the Potters suffer defeats against Hull City and West Bromwich Albion respectively but he remains upbeat for a change in momentum during the upcoming game at struggling Wigan Athletic, he enthused: “It’s a great stadium and a great fan baseand I’m looking to do well for the club and the fans. They’ve had a tough few years, so if I can be part of the revival, and what the manager is trying to do, fantastic. We have to really build and use the rest of the season in a positive way to try and get the fans behind us and stick to our task.”
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Stoke City manager Nathan Jones has said that he will use the upcoming FA Cup third round replay against Shrewsbury Town to evaluate the players within the squad. The 45-year-old was appointed as the new Potters boss during the previous week but he did not enjoy a smooth beginning after the team suffered a 3-1 defeat on the road to Brentford.

Still, there were some positives with the Potters returning to scoring ways after three Championship matches and Jones is now looking forward to the Cup replay against Shrewsbury where he could offer the opportunity for the reserve players. Speaking to reporters, Jones confirmed that changes are likely for the midweek Cup tie but he would not want to hamper the balance within the team.
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Stoke City manager Gary Rowett has not been pleased with the fans’ response during the recent goalless draw between the Potters and Bolton Wanderers. The game witnessed Bojan Krkic being dropped from the match day squad altogether and this saw the faithful chant his name regularly while booing the players on the field.

Speaking after the goalless draw, Rowett admitted that the supporters are permitted to chant anything they want during the game but he was not appreciative of the booing policy right from the early stages of the first half, he told BT Sport: “They can chant what they want at me. That’s fair enough. I wouldn’t criticise them for giving me some stick either about the football or the amount of wins we have got. But to boo your own team after 20 minutes is not helpful. If I say it and I get criticism, I am not really bothered. We had control of the game for the first 20 minutes and passed the ball well. Our first backward pass and they boo.”
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Stoke City manager Gary Rowett has suggested that his team must find the form in the forward department after getting better with the defensive side of their game. The Potters started the season banging goals on a regular basis but they could not secure regular points after conceding more than they wanted.

However, over the past month, that has seen an improvement with goalkeeper Jack Butland particularly impressive between the sticks and Rowett is now concerned about the goals which have dried up of late. Speaking to reporters, Rowett said: “If you look at the season so far, we were creating lots of chances early season, but it was no good scoring two if we are conceding three.
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Stoke City manager Gary Rowett believes Jack Butland is finally putting in strong performances for the Potters after getting over the disappointment of being relegated from the Premier League. The England international was vulnerable between the sticks during the opening months of the Championship and this laid a question mark over his selection for the England national team.

However, since the last international break, his performances have improved vastly and he has made some standout interceptions including one in each of the previous two matches versus Middlesbrough and Nottingham Forest respectively. Speaking in a news conference, Rowett suggested that Butland may have been mentally affected after the Potters drop into the second tier but he is now coming back to his old self after keeping three clean sheets on the bounce.
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Stoke City midfielder Charlie Austin has said that Aston Villa could have looked at the possibility of signing one of David Moyes or Sam Allardyce as their next head coach instead of turning their attention towards Dean Smith. Smith was recently appointed as the successor to Steve Bruce at the west Midlands outfit after guiding Brentford to three successive top 10 finishes.

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, Adam admitted that Smith is a good option for the Villains with his good track record in the Championship but believes the likes of Moyes and Allardyce may have been better choices to enhance their prospects of top-flight promotion, he spoke: “For me, if I’m on the outside, I’m going for the quick fix now.
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Wales international Joe Allen has said that he does not need to look into social media to know how he has performed during the early stages of the campaign. The midfielder made the surprise decision to stay put with the Potters rather than pursue a return to the Premier League this summer and he has since not produced the performance the fans would have expected from him.

Speaking to reporters, Allen admitted that he has not been in the best of form since the Championship season begun and hopefully, his match-winning goal against former club Swansea City can spark the turnaround required for the Potters and himself, he said: “I don’t think anyone would be surprised if they’d seen me play so far this season. It’s not been a great start from myself. (more…)