I Love Stoke City

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…)

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.
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New Stoke City signing Sam Clucas has revealed that Gary Rowett has held an interest in acquiring his signature since his managerial reign at Derby County. The 27-year-old joined the Staffordshire outfit on a permanent basis on transfer deadline day after spending just a single season with Swansea City.

At the Liberty Stadium, Clucas had a good debut campaign with six goals from 33 appearances but he was nevertheless allowed to leave the club after Stoke made an offer difficult to refuse. Speaking to the club’s official website, Clucas confirmed that Rowett had maintained an interest in signing him since he was at the helm at Pride Park.
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The newcomer of Stoke City James McClean urged his new fans to judge him purely as a footballer. He came up with this appeal as many people showed their anger on social media on this player as he refused to wear the poppy on Remembrance weekend. Looking at the anger, the Irish international tweeted directly to Stoke City fans stating that he is delighted to be the part of the club and he cannot wait to enter the pitch. He requested his fans to judge him only based on how he plays on the pitch. He promised Stoke fans that he would give everything he has when he pulls on the jersey. With the support of his fans, he said he would help the club reach for greater heights.

McClean had already explained earlier that he doesn’t wish to wear a poppy and this should not be mistaken as a sign of disrespect to the ones who lost their lives in the world wars. He made it clear that wearing a poppy is not only about victims of World War One and Two. He would have won it each day if it was only about those victims, but it doesn’t signify for all conflicts Britain has done. Considering the history where he comes from, the newcomer said he cannot wear a poppy. He has hailed from Derry and poppy means totally something different to McClean and to people from the Northern part of Ireland.  For McClean, wearing a poppy is as good as disrespecting the innocent people who are no more in this world.
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Stoke City new manager Gary Rowett said that he is ready for the new season and that he has already talked to his players about the objectives of this season. He said that the pre-season has started well and he wants to make sure that each player knows what he will be expecting from them.

Gary Rowett said that he is not the sort of manager that will tolerate mediocrity and that he wants all his players to give their best in every match. He believes that this kind of discipline starts in the training sessions and he has told his players that he wants them to give their best as from day 1. (more…)

Stoke City manager Paul Lambert has indicated that the players are focused on the job at hand despite facing the dire prospect of top-flight relegation. The Potters have not won any of their previous 11 league games and they are facing a daunting task of remaining in the Premier League with a tough fixture at Liverpool this weekend.

Speaking to reporters, Lambert has highlighted that the player remain optimistic of beating the drop despite being four points adrift of safety, he said: “The only hangover we had was the lads being a little bit down because we gave it everything to try and get a result. They have given us everything to try and turn it around and we are still in a fight. Yes it’s hard, but we will never give up.We had a meeting with the team to see how everybody felt and one thing’s for sure, I can trust them. That’s all I ask… I will never let the training ground feel down because I know we’ve got a job on our hands to stay in the league and we will always be positive.” (more…)

Stoke City manager Paul Lambert has revealed that Ramadan Sobhi has been excluded out of Premier League duties as he has to develop the defensive side of his game. The Potters are presently in a relegation scrap in 19th spot, and the Scot believes his side requires players, who are willing to put their body on the line for Premier League survival.

Ahead of the club’s game versus Manchester City, Lambert said:“I had to get him to grasp what I wanted him to do without the ball because I felt we were too open. He’s lightning quick, I think he’s strong, very strong, but he had to understand where I wanted him without the ball and that took a wee bit of time. But he’s definitely getting there. The biggest compliment I can give Ramadan is that he’s really unpredictable, which is a great asset to have.”
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Stoke City manager Paul Lambert has dismissed the prospect of selling veteran striker Peter Crouch during the winter transfer window. The 36-year-old has recently emerged as a shock target for Chelsea with their head coach in the search for a tall target man.

Crouch has started in just eight of his 22 appearances this campaign, but he has still remained influential towards the Potters’ season as he provides the physical absence with his height which enables him to win almost every ball in the air.
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