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Stoke City at home match thread

Jerseybean

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Jerseybean

Jerseybean

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The Potters at home.

Stoke are winless in their last five league games and are sinking towards the bottom three following a summer of considerable change as 18 players were signed, including four on deadline day, to try and reinvigorate Neil’s squad.

They have found the target just eight times in eight games, with only two on the road as they’ve lost three and drawn one of their four matches away from home.

They currently occupy 20th place. Last Sunday they were beaten at home 3-1 by Hull City, Stoke’s consolation goal arrived in the 77th minute.

On Wednesday they lost away 2-0 to Bournemouth in the Carabao Cup and didn’t register a shot on target (see below)

They will be without forward Tyrese Campbell who picked up an injury last weekend.

They won this fixture 2-1 last time out, https://youtu.be/yIAsYJyvbfE

My very good mate Bill is a Stoke fan, he had this to say:

‘Just over a year ago Alex Neil’s arrival at the BET 365 Stadium was heralded as a coup. Recruited from Sunderland he had a track record of success. After five seasons of being a bottom half championship team things were definitely on the up. Alex Neil said that he would work night and day to bring Premiership football back to Stoke, but that changes were necessary. And change things he did. Out with established first team and goalkeeper coaches, assistant managers, the chief analyst, the head scout, PR staff, front office people, head of recruitment, financial officers and even the catering manager.

Then he tackled the playing staff. In the January window Harry Souttar went to Leicester and goalie Bursik to Club Brugge.  Yet with the addition of a few loans we began to prosper; even away from home. Sunderland were put to the sword (5-1), as were Coventry (4-0), we were acclaimed to be the best championship team to visit Middlesborough. It was looking good; the promised Neil revolution had arrived.

However, then the goal scoring stopped, we even lost at home to Bristol City and Rotherham. When the season ended we were 16th Neil promised more changes.

And more changes there were. Over the close season we released 17 players, lost last season’s seven loanees, plus let a further eight players go out on loans.

We had, at the start of the season, seven experienced first team players, then sold our top scorer Jacob Brown to Luton and Tymon to Swansea. So, we’re left with five established first teamers. However, with their fees, plus the Souttar money, we had over £20 million in the bank.

So, the Neil promised player staff changes could occur and they have.  We recruited 18 new players, recruits from overseas and established championship players.  The season looked shiny. I even put 20 quid on Stoke to be promoted.

Eight games into the new season and one thing that critically has not changed, we are 20th in the table, exactly the same position as when Neil arrived. We are leaking goals, from set pieces and goalkeeper punts up the field. So, Bristol City to beat us next week, even though your home record is less than optimum, is a given.  I think I’ll bet on it.

On Wednesday we played Bournemouth in the cup. We used eight of our 18 new signings. We lost 2-0. We had no shots on goal. Something we haven’t achieved since the days of Tony Pulis. Neil said after the game “ I was encouraged throughout the game, we played well, perhaps we just didn’t test their goalie enough.”  He’s beginning  to sound like Lee Johnson, curiously out of touch, mildly delusional and drifting toward losing his job.

I’ve just watched the highlights of the Bournemouth game! We gave away Sunday football goals and Alex Neil says “the fact is there we will from our performance improve! “ What does that mean??’

 So, Stoke added a remarkable 18 players in the last! transfer window!

Their first signing of the summer was Republic of Ireland international defender Enda Stevens following his departure from Sheffield United.  The 32-year-old full-back has signed a one-year contract with the Potters.

They re-signed midfielder Ben Pearson on a four-year contract from Bournemouth. The 28-year-old became a regular in Alex Neil's side after initially joining on loan in January.

Also signed former Coventry City centre-back Michael Rose on a two-year deal.

Their fourth signing was Daniel Johnson on a two-year deal . The move to the Potteries ended the 30-year-old's eight-year stay at Deepdale, where he made more than 300 appearances after leaving Aston Villa in 2015. Johnson was reunited with Stoke boss Alex Neil, who he played under at Preston for four years.

They re-signed defender Ki-Jana Hoever on a season-long loan from Premier League side Wolves.

They signed forward Andre Vidigal from Portuguese club Maritimo for an undisclosed fee. The 24-year-old, who represented Portugal at under-21 level and can play through the middle or as a winger, has signed a three-year contract.

They also signed Bournemouth goalkeeper Mark Travers on a season-long loan.

At the end of July they signed Brazilian striker Wesley from Aston Villa on 'a permanent deal'. Wesley was Villa's then club record £22m signing when he was bought by then boss Dean Smith from Belgian side Club Brugge following promotion to the Premier League in 2019. But he suffered a knee injury in his first season and spent 15 months out.

Their 10th summer signing was defender Luke McNally who joined on a season's loan from promoted Premier League side Burnley.

Towards the end of August they signed Sampdoria forward Mehdi Leris and Serbian winger Nikola Jojic for undisclosed fees. Leris, a 25-year-old Algeria international who made his Serie A debut as a teenager six years ago, has agreed a three-year contract. Meanwhile, Jojic, 19, who moves from Serbian Super League side FK Mladost Lucani, joins on a four-year deal.

In late August they made their 14th signing of the summer transfer window by bringing in FC Basel winger Wouter Burger for an undisclosed fee.

On the eve of deadline day they signed South Korea Under-20 midfielder Bae Junho on a four-year deal for an undisclosed fee.

On deadline day they took their total of summer signings to 18 with a triple deadline day swoop for midfielders Lynden Gooch and Sead Haksabanovic and teenage defender Junior Tchamadeu.

In July they named Paul Gallagher as first-team coach, reuniting the former Potters striker with Alex Neil, who he played under at Preston.

The game will celebrate the local community work of the club’s official charity, Bristol City Robins Foundation.

The matchday seeks to raise awareness about the invaluable work carried out by the Foundation in the areas of youth engagement and improving the health and wellbeing of adults in South Bristol.

City supporters heading to Ashton Gate this Saturday will find a range of activities happening across the stadium.

In the South Stand concourse, Snap Fitness Ashton Gate, will be offering fans the chance of winning prizes by taking on an assault bike challenge. The supporter that records the fastest 30 second sprint and burns the most calories will win a month’s free membership to the gym.

Fans will have the opportunity to have their blood pressure checked as part of a private health screening and find out information on volunteering on Alzheimer’s Society, Side by Side project.

Mark Sykes pre-match: https://www.bcfc.co.uk/city-men-news/sykes-previews-potters-clash/

Curtis Fleming presser: https://www.bcfc.co.uk/city-men-news/fleming-looks-ahead-to-stoke-visit/

Head-to-head record

Won: 20

Lost: 27

Drawn: 15

I was at Wembley (as was Bill) back in 2000 to witness this: https://youtu.be/7IIrVAWbSBU?si=2SGXU4bLrNBn8KNX ☹️

Officials

Referee: Jeremy Simpson

Assistants: Matthew Jones and Matthew Smith

Fourth official: Stephen Martin

Fun facts

  • The Stoke City squad once included a vicar in midfield. Father Elijah Smith took off his cassock to play for the Potters in the 1880s.
  • Actor Neil Morrissey grew up in a children's home in Penkhull, that's where his tattoos originate from too.  He has reportedly said that other children at the home threatened to beat him up if he didn't agree to 'being inked', and that he now regrets not opting for the beating.
  • The tiles on the floor of the Houses of Parliament were made in Stoke-on-Trent, by Minton.
  • Sir Stanley Matthews never ate the crusts of bread - he always cut them off. So who knows, kids, if you stop eating your crusts then perhaps you too could become a world-class footballer!
  • Stoke-on-Trent is the smallest city to boast two professional clubs in the EFL.

 

IMG_4274.jpeg

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GrahamC

GrahamC

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Our record up there is incredible, I’m pretty sure we have won on our last 5 visits.

Much more even in BS3, they are certainly one of those sides people “forget” when they say why can’t we finish above Millwall, Preston, etc, because every summer they seem to spend absolute fortunes, bring in loads of players, huge wage bill yet it never gels & their managerial merry go round continues.

Neil has done well at Ashton Gate (he won here twice last season) but they have a lot of injuries (thought that only happened to us?) & are in poor form so even a pessimist (realist) like me reckons we have a decent chance tomorrow.

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Son of Fred

Son of Fred

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Posted
12 minutes ago, GrahamC said:

Our record up there is incredible, I’m pretty sure we have won on our last 5 visits.

Much more even in BS3, they are certainly one of those sides people “forget” when they say why can’t we finish above Millwall, Preston, etc, because every summer they seem to spend absolute fortunes, bring in loads of players, huge wage bill yet it never gels & their managerial merry go round continues.

Neil has done well at Ashton Gate (he won here twice last season) but they have a lot of injuries (thought that only happened to us?) & are in poor form so even a pessimist (realist) like me reckons we have a decent chance tomorrow.

Should be fancying a win against these, although wouldn't be surprised to see Alex Neil shithouse his way to a point..

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Mr Popodopolous

Mr Popodopolous

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Posted (edited)

As for tomorrow if we could get the first goal and avoid silly mistakes we should do okay. At least one of their goals was very soft against us last December, King experiment in a back 3 bad run its course after he was impressive v Watford and decent v Rotherham.

On paper they're perhaps one of those who should be doing better.

Edited by Mr Popodopolous
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bcfc01

bcfc01

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Posted
3 hours ago, GrahamC said:

Our record up there is incredible, I’m pretty sure we have won on our last 5 visits.

Much more even in BS3, they are certainly one of those sides people “forget” when they say why can’t we finish above Millwall, Preston, etc, because every summer they seem to spend absolute fortunes, bring in loads of players, huge wage bill yet it never gels & their managerial merry go round continues.

Neil has done well at Ashton Gate (he won here twice last season) but they have a lot of injuries (thought that only happened to us?) & are in poor form so even a pessimist (realist) like me reckons we have a decent chance tomorrow.

Yep, five on the spin.

But in the same period they have won three times, drawn one, and lost one at Ashton Gate..

 

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