Stoke City: The End to the Long Ball Game?

2012/2013 Season Review:

                Stoke had a relatively calm summer as far as transfers are concerned, with Charlie Adam being the only high profile incoming. This had the additional benefit of leaving Stoke’s squad practically untouched, giving them the stability so obviously lacking from rival squads. A traditional strong home form, brought about in part by their raucous home support, and partially via their unique long ball game, normally aids Stoke’s push towards the top 10. This season, however, this was not to be.

                An four game unbeaten start to the season gave Stoke a promising start, including home draws against Arsenal and Manchester City. Whilst a disappointing exit by Swindon of the Capital One Cup punctured this good early season form, only two league defeats by the end of October gave Potters fans further reason for optimism. However, it is worth noting that games that they would ordinarily have won the previous years at home, they drew this campaign, a factor that certainly contributed to their late season perils.

                November was more typical in terms of the traditional Stoke results, namely good at home but appalling away from the Britannia. Home wins against QPR, Newcastle and Fulham were interspersed by poor away performances against Norwich and West Ham, a run that ended at the beginning of December with a 1-0 win away at West Brom. December in general was a highly successful month for the Potters, remaining unbeaten throughout the whole of the busiest month of the season. Taking simply this month into consideration, it seems ridiculous that Stoke would find themselves in a relegation battle come the end of the season. January saw an emphatic end to the good form, with three heavy defeats against Manchester City, Chelsea and Swansea, before exiting the FA Cup at home to Man City.

                Further polarisation in terms of home vs away form continued, with Stoke picking up no away points for the whole of the first three months of 2013, a run that put even more importance on the games at the Britannia. Unfortunately, ordinarily winnable games began to be drawn, or even lost, at home, pushing Stoke slowly down the table. Home draws against Wigan and West Brom were followed in April by defeats against Manchester United and, more critically, Aston Villa, in what had been described pre-match as a relegation ‘six-pointer’. These results were indicative of relegation form, and Stoke badly needed to snap out of this run in order to extend their 5 year stay in the top flight. Their traditionally infallible long ball game, relying heavily on set pieces, was failing to create the chances the Potters fans were so used to, and soon their was considerable discontent in the stands. Pundits best summed up the situation by stating that no-one cares if you are playing unattractive football and winning, but it becomes a big problem when the results stop coming.

                Fearful of alienating their usual vociferous support, Stoke’s form took a timely peak. Successive wins away at QPR and at home to Norwich gave the Potters a little more breathing space away from the dreaded bottom three, but they remained within touching distance. This ensured that the side needed to remain at the top of their game for the remainder of the season. Two points from their last three games, coupled with their rivals inability to capitalise on their slip-ups, allowed Stoke to limp over the line, amassing 42 points and finishing in 13^th place.

                Overall, Stoke fans and management will consider this season a disappointment, after 5 years of comfortable mid-table success. The board’s disappointment with this year’s results was clearly illustrated with the sacking of manager Tony Pulis at the end of the season. However, I genuinely fear for their survival next year, as Pulis instilled a unique philosophy upon his players, and one that very few coaches appear to be implementing. Having seen how long it often takes to ‘re-train’ the players in a new style of football, the next manager at the Britannia will have a tough job, and I fear may be leading the Potters down next year.

 

Player of the Season: Asmir Begovic – Another consistent season from the Bosnian keeper, without whom Stoke would have been on the receiving end of many more hammerings. He has been a valuable asset to the Potters, and with Tony Pulis having left and the club being in a state of instability, I fear that Stoke may struggle to maintain his services for the coming season.

 

Game of the Season: Stoke 3-3 Southampton – A rollercoaster game at the Britannia, where a stunning last minute equaliser by Cameron Jerome rescued a point for 10 man Stoke. A poor first half performance from the Potters saw them slip 3-1 behind, before staging a rousing comeback in the second half. Despite Steven N’Zonzi being dismissed for a full-blooded lunge, Stoke managed to claw their way back into the game, with goals from Matthew Upson and Jerome’s speculative 30 yard effort saving Stoke’s home record.

 

Summer Transfer Targets (What I Think They Need): Having dispensed of Tony Pulis, Stoke’s summer transfer dealings very much depend on the type of manager that comes in. If they manage to find a similarly oriented manager in terms of tactics, a new striker is a must, with Jonathan Walters being the club’s top goalscorer on 11 goals. However, if the style of play changes, any transfer targets could be vastly different.

 

Transfer Gossip Links:

In:

Anthony Pilkington (Norwich City, CM), Luis Pedro Cavanda (Lazio, RB), Mile Jedinak (Crystal Palace, CM), Yannick Bolasie (Crystal Palace, LW), George Waring (Free Agent, CB), Guilherme Siquera (Granada, LB)

Out:

Kenwyne Jones (Cardiff City, ST), Peter Crouch (West Ham United), Thomas Sorensen (???, GK), Tony Pulis (Sacked, Manager)