YOU CAN'T TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE BALL FOR A MOMENT!

They're at it again.There we are looking the other way, wondering what happened to the Collins deal, as Stoke pull another subtantial rabbit out of the hat.

Highly rated 21 years old Uruguayan international midfielder Diego Arismendi (right in pic) signs for The Mighty Potters for just shy of £3m,potentially rising to nearly £5m.

Arismendi leaves Uruguayan Champions Club Nacional.

Magicians!!

NOSE BLEED TIME....STOKE CLIMB TO FOURTH IN THE PREMIERSHIP TABLE

STOKE CITY FC 1 SUNDERLAND 0


Stoke came into this game with £14m + of talent sitting on the bench.Now it may not seem a lot when you take a look at Manchester's City and United, or at Chelsea,but this is Stoke we are talking about!How far we have come even since the beginning of last season when the team sheet substitutes list includes Robert Huth,with 20 caps for Germany,Tuncay with 50 caps for Turkey to boot!

Added to that we have a 'new' striker Kitson from Reading,another £5.5m purchase,getting a game only because of Beattie's injury. Last season's invisible man is showing distinct signs of life.

The received wisdom from the club was that Sunderland would be a tough nut to crack,and to be fair they looked a much better team than they did last year.

That said the Stoke defence ably marshalled by Abdy Faye and Ryan Shawcross restricted the powerful visiting attack to very few chances,no mean feat when you consider the size,strength, and mobility of Darren Bent and Kenwyne Jones.

The whole Stoke team worked really hard,closing The Black Cats down quickly when the ball was lost .

The deciding moment arrived just before halftime, when Kitson latched onto a loose ball in the six yard box,lashing his shot skilfully,deliberately,and cleverly into the ground for it to bounce up and past defenders on the goalline into the net.His first goal in The Prem for The Potters - it is to be hoped the first of many.



Fourth in the table then, 7 points from 4 games played, represents a very solid start to the season.The squad looks stronger than last year,and with seemingly no-one resting on their laurels the prospect of further additions in the next few days.

HAVE I DIED AND GONE TO HEAVEN?

Stoke continue to confound the doubters....the club have just pulled off two tremendous signings.

Robert Huth,German international defender,aged 25,cost £5 million (possibly rising to £6m),and comes on a 4 year contract.Sanli Tuncay,27,Turkish international team captain,costs the same,and has signed 3 year contract.Both players leave Middlesborough.

There can be no doubt, to my mind, that these signings are a serious statement of intent by the club.Seasoned international players,with plenty of experience in the Prem they will improve the quality and depth of the Stoke squad just as we were promised.

Who's next?.....or is that being a bit too cheeky.

KITSON BREAKS POTTERS DUCK! Carling Cup 2nd Round

LEYTON ORIENT 0 STOKE CITY FC 1 (after extra time)

True to his word Tony Pulis fielded his reserve team for this match.The exception would be Dave Kitson,included I would think to give him the chance to notch that first competitive goal for The Potters to get the monkey off his back.

The first half produced real chances for both teams with the defences looking shakey at times.Near misses but no goals.

The home team started the second half in very positive fashion,putting Stoke under pressure.Davies and Griffin replaced Sonko and Shotton very quickly to produce a little more composure in defence.

The ineffectual Tom Soares was replaced by prospect Lewis Moult,the youngster partnering Kitson up front with Cresswell dropping into midfield.Having hit the Orient wall with a freekick on 66 minutes,a minute later Kitson had a powerful shot blocked on the line.

Moult burst into the Orient area,but his squared ball was just beyond Kitson's reach.

The final 10 minutes saw Stoke coming on strong, stringing some passes together. One superb header from Kitson struck a defender on the head,rebounding onto the bar and away to safety.Stalemate at full time....now for extra time.

Within a minute Orient missed a golden opportunity from 6 yards out with the Stoke defence at sixes and sevens.

Kitson highlighted the "O's" waste when he scored from 30yards out with a half volley into the top corner (94 mins).Well deserved indeed, capping a fine performance from the ex-Reading man on the night,and reflecting his improved form and commitment this season.

Stoke played out the second period of extra time with relatively few scares.

Third round here we come......the draw....Saturday lunchtime.Could it be the Vale??

DISAPPOINTING STALEMATE AT ST ANDREWS

BIRMINGHAM CITY 0 STOKE CITY FC 0

Manager Pulis reverted to 4-4-2 formation,and left new signing Whitehead on the bench.

Not at all a memorable game.For long periods Stoke were on top without converting their superiority into goals and points.

James Beattie left the field early with what could turn out to be a serious leg injury.His replacement Kitson made a useful contribution.

Stoke's Man of the Match was Ryan Shawcross,dominating in defence,against a poor Birmingham side.

Sorensen in goal had little to do apart from one fine save in the second half.

LIVERPOOL 4 STOKE CITY FC 0

No repeat of the Alamo performance of last season in front of a 44,318 crowd.

Liverpool got an early goal to settle them down when Torres netted a Gerrard ball in from the right on 4 minutes.Defensively we coped until added on time at the end of the half when Johnson netted the second from a Gerrard corner.

Gerrard skilful cross from the right set up Kuyt (78 mins) for Liverpool's third goal.The home team continued to keep the ball well,mounted continous pressure on the Stoke goal,getting a fourth goal through sub Ngog in the final minute of added on time,giving a scoreline which Stoke's efforts did not deserve.

Tony Pulis, observing that this year Liverpool took their chances,was clearly dissappointed with the scoreline,and felt the team had created better chances themselves.The only shot of note came just after half time, with the score at 2-0, when Rory Delap's powerful effort brought a fine save from keeper Reina.


TEAMS:

Liverpool: Reina ,Johnson ,Carragher ,Ayala ,Insua ,Mascherano ,Lucas ,Kuyt (Riera ,82 ) ,Gerrard (Voronin ,81 ) ,Benayoun ,Torres (Ngog ,84)
Subs not used: Cavalieri,Babel,Kelly,Dossena,

Stoke: Sorensen ,Wilkinson ,Shawcross ,Abdoulaye Faye ,Higginbotham ,Delap ,Whelan ,Whitehead (Pugh ,69 ) ,Etherington ,Beattie (Fuller ,62 ) ,Cresswell (Lawrence ,62)
Subs not used Simonsen,Griffin,Cort,Kitson,

WE'RE 3RD IN THE PREM !!!

STOKE CITY FC 2 BURNLEY 0

Enjoy the moment....the weekend's results see us well placed for Europe!

Particularly in the first half Stoke looked good value for the win.The 2 goal lead was deserved,as Burnley were unable to cope at two of our set pieces.Ryan Shawcross headed the first from Lawrence's excellent free kick.Jordan added to that as he turned a Delap long throw into his own net.Carlisle prevented Fuller making it three in the first half when he cleared brilliantly as the ball looped down toward the net.

Burnley came into the game rather more in the second half,but only really threatened our goal on three occasions,each time being repelled by timely last ditch blocks.

Late on sub Kitson was unlucky when his firmly hit shot beat the keeper but struck the bar.Cresswell also had a chance on the break,but his shot across tubby keeper Jensen from the left,passed outside the right post to safety.

Lots of positives from this game no doubt. A full house 27,500.A winning start and 3 points in the bag.New signing Whitehead was always involved,but the midfield looked more assured when Whelan came on as sub.Certainly it relieves a little of the pressure from the upcoming away matches.

Hopefully Shawcross will still be Stoke player as the transfer window closes in two weeks time.He had a super game,and he could well be central to us retaining a place in the Prem. Abdy Faye had a little trouble timing his tackles....maybe early season rustiness.

Liverpool away on Wednesday.Hopefully Stoke can repeat last season's Alamo epic!!

On the Beach Already??

ARSENAL 4 STOKE CITY FC 1

Certainly in the first half Stoke were all at sea, shipping four Arsenal goals to a solitary Fuller effort.



Two of the home team's goals had a touch of comedy about them.....James Beattie's sharp finish into his own net, would have been acclaimed if it had been atthe opposite end of the pitch. Rory Delap's header back to his keeper was woefully short,reaching Van Persie who finished with aplomb.

The other two goals: a Van Persie penalty following a Ryan Shawcross foul, and a Diaby free header.

Stoke opened with Simonsen between the posts, but at 3-0 in next to no time he was replaced by Sorensen.He went on to make a series of excellent saves,without which a cricket score threatened.

Ricardo Fuller was tripped by Denilson as he ran toward goal.The Jamaican striker netted the resultant penalty calmly.


The second half was a 0 - 0 draw.

So we finish the season on 45 points, in 12 th position in the Premership table, and with a great deal to be proud of from our first season at this exalted level.

BRILLIANT STOKE......GOOOO.....AAARRRRN!

Another 3 points In The Bag.........Arsenal Here We Come

STOKE CITY FC 2 WIGAN 0

After a pretty forgetable first half,for the most part playing into a strong gusting wind, Stoke came alive after the break.

Increasingly the Potters pushed a useful Wigan side back into their own half. Our first goal was typical Ricardo Fuller.Twisting and turning this way and that in the visitors penalty area,with the ball seemingly attached to his foot (as usual),wrongfooting two defenders,he worked sufficient space to be able to drill the ball into the net.His 10th goal of the season(68 mins).

The second goal came eight minutes later.Lawrence's pass found Etherington free on the right.He was challenged,the ball span up in the air as the keeper came in,reaching Beattie on the far post.He headed in with his usual aplomb.

Game over..........45 points 11th place in the table one game to play....who would have believed it at the beginning of the season??!!

Now Its Mathematically Certain......Another Year In the Prem!!!!!!!

HULL CITY FC 1 STOKE CITY FC 2

A fabulous result secured by goals from last year's promotion heroes.Ricardo Fuller on target from close range,4 minutes before the break giving us a deserved lead: Liam Lawrence following up on 73 minutes with what proved to be the winner, a long range scorcher .

Not to Be........Stoke City FC 0 West Ham United 1

One of those days........if we had played on for hours we were destined not to score.

Here Stoke came up against a younger faster more skilful team,which played some excellent football .Defensively they were solid,standing up well to our known threats, albeit sometimes with a degree of desperation.

For all that, in my estimation they were lucky to leave The Brit with all three points.They penetrated only twice in the whole game,the first of those occasions being Tristan's quality goal on 33 minutes from a freekick centrally placed on the edge of stoke's penalty area.The second came after the break as Stoke began to chase the game.In a one on one Thomas Sorensen came out on top.

To my mind there is now a pattern to the refereeing displays that we are seeing at The Brit. Stoke are clearly perceived as an overly physical team and are being 'reffed'as such,rightly or wrongly protection is being given to the opposition, with our players being penalised for perfectly legitimate challenges.There is a presumption that in goal mouth crowd scenes if the keeper drops the ball-which Green did few times today-then by definition they must have been fouled.

We had our chances,headers going wide,over the bar,or being cleared from the line.Shots were blocked or blazed over the bar.

So still on 39 points,with results going our way for the second week running.With another game gone we drop only one place in the table.WBA can no longer catch us.Middlesborough are eight points adrift with three games to play.Currently their goal difference is inferior to ours -26 to -17.A tall order.But we are still in reach for others........I'm sure Manager Pulis was impressing this on the players after the game,when they failed to emerge for the customary warm down.

So off to Hull........can we wrap it up there next week?

Understrength Stoke Fall To Fulham

FULHAM 1 STOKE CITY FC 0

This result was sort of expected.The match earlier in the season was one of few chances, with much of Stoke's effort foundering on defender Hangeland.Much the same happened in this game.....few chances,but with the home team converting one of theirs.

Stoke were without both regular fullbacks,Higginbotham and Wilkinson,and up front Beattie.Nevland came on as sub (20mins), scoring on 29 minutes.Having gathered the ball in midfield he passed out to Johnson on the right.He cut the ball into the penalty area for the advancing Nevland to shoot home.

Stoke had a few chances,the best of which was a fabulous strike on the run from Lawrence which went narrowly wide of Schwarzer's post with the Fulham keeper beaten.

Not to be then, on a day when WBA took out Sunderland and Hull fell to Liverpool.......hopefully tomorrow's results (and Monday night's)will be equally favourable !

Stoke City No Hopers Still Hanging In There .

STOKE CITY FC 1 BLACKBURN R 0


This was a fairly dour encounter between two physically imposing sides.Stoke as they had done last week created the best chances but it seemed we were drifting toward a goalless
stalemate.Then on 75 minutes Stoke broke the deadlock.

Higginbotham crossed from the left, Beattie moved the ball on to Liam Lawrence,who received the ball in the visitors penalty area shimmied aside from a defender and drove the ball along the ground at Rovers keeper Robinson.He got a hand to the ball but it still had sufficient momentum to roll over the line into the net.Cue wild celebrations .

Unlike last week there was relatively little threat from in Blackburn in the remaining minutes.They simply did not look like getting back on terms.

At the final whistle there was much joy amongst the players on the pitch, and the fans on the terraces.Pick of the celebrations was Abdy Faye's run around the four sides of the pitch,waving to the fans and kissing his club badge as he went.

Like the rest of us he was well happy....39 points, 11th in the table,and five games still to play....not bad so far for the no hopers !!!

Still not yet mathematically certain that we will stay up, so expect TP and his players to keep their collective feet on the gas. Europe? Why not.

STOKE CITY 1 NEWCASTLE UNITED 1

Stoke looked to be winning this match comfortably until Guttierrez came on (63 mins)for Guthrie.Until then the Newcastle midfield were good to watch but had no penetration.Once Guttierez started to run the ball at them our excellent defence began to look much more threatened.

We took the lead when captain Abdy Faye (33mins) headed home Liam Lawrence's corner kick,to register again his former club for the second time this season.

For the next half hour or so Stoke bossed the play,culminating in a blitz on the visitors goal in the early minutes of the second half,during which keeper Harper saved from Ricardo Fuller,and both Whelan and Faye had goal bound efforts cleared off the line. Add to that two or three appeals for handball in the area,and you have some idea of how close Newcastle were to total collapse at that point.

Stoke had one other golden opportunity on 69 minutes.A fast Stoke breakout involving Fuller and Lawrence played Etherington free on goal from the left,but with Harper coming out the midfielder's shot passed just wide of the post.

Having survived the onslaught the visitors clawed their way back into the match,earning a point when sub Carroll's looping header from Duff's cross found the Stoke net (81mins).

In the end more than a little dissappointing to get only a point (how things have changed this season !!) especially as all the other results seemed to go in our favour.

Still another point closer to safety.

STOKE CITY MAINTAIN FINE BAGGIES RECORD !!

WEST BROMWICH ALBION 0 STOKE CITY FC 2

Stoke clearly enjoy meeting the Baggies....fielding an attacking team Stoke secured their first away win of the season...indeed their first double,in the process lifting themselves to a heady 13th place.

The best of starts came with Ricardo Fuller's opener in the second minute.His fellow striker Beattie got the other just after halftime (49mins) ,further enhancing his reputation not only among the Stoke following,but also the media.An inspired buy if ever there was one.

Luckiest escape of the season? Not buying Scott Carson!

So what do we need to stay in the Prem? From the optimists one more win with 7 games to play.The pessimists think two wins and a draw.Somewhere in between more like.

What is certain is that Tony Pulis is taking absolutely nothing for granted.Neither will our team.

UPDATE.....it just gets better, a proper newspaper report on the match in 'The Times'(here) which gets away from the lazy journo stereotype of The Mighty Potters. Hats off to Mr Rawsley for his excellent piece.