Fanhouse UK Football - stoke-city

Expect Tony Pulis's Hectic Transfer Activity to Pay Dividends for Stoke

John Percy — 2010-09-03T04:02:00-05:00

Filed under: Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers, Bolton, Stoke City, Sunderland, Tottenham

Stoke City were busy in the Premier League transfer market this summer, but it is testament to Tony Pulis's famed caution that he invested only about £1 million more than Sunderland splashed out on just one player.

Pulis has recruited six players - seven if you include the re-signing of Salif Diao - to ensure Stoke's miserable start to the season has almost been forgotten, and the club's supporters are still pinching themselves after a whirlwind final day of the transfer window.

The progress Pulis has been desperate to achieve since promotion to the top level is there for all to see, when you consider established strikers like Eidur Gudjohnsen and Kenwyne Jones didn't view moves to the Britannia Stadium as a retrograde step.

Since promotion from the Championship Pulis has lost count of the amount of targets that have turned their noses up at a move to the Potteries.

Now, however, Stoke are seen as a stable Premier League club and, more importantly for the manager, he can finally start improving the style of football.

Gudjohnsen has already admitted it needed Pulis to deliver a hard sell but he and Jones should provide the firepower to end Stoke's perennial goal shortage.

Signing the Iceland international is completely risk-free and, unlike Sunderland's record signing Asamoah Gyan for example, is already well acclimatised to England's top division having proven himself with Chelsea, Spurs and Bolton.

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Premier League Rankings: Manchester United Make Push for Return to Summit

Ian Whittell — 2010-09-02T12:02:00-05:00

by Ian Whittell

Filed under: Arsenal, Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers, Bolton, Birmingham, Chelsea, Everton, Fulham, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Stoke City, Sunderland, Tottenham, West Ham, Wigan, Wolverhampton, FanHouse Rankings, West Brom, Newcastle, Blackpool

Welcome back to our regular look at who's hot and who's not in the world's best football competition.

Three weeks in and things should be settling down in the Premier League, right? Wrong.

Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United may be making the pace but, beneath them, there are all sorts of funny goings-on ... as you will see from our FanHouse Rankings.

FanHouse UK has used the latest, most in-depth objective statistical data, balanced with the purely subjective views of our expert staff, to come up with the answers.

All this - and much more - is revealed below (please note that the form guide includes results from the 2009-10 season) ...

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The Big Winners and Losers of Summer Transfer Deadline Day 2010

Matt Butler — 2010-08-31T15:00:00-05:00

by Matt Butler

Filed under: Arsenal, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester City, Stoke City, Tottenham, West Ham, Wigan, Champions League, Blackpool

This summer's transfer window was the quietest in four years in terms of money spent, even with Manchester City's frantic activity. But there were still enough shrewd deals and dodgy signings to keep us entertained - and as the window slams shut, we present the FanHouse verdict on the best and worst from the final hours of the window.

WINNERS
Tottenham
Spurs eh? They get into one Champions League group stage and they think they are Real Madrid. In truth they went one better, by apparently signing someone from the Spanish giants: Rafael van der Vaart, who arrived on a season-long loan from Real just in the nick of time before the window slammed shut. (At the time of writing, Spurs were claiming publicly that the paperwork was complete although we still await confirmation from the Premier League). Assuming the deal was successful, whether or not the Dutch midfielder proves to be a worthwhile addition to Harry Redknapp's squad is irrelevant. Just the fact they managed to convince him to leave Jose Mourinho and the Bernabeu is reason enough for Tottenham fans to safely proclaim they are now dining at the top table.

Manchester City
For keeping Shay Given and Emmanuel Adebayor - and making the window exciting by spending over £120 million. City may have been like kids in a sweet shop as they snapped up the likes of Mario Balotelli, James Milner and David Silva for over £20 million each, but they have shown a willingness to play hard ball with their star-heavy squad. Just ask Craig Bellamy, who is being paid a reported £50,000 a week by City as part of his loan move to Cardiff. Effectively, the Premiership multi-billionaires are paying the dissident Welshman that amount not to play for them and to play in another division. Similarly, Roque Santa Cruz was not permitted to join Tottenham this week for fears he would harm City by playing for a rival. Thus, Adebayor and Given were left in no doubt that they will have to stay at Eastlands to provide cover in the club's chase for honours.

Wigan
For two deals which could prove to be key to their survival. Roberto Martinez signed two starlets - Manchester United midfielder Tom Cleverley on a season-long loan deal and Chelsea's Franco Di Santo on a three-year contract - which could prove to be the difference between them staying up or plummeting down to the Championship. Cleverley, a gifted attacking midfielder whom Sir Alex Ferguson has spoken about as a potential successor to Cristiano Ronaldo, spent last season at second-tier Watford and proved indispensable in their successful battle to stay in the division, while Argentinian Di Santo has shown flashes of potential both at Stamford Bridge and on loan at Blackburn.

Birmingham
For beating Liverpool and Tottenham to a transfer coup. It says something for Alex McLeish's work in raising the Blues' standing in the world that they not only attract ex-Arsenal midfielder Alexander Hleb from Barcelona, but they can outdo Liverpool and Tottenham in getting their man. As a deadline-day bonus they managed to get rid of the less-than prolific Marcus Bent to Midlands rivals Wolves on loan - and also secured the signing of Chile winger Jean Beausejour, who turned heads in South Africa at the 2010 World Cup.

West Ham
For hanging on to Scott Parker. They might not have much cause for celebration this season, but co-chairman David Sullivan won the hearts of fans by staying true to his word in refusing to entertain any bids for star man Parker. The easy option would have been to sell him, especially given the club's debts. And Tottenham did their best to test his resolve by tabling two offers - and the player himself looked to be weighing up his options by stalling on a new deal - but Sullivan stood firm.

Stoke
For making the Potteries attractive. Manager Tony Pulis would have been well within his rights to rest on his laurels after Stoke City's 11th-place finish last term. But he has embarked on a busy strengthening spree this summer, culminating in the deadline-day acquisitions of ex-Barcelona and Chelsea striker Eidur Gudjohnsen from Monaco, former Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant from Real Zaragoza and Portsmouth's Marc Wilson. This trio arrived after the record-breaking purchase of Kenwyne Jones from Sunderland and the arrival of Carlo Nash from Everton, among others - but the best bit of business was to refuse to give into Asmir Begovic's demands for a move, even when the petulant goalkeeper refused to play.

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Premier League Transfer Deadline Day As It Happened

Scott Murray — 2010-08-31T05:30:00-05:00

by Scott Murray

Text commentary of transfer deadline day in the Premier League.

Click here for club-by-club listing of summer's ins and outs.

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Transfer Window Latest: The Definitive Guide to Your Club's Ins and Outs

Ian Whittell — 2010-08-31T05:30:00-05:00

by Ian Whittell

Filed under: Transfer News, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers, Bolton, Birmingham, Burnley, Chelsea, Everton, Fulham, Hull City, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Portsmouth, Stoke City, Sunderland, Tottenham, West Ham, Wigan, Wolverhampton, West Brom, Newcastle, Blackpool

A feverish summer of transfer activity is winding down to a juddering halt.

Here is your complete club-by-club guide to the comings and goings through August 30.

For live commentary of transfer deadline day as it happened, see the FanHouse UK minute-by-minute report.

ARSENAL
IN: Laurent Koscielny (Lorient) £8.5m, Sebastien Squillaci (Sevilla) £3.2m, Marouane Chamakh (Bordeaux) Free, Kyle Ebecillo (Feyenoord) Free, Phil Roberts (Norwich City) Free.

OUT: Eduardo (Shakhtar Donetsk) £6m, Jay Simpson (Hull City) £1.2m, Luke Ayling (Yeovil Town) Free, Sol Campbell (Newcastle United) Free, William Gallas (Tottenham Hotspur) Free, Fran Merida (Atletico Madrid) Free, Philippe Senderos (Fulham) Free, Alie Sesay (Leicester City) Free, Mikael Silvestre (Werder Bremen) Free, Kyle Bartley (Sheffield United) Season Loan, Pedro Botelho (Catragena) Season Loan, Francis Coquelin (Lorient) Season Loan, Sanchez Watt (Leeds United) Season Loan, Luke Freeman (Yeovil Town) Six Month Loan, Armand Traore (Juventus) Loan, Nacer Barazite (Vitesse Arnhem) Loan.

ASTON VILLA
IN: Stephen Ireland (Manchester City) Part-exchange.

OUT: James Milner (Manchester City) £26m + part-exchange, Nicky Shorey (West Bromwich Albion) £1.5m, David Bevan (Walsall) Free, Jack Dyer (Burton Albion) Free, Marlon Harewood (Blackpool) Free, Stephen O'Halloran (Coventry City) Free, Harry Forrester (Kilmarnock) Five Month Loan.

BIRMINGHAM CITY
IN: Ben Foster (Manchester United) £6m, Nikola Zigic (Valencia) £6m, Enric Valles (NAC Breda) Free, Matt Derbyshire (Olympiakos) Season Loan, Jean Beausejour (Club America) Undisclosed, Alexander Hleb (Barcelona) Loan, Martin Jiranek (Spartak Moscow) Undisclosed.

OUT: Lee Carsley (Coventry City) Free, Artur Krysiak (Exeter City) Free, Franck Queudrue (Panionios) Free, Gary McSheffrey (Coventry City) Free, Jake Jervis (Notts County) Six Month Loan, Robin Shroot (Cheltenham Town) Six Month Loan, Luke Hibbins (Notts County) Five Month Loan, Colin Doyle (Coventry City) One Month Loan, Jordan Mutch (Watford) One Month Loan Marcus Bent (Wolves) Loan.

BLACKBURN ROVERS
IN: Hugo Fernandez (Union Deportiva Cornella) Nominal Fee, Benjani Mwaruwari (Manchester City) Free, Mame Biram Diouf (Manchester United) Season Loan.

OUT: Michael Hall (Accrington Stanley) Free, Andrew Howarth (Bury) Free, Marcus Marshall (Rotherham United) Free, Steven Reid (West Bromwich Albion) Free, Nick Blackman (Motherwell) Five Month Loan, Alex Marrow (Crystal Palace) Five Month Loan, Zurab Khizanishvili (Reading) Loan.

BLACKPOOL
IN: Chris Basham (Bolton Wanderers) £500,000 rising to £1m, Craig Cathcart (Manchester United) £500,000, Elliot Grandin (CSKA Sofia) Undisclosed, Ludovic Sylvestre (Mlada Boleslav) Undisclosed, Marlon Harewood (Aston Villa) Free, Dekel Keinan (Maccabi Haifa) Free, Malaury Martin (Monaco) Free, Luke Varney (Derby County) Season Loan, DJ Campbell (Leicester) Undisclosed, Matt Phillips (Wycombe) £325,000.

OUT: Al Bangura (Mersin idmanyurdu) Free, Hameur Bouazza (Arles-Avignon) Free, Ben Burgess (Notts County) Free, Daniel Nardiello (Exeter City) Free

BOLTON WANDERERS
IN: Marco Alonso (Real Madrid) £1.6m, Tom Eaves (Oldham Athletic) £350,000, Robbie Blake (Burnley) Free, Ivan Klasnic (Nantes) Free, Martin Petrov (Manchester City) Free, Rodrigo Moreno (Benfica) Loan.

OUT: Chris Basham (Blackpool) £500,000 rising to £1m, Ali Al-Habsi (Wigan Athletic) Season Loan, Zoltán Harsányi (Dunajská Streda) Free, Nicky Hunt (Bristol City) Free, Ricardo Vaz Te (Panionios) Free

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Chelsea 2 Stoke 0: Carlo Ancelotti's side Extend Their Perfect Start

Ian Winrow — 2010-08-28T12:10:00-05:00

by Ian Winrow

Filed under: Chelsea, Stoke City, Match Reports

Carlo Ancelotti's side for once failed to serve up a goal-feast but a comfortable victory ensured they maintain their early advantage at the head of the table with maximum points from their opening three games.

A first half goal from Florent Malouda and a 76th minute penalty from Didier Drogba secured the win although the margin of victory would have been even greater had Frank Lampard not seen a 10th minute penalty saved.

Chelsea never reached the levels that brought successive 6-0 victories in their opening two games but they did just enough against a determined Stoke side.

The early signs were this would be another stroll for Chelsea when Ashley Cole easily found his way behind the Stoke defence after just six minutes and should have done better than to pull his shot wide.

Four minutes later Lampard was presented with an even more straightforward opportunity to open the scoring when Ryan Shawcross conceded a penalty after bringing Malouda down with a mistimed tackle.

Lampard fluffed his lines from the spot - his third successive failure from 12 yards - sending his shot too close to Thomas Sorensen who saved easily.

Stoke were proving to be more obstinate opponents than West Brom or Wigan had in the champions' two previous games but Tony Pulis's side were finally undone when John Terry's measured pass allowed Malouda to finish impressively in the 32nd minute.

The expectation was that Chelsea would go on and build on that lead but the visitors stood firm with Sorensen producing two excellent reaction saves to deny Drogba either side of the break.

Stoke remained in contention and provided the home side with a reminder of the fragile nature of their lead when substitute Glenn Whelan struck the crossbar in the 67th minute with a long range shot.

Drogba finally made the points safe when he converted from the spot after Sorensen had needlessly upended Nicolas Anelka with 14 minutes remaining.

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Premier League Text Commentary: Through The Fixtures As It Happened

Howard Swains — 2010-08-28T09:30:00-05:00

by Howard Swains

Filed under: Chelsea, Fulham, Stoke City, Tottenham, Wigan, Wolverhampton, Min-By-Min Reports, Newcastle, Blackpool

Minute-by-minute commentary from around the grounds.

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Chelsea v Stoke Preview: Asmir Begovic Row Injects Extra Spice Into Game

Ian Winrow — 2010-08-27T11:54:00-05:00

by Ian Winrow

Filed under: Chelsea, Stoke City, Match Previews

PREMIER LEAGUE: STAMFORD BRIDGE, SATURDAY AUGUST 28, 2010. KICK-OFF: 1500 BST

Recent form suggests this game will be hopelessly one-sided in Chelsea's favour, but off the field the two clubs have been indulging in a much feistier contest over the future of goalkeeper Asmir Begovic.

Stoke initially rejected a £4 million bid for the former Portsmouth player, but tempers flared following Begovic's decision to make himself unavailable for the midweek Carling Cup tie with Shrewsbury.

That prompted an angry response from City manager Tony Pulis who voiced his frustration at the "skulduggery" surrounding many proposed transfers although Chelsea coach Carlo Ancelotti has remained silent on the matter and the issue will be completely forgotten when the action finally begins.

At that point home supporters will expect a deluge of goals from Ancelotti's side who have scored 12 without reply in their opening two games this season - and put seven past Stoke on their way to the title last season.

The memory of that game will provide Pulis's team with additional motivation but it is likely to take much more than a desire to avenge a humiliation to deliver a first point of the season to Stoke.

Key Match-up: Didier Drogba v Ryan Shawcross: Drogba has started the season in imperious form and an encounter with the Ivorian is low on the wishlist of any centre back. Shawcross, though, is more than capable of handling himself physically and never knowingly ducks a challenge. The young defender has forced himself onto the fringes of the England set-up and an impressive performance at Stamford Bridge will do his international prospects no harm at all.

Form Guide: Chelsea have scored 29 goals in their last five league games straddling the end of last season and the beginning of this, a staggering return that confirms their ability to overwhelm weaker teams. At the moment Stoke fit into that category although they will arrive in west London still nursing a sense of frustration after last week's home defeat to Tottenham when Pulis and his players believed they were denied a legitimate equaliser.

Odds: Chelsea 1/9, Stoke 22/1, Draw 8/1

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Premier League Rankings: Arsenal Fired Up by Demolition of Blackpool

Ian Whittell — 2010-08-26T07:52:00-05:00

by Ian Whittell

Welcome back to our regular look at who's hot and who's not in the world's best football competition.

6-0, 6-0, 6-0 ... the Premier League had one of its most incredible goal-scoring weekends which had us wondering if we had tuned into a re-hash of Wimbledon fortnight instead of the weekend footy results.

Those six-goal wins - for Arsenal, Chelsea and Newcastle - are bound to have a big impact on this week's FanHouse UK Rankings, both at the top and the bottom of the charts.

FanHouse UK has used the latest, most in-depth objective statistical data, balanced with the purely subjective views of our expert staff, to come up with the answers.

All this - and much more - is revealed below (please note that results in the form guide include the 2009-10 season) ...

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Stoke 2 Shrewsbury 1: Jon Walters Gains Revenge and Helps City Through

John Percy — 2010-08-24T16:32:00-05:00

by John Percy

Filed under: Stoke City, Carling Cup, Match Reports

Jon Walters registered his first Stoke goal without any need for video evidence to help secure his new club their path into the third round.

Walters was controversially denied a debut strike against Spurs at the weekend by referee Chris Foy but his emphatic header settled early Stoke nerves against their League Two opponents.

Tuncay added a second shortly afterwards and the only surprise at the Britannia Stadium was the anticipated exit of goalkeeper Asmir Begovic after just seven months.

Begovic, a £3.25 million signing from Portsmouth in January, was left out of the squad after allegedly refusing to play and appears to be heading for Chelsea, with Carlo Ancelotti expected to return with an improved bid.

But it was a job relatively well done by his former team-mates, despite Steve Leslie's late consolation raising hopes of a gallant Shrewsbury fightback.

Graham Turner's teams have always been attractive to watch and their enterprising approach play was the only highlight of a tedious opening 25 minutes. Tony Pulis made six changes to the team that lost to Spurs on Saturday and Tuncay appeared too keen to impress, raining in shots from a variety of long-range distances.

But Walters cleverly headed in the opener from Matthew Etherington's cross to deservedly erase the memories of his controversially disallowed 'equaliser' against Harry Redknapp's men. And it was thanks to another delicious Etherington centre that Stoke increased their lead, with Tuncay nodding in his first goal since early March.

Shrewsbury, undefeated in League Two this season, began the second half as impressively as the first but Craig Disley wasted a glorious chance in the 52nd minute to reduce the deficit, heading Mat Sadler's cross wide from an unmarked position.

And their steady pressure was rewarded 11 minutes from time when Leslie headed in at the far post, as Carlo Nash dithered.

REACTION
Stoke manager Pulis revealed that Begovic had refused to play, after initially being selected to start:
"Begovic said on Tuesday morning he didn't want to play and I find that very very disappointing. We pay his wages and he has a responsibility to the football club. We've got a lot of supporters who idolise this club and we've got a management team that respects it just as much as them. And for somebody to do what he [Begovic] has done is totally disrespectful. He's obviously had people blowing in his ear, that goes on. I'll have a good chat with him on Wednesday. But one's thing for sure, we won't be giving him away."

Will his behaviour make you more determined to sell him?:
"With our chairman it's probably less likely! I don't think Peter [Coates, the chairman] will be pushed around. There are one or two clubs interested but they have been nowhere near our valuation. That remains the same as we speak now. That has nothing to do with whether the kid should play for Stoke, we're actually paying him. We think that he was going to be a very good goalkeeper because we want good players here."

On Walters finally breaking his duck:
"It was a well-taken goal and just over the line! He's been our most outstanding player over the last two games. He has brought some life and energy and he plays to his maximum which is very good."

On reaching the third round without any hiccups:
"We got a little sloppy and they nicked a goal, when that happens you worry because it puts a little pressure on. I've been there before at 2-0 but Shrewsbury did smashing, I'm pleased for their supporters."

Shrewsbury manager Turner claimed his players showed Stoke too much respect in the first half:
"I was pleased with the level of performance in the second half, in the first we looked a little bit too cautious and afraid of Premier League players and what they could do to us. But in the second period we passed the ball with more purpose and I was delighted with them. The fightback was reasonably pleasing. It's the first time in 17 years that Shrewsbury have played top flight opposition and the fans will have enjoyed their evening, even though their team has lost."

WHAT IT MEANS:
Mission accomplished for Pulis and his fringe players. Stoke were never going to get any real credit for securing their passage into the third round but a first victory of the campaign is important, regardless of the opponents. The signing of Walters looks a shrewd one already, but it is hard to shift the feeling that Tuncay will be heading toward the exit door before the transfer window closes next week. The likes of Michael Tonge, Andy Wilkinson and Danny Pugh may also have played their last games for Stoke this season, with loan moves to the Championship expected.

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Hartlepool v Wigan Preview: Defeat Will Increase Pressure on Roberto Martinez

Jason Mellor — 2010-08-23T07:00:00-05:00

by Jason Mellor

Filed under: Stoke City, Carling Cup, Match Previews

CARLING CUP: VICTORIA PARK, TUESDAY AUGUST 24, 2010: KICK-OFF: 1945 BST

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Stoke v Shrewsbury Preview: Jon Walters Banking on a Change of Luck

John Percy — 2010-08-23T06:38:00-05:00

by John Percy

Filed under: Stoke City, Carling Cup, Match Previews

CARLING CUP: BRITANNIA STADIUM, TUESDAY AUGUST 24, 2010. KICK-OFF: 1945 BST

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Stoke City 1 Tottenham Hotspur 2: Foy Error Casts Shadow Over Spurs' Win

Chris Brereton — 2010-08-21T11:38:00-05:00

by Chris Brereton

Filed under: Stoke City, Tottenham, Match Reports

Two goals for Gareth Bale - one lucky, the other brilliant - helped Tottenham Hotspur gain their first win of the season although Stoke were prevented from getting a deserved late equaliser because of a terrible refereeing blunder by Chris Foy.

Jonathan Walters's late header had clearly crossed the line when it hit Peter Crouch's chest but Foy waved away the frantic Stoke claims as Spurs held on for victory.

Bale scored the first goal of the game courtesy of a deflection off his face and although Ricardo Fuller then equalised shortly afterwards from close range, the Wales international grabbed his second as he volleyed home a stunning effort.

It was entertaining yet relatively ugly at the Britannia Stadium as both sides rolled their sleeves up and battled head on.

Real chances were few and far between apart from the goals although Rory Delap will have been disappointed with a near-post volley that he skewed over the bar in the first half.

If Spurs are to evolve into bona fide Premier League contenders, winning ugly, and winning at the likes of the Britannia Stadium, are going to have to become more commonplace.

Stoke were poor for the majority of the encounter although the introduction of Tuncay in the second half gave them a much-needed boost. Before his appearance they had looked slow and displayed no imagination or flair in midfield.

All too often Fuller was expected to perform miracles after the ball was merely punted in his direction but they got better as the contest went on as Tuncay, Fuller and Ryan Shawcross all missed glorious close-range opportunities before Walters' later effort which will pour attention on to referee Foy for all the wrong reasons.

REACTION:
Stoke manager Tony Pulis was philosophical about the Chris Foy decision that cost his side a point.

"How long would it take [to use technology]? A minute? But we are just Stoke City. I'm just Tony Pulis, I can't change it. Why he is looking at the linesman only goodness knows.

"They don't go out there to make a bad decision and you just have to take it on the chin. Sometimes it goes for you and sometimes it goes against you. We had three or four players celebrating and they don't do that unless they think it was a goal."

On the performance:
"First half we were not on it and that was disappointing but we pushed on and I thought we were the only team that were going to score."

Harry Redknapp believed Foy's decision was "justice" after claiming goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes had been fouled in the build up to the goal.

On Foy's decision:
"It may well have gone over the line, I've not seen it. If you watch it on the replay Huth has pushed Gomes so it's a foul and the referee had not seen it so it was justice done."

On the performance:
"I thought it was a well-deserved win. We came under pressure but we deserved to win and they couldn't get near us in the first half. I think we came here and won last year and did well and it's a difficult place to come. It is never an easy game."

On Bale's volleyed finish:
"The second goal was volleying technique at its best. It was fantastic technique and any young lad watching that should learn. There will not be many better goals than that this season."

"Theres no better let sided player in the country. He is just a fantastic young talent.
"He has improved out of all recognition. That was one of the great goals and it was an amazing bit of skill."

WHAT IT MEANS:
The victory gets Spurs' season up and running after last week's draw with Manchester City and could turn out to be crucial at the end of the season. The win, and the way they had to work for it, will boost confidence in Redknapp's squad ahead of their Champions League encounter with Young Boys in the week.

As for Stoke, they are now well behind the pace at the bottom of the table after their second consecutive loss. There is no need to panic yet but Pulis will know that his side have to start picking up points, and doing it soon, if this mini-drama is not to turn into a crisis.

And as for Foy's mistake, expect lots of column inches about goal-line technology, much moaning about it from some quarters, and precisely zero action from both the Football Association and Fifa.

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Through The Fixtures From Around The Grounds As It Happened

Howard Swains — 2010-08-21T08:45:00-05:00

by Howard Swains

Filed under: Arsenal, Blackburn Rovers, Bolton, Birmingham, Everton, Stoke City, Sunderland, Tottenham, West Ham, Wolverhampton, Min-By-Min Reports, West Brom, Blackpool

Minute-by-minute commentary from the Emirates Stadium, St. Andrew's, Goodison Park, Britannia Stadium, The Hawthorns and Upton Park.

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Stoke v Tottenham Preview: Time is Right for Ricardo Fuller to Come Good (Video)

Mike McGrath — 2010-08-20T05:30:00-05:00

by Mike McGrath

Filed under: Stoke City, Tottenham, Match Previews

PREMIER LEAGUE: BRITANNIA STADIUM, SATURDAY AUGUST 21, 2010. KICK-OFF: 1500 BST

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Premier League Rankings: Unusual Suspects Make Early Push For the Top

Ian Whittell — 2010-08-19T11:11:00-05:00

by Ian Whittell

Welcome back to our regular look at who's hot and who's not in the world's best football competition.

The world's greatest domestic footbal league is back and it's like it's never been away. Chelsea are scoring goals without breaking sweat, Wayne Rooney can't score a goal and Manchester City are spending money like Roberto Mancini is playing fantasy football at his local.

Still, at least now the talking has stopped and there is real, breathless, live action for us to study and that means the first meaningful FanHouse UK Rankings of 2010-11.

FanHouse UK has used the latest, most in-depth objective statistical data, balanced with the purely subjective views of our expert staff, to come up with the answers.

All this - and much more - is revealed below (please note that the form guide refers to results during the 2009-10 season) ...

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Time for Stoke to Finally Reward Asmir Begovic for His Patient Wait

John Percy — 2010-08-17T05:00:00-05:00

by John Percy

Filed under: Stoke City

Asmir Begovic has had to learn the art of patience since his arrival at Stoke City. He has not managed to force his way past goalkeeping rival Thomas Sorensen and has already seen his club reject a substantial bid from Chelsea to sign him this summer.

There have been reports that Begovic was ready to hand in a transfer request after Carlo Ancelotti's offer was swiftly batted away by Tony Pulis.

But now the time has come for Begovic to be given his chance at the Britannia Stadium. Pulis stood by Sorensen in the final months of last term, despite spending a hefty £3.25 million on Begovic to prise him from Portsmouth, but cannot have failed to have noticed the Denmark international's poor form at the World Cup.

Sorensen was beaten by two free kicks in the shock 3-1 defeat against Japan and appeared to still be struggling from a crisis of confidence at Molineux last weekend.

Begovic cannot be expected to be patient for much longer, especially when his manager constantly claims he is one of the most talented young keepers in the Premier League.

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Wolverhampton 2 Stoke City 1: Steven Fletcher Helps End Wolves' First-Day Jinx

John Percy — 2010-08-14T09:50:00-05:00

by John Percy

Filed under: Stoke City, Wolverhampton, Match Reports

Steven Fletcher will certainly remember his debut more fondly than Kenwyne Jones after the Wolves striker helped end his new club's bizarre opening-day jinx.

Fletcher produced an outstanding first-half performance and the eventual winner to show exactly why Mick McCarthy forked out £7 million to buy him from Burnley, as Wolves secured their first curtain-raiser victory since 1999.

But it was an agonising afternoon for Stoke's own new signing as Jones lasted only ten minutes and left Molineux on crutches after a crunching challenge from Jody Craddock.

Stoke were forced to weather a storm after the abrupt departure of their £8 million buy and David Jones and Fletcher rewarded Wolves' superiority. Stoke were improved in the second half and Abdoulaye Faye produced a powerful header to give the visitors hope but Wolves fully deserved to end their hoodoo.

This was a world away from the 0-0 stalemate at Molineux last April, a game that was so poor it went down in Midlands folklore. Jones looked set to have a debut to remember for all the right reasons early on, after striking the crossbar in the 3rd minute at the end of a slaloming run.

But it was to be his last meaningful contribution as he was left crawling on the wet turf in agony on ten minutes after a lusty tackle from Craddock. The Stoke bench were furious and the departure of Jones clearly affected his teammates.

Fletcher hooked over before Thomas Sorensen - who was chosen ahead of £3.25 million signing Asmir Begovic - denied Sylvan Ebanks-Blake. Wolves' pressure was rewarded eight minutes before the break when the impressive Jones unleashed a powerful volley past Sorensen, after flicking the ball up from Karl Henry's short free kick.

Barely 90 seconds later the home side were further ahead when Christophe Berra's deflected cross looped over Sorensen and Fletcher could not miss.

Stoke manager Tony Pulis must have peeled the paint off the dressing room walls at half-time, for there was a vast improvement from his players in the second period. Faye reduced the deficit ten minutes in when he powerfully headed Matthew Etherington's corner past Marcus Hahnemann.

REACTION:
McCarthy was understandably relieved to end the jinx after such an impressive team performance.

On the first opening-day win in 11 years:
"I'll take the blame for the last four years but I won't for the other seven. But I'm obviously glad we ended the hoodoo. We played really well. In the end it wasn't a convincing win but it was a convincing performance. I'm just disappointed we conceded. We had to deal with their long throws and big players. We have better players and better options than I have had
before."

On new £7 million signing Fletcher, who was substituted early with an injury:
"I was pleased with both of them [Fletcher and fellow new signing Jelle Van Damme]. Steven scored here in a friendly but that doesn't really matter, it's a debut goal and that helps any striker to settle. I thought he was excellent. He got a kick on his foot but it won't be anything serious."

On David Jones, who has rejected a new contract at Molineux:
"I don't get involved with that except that I want him to sign. I said to him that I won't change my view, I will play him - and he said: 'I won't change my view, I will do my best for you and the club'."

Stoke manager Tony Pulis was critical of his players and revealed Jones will go for a scan on his ankle.

On £8 million signing Kenwyne Jones and Craddock's challenge:
"Kenwyne will have to go for scans on his ankle, but I've no complaints about the tackle. I know Jody. I can't speculate how bad it is yet. He will have a scan and an x-ray on Sunday."

On Stoke's performance:
"We had a really good start but when Kenwyne went off it took the wind out of our sails. We dropped off so deep it was embarrassing. Losing Kenwyne should not have affected the players like that. We allowed Wolves to dictate the tempo and play as they liked."

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Through The Fixtures As It Happened

Howard Swains — 2010-08-14T09:46:00-05:00

by Howard Swains

Filed under: Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers, Bolton, Birmingham, Everton, Fulham, Stoke City, Sunderland, West Ham, Wigan, Wolverhampton, Min-By-Min Reports, Blackpool

Minute-by-minute text commentary from around the grounds.

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The Great Prediction Game: And the 2010-11 EPL Champions Are ...

Ian Whittell — 2010-08-14T03:20:00-05:00

by Ian Whittell

Filed under: Predictions, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers, Bolton, Birmingham, Burnley, Chelsea, Everton, Fulham, Hull City, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Portsmouth, Stoke City, Sunderland, Tottenham, West Ham, Wigan, Wolverhampton, West Brom, Newcastle, Blackpool

So, what exactly does £133 million buy you these days?

If the resident FanHouse UK football experts are to be believed, the answer in the case of Manchester City is second place in the Premier League.

City have enjoyed a summer unheard of in the history of English football - with James Milner's imminent arrival set to take their spending to well over the £130 million mark, in transfer fees alone.

Yet our pundits still need a little more convincing before they can see City stripping Chelsea of the championship they won so impressively three months ago.

What is clear, however, is the lack of faith our reporters have in City's rivals United making an impact on this season's title chase. Once more, Sir Alex Ferguson has been relatively quiet in the transfer mark - then again, everybody has been quiet compared with his "noisy neighbours" - and after missing out on the league and Champions League last season, our men see them slipping further down the table.

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