As a Stokie, living in North Essex, surrounded by Spurs and Arsenal fans, I grew up hearing the same old line every single time someone said, ‘who do you support then?’ My answer of course is that ‘if you cut me open I would bleed red and white’.
The response of ‘ Ha, you like Rugby then’ is the line I was greeted with around 90% of the time.
Josh Tymon put pen to paper with Stoke today, having turned down a professional deal at Hull City who have had him on their books for six years.
The 18-year-old left back pushed through the youth ranks, playing in the under-18’s at aged just 15 and the under 21’s during the 2015/16 season.
The transfer window only officially opened on Saturday, yet the Premier League has already been teeming with transfer business across many clubs. Stoke City haven’t quite followed that particular trend, with the cost-free arrival of Darren Fletcher being the only deal made by the Potters. There has been promise of a major squad shake-up and an ambition to lower the average age of the squad. This ambition is gradually translating into links with individual players and, as players return from their holidays and back to training, there’s been no better time to get excited for some transfer window action. This mini-series will cover some of the players Stoke have been linked with so far, their traits and abilities and give you enough information to decide whether it’s time to fuel your transfer window fires.
The future of Stoke’s defence has been an uncertain one. Last season, Bruno Martins Indi was an essential piece to the defensive puzzle, although Stoke have yet to agree a fee to make the Dutchman’s move permanent. The future of Ryan Shawcross is also relatively uncertain: although expressing his desire to stay at the club, rumours continue to rumble and there’s no guarantee that the current skipper will be at Stoke next season. Stoke’s fullbacks have also been a cause for concern. With their ages ever increasing and last season’s performances on the whole underwhelming, it would be no surprise that they will be replaced this Summer. It’s no coincidence that Stoke have been linked with defenders aplenty, so let’s dive in…
The turgid football, baffling team selection and 13th placed finish; left many dissatisfied and calling for Hughes’ job. It’s no secret that my current opinion of Mark Hughes is rocky to say the least, no one was a more vocal critic of him on the Bear Pit last season, than myself. But there is nothing that would please me more than being served up a big slice of Humble Pie, that I would happily eat. So, I have decided to help Sparky and come up with a little recipe for said pie.
500g of Exciting Football
The base for this Humble Pie is found in the origins of Mark Hughes’ employment. Sparky’s job, first and foremost, was to get bums on seats. Dropping season ticket sales lost Pulis’ his job and Hughes was tasked with bringing back excitement and filling the, then, Britannia Stadium. Exciting football was the first task, and it was obviously expected that success in the League and cups would follow, but this was always a secondary aim.
After a pretty surprising victory against Southampton, we do the player ratings for the last time this season…
Well it’s here, the final game of the season. We travel south to St. Mary’s Stadium to face Southampton.
Ending what has been a disappointing season, to say the least, will be a relief for many Stoke fans as the calls for Hughes’ head intensifies. The Potters find themselves sitting in a low 14th and a win can only push them to 11th, with that also depending on the results of the teams above in the table. Mark has failed to any achieve his objectives and the minimum expectations of the fans.
Jack Butland – 6
Although letting four goals in you couldn’t really fault Jack for any of them, pulled of a few decent saves to make sure the day didn’t get even worse.
Glen Johnson – 3
Shocking performance. Monreal couldn’t believe his luck with the space Johnson gave him, when he made progress going forward the ball into the box let him down, caught out multiple times by numerous Arsenal players.
This weekend see’s Stoke host Arsenal at the Bet 365 Stadium for the final home game of the season. Kick-off will be at 5:30pm due to the game being televised. Arsenal did Stoke a favour in their mid-week fixture, by beating Southampton 2-0 at St. Mary’s Stadium.
Goals from Alexis Sanchez and Oliver Giroud helped the Gunners move closer to a top five finish, ahead of Manchester United. With Arsenal having one extra fixture to play in the league, against Sunderland, this could prove helpful as a mid-week game at this stage of the competition could lead to one or two important players being rested for future games.
If you haven’t heard, Giannelli Imbula has been linked with a move to Roma, by the Stoke news oracle that is John Percy (don’t mention Glen Johnson’s new contract). The article reports that Roma are ready to come in for Stoke’s record signing, with a bid of around 10 million pounds. This would come at a loss of 8.3 million pounds, let’s give that figure some perspective, up until 1st August 2010 Stoke had failed to spend 8.3 million on a player, never mind lose it.
And why would Roma be interested in bringing in a centre midfielder? Who are they looking to replace? Well in the summer Roma sold Miralem Pjanic to Juventus for 32 million Euros. Juventus, if you didn’t know, sealed qualification to the Champions League final on the same evening as the news about Imbula broke, and Pjanic has started all but 2 of the ‘Old Lady’s’ 12 Champions League fixtures.
Plenty of Stoke fans want change in the Summer and it looks like we’re going to get it, one way or another. Not only has this season asked questions of Stoke’s short term performances but, looking long term, the prospect of future seasons with the same ageing squad has caused alarm bells to ring within the club’s hierarchy about long term ambitions. Stoke sit behind only West Brom and Watford for having one of the oldest squads in the Premier League. Not only does this compromise the team in respect to athleticism and fitness, it also leaves very little breathing room for players to grow fulfil their potentials and ultimately rise in market value. It appears the club has recognised this: local media outlets have been reporting about a Summer shake-up and even the manager has recognised that there’s a lot of work to do come the end of the season. The question is: what can we expect?
Well, we can fully expect the club to aim to invest in a more youthful squad for next season. Players with a fresh hunger, potential in abundance and an eagerness to learn will be initiate the regeneration process of Stoke City. Ramadan Sobhi is an excellent example: a young man with plenty of raw, exciting talent with a bright future and, being so young, he doesn’t even have to be named in the 25 man squad that the club submits to the Premier League, leaving the manager’s options open. It’s signings such as this that the club should be trying to replicate if it’s value is to increase. Although these players may be cheaper than recruiting experienced heads, they may be harder to scout, the club may also face tough competition with other clubs for their signatures and not every one of these youngsters will work out. The mentality that some players may fail must be in place.
