Time To Cut Stoke Some Slack?

[White Noise]

http://football.fanhouse.co.uk/2010/10/14/stoke-city-deserve-credit-along-with-the-criticism-being-hurled/


Stoke City Deserve More Credit as Critics Target Tony Pulis's Team

.14/10/2010 7:21 AM GMT By John Percy


"No-one likes us, we don't care" is a chant made famous by the supporters of Millwall, but Tony Pulis must sometimes feel it would be equally appropriate at the Britannia Stadium.

Two years after securing promotion to the Premier League, Stoke City are still receiving criticism, incendiary remarks, snobbery and unwelcome attention from all corners of the Premier League.

Pulis has never been comfortable with the spotlight in any case, so it is relevant to ask: How much more will he take?

Danny Murphy's searingly honest, but misguided, rant at the perceived 'rough-house' tactics of clubs including Stoke, Wolverhampton and Blackburn was the latest brickbat to be thrown at Pulis and his players.

It comes in a season when Arsene Wenger has stoked up his personal feud with the Potters and Fulham manager Mark Hughes lashed out at Stoke defender Andy Wilkinson for a rash challenge on Moussa Dembele in the recent Carling Cup tie.

Stoke have been so perturbed by Wenger's latest remarks that they have made an official complaint to the Premier League while Wilkinson was dealt with in-house and reprimanded. Follow Us on Twitter Friend Us on Facebook iPhone App - Get It Now
But Pulis must still be wondering what will come next. His players have made putting noses out of joint an art form since promotion but it would appear that core values of organisation, team spirit and, admittedly, a physical abrasive approach are now outmoded in the land of cash and controversy.

The Stoke manager has revamped his squad significantly over the years, recruiting exciting 'flair' players such as Matty Etherington, Eidur Gudjohnsen, Jermaine Pennant and Tuncay.

But the general perception of Stoke still remains the long throw of Rory Delap and a back four that wouldn't look out of place on the astroturf of the NFL.

The snobbery appears to have reached the international stage too. Ryan Shawcross is rated the best young English centre half in the country by none other than Arsenal legend Tony Adams but is well behind Phil Jagielka, Joleon Lescott and Gary Cahill in the pecking order.

Etherington has conceded his hopes of international recognition are over at the age of 28. But if Kevin Davies - at five years senior - can sneak into a squad, why not Etherington? His form last season in particular deserved to be recognised.

I'm not a Stoke 'fan'. But I have got huge admiration for the way Stoke have established a foothold in the Premier League. Murphy's comments about how Stoke are always "pumped up" is one of the reasons why they have never looked like relegation fodder.

Admittedly, they do step over the line at times, but Wenger's teams were hardly shrinking violets when they contained the likes of Patrick Vieira and Emmanuel Petit.

The time has come for Stoke to be cut a bit of slack. Quite simply, the fact they receive so much criticism is proof that they are viewed as an irritant - and that's probably Pulis's biggest achievement yet.

[AlFayedsChequebook]

sorry, he lost me at Murphy's 'misguided' comments.

[MikeR]

Right - "Wilkinson was dealt with in-house and reprimanded." Let me get this straight. Two Stoke defenders who had been riding pine (Wilkinson and Higginbotham) get pitch time in a Carling Cup match with Fulham. One of them scores a goal and the other plays the thug. Now try to guess which one is given a regular place in the starting XI. Pulis knew exactly what he was looking for in a defender to grant a starting place to, and he found it. Case closed.

[Burt]

No

[Vinnieffc]

Thought long and hard about this. No.

[WhiteJC]

its simple, don't play like thugs and you won't be called thugs. It may take a while but thats Stoke's fault for being thugs not mine for thinking of them as such.

After they've been playing football and not thugball for a few seasons I probably will forget, or blame the thuggish players and not the team, until then  :red:

[Nick the Swede]

It is a no-brainer! NO!!!

[TonyGilroy]

Thought long and hard about this. No.

I didn't but came to the same conclusion.

[RidgeRider]

Thought long and hard about this. No.

I didn't but came to the same conclusion.

Mr. Gilroy is in rare form today. that made me laugh. Thanks.

[SmithyFFC]

Time To Cut Stoke Some Slack?

In a word: No.

[bigalffc]

never, never, never and that goes for their moronic supporters too :red:

[Rambling_Syd_Rumpo]

Stoke fans rate as high as Millwall for me-NO :046: :red: :red: :red: :dft007: :dft007: :dft007: