‘We are better than mid-table. We have dropped points we shouldn’t have...’
STEVEN Fletcher and Harry Souttar were the latest Stoke City players to answer fans’ questions online this week.
PETER SMITH reports on what they said...
AS PLAYERS AT OPPOSITE ENDS OF THEIR CAREERS, HOW DOES YOUR EXPERIENCES OF COMING THROUGH THE YOUTH SYSTEMS COMPARE TO EACH OTHER? Fletcher:
I think the youth system at Stoke, if you’re coming through there you’re spoiled! It’s a great training ground. When I was younger I used to get changed at the stadium and get in a minibus to find a free pitch.
I was playing for Hibs as a youth so we were looking for any way around Edinburgh to train. It’s a bit different to what the young lads get now.
Souttar: I did two-year apprenticeship at Dundee United under Dave Bowman and Stevie Campbell and when I moved to Stoke I couldn’t believe how different it was. No cleaning boots, no cleaning mini buses anymore!
Cleaning the bus was my job for a whole year. Me and one of the other boys had to make sure the bus was clean and spotless every day after training. When I moved down here, I couldn’t believe it.
I’d say I had it easier than Fletch. I listen to some of the stories from the older guys and what they had to deal with when they were coming through and I’m glad I came through when I did.
DO YOU HAVE PLANS TO BE WITH STOKE NEXT SEASON? Fletcher:
Yes, I have another year left on my contract next season so I’m really looking forward to it and what’s getting built now with the gaffer.
I think everyone can see when he first came in, his job was to keep the club up. We were in a bit of a bad way after coming down from the Premier League. He managed to do that and now he’s building for the future and I’m hoping I can be part of that.
Do you want to sign a contract extension?
Fletcher: I’d love to stay here as long as I can... as long as the gaffer still wants me.
IS IT EASY OR HARDER NOT PLAYING IN FRONT OF A CROWD? Fletcher:
I think when it first happened it was difficult. We’re not used to it. I probably hadn’t played without a crowd since a reserve game when I was 16 or 17.
We’ve got kind of used to it but we obviously can’t wait to have everyone back in. You do get used to it and it’s your job to go out and do it regardless of whether there are fans there or not.
We’ve got used to being able to hear the gaffer screaming at you. Souttar: I can’t wait for fans to get back because I’ve not experienced playing in front of home fans yet. It’s my first season playing for the club. Previous to this I’d only played in away cup ties so I’m desperate for fans to come back in.
Every footballer will say the same. It’s gone on a long time. There was a period when some clubs were allowed fans back but we weren’t so it’s going to be a good day when it happens - and hopefully it helps give us something we’ve been missing in the last 10 minutes of games.
APART FROM NO FANS, WHAT’S THE BIGGEST IMPACT OF COVID ON YOUR EXPERIENCE OF PLAYING FOR STOKE?
Fletcher: happened we didn’t know what was going on when the season was stopped and we weren’t allowed to train. It was the unknown. We never had a structure.
As players we normally get up and know exactly what we’re going to do. Everything is at a certain time. When Covid happened we were training in little groups of four and we weren’t seeing some of your teammates for two or three months. It was hard to feel a togetherness.
That was at Sheffield Wednesday, by the time I got to Stoke we were allowed to train together. Souttar: I’d agree with Fletch. When I was on loan last year we didn’t know if we were going to make the play-offs with the average points per games or whatever. We had to stay fit and ready for when they made the decision.
It was a real case of the unknown and training in fours and fives when you had a play-off game in three weeks.
Looking back, it’s probably made everyone realise how lucky we are to do the job we’re doing and to cherish doing it.
WHAT EX-STOKE CENTRE HALF WOULD YOU MOST WANT TO PLAY ALONGSIDE? Souttar:
I’d say Ryan. When I signed for the club I was only 17 and I only got to play one game with him; the Leicester game when we got beat 4-0 in the cup. I’d like to have played a few more games with Ryan before he went to America, where I wish him all the best.
Everyone who knows Ryan will know he’ll have been in a good mood after that loss.
WHAT’S THE BETTER DUO: FLETCHER AND CAMPBELL OR FLETCHER AND POWELL? Fletcher:
Great question. I’ll have to say Powell if only because I didn’t get a great chance to play a lot with Tye before he got his injury, which was disappointing for
I think when it first
him and all of us. I’m looking forward to him getting back because he’s a great young talent.
To be fair, Tye did set a lot of my goals up. Powelly not so!
But I’ll say Powelly because we have a great understanding and link up well but I hope Tye can come in next season and change that.
Nick is very intelligent on the field. He picks up the ball in spaces, pockets that are so difficult for a centre-back to step out and tackle him. If they do that it leaves a gap for me. He’s good to play with.
DO YOU PREFER PLAYING WITH A BACK THREE OR A BACK FOUR? HOW MUCH OF A MISS HAS NATHAN COLLINS BEEN?
Souttar: I don’t mind either but I think playing in a three, especially being the middle one, if the team is playing two up front, you probably get more of the ball to start the game.
If a team has one up front, it’s the two outer centre-halves who step up a bit more.
Collo is versatile. He’s played right-back, right centre-half and in the middle of a three. He’s a great young player and he’s one we miss because I think everyone can see the talent he’s got and how mature he is for such a young lad.
I think the age thing is a good thing that we get on, we’ve got a lot in common. We’ve played a few games together in the 23s and used to train together every day. We know each other well.
He played out of position at right-back because that’s what the team needed but he’s done so well there and you can see his talent on the ball when he goes forward. It’s such a shame that he had the injury he had because he was having such a good season.
He’ll be back next year along with the others that are injured and hopefully we can kickstart next season and do really well.
WHAT’S THE HIGHLIGHT OF YOUR CAREER SO FAR? Souttar:
It’s got to be my debut for Australia in 2019. We didn’t play any games last year because of Covid. It meant a lot to me and a lot to my family, especially my mum. That definitely sticks out. Fletcher: I think it was probably winning the League Cup with Hibs at such a young age.
I probably took it for granted, thinking I was going to go on and win a load of trophies in my career. Sadly that never happened. For how dominant Rangers and Celtic were in that era, it’s probably that.
IS A MID-TABLE FINISH ABOUT RIGHT FOR STOKE THIS SEASON?
Souttar: I think if you look at the start of the season and the position we were in, I’d say no because we were up there after 20 games... but you don’t win anything after 20 games.
I think everyone knows injuries have killed us. That’s not an excuse because we still have a really strong squad.
If you look at us last season and me and Fletch weren’t here
- it is progress. There’s a lot of new faces here and it’s the first time we’ve all played together.
Next season you’ll see a lot of the hard work that’s gone on, patterns and playing structure and that should help us. Fletcher: I spoke to the gaffer before I came and he told me how he wanted things to go. You can see that Stoke have had a hard few seasons so it was always going to be difficult.
I think we’re better than mid-table. I think we’ve dropped a few points we shouldn’t. We’re not going to pretend that we’ve done amazing but we’re building something here.
The results haven’t gone our way in the last few games but we are playing the way we want to play.
Soutts has said about injuries and we’re probably playing players out of position.
It’s not finding excuses but I think when we get our full squad back and playing, we’ve been working on how we want to play and hopefully fans will see that when they come back. We’re trying to perfect that in training and take it into games.
Hopefully we can go even better next season.
CAN STOKE WIN PROMOTION NEXT SEASON? Fletcher:
I think every season, even the start of this one, it is everyone’s aspiration. We have to carry on working hard.
If we can add a few more faces and get injured players back fit, there is no reason why, with the quality we’ve got in the squad, we can’t be pushing on and doing a lot better than we have this season.
The lads have been brilliant here. I’ve never seen such a large number of lads with such talent. At some clubs you could pick three or four but here there is such a large number that the gaffer could pick straight away and they wouldn’t look out of place.
It’s a credit to the youth set up and a credit to the recruitment in what they’ve done.
Souttar: I signed for the club at 17 always believing I could play for the first team.
It’s taken more years than I would like but it’s been hard work, three different loans to two different clubs trying to get as much game time as I could.
With the squad we’ve got now and young players, I think there’s a really good balance between young and old. The older players are really good with us young boys.
They’re there to ask for advice, really approachable for things that you might not want to say in front of the group. You can pull them and have a really honest conversation. It’s a good group as a whole and we’re moving in the right direction.
WHO’S YOUR PLAYER OF THE
SEASON? Souttar: It’s a tough one to be fair. The closest to one player to stand out for the whole season has been Nick Powell but we’ve had players who have done it in shorter spells.
I look at Joe Bursik when he came in, I thought he was excellent, Tyrese before he got injured, Collo before he got injured, Fletch before he had his little injury.
There are a number of guys you can pick but I think Powell over the course of the season. Fletcher: I think the big man is being a bit modest there. I think Powelly, yeah of course, has been excellent but I think Soutts has been outstanding at the back this season. He’s my stand out.
The performances he’s put in at such a young age, in his first season, I think he’s been outstanding. He’d be my pick all day long.
Souttar: What a guy. Am I blushing? No it’s the background. That’s the first compliment I’ve had all season!
Fletcher: It’s because I want him in the gym with me. I try to pull him in the gym every day.
Souttar: He tries to get me in to work on my upper body but look at the size of him, he doesn’t even fit on the screen!
He’s too strong for me. There are a couple of big guys in that gym.
Fletcher: I’ve seen a few off. He’s not the first to come in and leave again.
WHO IS YOUR BEST STRIKE PARTNER, BEST ALL ROUND PLAYER AND FAVOURITE TEAM YOU’VE PLAYED FOR? Fletcher: Best striking partner probably Gary Hooper. I had a great understanding with him when I was at Sheffield Wednesday. We complemented each other’s games.
The best all-round player is Barry Bannan. He’s still doing it now. I know Wednesday are struggling but he’s their best player. He’s getting a lot of headlines for how well he’s doing now but he’s done it through his career.
It took him a while to find a home but he found it at Sheffield Wednesday and they reaped the benefits until this season.
The favourite team I’ve played for is obviously Stoke. I had the pleasure of playing for Marseille too which was a great experience. I never thought I’d go and have a chance to play for Marseille. I thought it was a wind up but I got the chance for six months and really enjoyed it.
They are a noisy bunch. The new stadium is apparently the same material they use for drums. When they shout and scream it bounces off the stadium to make it 10 times louder. My first game was PSG at home and you can imagine the atmosphere because I don’t think they like each other too much.