‘Midfield is where matches are won and lost. We could do with a Whelan-type player in there...’
THE international break gives our Stoke City fans’ panel to assess the season so far.
ANT BUNN, from Endon; ADRIAN BUTTERS, from Stone; JON OWEN, from Seabridge; and JAMES KNOWLES, from Fenton share their views...
HOW DO YOU ASSESS THE
SEASON SO FAR?
Ant Bunn: So far, so good. The last six months of last season petered out into a non-event and I think a few were worried that this season would be similar.
But it’s been an entertaining campaign so far, and it definitely looks as though we have tinkered with the way we play and how we set up.
To go into mid-november in the play-off places is excellent, but that’s not to say we don’t have the squad to do that.
We do, but managers before Michael O’neill have failed in getting us anywhere near where we wanted to be, and with a considerable amount of money at their disposal, too.
The international breaks have done us no favours at all. They killed our momentum last time, and now we’ve lost probably the best defender in the league for some time.
But it’s a squad game and I’m sure that will open the door for another player or two.
My main concern is that Harry Souttar is key to how we play – do we have anyone else who can play it out from the back as well as the big man, and is there anyone who can defend as well as he does?
Our midfield looks unbalanced at times, but Jordan Thompson gives us a better balance.
I’m a big fan of Romaine Sawyers and also Mario Vrancic, but can we play both together? It’s a conundrum that the manager needs to get right – perhaps horses for courses for when we play the top and bottom-half teams?
Adrian Butters: In the play-off spots a third of the way through
the season is probably as good as we could have hoped for.
Fulham gave us a hammering early on and Bournemouth were far and away the best side to come to the bet365. I think the other 22 are playing for third and below.
It’s a crazy league and you could almost say the least poor side after those two will finish third.
We did have some momentum at the start of October, but the results after that showed that we are in a group of a dozen teams that in all probability won’t go down and with a strong finish could end up in the play-offs.
Jon Owen: Definitely ahead of where I thought we’d be. I’ll hold my hands up and admit I was worried after the second-half
Cardiff capitulation, but we did a great job winning back-to-back away matches last week and it was much needed.
In August, I’d have been happy being a real play-off challenger,
making real progress from last season’s mid-table finish.
So, it’s nice to be actually sitting in the play-off places during this international break. I think we’ve thrown something like 12 points away from winning positions too, so we could have been higher. James Knowles: On the whole, very encouraging. The recent wobble has been stabilised thanks to excellent back-to-back wins and, whisper it quietly, in the long run the throwing away of a three-goal lead against Cardiff could be just what our season needed.
We’ve jolted back into action and resilient ‘Stoke-like’ performances have culminated in six points on the road.
Some of our early season displays were beautiful on the eye and we’ve proven we can mix it with the best. Play-offs should be our target.
WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR HIGHLIGHT TO DATE? Ant Bunn:
The performance against West Brom was as dominant as you get in this league.
The 1-0 scoreline absolutely flattered a Baggies team that were played off the park.
The style of football, the passion, the game management… but above all the tempo we played at – it was so impressive.
I also thought we were brilliant at Swansea too, and at times we’ve played some cracking football this season.
But after the Cardiff debacle, it was great to see two consecutive 1-0 gritty away wins, too. Those are the results and performances that Lou Macari’s team often dug out in 92/93.
Adrian Butters: There have been a few, obviously West Brom at home was a throwback to the days when we beat them for fun.
The first game of the season v Reading was great too, both in terms of being back at matches and the entertainment served up.
There have been some decent away performances too, Preston and 80 minutes v Sheffield Utd as well as the more gritty ones in the last 10 days.
Jon Owen: The West Brom home game was fantastic, a cold autumn night under the lights - playing your unbeaten local rivals and putting on a great performance.
I don’t think any of us envisaged the poor run which was to follow after this game, however.
James Knowles: West Brom at home. We dominated from the first whistle to last, the atmos
phere was electric and a late goal was the cherry on top of the icing.
Aside from scoring more goals, it was the perfect performance.
WHICH PLAYER HAS IMPRESSED YOU THE MOST? Ant Bunn: Harry Souttar by a considerable distance, but a big shout out to Jacob Brown and Steven Fletcher up front, and also our two wing-backs.
Souttar has been immense for us, and how good he is was shown when we all noticed a little drop in form recently.
He’s everything you want in a modern-day defender: wins his one-on-one battles, defends the high ball, but is more than comfortable on the ball.
Brown has come on leaps and bounds, while I said when we signed him that Fletch is the striker we needed as soon as we were relegated.
Our two wing-backs have had good seasons too so far, and are an excellent source of crosses for the front two.
Adrian Butters: Romaine Sawyers is a class apart when he gets into space and if we can find a disciplined structure that means he can get into those pockets between their midfield and defence to link up with a fit again Powell, we could almost guarantee a play-off berth.
The most improved is undoubtedly Jacob Brown, whose link up play has come on immeasurably to where it was and he is also scoring goals of all sorts. He’s got a chance now, whereas last year I wondered if he was really up to the standard.
Jon Owen: I can’t pick between three players, so I’m going to choose all of them! Harry Souttar, Tommy Smith and Jacob Brown have been our real stand-out performers so far and when they haven’t played, you’ve really noticed their absence.
James Knowles: Nick Powell is a class above but the improvement of Jacob Brown has been really pleasing.
He’s been described as a sponge for taking in information and you can see that on the pitch - he’s a totally different player to last season and it’s great to see him rewarded with an international call-up.
WHAT AREAS OF THE TEAM NEED TO BE LOOKED AT IN THE JANUARY TRANSFER WINDOW? Ant Bunn: As I type this we don’t know how bad Harry’s injury is in yet, so that may be one area where we look as we don’t have another defender who does what he does.
I also think that he may look at the full-back positions if he wants to go 4-4-2 or 4-2-3-1.
But for me, matches are won and lost in midfield, and we need a Whelan-type in there just to do the dirty stuff that often goes unnoticed. Perhaps Thompson can be that player?
Adrian Butters: If we are going to play 3-5-2 then the wing-backs have to be the quickest players in the side and if not then certainly the fittest.
On the whole the current two play in the middle third of the pitch and don’t really get forward far enough and often enough.
Tymon occasionally gets behind his opponent but Smith, for me, has been a problem to our right-hand side defensively through poor positioning and not beaten his man in attacking play either.
If he’s quicker it creates space for our midfield and attack as well as protecting the back three. Five of the eight goals we conceded in October were very similar.
Jon Owen: I think a defensive midfielder. It does feel like our midfield struggles when teams start putting their foot in, and we haven’t won the midfield battle enough in games this season.
A midfield general, who can sit in front of the defence - Glenn Whelan like - would be perfect. James Knowles: Central midfield.
A true holder in midfield would be ideal to solidify the spine.
YOUR THOUGHTS ON TONY SCHOLES’ DEPARTURE AND THE IMPACT HE HAS HAD AT STOKE? Ant Bunn:
Anyone who has been in his role as long as he has will divide opinion, but it also shows that Peter Coates has the utmost faith in Tony Scholes.
We don’t get to see what he does on a daily basis or over a longer period, but he’s been there through some amazing times but also some pretty awful times, too.
On the one hand a decade of Premier league football, Wembley and Europe… and on the other relegation, poor recruitment and long contracts etc. What role he played in either, we don’t know. Adrian Butters: He’s a bloke who’s got a job that everyone thinks they can do better, similar to the Prime Minister and the local pub landlord.
Look back to 2004 and if we’d said the next chief executive (remember a certain Mr Moxey was not too long departed) would see us in the Premier League for 10 of the next 17 years, at Wembley in our first FA Cup final and in Europe, we’d have wanted him knighted there and then, not his head on a spike as some would appear to want now.
Just how much of the poor recruitment from 2016 to 2019 is down to him is unknown, but if it is he should get credit for the good work he did too.
Jon Owen: There’s been some good and some bad. The good would include keeping season ticket prices low, our community work, free away travel and the training ground development. Plus, there will have been good work which went unnoticed.
However, as the chief executive, he’s presided over three or four years of failure on the pitch where it matters most.
It’d be harsh to lay the blame solely at his door, but he’s been part of the team which has seen us go from Premier League mainstays to a mid-table Championship side, poor managerial appointments, undeservedly giving players long contracts, and there’s always been a feeling we’ve not moved with the times. James Knowles: Scholes oversaw the most successful period of time in our history and from a supporters’ perspective has been instrumental in the freezing of season ticket prices and free away travel.
For that, we must be incredibly grateful. The last few years haven’t been as great and the hiring of certain managers could have been better, as could the use of transfer funds.
Off the pitch, there are areas where we are lagging behind clubs at lower levels than ourselves and hopefully his replacement will be able to address some of these issues moving forwards.