Do The Stokey-Cokey, And Turn It Around

Will our powderpuff's be returning to next seasons Euro party?

With the unpleasantness in mainland Europe swept firmly under the carpet, it’s back to toiling in the ol’ premmers. It might not have the shimmer of a European adventure against sexy opposition in tight shirts (what?) but it’s what the big boys prioritise at the beginning of every season, and holds the same Euro-gravitas for the likes of Wigan, Blackpool, and Saturday’s sluggers, Stoke City. Let us not forget that rubbing shoulders with our kind is victory in itself for clubs relying on good ol’ fashioned gumption and doggedness to get by. Two qualities we need to locate. Now.

Stoke aren’t the most palatable opposition at this juncture to try and get a result from. Sort of like being desperate for a nice dinner but being served up a horrible lump of gristle (McDonalds). I’ll take it, but I won’t enjoy it. Top scorer Jonathan Walters (9) is exactly the kind of forward we generally hate; grizzly, determined, aggressive, direct, and his goal against chelski last week shows he’s got a bit of quality to throw into the mix. He worries me. 2^nd in the list of Stokes top baggers is Huth (8) which tells you all you need to know about how important Dawson, and probably Crouch, will be when defending our sticks. Nothing else I could talk about in terms of Stoke tactics will be news to anybody, so I’ll stop there.

I could just copy and paste the conclusion from yesterdays post, but I’d prefer to repeat myself if it’s all the same. Forget next Wednesday. The league now represents our best chance of a return to the top table where we’ve had some jolly adventures this year, and I for one wouldn’t be averse to giving it another go. No ‘he might be alright for Madrid if he’s given the weekend off’ nonsense please Harold. Get all the able bodied troops out on the pitch for Saturday and let Wednesday nights exhibition take care of itself. Play every minute as if it’s our last, because next years European hopes may just depend upon it.

Positive stuff in the shape of Stoke losing each of their last 6 away games. That’s tempered by us having not found the back of the net in 6 months (or something) however. Let’s be bullish and go for a 2-1 win.