Stoke to Stay Up!

Stoke City won a must-win game against Middlesboro today, winning 1-0 and taking them 3 points clear. Here's a list of their remaining fixtures: (in brackets I have put their league position as of writing. Newcastle play Arsenal tonight:

Saturday, 04 April 2009

Barclays Premier League

West Brom (20th) v Stoke, 15:00

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Saturday, 11 April 2009

Barclays Premier League

Stoke v Newcastle (18th), 15:00

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Saturday, 18 April 2009

Barclays Premier League

Stoke v Blackburn (17th), 15:00

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Saturday, 25 April 2009

Barclays Premier League

Fulham (8th) v Stoke, 15:00

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Saturday, 02 May 2009

Barclays Premier League

Stoke v West Ham (7th), 15:00

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Saturday, 09 May 2009

Barclays Premier League

Hull (13th) v Stoke, 15:00

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Saturday, 16 May 2009

Barclays Premier League

Stoke v Wigan (9th), 15:00

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Sunday, 24 May 2009

Barclays Premier League

Arsenal (4th) v Stoke, 16:00

Barclays Premier League : Table 21 Mar 17:01

			| Home					| Away
	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	W	D	L	F	A	GD	PTS
1	Man Utd	29	12	1	1	31	9	8	4	3	18	9	31	65
2	Chelsea	29	8	5	2	24	8	10	2	2	25	8	33	61
3	Liverpool	29	8	6	0	22	8	9	4	2	27	13	28	61
4	Arsenal	29	8	5	2	22	11	6	5	3	23	15	19	52
5	Aston Villa	29	5	7	3	21	17	10	0	4	22	14	12	52
6	Everton	30	6	5	4	23	17	7	4	4	17	14	9	48
7	West Ham	30	7	2	6	19	17	4	6	5	16	18	0	41
8	Fulham	30	9	3	3	24	12	1	7	7	6	14	4	40
9	Wigan	29	6	4	4	13	12	4	4	7	16	16	1	38
10	Man City	29	9	0	5	30	12	1	5	9	15	25	8	35
11	Tottenham	29	5	5	4	15	9	4	3	8	20	25	1	35
12	Bolton	30	6	2	7	15	18	4	2	9	17	26	-12	34
13	Hull	29	3	4	8	16	30	5	5	4	19	21	-16	33
14	Sunderland	29	5	3	7	17	18	3	5	6	12	20	-9	32
15	Portsmouth	29	6	2	7	20	23	2	6	6	12	23	-14	32
16	Stoke	30	8	4	3	18	13	0	4	11	11	34	-18	32
17	Blackburn	30	3	6	6	16	22	4	4	7	17	27	-16	31
18	Newcastle	29	4	6	4	20	22	2	5	8	15	24	-11	29
19	Middlesbrough	30	4	7	4	13	16	2	2	11	8	26	-21	27
20	West Brom	30	5	3	7	20	28	1	3	11	6	27	-29	24

Of the remaining 8 or 9 games left in the season, it appears that any team below 35 points could get suckered in and be facing relegation.

Stoke are soon to face West Brom, Newcastle and then Blackburn - win all 3 and they should stay up. You wouldn't bet against it. West Brom drew today 1-1 with Bolton and you could just see on the looks of the players at the final whistle that they have consigned themselves to relegation.

Middlesbrough, having lost at Stoke are on a downward spiral as of late and their remaining games include Villa, Manchester United and Arsenal - so they look certain for relegation now too.

All leaves that magical 3rd spot. Who is it going to be? Too close to call perhaps but I'm going to put my neck on the line and nominate 3 teams - Newcastle, Hull and Blackburn to be fighting on the last day. And the one to go down? Hull.

At the other end, United lost a shocking 2-0 to Fulham (away) today with Rooney and Scholes both sent off - now along with Nemandja Vidic facing suspension. They more than have the squad to cope you would feel but they seem to be cracking under pressure. A big big game next against Villa which could turn the title on it's head.

Villa could, as I predicted have a real say in the title race this season

Go on, have a flutter

Manchester United are odds-on favourites to win today against Liverpool.

The odds on Liverpool though, obviously not so favourable but a fancible flutter nonetheless. So I've gone for it.

Liverpool to win 2-1, for me. Could I be right...?

Let's hope so.

Match Report - Port Vale v Luton Town, 28/02/09

Picture (Free Kick Leading to John McCombe goal, 1-0)

Port Vale 1 - 3 Luton Town

Bad defending and concentration just before half time drew the scores level and Luton had the impetus and momentum before romping to a 3-1 victory.

The game was marred by Vale fans demonstrations to get "Glover Out", and a defeat seemed inevitable after the first half hour once Luton's technical superiority shone through.

It was a deserved victory but symbolic of a sad state of affairs over both clubs: Vale - a club in shambles, lack of on-the-field competence who will only survive this season thanks to points deductions given to Bournemouth and Luton (a whopping 30 points for Luton). Luton deserve to stay up but this requires a miracle having just +5 points and seemingly resigned to non-league football. For Vale, this reality seems all too inevitable if Glover survives the season and through Christmas, come May 2010 Vale could be staring into the abyss.

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In other results, Liverpool have seemingly lost the title race with a shocking 2-0 defeat to Middlesborough, and in local football, Crewe romper to a 4th succesive win with a 4-0 win away to Brighton.

Tomorrow, Stoke face Aston Villa, who they beat early on in the season at the Britannia. In the reverse fixture it promises to be close but with Villa's form they should scrape through. Manchester United face Tottenham Hotspur in the Carling Cup final. A win for United and a quintuple on the cards? One wonders....


-- Post From My iPhone

By Gosling!: Transfer roundup and FA Cup

My namesake, Lucas saw himself sent off in tonight's derby game between Liverpool and Everton tonight as Liverpool lost 1-0 deep into extra time thanks to a Dan Gosling goal in the 118th minute. It wasn't the red card, I feel that changed the course of the match, as it was a scrappy, typical tackles go flying game. Rather, the substitution of Steven Gerrard 10 minutes into the first half due to a hamstring problem drew a standing ovation of the Evertonians and undoubtedly a lift to Everton to hold their own against an impotent Liverpool team. This was what characterized the game and ultimately befell Liverpool's exit. Not an indication of Liverpool as a one or two-trick pony (counting Torres), but rather an awesome display of Everton's teamwork ethic that consistently draws results - a kind of Moyesian punching above their weight.

In the end, neither side really deserved to win or lose and it was some great skill from ex Plymouth Argyle youngster (defender-cum-midfielder) Dan Gosling that danced around two Liverpool players with the ball at his feet at the 6 yard box to slot it past Pepe Reina. Brilliant goal and the lad is English. Are you watching Fabio Capello?

Liverpool failed to win because they failed to open up avenues too early enough - the introduction of Babel - so effective as a substitute as against Arsenal (one example) - did not come until late in extra-time - and in place of Torres. Surely oh surely Torres should have stayed on, Babel could have done most of the legwork for him? That is where I feel Liverpool fell short tonight.

But at the end of the day it is a great advertisement for the FA Cup and English football - one of the big four out - and who would bet against the winners of the 5th Round tie Everton vs. Aston Villa winning the cup? That is who my money is on, and that is the game of the round to watch for sure.

And perhaps now, Liverpool have one less competition to worry about, they can now give the League full focus and go for the title at full-pelt.

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A short transfer roundup, after the window closed on Monday. The biggest ones on deadline day included Robbie Keane back to Tottenham after 6 months. Have the Premier League decided to ignore the one-year transfer rule on players? I wonder...

And Andrei Arshavin, the comrade who destroyed the Dutch at Euro 2008 signed for Arsenal.

The interesting thing, I've noted is something I've touched on in pub conservations about Stoke City. A Typical Stoke criticism goes to the throw-ins, but also the large quantity of tall, strong, mainly, black players. A criticism on the basis that it is not representative of Stoke City at all.

In fact, with the signing of Henri Camara (Wolves Wanderers flop, signed from Wigan), is now the 6th Senegalese player playing for Stoke City:

Amdy Faye,
Abdoulaye Faye,
Mamade Sidibe,
Ibrahim Sonko,
Salif Diao,
Henri Camara.

Add that to two Jamaican players in the squad (Fuller & Demar Phillips in midfield) and two Nigerians - Seyi Olofinjana and Olufemi Oluyi (midfield).

In Stoke's defence, most of their players are either English or Irish rather than an African/black contingent that seems to be levelled at them. But with just a few more Senegalese players they could in theory be fielding the Senegalese national XI in the Premier League. They nearly added another Senegalese striker from RC Lens over Christmas, and I'm sure if Diouf wasn't such a prima-donna he'd have come to the Britannia.

Nothing really to say, not criticising it, it just amazes me that most of their players, though on first glance you might say were African - are actually more or less from the same country.

Other than that, it's been reported that Stephen Kelly from Birmingham City (right back) has been signed on loan until the end of the season.

A lot of Stoke fans seem to think that Andy Griffin is too slow - could this be the end of Griff's Premier League career? It seems a far cry from the days when I used to know him personally in his days as a Stoke youth - alongside Dean Crowe and Iain Nicolson, back in the days of "League One" Stoke!

How times change...

Aston Vanilla: Title chasers?

A football blog, for once. Thanks to Aston Villa beating Portsmouth 1-0 in their Premier League yesterday, (of which, I predicted & expected) - they now move up into 3rd in the Premier League table:

Barclays Premier League Table 27 January 2009

		P	GD	PTS
1	Man Utd	22	29	50
2	Liverpool	22	22	47
3	Aston Villa	23	14	47
4	Chelsea	22	29	45
5	Arsenal	22	13	41
6	Everton	22	4	36
7	Wigan	22	2	31
8	West Ham	22	-2	29
9	Hull	22	-13	27
10	Fulham	21	1	26
11	Sunderland	23	-8	26
12	Man City	21	9	25
13	Tottenham	23	-4	24
14	Portsmouth	22	-13	24
15	Bolton	22	-8	23
16	Newcastle	22	-9	23
17	Blackburn	21	-11	21
18	Middlesbrough	22	-15	21
19	Stoke	23	-18	21
20	West Brom	23	-22	21

Arsenal are due to play Everton midweek, so its fairly possible that with a draw Aston Villa could be looking for a lucrative UEFA Champions League spot. Coming up in February are some winnable games for 'Vanilla', until they meet Chelsea on the back end of the month.

Unthinkable, maybe, but if Arsenal fail to beat Everton and Aston Villa begin to keep winning, could a win over Chelsea transform the title race into an unexpected 3-legged horse race between Manchester United, Villa and Liverpool?

It is perhaps no suprise for some that Manchester United lead the Premier League table but Liverpool are in touching distance despite a recent slip in form. Villa could yet gatecrash the party and they face a dauting task that will ultimately decide their Premier League fate this season with Liverpool and United back-to-back away games in March/April. It's a little too early to specuilate maybe which is why no journalists seem to be giving any ideas that Villa could make a surge for the title.

I would not be too suprised if they did - I personally felt they would finish 5th this season ahead of Everton, despite Manchester City's riches (and look where they are!...). What is more probable though is that Villa could ultimately twist the title race or decide it - Especially as their game comes straight after the supposed "title decider" at Old Trafford between United and Liverpool. I don't think that will indeed be the title decider - United have Manchester City, Arsenal, Villa, and Everton to get through who could all trouble United.

I would hope that people start to sit up and take notice at the great work Martin O'Neill has done at Villa Park - even when my local side Stoke managed to beat them early on in the season. Football is indeed a funny game.

As for Stoke, there are just 4 games of the remaining 15 games that arguably they can expect to lose: the games against Villa, Manchester City (given their talent), Arsenal and Everton. Every other game Stoke could conceivably nick a point, and if they are lucky maybe 2 points out of these 4 as well. A point per game would leave Stoke with a finish of 38 points - below the 40-point benchmark of recent seasons to stay up. Given 8 of these are home games, and Stoke have won over half of their home games this season, Stoke could win 4 of these games but it still leaves them short. Even winning all of their remaining home games would probably only just see Stoke stay up. Out of 12 away games, Stoke are the only team other than Fulham yet to win away, and Stoke have a poorer record: just 3 points out of a possible 36 in away games so far.

Given Stoke's record over the season, we can expect them to get close to the 40 point mark but they are going to need to pick up points away. I, along with many saw Stoke as whipping boys this season but they've outshone the god-awful Billy Davies/Paul Jewell's Derby side and the Sunderland sides (twice!) of recent times.

Whatever Stoke's outcome, they can be proud of themselves.Like with Villa it is too early to really know what their outcome will be. Crucially, if Stoke can win a couple of away games then they are right in the thick of it and it's game on.

It's the best football season I can remember.