Stoke City - A bunch of no talent players or a well organised team playing to their strengths?

Football, like the world, works quite simply, in business terms. Money equals power. Power equals success. (Or at least a better chance of it.)

When clubs like Manchester United or Chelsea go out and spend millions of pounds on players, it’s because they can. But what about the clubs that can not compete with those clubs?

Stoke City get unfairly criticised for playing the way they do, yet have had an outstanding couple of years. Getting into the Europa League may be seen as more of a hindrance for some clubs (surprisingly, the clubs that can go out and flex their financial muscles), but Stoke City are having the time of their lives.

Rival managers and students of ‘The Beautiful Game’, argue that Stoke are too aggressive, too direct and boring. However, isn’t it exciting to watch the pampered stars of today get involved in a real stiff test at the Britannia Stadium? Stoke have created themselves quite a reputation at their home ground. So much so that managers of the bigger clubs look at that particular fixture with a little bit of trepidation .

Stoke City can not attract or afford the types of players that Manchester City or Arsenal pursue so why do we criticise their style of play? If Stoke go out and try to play like Manchester City or Tottenham Hotspur they will get beat out of sight, hands down. What they do so well is they play to their strengths. Buying Peter Crouch to create havoc during their long throw strategy is an acute piece of management. Tony Pulis has the tactical awareness of using set pieces to create goal scoring opportunities and is applying the best methods he sees fit to do so.

There is no rule against throwing the ball long into the penalty area. It can be quite humorous, at times, to see well paid defenders and goalkeepers flapping around their penalty area trying to clear the ball to safety as if it’s an object they have never seen before in their lives. Why are these players unable to cope with long throws, but have no problem with corners? Mystery?

Fine, Stoke don’t play with the champagne football of Real Madrid or the tiki-takka of the famous Catalan side, Barcelona, but what they are doing is effective and successful for them. So lets just give credit where it’s due and allow teams to play football which best suits them without the fear of being crucified for doing so.

Pulis for England. (Okay, maybe not but I think I have made my point)

Kam Gill

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Comments

[TheAngryFerret]

Not a truer word wrote anywhere else. the funny thing is 10/15 years ago the way stoke play was known as English football. Just because all the top clubs are spending money trying to replicate there european counterparts these days, doesnt make Stoke wrong for sticking at what they're good at.

[Stoke_Oracle]

There all some basic players I agree. EG Delap, Whelan, Whitehead. But there are some layers that would grace any team. Huth, Pennant Etherington, Palacios, Crouch, Fuller(when fit) to name but a few..... It,s only Pulis that isrectricting them with his defensive tactics. So I think "no talent players2 is a stupid comment !

[Kam Gill]

@ TheAngryFerret

Yes, I remember those days. A big centre forward, grit and determination. I believe the change came about after english clubs were allowed back into europe in the early 90's.

[Kam Gill]

@ Stoke_Oracle

I wasn't saying that they are a bunch of no talent footballers. I was trying to state that is how some people see them.

However, the players you have mentioned all were at one or two of the 'bigger clubs' (with the exception of Fuller).

Huth - was at Chelsea.
Pennant - Arsenal and Liverpool.
Etherington , Palacios, - were at Spurs.
Crouch - was at Liverpool and Spurs.

I personally rate all of the above players. But they have now been discarded by the clubs they once played for so I don't know if they would grace 'any' team today.

Whatever the reason, they are doing well at Stoke. So get my respect.