source: @ stokecityfc

Vik

Johnson Wilmot Graham

Junior McGlynn Soumare Galbraith Bombino

Junho Bozenik

I feel like a 352 gives us our best chance at finding the back of the net, & Junho playing up front with Bozenik (gulp) is my best guess.

Source: @ StokeCityFootballClub

And gosh dang George Freakin' Hirst is a massive waste of money. We keep having trouble finding the back of the net without hitting bangers.

1 point at home vs. a not-very-good Bristol City is a waste of 2 points.

@ stokecityfootballclub

Bristol City and Preston at home are followed by Blackburn and Portsmouth away in early November. That’s four games where we could really build momentum, but the two home fixtures feel like the foundation. If we don’t take points from those, the away trips become much tougher. I’d be delighted with 7-8 points from the four. How many would you target?

Keeping a clean sheet away from home deserves a lot of credit, especially when the opposition is pushing hard late on. Johansson made important saves to protect the lead against Derby, and that kind of reliability gives the whole defence confidence. We need more performances like this when games get tight.

He has the ability to make things happen in tight spaces, and Stoke should look to get him the ball where he can turn and attack defenders. If our build up becomes too predictable, a bit more creativity around the box could make the difference against Bristol City.

Graham was obviously the MOM. Hope Bocat is OK & not out a while. I believe we've made it to the point where Robins needs to whisper in Galbraith's ear just before the Bristol match, "Get a yellow card today." He's gonna get that 5th one some time. I'd very much prefer he sit the Preston game in 2 weeks if he has to sit one out.

Up the Potters!

home vs Bristol City & Preston North End

away vs. Blackburn Rovers & Portsmouth

A fit Stoke City should get 10 points, at least.

Am I too optimistic?

Congratulations, Sam! Let’s hope he can stay fit and score a few more! ⚽️

would also prefer if you list it on eBay

Losing 3–2 to Boro after fighting back twice was a tough one to take. Stoke showed plenty of character to get back into the game, but conceding in stoppage time made the defeat even more frustrating. I think there were positives in the response, but the team needs to be more clinical and defensively solid in these close games. What was the biggest problem against Middlesbrough?

We won't be seeing him anytime soon, he's just had knee surgery that's going to entail a long recovery period

I hate: Sunderland, Southampton, Sheffield United, Lincoln City, & Brentford.

Bunch of damn copy cats! Oughta be a law.

Did I leave anyone out?

Imho the lads played well against a very good Boro side. Unlucky not to come away with a point, on another day we could well have done. Still feel like we haven't got anybody in midfield to really control the tempo of a game, but the spirit is there, and a lot of the players are looking like proper footballers, which is more than can be said for a lot of the faces who have passed through I er the last couple of seasons.

Wilmot wasn't just scoring the match winning goal in the 62nd minute, he helped Stoke stay composed and resolute with 10 men for around 70 minutes. When we are under sustained away pressure, Wilmot’s leadership keeps the whole backline calm. For me, he is currently our most indispensable defender.

Cramp? Injury? Will we see him against Bolton Saturday or is he just due a break?

Rewatched the highlights over the break and still can’t stop smiling. Phillips curls one in from miles out, McGlynn smashes one back from 30 yards, then Gallagher comes off the bench and volleys the winner four minutes from time.

The flag stayed down when it looked offside, and if that had been us on the wrong end I’d be raging. But I’ll take it. Four wins from five and we’re 7th, which I wouldn’t have predicted a month ago.

Last season we were 2nd after 14 games and still finished 17th though, so I’m not getting excited yet.

Should Gallagher start now, or is he better as the lad we bring on late?

Hi guys

Does anyone have a spare for Saturday?

Bolton away, Middlesbrough at home, Derby away, Bristol City at home and Preston at home is a pretty serious block of Championship football.

I don't think we need to win all five, but this is where we'll find out whether the recent run is genuine. Personally, I'd be much happier coming out of this run with a few ugly points than playing brilliantly and ending up with very little to show for it.

How many points would you be happy with from those five?