Stoke City have experienced relative success as a football club over the past several years. Under Tony Pulis they have become an established Premier League group, and in doing this have arrived at rely on an criticized, but generally efficient design of play. The Britannia Stadium is becoming some thing of a fortress in their time in the top flight with the home fans building a mad, often gladiatorial-style atmosphere, and each of the leagueas elite factors came to see their visit together of the hardest absent fixtures of a league season. The criticism has been for a direct and largely physical playing style, sometimes unfairly regarded as merely bullying the opposition into submission. This has been rebuffed quite effectively by Pulis as the club have been led by him to standard mid-table finishes in the Premier League, and an initial actually FA Cup final in 2010-11. He has indeed been seen to be wanting to drive his side to a more ownership focused type of play in recent months, through the signings of many smaller in size ball-playing opponents such as Matthew Etherington, Jermaine Pennant and Charlie Adam. Though the move in enjoying fashion has been far from smooth and more frequently than perhaps not the team have came back to the long-ball, physical strategies that they have become associated with under Pulis. Until as results have legitimized the strategy the current campaign, the playing style has gone mainly unopposed by the home supporters. However the club head into their ultimate six games of the 2012/13 time having won only once within their past 13 matches, and hovering three points above the relegation roles. For the first time since their go back to the leading flight in 2008, the club face the real likelihood of losing their place between the elite. The Britannia audience remains expressive, and their support of the team has seldom faltered. But there is no doubt the stadium holds less fear and violence for the weight than in past times. Following their latest defeat, at home to fellow relegation individuals Aston Villa at the weekend, the final whistle was satisfied with a of boos, and the director cut a remote figure on the touchline. Pulis continues to stay good and has called for character from his people for the run-in to the season. However their scenario creates a weightier question; with the modern game establishing around them towards a far more free-flowing, control and passing concentrated style of play, epitomised by the emergence of Swansea and Southampton amongst others, could be the Stoke City, Tony Pulis way not just out of style, but out of time?
No comments:
Post a Comment