Premier League Nonsense

I remember them coming to Highbury in 1980. In the modern parlance they parked the bus. They got their just desserts that day against an average Arsenal side, eventually losing 2-0 though, perhaps tellingly, both goals came from defenders.

Their manager at the time, Alan Durban, was unrepentant. He was answerable to Stoke City Football Club and their fans. He wasn’t in the entertainment industry, ‘if people want entertainment they should go to the circus.’

Their present day manager, Tony Pulis, would no doubt heartly agree with that sentiment. Not for them the tippy tappy football so beloved of teams like World Champions Spain. Welly it forward as quickly as possible and hope someone picks up the second ball.

It certainly makes for an interesting contrast in styles when Stoke do come up against teams that play along the ground and like their possession.

Such tactics of course are widely derided by many in the game but to be fair to Pulis it has kept Stoke in the top flight for a number seasons after a near three decade gap. Stoke are never going to have the budget to attract big name players.

English football has fortunately moved in from the days of great lumps kicking great lumps out of leather and opponent if Stoke haven’t. However the local support seem to glory in giving the football purists the middle finger.

Stoking the flames ahead of Sunday’s clash, Pulis responded angrily to the abuse dished out by Stoke fans to the Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey.

In a feeble minded attempt at petty point scoring, Pulis said that Arsenal fans weren’t exactly angels. They abuse Shawcross too.

Pulis seems to have forgotten how his defender became public enemy number one in the red half of North London. It was a reckless challenge from Shawcross that broke the Welsh midfielder’s leg, leaving his football career in serious doubt.

So yes, there is a certain amount of ill feeling towards the former Manchester United defender.

Yet when Ramsey came on as a second half substitute, the home support showed their class by booing and jeering the player. The ugly side of football tribalism where a club’s badge is enough to cover up the sins of the game.

In their logic Ramsey is the villain. Maybe for allowing himself to get injured in the first place. Or because he recovered. Or because he wasn’t tough enough to withstand a good old fashioned Made in the North challenge. Ramsey entered the Brittania Stadium arena with the crowd baying for blood akin to a scene from Gladiator.

Stoke fans do seem to have a fascination for Arsenal and Arsene Wenger. There was a call for supporters yesterday to mock the Arsenal manager so we had the bizarre spectacle of hundreds of fans trying to get at Wenger by wearing, umm, Wenger face masks.

Stoke do have their place in the Premier League. With other recently promoted clubs like Wigan Athletic and Swansea City earning the plaudits for playing the game the ‘right way’, it is refreshing that the oldest team in the division, they celebrate their 150^th anniversary next year, should cling on to the old ways so doggedly.

Like I said, a funny bunch!