Hoefkens on Stoke

[Deleted]

Sorry if been posted

Hoefkens issues Stoke alert

Stoke old boy Carl Hoefkens today warned Albion to expect their hardest test yet when the sides clash tomorrow – and insisted the Potters are better than Watford.

Hoefkens is poised to return to the Baggies back four to make his first return to the Britannia Stadium since his summer transfer to The Hawthorns. And the Belgian international has braced his team-mates for the biggest physical examination of the season after they overcame the direct approach of both Watford and Plymouth on their travels.

“Stoke are the best in the league by a mile at what they do,” said Hoefkens, who has missed the last two matches with a hamstring injury.

“I think they are even better than Watford at what they do. It will be a very hard game. They will be in our faces so it will be tough.

“We really enjoyed playing Watford and Plymouth away and they are quite physical sides.”

[FullerMagic]

Hoefkens: Albion prepared for physical battle at Stoke
Dec 21 2007



By Chris Lepkowski, Birmingham Mail


CARL Hoefkens believes Stoke's 'Little Man syndrome' will make the Britannia Stadium an unwelcoming arena for Albion tomorrow.

The Belgian international makes his first return to the Potteries since his £750,000 move to The Hawthorns during the summer.

He has fond memories of his spell at Stoke, which saw him scoop the player-of-the-season award in his first year at the club.

The 29-year-old, who made 96 appearances for Stoke, clearly knows what to expect from a Tony Pulis' side who are noted for their direct and physical approach.

And he feels the culture of the club, coupled with Britannia Stadium's remote location, will make tomorrow's game an uncomfortable affair if table-topping Albion fail to hit the ground running.

"It is a totally different style of football but anything can effect the game on Saturday, especially if you're not mentally prepared for it," said Hoefkens.


"It is the coldest ground in the world - it's unbelievable.


"And the fans are going to back them for what is one of the biggest games of the year.


"They have done very well and they now have the chance to play the team who are at the top of the table.


"It's going to be a very hard game and the players over there will really go for it.


"They all think everyone sees them as a small side and they have a bit of a 'little man syndrome'.


"It's up to us to cope with it, especially physically."


Hoefkens is relieved to be fit, after missing two games with a hamstring problem.


"I have never had injuries before so I didn¹t really know what it was," he added.


"It kept going for a while because I felt it for the first time at Plymouth away and then against Coventry at home it got worse and I had to admit to myself that I needed a rest.


"I rested for two weeks and I am back fit now."

[Stick It On Cort's Head]

HOEFKINS IS A WANKER, HOEFKINS IS A WANKER NA NA NA NA NA

[Funky]

Haven't looked forward to a game like this in a long while, go arn Stoke.

[pottersfan]

Have you seen the prices for tomorrow!! ouchie!!

[FullerMagic]

To be fair, I don't think there's much you can really disagree with from Hoefkens. He's not really dissing us at all, just speaking some common sense.




Hoefkens braced for tough return


It is just four months since Carl Hoefkens left Stoke.

But Albion’s right-back will return to his old club tomorrow expecting almost everything to have changed.

Different players, different style, loftier ambitions – only his friends in the stands will be familiar to the Baggies’ summer signing.

But the Belgian international is still relishing coming face to face with the club he served for two seasons.

“I had a good time over there,” said the £750,000 capture. “It was my first team in England and it’s always good to go back one day.”

The 29-year-old has stayed in touch with several of his team mates from the Britannia Stadium.

But he does not expect to see many of his old friends in red and white stripes tomorrow.

“I speak to quite a lot of them but there aren’t many left from last year,” he said. “Most of them left.

“They have brought a few others in and a lot of their team are players who didn’t play last year.

“But I’ve still got a lot of contacts there and loads of friends who are fans.”

And the new personnel is not the only change Hoefkens expects to see on his old stomping ground.

The Potters have earned a reputation this season as the Championship’s most effective exponents of route one football – a philosphy Hoefkens believes has been adopted since his departure for The Hawthorns in August.

“Last year at Stoke we tried to play proper football because we had a team with a lot of flair with Andy Griffin, Lee Hendrie and Liam Lawrence,” he said.

“We tried to play football last year but this year they either didn’t have the players to do that or they wanted to change it because of the lack of flair players they had.

“It has paid off so why would you change something that pays off.

“I think as a player you always want to play like Albion do. I definitely do but maybe some players like to play the way Stoke play because they have got other qualities.

“It is a totally different style of football and it’s not just about the style.

“Anything can effect the game on Saturday, especially if you’re not mentally prepared for it.

“It is the coldest ground in the world – it’s unbelievable.

“The fans are going back them for what is one of the biggest games of the year.

“They have done very well and they now have the chance to play the team who are at the top of the table.

“It’s going to be a very hard game and the players over there will really go for it.

“They all think everyone sees them as a small side and they have a bit of a ‘little man syndrome’.

“It’s up to us to cope with it, especially physically.

“Everybody knows the way they play and it is just a mental thing.”

And Hoefkens admitted he is surprised to see his old club among the promotion contenders after a summer of transition.

“I am quite surprised because of all the players who left last year,” he said.

“There is a lot of quality gone from last year, when we had a proper good team.

“You never know how the new players are going to do but players like Shawcroft have come in and done well and is a really good centre-half.

“Other players they have brought in have done really well.

“I didn’t expect them at the start of the season to be up there but I saw the game when they played Watford at home and they completely outplayed them.

“It wasn’t like they outplayed them on the ground but they got in their faces and were so physical that even Watford couldn’t cope with them.

“If you look at the players Watford have got that says a lot really.

Hoefkens insists the Baggies will be well-prepared for the aerial bombardment they will face, although he admitted it has been impossible to replicate the Potters’ style in training this week.

He said: “You can’t really do it in training because we don’t have the players to do that.

“We can’t ask Tininho to run over and head a ball away from Bostjan Cesar.

“We don’t have the players to train for them, but we know what’s coming and we have to be ready.”

[stokecityscott]

shawcroft when did we sign him, he was good in the 40s

[Deleted]

"when we had a proper good team" ;D

He forgets to mention that we are on a cracking run of form, we've been boosted by the signing of Diao, contract extension of Fuller until 2011 and the all but finalised loan extension of shawcross.

We're on a roll and no one can stop us