Match Reports From Papers

[daverichards]

Seeing as no-one else seems to want to take up the mantle, I will do it again, but only for weekend games, I am just too busy to get online much in the week at the minute .

SportingLife.com

Pugh and Gera battle it out.

Stoke 3 West Brom 1


Ricardo Fuller celebrated signing a new deal at Stoke by netting his first hat-trick for the club as West Brom tamely surrendered top spot in the Coca-Cola Championship at the Britannia Stadium.

Frontman Fuller, who put pen to paper on a two-year contract extension earlier this week, took just five minutes to net against the free-scoring Baggies after good link-up play with strike partner Mamady Sidibe.

The Jamaica international then ghosted in unmarked to lash home Liam Lawrence's free-kick seven minutes before half-time and notched a third just after the hour.

Roman Bednar pulled one back for Albion but Fuller's finishing masterclass paved the way for Potters to extend their unbeaten streak to seven games and prove they are genuine promotion contenders.

Victory also left Stoke fourth while defeat here, coupled with Watford's win at Sheffield Wednesday, saw Albion relinquish their short-lived leadership back to the Hornets.

Home boss Tony Pulis fielded the same starting XI that claimed a 3-2 win at Blackpool last time out while goalkeeper Dean Kiely returned for West Brom after a two-game absence with a broken toe.

And Kiely was soon in the thick of the action, picking the ball out of his net as Fuller handed the hosts a fifth-minute lead.

Sidibe threaded a delicate throughball in between two static defenders and Fuller sprang the offside trap before firing past Kiely from the edge of the penalty area.

It was Fuller's ninth of the season and third in his last two outings following his double at Bloomfield Road last weekend.

The former Preston and Southampton striker has long since been regarded as Stoke's talisman in attack and shortly after saw a goalbound effort blocked by Bostjan Cesar.

Kiely was down quickly to keep out Richard Cresswell's 12-yard drive as the Potters dominated the opening exchanges before Leon Cort planted a firm header just wide with 20 minutes gone after rising to meet Danny Pugh's centre.

Bednar and Zoltan Gera both fired wide from distance on rare Albion attacks moments later and on the half-hour mark Steve Simonsen kept out Andrade Filipe Teixeira's 20-yarder.

Fuller then popped up in the right place at the right time to prod home Lawrence's set piece from close range and reach double figures for the third successive season.

Albion boss Tony Mowbray had the luxury of sending on former England international Kevin Phillips and on-loan Manchester City starlet Ishmael Miller at the interval but, with Stoke strong defensively under Pulis, the duo had their work cut out to change the complexion of the game.

Robert Koren tested Simonsen on the hour from 18 yards after a low-key start to the second period while Phillips looked lively on the ball.

Miller had a close-range header hacked to safety by defender Leon Cort but it was man-of-the-moment Fuller who was soon celebrating again after 66 minutes with the pick of his three goals.

Rory Delap picked out Fuller and the powerhouse striker did the rest, easing past former Potters defender Carl Hoefkens before rifling past Kiely from 12 yards.

Simonsen denied Miller before Bednar pulled a goal back for the visitors with 18 minutes remaining.

Martin Albrechtsen was afforded too much space on the left wing and his cross was expertly headed past Simonsen by Bednar from six yards for the Czech's fifth goal in his last six outings.

Former Everton stopper Simonsen then thwarted Phillips, Koren and Bednar in a frantic finale but it was Fuller's day as Stoke clinched a vital victory.

Teams:

Stoke Simonsen, Wilkinson, Shawcross, Cort, Pugh, Lawrence, Eustace, Delap, Cresswell, Sidibe (Dickinson 84), Fuller (Parkin 90).

Subs Not Used: Hoult, Zakuani, Pulis.

Goals: Fuller 5, 38, 66.

West Brom Kiely, Hoefkens, Cesar (Albrechtsen 68), Pele, Robinson, Gera, Greening, Koren, Filipe Teixeira (Phillips 46), Brunt (Miller 46), Bednar.

Subs Not Used: Steele, Morrison.

Booked: Brunt, Cesar.

Goals: Bednar 72.

Att: 18,420

Ref: Mark Halsey (Lancashire).
STAT ATTACK
6
Shots On Target
12
3
Shots Off Target
8
13
Fouls (Conceded)
9
3
Corners
10
0
Yellow Cards
2
0
Red Cards
0

Post Match Comments, from same source

HAT-TRICK HERO FULLER DELIGHTS PULIS


Stoke boss Tony Pulis heaped high praise on Ricardo Fuller after the striker celebrated signing a new contract with a stunning hat-trick in a 3-1 victory over West Brom.

The Jamaica international ended transfer speculation last week when he penned a deal to keep him at the Britannia Stadium until 2011.

Pulis was not surprised to see Fuller provide the main difference as Stoke soaked up strong Albion pressure and hit them on the break.

He said: "Ric's just signed a new three-year deal and it's great business for him and for us. He likes it here and everyone likes him.

"He's the icing on the cake for us and when he plays like that he takes a lot of stopping. If he can find space in behind people, he can destroy them.

"I thought it was a smashing game. West Brom have the best squad of players in the league and I'm confident they will get automatic promotion.

"We don't have their resources and strength in-depth, but we match them because of our commitment, determination and togetherness.

"The transfer window is now massive for us and we do need to add that extra bit of quality to give us a real chance."

Fuller needed less than five minutes to open his account after sprinting clear of the Albion offside trap.

Mamady Sidibe flipped on a John Eustace pass and Fuller was away in a flash to strike a low shot inside Dean Kiely's right-hand post.

Albion did boss the lion's share of possession but Roman Bednar's 24th minute shot, which flew too high, was the best they could muster in the first half.

In contrast, Stoke's more occasional raids packed far more potency and it was no surprise when they added a second seven minutes before the interval.

Fuller earned a right-wing free-kick when he was flattened by Bostjan Cesar and the City striker picked himself up to smash in a shot from Liam Lawrence's far-post delivery.

Albion sent on Kevin Phillips and Ishmael Miller at the start of the second half which they dominated territorially.

But Fuller landed the killer blow in a 67th minute breakaway - and what a goal it was.

There appeared little danger when he picked the ball up on the left flank, but Fuller mesmerised the hapless Cesar, cut inside Pele and rolled an expert finish beyond Kiely.

The visitors continued to pile forward with wave after wave of attacks and they did pull a goal back when Bednar headed in from six yards 18 minutes from time.

Albion boss Tony Mowbray said: "We played some good football and we will always try to play the game the right way.

"But sometimes you have to give the opposition credit and Stoke did what they are good at.

"I didn't think we worked the Stoke keeper enough in the first half and two of the goals we conceded were sloppy from our point of view.

"We can't do anything about the result now and we just look forward to the next game."

[daverichards]

The People

TONY'SRIC RUNS RIOT
Coca cola CHAMPIONSHIP Fullerand Co do boss Pulis proud
John Arnfield

Stoke 3

West Brom 1

Potters boss Tony Pulis finally silenced any remaining critics as his side produced a footballing master class.

Orchestrated by hat-trick hero Ricardo Fuller, the team many rivals condemn as a long-ball outfit, proved they had the quality to go with their undoubted battling abilities.

Against a side that started the day on top of the Championship they were rampant.

First they cruised into a threegoal lead as Fuller proved he's glowing red-hot again.

Then they stonewalled the country's leading scorers. They restricted Albion to just one goal - from Roman Bednar - to climb just a point behind theirmuch-hyped adversaries.

Fuller did the damage and boss Pulis raved: "He's the icing on the cake.

"I'm sure he can hack it in the Premier League... hopefully with us next season.

"West Brom have the best squad and will get automatic promotion.

"But everything's relative. They have spent and have a hefty budget.

"We have to match that with commitment, energy, power and togetherness, which has pushed this club forward."

Not that the Baggies' cause has been helped by history.

They have only managed one win in their last 22 league meetings and it was 1982 when they last won at Stoke.

This time they never had a sniff thanks to Jamaican Fuller, who completed only his second hat-trick in Britain with his most memorable goal of the day.

The big man, who finally hit two last week after going nine games without scoring, skinned former Stoke favourite Carl Hoefkens before picking his spot to fire home.

That treble came almost four years to the day after Fuller's last three-goal blast in Preston's 5-3 demolition of Burnley.

That goal certainly made the day for Fuller.

Tony Mowbray's resurgent side pulled one back when Bednar made it six goals in six games after he got on the end of a looping ball from sub Martin Albrechtsen.

Stoke got off to the perfect start on the back of a perfect run yesterday.

On top of a sequence already yielding three wins and two draws, they had finally recaptured Salif Diao, tied down Fuller until 2011 and extended the loan of wonder defender Ryan Shawcross from Manchester United till the end of the season.

And Friday saw them pay £6million to take full ownership of the Britannia Stadium from the city council.

Only four minutes were on the clock when things got even better. Mali striker Mama Sidibe held off two defenders before beautifully back-heeling the ball for Fuller to run clear.

He made no mistake as he curled home his lowshot to give keeper Dean Kiely no chance.

The game looked beyond the reach of the Baggies before half time with Fuller, having a field day, cashing in again.

On 36 minutes he was brought down on the right after bursting clear, a foul that earned Bostjan Cesar a booking.

Liam Lawrence fired in a deep free-kick which sailed over everyone's heads before finding Fuller free at the far post.

And he lashed home low across the goal. That wrapped it up despite Albion's late flurry.

Mowbray said: "Sometimes, you have to give credit to the opposition for doing what they are good at.

"I know what I saw and good luck to Stoke. I enjoyed watching my team for long spells in the second half. We've played some decent football but didn't ask enough of their keeper."

Stoke: Simonsen 7 - Wilkinson 7, Cort 8, Shawcross 7, Pugh 7 - Lawrence 7, Delap 7, Eustace 7, Cresswell 7 - *FULLER 10 (Parkin, 89mins), Sidibe 7 (Dickinson, 83mins).

West Brom: Kiely 7 - Hoefkens 6, Pele 6, Cesar 6 (Albrechtsen, 68mins, 7), Robinson 6 - Gera 6, Koren 7, Greening 6, Brunt 6 (Miller, 46mins, 7) - Teixeira 5 (Phillips, 46mins, 6) - *BEDNAR 7.

Ref: M Halsey 7.

[daverichards]

Sunday Mirror

Football: Hat-Ric hero
STOKE 3 WEST BROM 1 FULLER 5, 38, 66 BEDNAR 72 Fuller fires Stoke to win
Adrian Milledge At The Britannia Stadium 23/12/2007

Ricardo Fuller ensured it was a case of threesydoes it by celebrating a new three-year deal with a hattrick that checked West Bromwich Albion's promotion challenge.

The win, which took the Potters to within three points of the summit and knocked the Baggies off top spot, also maintained West Brom's Britannia Stadium hoodoo.

They have yet to win at the venue and last tasted victory in away game against the Potters 25 years ago.

There was never a threat of them ending that sequence as Fuller proved the difference between the teams.

His incisive finishing ensured Stoke did not have to repeat the combative and game interrupting methods they employed when the sides drew 1-1 at The Hawthorns in October.

West Brom boss Tony Mowbray had been critical of those tactics and was grudging in his praise for the Potters.

He said: "I was pleased with the way my team played for long spells in the second half. I enjoyed watching them. I saw a team trying to do the right things.

"But sometimes you've got to give the opposition credit for the way they go about their business."

Stoke boss Tony Pulis, however, argued his methods are case of needs must. He said: "We've not got their resources or depth of squad. We have to make up for it with commitment, energy, pace and power."

Mowbray refused to comment on the suggestion that Fuller had handled Mamady Sidibe's headed knock down before sliding the ball past Dean Kiely to put Stoke ahead.

West Brom had no cause to complain about Stoke's second, however, aside from their inability to clear Liam Lawrence's inswinging free kick or Bostjan Cesar for conceding it.

Cesar chopped down Fuller when he was set to advance on Kiely, so justice was done and revenge wrought as the striker added his second.

Unmarked at the far post, Fuller swept the ball home after it had drifted over the West Brom defenders packed into the six yard box.

Mowbray introduced Kevin Phillips and Ishmael Miller for the second period as the visitors threatened to build up a head of steam.

But this was Fuller's day and the striker completed his hattrick with a solo effort to cap a memorable week that not even Albion's reply, headed home by Roman Bednar, would tarnish.

HOW THEY RATED

STOKE

Simonsen 6, Wilkinson 6, Shawcross 7, Cort 6, Pugh 7, Lawrence 7, Eustace 7, Delap 7, Cresswell 6, Sidibe 7 (Dickinson 5), FULLER 9 (Parkin 5).

Manager Pulis 7

WEST BROM

Kiely 6, Hoefkens 6, Pele 5, Cesar 5 (Albrechtsen 5), Robinson 6, Gera 5, Koren 6, Greening 6, Brunt 5 (Phillips 5), Teixiera 5 (Miller 5), Bednar 6.

Manager Mowbray 6

Referee M Halsey 7

MAN OF THE MATCH

RICARDO FULLER

Incisive finishing proved the difference

[Thank you from Moorlander1]

Ilfred I am sure FORSKIN said he was going to do it.

[daverichards]

Sunday Times

December 23, 2007
Ricardo Fuller fires slick Stoke
Stoke 3 West Brom 1
Ian Bayley at Britannia stadium

A game billed as a meeting of beauty and the beast had a fairytale start when Stoke, with their reputation for direct, physical, no-nonsense football, scored a goal of such precisely crafted finesse - Ricardo Fuller’s first of three – it was as though both teams had come out wearing the other side’s kit.

But it was no illusion. West Brom were knocked off the top of the Championship table thanks to Stoke spoon-feeding them an early dose of their own particular sophisticated style of play from which they could not recover.

Stoke had a two-goal lead at half-time thanks to their Jamaican international striker Fuller, who earlier in the week signed a two-year extension to his contract to keep him at the club until 2011.

Mamady Sidibe’s clever fifth-minute backheel, which set Fuller clear, was a wonderfully colourful piece of play by the Mali international on a dismally damp and grey Potteries afternoon.

Albion tried to pick their way back after the early setback with some of their trademark approach work, with Zoltan Gera catching the eye in midfield, but they always looked nervous whenever Stoke moved forward, and if the first goal was a result of sublime skill the second was simply a consequence of poor defending.

Bostjan Cesar’s trip on Fuller, for which the defender was rightly cautioned by referee Mark Halsey, produced a 35thminute free kick from Liam Lawrence, which threaded its way through seven Albion players inside the six-yard box before arriving at the feet of an unmarked Fuller on the far post.

Emergency measures were needed and West Brom manager Tony Mowbray sent for the cavalry at the start of the second half, pulling off Andrade Filipe Teixeira and Chris Brunt and sending on Kevin Phillips and Ishmael Miller to work alongside Roman Bednar in a three-pronged attack.

The idea was to try and overwhelm Stoke’s hitherto untroubled defences, but it was still 58 minutes before Robert Koren drew the first save of the afternoon from Steve Simonsen.

The frequency of Albion’s attacks increased and Miller thought he had scored with a header from Geras cross, but Leon Cort cleared off the line.

It was Fuller’s day, though, and his hat-trick duly arrived in the 67th minute. Serviced once again by Sidibe, he kept his cool when surrounded by defenders and curled his shot deliberately into the far corner of Dean Kiely’s net.

Six minutes later Bednar revived Albion hopes with a header from substitute Martin Albrechtsen’s cross, and the game might have taken a decisive turn a minute after that if Phillips’s shot had been either side of Simonsen instead of flying straight into the goalkeeper’s hands.

Albion should have scored again nine minutes from time when Cort’s appalling backpass put Bednar clear. But his shot lacked the conviction the situation demanded, and Simonsen thrust out a foot to save.

The visitors mounted a series of late attacks as the home side retreated further and further back to protect their lead, although a second goal would have flattered the nature of their defeat.

Stoke have never played in the Premier League, but after a week of unremitting good news there is a growing feeling around the Potteries that their moment may finally be approaching.

Fuller’s decision to extend his contract was followed by the club’s £6m purchase of complete ownership of the Britannia stadium from Stoke-on-Trent city council.

Giving West Brom a bloody nose has become a Stoke habit in recent years with only one defeat in 23 meetings with their old Staffordshire rivals.

“We always beat West Brom,” sang their delighted supporters. Not strictly true, but this latest victory extended the Potters’ unbeaten run to seven, including five wins, and a team unfancied for promotion at the start of the season are becoming serious contenders.

Star man: Ricardo Fuller (Stoke)

Player ratings

Stoke: Simonsen 7, Wilkinson 7, Shawcross 7, Cort 7, Pugh 6, Lawrence 7, Eustace 7, Delap 6, Cresswell 6, Sidibe 7 (Dickinson 84min), Fuller 8 (Parkin 90min)

West Bromwich: Kiely 6, Hoefkens 6, Cesar 6 (Albrechtsen 68min), Pele 6, Robinson 6, Gera 7, Greening 6, Koren 6, Filipe Teixeira 5 (Miller ht, 7), Brunt 6 (Phillips ht, 6), Bednar 7

Scorers: Stoke:Fuller 5, 38, 66 West Bromwich: Bednar 72

[daverichards]

The Sentinel

COCA-COLA CHAMPIONSHIP: STOKE 3, WEST BROM 1

17:36 - 22 December 2007

STOKE City go marching relentlessly on as Ricardo Fuller hammered a Christmas cracker of a hat-trick to sweep Albion aside at a joyous Britannia Stadium this afternoon.

Fuller struck twice before the break to put City on course for yet another victory against an Albion side winning only one of their last 23 league meetings with Stoke.

Fuller completed a brilliant treble by the 66th minute to all but kill Albion stone dead, but Roman Bednar's close-range header kept the pot boiling as Stoke were made to defend like titans throughout the second half to preserve a fantastic pre-Christmas success.

Stoke had no reason to change their winning line-up before kick-off as they began the afternoon with four wins and two draws to their name in their previous half-dozen outings.

Albion were in similarly brutal form after ascending to the top of the Championship seven days earlier, but still found room for goalkeeper Dean Kiely and former City favourite Carl Hoefkens at right-back following two games out with slight hamstring trouble.

The contest was launched on a flotilla of noise as the home contingent rose manfully to the gauntlet laid down by around 2,500 West Brom fans behind Kiely's goal.

Albion's early passing was soon in evidence, but not for long as City surged into a deafeningly-welcomed lead after Fuller picked up where he left off at Blackpool seven days previous.

Fuller himself had made the first incursion down the right before being out-muscled by two defenders, but Albion immediately lost possession to leave John Eustace guiding the ball towards the edge of the area.

Mama Sidibe flicked on exquisitely to not only wrong-foot Albion's back line, but leave Fuller escaping the offside flag to rattle lethally past the advancing Kiely.

Stoke continued to hound Albion at every opportunity - Eustace being especially prominent in that quarter - to prevent the visitors settling sufficiently enough to begin plotting a goal-scoring comeback after their shocking start to the afternoon.

Eustace and Andy Wilkinson were a little too rugged with Roman Bednar for the referee's liking, but Chris Brunt's 13th-minute free-kick was wafted far too long to symbolise Albion's distinctly modest start.

Stout defending by Hoefkens, with a fine back-tracking run and block, prevented Fuller breaking clear a second time as he looked to either shoot or cross from a tightening angle down the left channel.

Chris Brunt's foul earned a deserved yellow for halting Richard Cresswell's possible burst upfield on the break, but it wasn't long before the ball was deep in the Albion box anyway as Sidibe burrowed brilliantly behind their back line before cutting the ball back too far for two supporting colleagues.

Leon Cort's reassuring contribution in the opening quarter of the contest was under the microscope as he read the danger to clear after Zoltan Gera had wormed his way into menacing territory inside the Stoke area.

Albion's first real opening arrived in the 25th minute when Gera clipped the ball round the corner for Bednar to gallop freely down their right channel before clearing the bar by a good couple of yards.

Gera served further notice of his growing presence shortly after when turning on a Jonathan Greening pass to lash only a foot or two wide of Steve Simonsen's right-hand post.

Stoke appeared to be taking a bit of a breather as the Baggies asserted themselves approaching the half-hour mark, with Gera, almost inevitably, guiding a flashing header well over from Brunt's right-wing delivery.

Albion continued to dominate possession, but were kept sufficiently at arm's length for Brunt to crack well off beam from distance in what almost amounted to an act of desperation.

Far more convincing was Liam Lawrence's finish when he skirted in from the right and forced Kiely to merely beat away at his near post a minute later.

And Fuller very nearly broke the shackles down the right flank shortly afterwards, but Cesar's outstretched leg brought him crashing down to earn a second booking for the visitors.

And how Albion were made to pay. For Lawrence swung a long ball into a congested area from the subsequent free-kick which grazed off at least one head en route to Fuller just beyond the far post.

The Jamaican international needs no second invitation in his present form and, quickly controlling and exploiting what bit of time he had, Fuller lashed a beauty across the face of goal and inside the opposite post. An excellent finish bringing the house down again as City's partying supporters broke into volatile song once more.

The initiative remained firmly in Stoke's possession as Sidibe glanced on for Fuller to only just be out-muscled by Pele as the pair jostled for the stray ball within sight of the Albion area.

West Brom were threatening shortly before the break when Hoefkens was fouled by Cresswell, however, and Brunt's free-kick from the Albion right inspired yet another wonderful aerial intervention by the immaculate Cort to safely maintain City's two-goal advantage going into the break.

Tony Mowbray summoned the cavalry at the resumption by introducing the impressive talents of Kevin Phillips and Ishmael Miller for Filipe Teixeira and Brunt respectively.

Simonsen was soon punching clear a threatening cross from the Albion left as the visitors quickly set about retrieving their two-goal deficit in front of their re-awakened following behind the Stoke goal.

Stoke were continuing to work hard off the ball to spoil the play and minimise the time and space West Brom were enjoying as the baton remained firmly with the visitors since the break.

Simonsen's first save of the second half was a pretty routine effort in the 58th minute when he dropped comfortably on Robert Koren's first-time sweep from a Hoefkens cross from the West Brom right.

The Albion pressure was threatening to become ceaseless by the hour mark as a scuffed effort from Phillips, his first of the afternoon, took at least two deflections en route for a corner Stoke were to subsequently clear.

City were in need of some rousing and their fans answered the call to try to inspire a more encouraging passage of play for the over-worked hosts.

Cort's admirable first-half endeavours were back on show in the 64th minute when his head prevented Miller's nod down either finding the net or a close-range Albion boot.

City were relying almost exclusively on the break by now - and gloriously exploited that route to goal to knock Albion flat with a third from Fuller in the 66th minute.

Fuller gathered from Cresswell down the left channel and left one Albion shirt for dead by skirting in-field before driving low past the keeper's left hand to bring the Boothen End tumbling en masse into his grasp.

Stoke were in sheer dreamland now after absorbing a stiff period of pressure to catch Albion with a traditional sucker punch.

Great defending by Wilkinson and Cort left Miller's shot spooning conveniently into Simonsen's grasp as Stoke maintained their concentration in front of their own goal.

But Stoke's defences were to be finally breached in the 72nd minute when a half-cleared corner was lobbed back beyond the main thicket of players for Bednar to head home from close-range.

Albion clearly weren't out for the count just yet as Phillips rocketed one straight at the motionless and well-placed Simonsen from a few yards outside the area.

Stoke were vainly up in arms for a penalty in the 75th minute when Cort's huge up and under left Fuller forcing Pele to touch a bouncing ball with his hand inside his own box.

City were also aggrieved after Lawrence appeared to be fouled when losing possession for Koren to send Simsonen diving to his left to save at the second attempt barely a minute later.

Prolonged treatment for a stricken Fuller merely heightened a tension that reached fever pitch soon afterwards when Cort uncharacteristically scuffed his pass to leave Bednar free on goal, but Simonsen rapidly narrowed the angle to brilliantly block the eventual shot and spare his colleague's blushes.

And Bednar missed out again in the 87th minute when skewing wide of the near post as at least three Albion players spurned a possible shooting chance inside a congested box.

Fuller left to mammoth acclaim as Jon Parkin replaced him just seconds before the fourth official raised an electronic scoreboard showing an additional five minutes for Stoke's fatigued players.

But Stoke were to suffer no more shivers as they safely ushered in a simply terrific result.

VERDICT: Ricardo Fuller's blistering hat-trick prolonged Stoke's incredible record against the hapless Baggies on an afternoon of unconfined seasonal joy.

By MARTIN SPINKS

STOKE CITY 3 (Fuller 5, 38, 66)

WEST BROM 1 (Bednar 72)

TEAMS

Stoke: Simonsen, Wilkinson, Pugh, Cort, Shawcross, Lawrence, Eustace, Delap, Cresswell, Sidibe (Dickinson, 84), Fuller (Parkin, 90). Not used: Hoult, Zakuani, Pulis.

WBA: Kiely, Hoefkens, Robinson, Cesar ( Albrechtsen , 69), Pele, Koren, Greening, Gera, Teixeira (Philips, 46), Brunt (Miller, 46), Bednar. Not used: Steele, Albrechtsen, Morrison.

Referee: M Halsey (Herts)

Attendance: 18,420.

Bookings: Stoke - None. WBA - Brunt (foul, 17), Cesar (foul, 37)

[daverichards]

Excuse & Star

Stoke v Albion report

albappeals3.jpgStoke City 3 West Bromwich Albion1

Albion crashed to a heavy defeat as their Stoke hoodoo continued this afternoon courtesy of a Ricardo Fuller hat-trick.

The Jamaican international made the most of some wide open Baggies defending to give his side a 2-0 lead at half-time.

And he effectively wrapped up the victory with 23 minutes left when he completed his treble by catching Albion on the break as they hunted a lifeline.

Roman Bednar continued his fine scoring run since making his Albion debut with his sixth goal in as many starts 16 minutes from the final whistle.

But Bednar’s late header was only ever likely to be a consolation goal as the Baggies paid the price for some poor defending, particularly before half-time.


Tony Mowbray’s side put their hosts under intense pressure early in the second half but it was too late as they were already fighting a losing battle.

The defeat means Albion’s hunt for a victory at Stoke will stretch into a 26th year.

The afternoon could not have begun in a worse manner for the Albion fans who battled through heavy M6 traffic to see their side fall behind as early as the fifth minute.

Fuller got the better of Bostjan Cesar before firing Stoke ahead although the Baggies were convinced the striker had handled the ball in the buildup.

There was no dispute over the second goal which arrived seven minutes before half-time as Albion failed to clear a right wing free kick from Liam Lawrence.

The ball found Fuller beyond the far post and he blasted home his second.

Kevin Phillips and Ishmael Miller were introduced at half-time and they sparked a spirited offensive from the visitors for the first 22 minutes of the second half.

But it was all over when Stoke caught the Baggies on the break with Fuller sliding home a precise shot to complete his hat-trick.

Bednar headed home with 16 minutes left from a cross by substitute Martin Albrechtsen but Albion could not avoid starting Christmas with a defeat.

Albion fans have your say below


6 Comments

1. dave said: Dec 22nd, 2007 at 6:59 pm

we got battered today

fuller is quality,a real top-class player

we need a player like him i believe, someone with real pace and strength, miller has that but he never passes and does too much all the time

give me ricardo fuller anyday
2. Russ Stoke said: Dec 22nd, 2007 at 7:22 pm

How about putting in your report something to the effect of Stoke do play football and Fuller’s third goal was magnificent.

Do you know how much you have riled the Stoke support and club with the comments on your local radio and press about us subsequent to the game earlier in the year.

We accept that Albion have some fantastic individuals but we know who has the better team.
3. baggies said: Dec 22nd, 2007 at 7:39 pm

cum on lads lets beat bristol, stoke are our bogey side and we will never beat um, least we can beat a bunch of foxes
4. essex baggy said: Dec 22nd, 2007 at 9:32 pm

long way to go fellas
5. Baggie said: Dec 22nd, 2007 at 10:53 pm

Hey russ stoke are the scumiest jamiest team ever as soon as they score they put 10 men behind the ball ur first goal was handball
6. xtrmntr said: Dec 22nd, 2007 at 10:59 pm

why don’t referees penalise stromg arm tactics? teams like stoke may get promoted via the playoffs but the premier league sorts them out immediately - derby this year, watford last. we need the refs to stop teams like stoke from employing these tactics and maybe the championship/premiership gulf will get a bit closer

anybody wishinh to comment www.expressandstar.com/2007/12/22/stoke-v-albion-report/

[russnpaul]

Thanks again, always much appreciated from the depths of Hampshire. ;D

[tazi]

Thanks Dave mate, great stuff. Even though i seem to recall that Fornside was going to take over the mantle there were not many reports put on as far as i can remember.

Cheers Dave and once again great stuff.

[markscfc72]

"why don’t referees penalise stromg arm tactics? teams like stoke may get promoted via the playoffs but the premier league sorts them out immediately - derby this year, watford last. we need the refs to stop teams like stoke from employing these tactics and maybe the championship/premiership gulf will get a bit closer"

what a pisser!

[daverichards]

yes he did say he was going to do it, but I hadn't seen much evidence of it , still him being a "man of leisure" I'm sure he can manage the mid-week games, when some of us are out working

[armitagestokie]

Thanks Dave--Sunday reports are so grt.
Love Mobray's comment
Albion boss Tony Mowbray said: "We played some good football and we will always try to play the game the right way. He missed and lose!!!!

[CraigWally]

Thanks Dave
these reports have been sorely missed

Karma

[Admin]

daverichards said:

The People

TONY'S RIC RUNS RIOT
Coca cola CHAMPIONSHIP Fullerand Co do boss Pulis proud
John Arnfield

Stoke 3

West Brom 1

Potters boss Tony Pulis finally silenced any remaining critics as his side produced a footballing master class.

Orchestrated by hat-trick hero Ricardo Fuller, the team many rivals condemn as a long-ball outfit, proved they had the quality to go with their undoubted battling abilities.

Against a side that started the day on top of the Championship they were rampant.

Would any West Brom fans like to stick that into their pipes and smoke (or even choke) on it!!!

Let them keep living in dreamland - it makes their desperate excuses seem even more ridiculous than they actually are.

[daverichards]

any chance of pinning this one please smudge

[Deleted]

daverichards said:

The People
Potters boss Tony Pulis finally silenced any remaining critics as his side produced a footballing master class.

But then the bloke from The People has never met OS. They ought to move that Press-Box to somewhere nearer the Boothen, they'd get a more balanced view.

;0)

ah

[mcf]

Sadly

Those words need to be rammed down the throats of a group of wankstains that are a lot closer to home Smudge.

[craig67]

Cheers Dave;have missed your match reports.Keep it up.

[clactonpotter]

Thank-you.

[daverichards]

News of the World

December 23, 2007
Stoke 3 West Brom 1



RICARDO FULLER celebrated signing his new contract with a hat-trick to continue Stoke's stunning run against the Baggies.

The Jamaican tore apart the Albion defence with a dazzling display of pace and power.

Defeat meant the visitors have now beaten Stoke just once in their last 23 clashes.

And it also saw their reign at the top of the championship ended after one week, as long-time leaders Watford reclaimed top spot.

Fuller's double strike against Blackpool last week saw him earn a new deal and a hefty pay rise.

The burly hitman went one better yesterday to leave Stoke nicely poised in fourth spot, just a point behind second-placed Albion.

Potters boss Tony Pulis beamed: "We have a great team and Ricardo is just the icing on the cake for us.

"When he plays like that and is given an opportunity to get into space behind defenders he will cause trouble. He has just signed a new three-year deal and that has settled him down a bit.

"He likes to be liked and he is in with the dressing room and with the fans and that is a big thing for him."

West Brom chief Tony Mowbray was in no mood to rake over the coals of this sixth defeat of the season.

He said: "We controlled a lot of the game but we played against a team that did OK and has a striker in form.

"We didn't ask enough questions in the first half and let in soft goals. We have to take it on the chin and move on.

"Defeats are part and parcel of football and it is about how you react and we have reacted well in the past."

Unfortunately for Mowbray, his players failed to react at all as Stoke took a fifth-minute lead.

John Eustace rolled the ball into Mama Sidibe's feet and his clever flick sent Fuller running through on goal as the West Brom defence stood still appealing for handball.

Fuller had plenty of time to measure his shot and slid the ball past the recalled Dean Kiely.

Baggies midfielder Zoltan Gera tried to get his side back into the game with a crack at goal from 25 yards that bounced wide.

The Hungarian then guided a header over the bar from Chris Brunt's cross.

But Mowbray's men were undone again seven minutes before half-time when Bostjan Cesar chopped down Fuller.

Drill

Cesar was shown a yellow card and then watched Liam Lawrence swing in a free-kick that found its way through a crowd of bodies to allow livewire Fuller to drill home an angled drive.

Mowbray threw on Kevin Phillips and Ishmael Miller at half-time and West Brom immediately looked more potent.

Miller had a header cleared off the line by Carl Cort but the visitors paid the penalty for leaving the back door open in the 65th minute.

Richard Cresswell's ball forced Fuller to the left touchline but that did not stop him scoring a stunning third.

He ran hard at Cesar and left him on his backside before slotting his finish between Kiely and a defender.

Albion kept their hopes alive with Roman Bednar nodding home from close range in the 72nd minute from a Martin Albrechtsen cross.

But the striker wasted a chance to set up a dramatic climax by firing at keeper Steve Simonsen's feet after picking off a Cort back-pass.

[daverichards]

typical shite from the news of the world

Miller had a header cleared off the line by Carl Cort but the visitors paid the penalty for leaving the back door open in the 65th minute.

[Olgrligm]

The Mirror have changed their tune a little from last year. What was it, 'Albion beaten, but prefer pretty to City'?

[Deleted]

Nice to have this confirmed ...

Fuller's double strike against Blackpool last week saw him earn a new deal and a hefty pay rise

Salif Diao ... A good January ...

;0)

ah

[daverichards]

Took me a while to dig this one out of the Daily Mail site

Mail On Sunday

Fuller magic does the trick for Stoke
Stoke 3 West Brom 1

By COLIN WOOD - More by this author » Last updated at 21:23pm on 22nd December 2007


Ricardo Fuller struck a hat-trick to inflict a defeat that knocked Stoke's Staffordshire rivals off the top of the Championship table and left delighted home fans chanting: "We always beat West Bromwich."

No real argument with that. It is more than 25 years since yesterday's losers last recorded a victory at Stoke, and in the last 23 meetings of the clubs they have won just once.

Understandably there was much Christmas cheer for the winners at the Britannia Stadium. Fuller certainly made his mark at the end of a week when he signed a two-year extension to his contract, running through to 2011, and chairman Peter Coates sanctioned the £6 million purchase of outstanding shares to give Stoke complete ownership of the ground built 10 years ago at a cost of £15m. Things are certainly looking up with the team now in fourth position and promising to make a sustained run for automatic promotion.

With Fuller in this finishing form they have to be taken seriously. The striker took his total for the season to 13, starting after only five minutes by finishing with a low drive past Dean Kiely when a backheel from Mamady Sidibe sent him clear.

He made it 2-0 after 38 minutes when a corner from Liam Lawrence on the right reached him on the left and he hit another right-footer past Kiely.

It was three after 66 minutes when Sidibe found him on the left and he stroked the ball into the net.

The visitors saw plenty of the ball and after 72 minutes Roman Bednar headed in. But for all their possession it was no more than consolation.

Albion manager Tony Mowbray surprisingly praised his men. He said: "I was pleased with my team.We tried to play some nice football. Maybe we didn't ask enough questions of them in the first half, but I enjoyed watching my team for long spells in the second half."

Stoke manager Tony Pulis still tipped Albion for automatic promotion. He refused to make such prediction about his winners. 'We haven't got the strength in depth and the resources they have, but we are getting it with commitment, energy, pace and power," he said.

"Ricardo is the icing on the cake for us. When he gets in behind the defence he will give anybody trouble."

[Olgrligm]

'We always beat West Bromwich'?

Too many syllables, I fear.

[daverichards]

Birmingham Mail _{courtesy of Fullermagics thread}

Stoke City 3 West Bromwich Albion 1

Dec 22 2007

By Chris Lepkowski


THERE will be one gift Albion fans will be hoping for this Christmas - a copy of next season's fixture list without the name Stoke City appearing anywhere on the schedule.

The last time Albion won in Stoke the nation, led by a woman, reclaimed the Falklands, Channel Four didn't exist and Villa were the best club in Europe.

To say a lot has changed since September 1982 would be an understatement.

One thing hasn't changed - Albion's inability to win at Stoke.

That run continued on Saturday thanks to a superb hat-trick from Ricardo Fuller, though he was aided by some miserable Baggies' defending, who were more than willing to gift-wrap his goals for him.

Speaking of Christmas presents, one could be mistaken for thinking that Tony Pulis will be finding a Table Football under his tree tomorrow. It'll be the kind of Table Football game which has a row of nine defenders lining up across the width of the pitch in front of the 18-yard box. If you turn the handle quickly enough you can even get one of the 'players' to launch the ball down the pitch. One could also be mistaken for thinking it's where the Stoke manager takes his inspiration from.

Albion's deficiencies were sloppy defending and a lack of cutting edge. Yet they stuck to their principles by using movement and passing to carve open Stoke's defence.

Roman Bednar headed in a consolation goal for the Baggies in the 72nd minute. A few minutes later the Czech striker raced onto a sloppy Leon Cort backpass only to drive his shot straight at the keeper's legs when it was easier to score. He mustn't be criticised though - six goals in six games is an excellent return for Bednar.

Fuller's opener, after just four minutes, came when Chris Brunt sliced a poor ball across the width of the pitch. John Eustace - a tidy midfielder who is wasted in Stoke's industrial-like engine room - played in a lofted ball for Mamady Sidibe, who appeared to control the ball with his hand before flicking it into Fuller's path. The Stoke striker stroked home a well-placed shot to beat Kiely.

The second was, once again, brought upon by Albion's poor defending.

Bostjan Cesar brought down Fuller, earning himself a yellow card which was to restrict him for the remainder of his time on the pitch. Liam Lawrence's free-kick, from the right-wing, sailed over a packed penalty area and fell for Fuller, who drove a low shot past Kiely.

Fuller claimed the match ball in the 67th minute when he breezed past Cesar with relative ease and twisted around Carl Hoefkens before planting a low shot out of Kiely's reach.

Stoke sat back in large numbers and crudely scrambled balls away for large periods of the second half, a period when Kiely was often the only man left in Albion's half of the pitch. An astonishing number of Stoke players also became injured - badly enough to need treatment, but not badly enough to require permanent withdrawal from the game.

Referee Mark Halsey, an experienced official, was sucked into the gamesmanship. At one point a Stoke player managed to throw a ball into play when Albion were already in possession and mounting an attack with another ball. It was farcical stuff.

Not surprisingly Tony Mowbray bore the hallmarks of a disillusioned man after the game. He was pleased with his side's effort - if not their defending - but his grimace suggested that he was in despair at the methods used by Stoke to take a victory.

While there is no right or wrong way to play football, there is no doubt that there are vulgar methods. And Stoke City are the John Prescott of football - big and as ugly as sin.

One can only praise Stoke through gritted teeth. It's difficult being complimentary about a side who rely on percentages as much as an accountant and who simply are soiling the game.

That said, the Baggies brought a lot of it upon themselves, with too many players not performing to their best and lacking that killer instinct of recent weeks. Stoke were hard-working, functional and took their chances. And, on this form, they could easily push for a top two place. If they achieve promotion then it will be deserved. But at what cost to football as a sport? English football is going through an image crisis right now - it needs Stoke's brand of play like it needs a hole in the head.

[LDE76]

Soiling the game?

I'd suggest that the only thing being soiled here is the art of journalism.

[stokebill]

Good report from The Guardian.

--


Rivals turn up their noses as Stoke turn up heat


Richard Jolly at the Britannia Stadium
Monday December 24, 2007
The Guardian

It is Stoke City's misfortune that they continue to be damned with faint praise. "Effective," was the adjective employed by the West Bromwich Albion goalkeeper, Dean Kiely, a typical description of a team for whom fulsome tributes are elusive. Indeed, Stoke are reluctant to acclaim themselves. "We've matched West Brom with commitment, energy, good pace and power and a togetherness that has pushed this club forward," said their manager, Tony Pulis, but he made no mention of their footballing qualities. Ricardo Fuller, who showed admirable composure in scoring a hat-trick, struck a similar note: "We work hard, out-battle teams and out-run teams. That's what we do at Stoke City."
Article continues

The procurement of eight points from their four encounters with West Brom, Watford and Charlton Athletic, the most-fancied trio in the Championship, indicates it is a successful formula. The table - with Stoke sitting fourth, one point behind Albion, who occupy an automatic promotion place - indicates that their rightful place is in that company.
Not that compliments flowed from the West Brom manager, Tony Mowbray. Mixing monosyllabic responses with barely veiled comments, he implied Albion were the moral victors. While teams are often thought to reflect their managers, an expressive Albion side is at odds with Mowbray's dour persona, and he was in a particularly grouchy mood. "I saw what I saw," he said, a phrase he repeated with the frequency of a conspiracy theorist. "I saw my team playing some decent football." Robert Koren and Jonathan Greening did instigate a series of elegant passing moves, but Albion's goal, bundled in by Roman Bednar, was the ugliest of the afternoon.

Though Albion's reputation is as the Championship equivalent of Arsenal while Bryan Robson recently likened Stoke to the Wimbledon side of two decades' ago, it would be simplistic to brand this a contest of the beautiful against the beastly. Fuller's third goal, a wondrous solo run, was much the best of the match. Alongside him, the foreboding Mamady Sidibe is a suitably frightening successor to John Fashanu in the ranks of the intimidating centre-forwards.

The unsettled central defensive duo of Bostjan Cesar and Pedro Pele, who comprised Albion's soft underbelly, had little response to Sidibe, the supplier of Fuller's opener. "My job is different now because the manager wants me to drop deep and let Ricardo get in the box. I'm playing more [in] midfield than striker," said the Malian. Though he hardly qualifies as a delicate playmaker in his withdrawn role, Fuller is a grateful beneficiary of his industry.

Fuller's signing of an extended deal until 2011 is an indication of new-found buoyancy, with the Britannia Stadium being purchased by chairman Peter Coates. Recently, they have been paupers compared to some of their rivals and have struggled to retain players with Michael Duberry and Danny Higginbotham prominent departures this year. As Pulis assessed his resources against Mowbray's on Saturday, he said of Fuller's new contract: "It's the first time in two spells I've been manager that the club has gone to a player who has got 18 months left and offered him a new contract."

The Jamaican striker has scored five goals in two games since agreeing his contract. "I don't work to live, I live to play football. Money's important but it's not everything," he said. "Ricardo likes it here," added Pulis. "He's very well liked in the dressing room and that's important to him." The manager and his charges, however, are flourishing without similar appreciation.

Man of the match Ricardo Fuller

Pulis believes the speedy Jamaican could prosper in the Premier League. How Albion could have benefited from a striker offering such incisiveness.

Best Moment His third goal when he befuddled two defenders before applying the coolest of finishes

[Lakeland Potter]

Today's Telegraph

West Brom find Stoke's Fuller too hot to handle
By Richard Holdsworth
Last Updated: 1:42am GMT 24/12/2007


Have your say Read comments

Stoke City (2) 3 West Bromich Albion (0) 1

Shortly before his departure to Portsmouth from Preston, Ricardo Fuller was thought of as one of the most promising strikers outside the Premier League.

Football fans' forumadvertisementIf the three following seasons of relative underachievement on the South Coast with Pompey and then Southampton have dented the Jamaican's confidence, it doesn't show. It didn't on Saturday anyway. Fuller's hat-trick, almost three years to the day since his first in English football for Preston, placed Stoke firmly in the frame for automatic promotion from the Championship.

With such a feverish crowd at the Britannia Stadium, this match could have ended up as something more akin to a battle than anything involving a football. Fortunately, both teams had enough talent and desire to pass the ball around neatly.

Certainly Mamady Sidibe's fourth-minute back-heel, which found Fuller for his first goal, was special. The striker gratefully accepting his partner's pass and curling the ball past Dean Kiely with the kind of self-assurance you would expect from a Franz Beckenbauer or Bobby Charlton.

The classy forward play that has reaped such rewards for Tony Mowbray and West Bromwich this season slowly materialised, but too often the waves were repelled by a resolute Stoke City defence. When they did manage to get past the back four, Roman Bednar could not find the composure to beat Steve Simonsen, and West Brom paid for his skied effort when Liam Lawrence's free-kick from the right found Fuller in space at the far post and the striker volleyed his second goal of the game past Kiely.

West Brom continued to come forward in numbers but Stoke's counter-attacking proved the more potent policy, Fuller completing his hat-trick with a stunning third after cutting past Carl Hoefkens on the left midway through the second half.

"We couldn't handle a striker who is obviously in good form," said Mowbray, who will be unhappy at losing top spot to Watford despite Bender's late header.

Match details

Stoke: Simonsen; Wilkinson, Shawcross, Cort, Pugh; Lawrence, Delap, Eustace, Cresswell; Sidibe (Dickinson 84), Fuller (Parkin 89).
Subs: Pulis, Hoult (g), Zakuani.
Goals: Fuller 5, 38, 66.
West Brom: Kiely; Hoefkens, Cesar (Albrechtsen 67), Pele, Robinson; Gera, Koren, Greening, Filipe Teixeira (Phillips 46); Bednar, Brunt (Miller 46).
Subs: Steele (g), Morrison.
Goal: Bednar 72.
Booked: Brunt, Cesar.
Ref: Mark Halsey (Lancashire).


Have your say

[Lakeland Potter]

Today's Independent

Stoke City 3 West Bromwich 1: Fuller shows Stoke's title credentials
By David Instone
Published: 24 December 2007
West Bromwich Albion anticipate games against Stoke City as a turkey crosses off the days to Christmas. Now they may view Ricardo Fuller with much the same dread.

A world away from his roots, the Jamaican's second English hat-trick extended Stoke's extraordinary dominance of this fixture and added even more fizz to the log-jam at the Championship summit.

Fuller's ninth, 10th and 11th goals of the season helped dislodge Albion as leaders and offered food for thought following Gary Megson's decision to release him despite three goals in two reserve games on trial at The Hawthorns in 2001.

Fuller declined to rub it in afterwards, saying only: "I'm glad I wasn't a quitter, otherwise I wouldn't be here today. My game is judged on scoring goals, and being happy and settled are two of the most important things in a footballer's life."

Ten days ago, the 28-year-old agreed a contract extension to 2011 – a move he has followed with five goals in two games, having also scored in a 3-1 triumph at Albion last season.

Twenty-three seasons after last playing in the top flight, fourth-placed Stoke have to be taken seriously as promotion candidates after winning five of their last six matches and scoring 14 times in the process.

Though they are frequently said to be the beast to Albion's beauty, this was a victory for pragmatism and outstanding chance-taking rather than a case of winning ugly.

Not that they will find all opponents this accommodating. There was a hint of offside and handball about Fuller's first when Mamady Sidibe's flick set him up in only the fifth minute, then an equally accomplished finish punished woeful defending at Liam Lawrence's free-kick. The resistance to the assured run and side-foot that brought the third was just as tepid.

Albion made inroads late on and might well have managed more than Roman Bednar's sixth goal in six games but have now made 16 successive winless trips to the Britannia Stadium or Victoria Ground since 1982 and beaten Stoke only once in 23 League meetings. How they will this time want to sidestep the play-offs, not least to avoid facing their bogey side.

"Christmas is a massive time and we're looking forward to the games," said Albion's goalkeeper Dean Kiely. "Watford, Charlton and ourselves could all probably make a case for being 10 points clear but this division is what it is."

Goals: Fuller (5) 1-0; Fuller (37) 2-0; Fuller (66) 3-0; Bednar (72) 3-1.

Stoke City (4-4-2): Simonsen; Wilkinson, Cort, Shawcross, Pugh; Lawrence, Eustace, Delap, Cresswell; Fuller (Parkin, 90), Sidibe (Dickinson, 83). Substitutes not used: Hoult (gk), Zakuani, Pulis.

West Bromwich Albion (4-4-1-1): Kiely; Hoefkens, Cesar (Albrechtsen, 69), Pele, Robinson; Gera, Koren, Greening, Brunt (Miller, h-t); Teixeira (Phillips, h-t); Bednar. Substitutes not used: Steele (gk), Morrison.

Booked: West Bromwich Brunt, Cesar.

Referee: M Halsey (Lancashire)

Man of the match: Fuller.