Match Reports From Papers

[Lakeland Potter]

Is it me or do the reports from Today's papers (Guardian, Telegraph, Independent) ALL seem to be more balanced than some of the stuff we have been reading recently. It is as if having taken 24 hours to think about the game and check their statistsics and facts they are finally realising that we are not just the Ugly Sisters gate crashing the ball.

[daverichards]

The Mirror

FULL GUY
Ricardo can't stop scoring since signing new contract Stoke 3 West Brom 1
By Jeremy Butler 24/12/2007

Stoke's decision to hand Ricardo Fuller a new contract paid dividends as the hit-man smashed a hat-trick to kill off West Brom.

The Jamaican signed a three-year extension 11 days ago and has netted five goals in two games since putting pen to paper.

Fuller claims knowing his future is tied to Stoke until 2011 has given him the confidence to go and destroy opposing defences once again.

The striker had gone nine games without a goal before hitting the target twice to seal a win at Blackpool a week ago.


And his hat-trick against Tony Mowbray's men ended any hope of the Baggies snatching a first win at Stoke since 1982.

Fuller said: "When a player is settled and comfortable it makes playing easier. I am happy here and comfortable and maybe that is why my form is good. I was keen to sign a new contract but it was never about the money. Money is not everything for a player, being at the right club is. Knowing the club wanted me to stay was all that I needed to hear and I'm glad they came to me."

Fuller was sharp to tuck away his opener from a Mama Sidibe flick that had Albion's players appealing for hand-ball.

He was then left free at the far post to drill in the second, and turned defender Bostjan Cesar inside out before side-footing a third.

West Brom's fightback never got further than Roman Bednar's late strike and the Baggies keeper Dean Kiely admitted his side paid for failing to keep Fuller under wraps. Kiely said: "I played against Ricardo at Charlton and he is formidable. We tried to get something in the second half but we had dug ourselves into a hole."

Albion boss Tony Mowbray refused to be downbeat about the defeat, claiming his squad are still on track for promotion.

But Kiely said the Baggies line-up is so strong this term they should already have one foot back in the Premiership.

He added: "The teams at the top like Watford and Charlton and us can make a case for being ten points clear but the division is what it is."

Fuller's goals knocked West Brom off the top of the table and moved Stoke into position to land a place in the automatic promotion spots over Christmas.

His strike partner Mama Sidibe reckons Fuller's decision to stay at the club has given them the perfect boost going into the festive period. "Signing Ricardo has given us a lift because it shows the intentions of the club," Sidibe said.

"It proves we are keeping our best players at the club."

Stoke have now taken 16 points out of the last 18 and boss Tony Pulis is eyeing a January spending spree to bolster his side.

He said: "We have some targets and we will be looking to bring in some quality players."

[daverichards]

The Sun

WIZARD POTTER ... Stoke hero Ricardo Fuller fires in his second
Stoke 3 West Brom 1

By BEN KINSELLA


HAT-TRICK hero Ricardo Fuller insists he is a fighter not a quitter — as West Brom found to their cost.

Potters hotshot Fuller was rejected by Albion as a raw 21-year-old.

And the Jamaican hitman showed them what they missed as he destroyed Tony Mowbray’s high-fliers to put Stoke in line for a shot at the Premier League.

Fuller had a trial for West Brom’s reserves six years ago.

He scored three goals but the club sent him back to the Caribbean as he was not considered the finished article.

But Fuller, 28, looks it now. He has 11 goals to his name this season as well as a new contract extension keeping him at Stoke until 2011.

And he has helped guide the Potters to fourth in the Championship thanks to a seven-game unbeaten run.

Fuller said: “The West Brom trial is not so important now as it was way back. But I’ve had a lot of bad luck with injuries in my career and it’s a good job I’m not a quitter.

“If I was then I wouldn’t be doing what I am today.

“I’m a fighter and I will continue to fight.”

Fuller admits his new deal gives him the security he craves after joining his sixth English club 18 months ago.

And the result is clear with five goals in two matches.

He added: “Happiness and comfort are two of the most important things in a footballer’s life.

“If I’m settled then I’ve got less to worry about. It means I can concentrate 150 per cent on my job.

“Money is important, but it’s not everything. Coming to Stoke was all about faith and I never doubted it would come off. I don’t play football to live, I live to play football.”

Albion had plenty of the match but found stubborn Stoke a tough nut to crack and paid for some bad defending.

Baggies boss Mowbray was clearly unimpressed with City’s spoiling tactics but his side did not look like ending their dismal 25-year run without a win at Stoke.

When striker Roman Bednar was denied by keeper Steve Simonsen, having finally opened Albion’s account with a 72nd-minute header, it was clear the jinx would continue.

Fuller said: “I have no idea why West Brom never seem to win against us. We’re moving up the table and we want to get out of this league.”

Fuller opened the scoring after five minutes from Mama Sidibe’s pass.

He grabbed his second in the 38th minute with an angled drive and cut inside to complete a superb third senior hat-trick on 66 minutes.

West Brom keeper Dean Kiely said: “I’ve played against him before and he’s formidable.

“We imposed ourselves in the second half but we had already dug ourselves into a hole. We coughed and spluttered as a team.

“Ourselves, Watford and Charlton could all make cases for being 10 points clear.

“But we are going into the Christmas programme with everything tight. This is a massive time.”

SUN STAR MAN

RICARDO FULLER (Stoke). Deadly accurate finishing.

[Deleted]

Thanks for the reports gents. I know that they're all out there for public viewing, but it's nice to have them al here in one place.

"Ourselves, Watford and Charlton could all make cases for being 10 points clear." - Could anyone tell me what this means? I'd like to say something else other than conceited wankerishness, but I don't think that would be right!

[Thank you from Moorlander1]

For the attention of Admin please can you take two stars off Forskin for neglect of duty. The job Ifred bequeathed to him obviously had NO political advantage with a step to the Board as a fans rep.

[Admin]

fornside said:

Is it me or do the reports from Today's papers (Guardian, Telegraph, Independent) ALL seem to be more balanced than some of the stuff we have been reading recently. It is as if having taken 24 hours to think about the game and check their statistsics and facts they are finally realising that we are not just the Ugly Sisters gate crashing the ball.

It wasn't you at all John. I think a healthy dose of reality set in (Birmingham Mail, Excuse & Star and Smethwick Trumpet excluded of course) with the media as Stoke basically dismantled the supposed best team in the division.

It was a good thing to see.

[fuggers]

Despite Pulis of course though eh, Smudge?

[Admin]

fuggers said:

Despite Pulis of course though eh, Smudge?

Got the wrong guy Fuggers - I'm more of a rimmer than a hater!

I just mix in bad company.

[Olgrligm]

Potteries peasants' band of thugs defeat purists

Dec 23 2007

By Chris Libiaskowski


For the 25th year running, Stoke City cheated their way to a home victory against footballing purists West Bromwich Albion.

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.

Also from this time were the Wimbledon of old, who Stoke boss Tony Pulis clearly bases his side on.

Along with this, there is another constant - Albion's inability to win at Stoke.

Ricardo Fuller fluked three lucky goals to help Stoke to a 3-1 victory, but Roman Bednar's consolation goal was so good that it should have counted for 5, handing Albion the victory. This was just one of Halsey's many deficiencies.


Story continues Continue story
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Given our ridiculous pre-match buildup, you could be forgiven for thinking that Brazil were going to be turning upat Stoke's magnificent Britannia Stadium on Saturday. Given the silky, samba abilities of Kevin Phillips and Zoltan Gera, the Potteries peasants should have had been thoroughly outclassed from first to last.

This was clearly the case for anybody who attended the game. Albion's wonderful passing set a wodnerful example for all other clubs, taking the game to Stoke in the middle third. All right, Stoke may have bullied their way to being better in the first and final thirds, but no other team on the planet played with the class that Super Albion did in midfield. It was no wonder that Stoke completely bypassed the midfield, then, after a lucky long ball from John Eustace in the centre of the park found Mamady Sidibe, who kicked the ball into Ricardo Fuller's arm. Fuller recovered from this to pick the ball up in both arms and run it into the goal. Stoke were unfairly ahead.

Dirty Stoke continued to bully Albion around and even had the gall to appeal for a foul when Sidibe chased after a ball and was legally kicked over by West Brom's elegant Pele. Sidibe showed no respect for Albion's superior ability by appealing for a foul and was lucky not to be booked. The injustice became even greater when Ricardo Fuller was fairly roundhouse kicked by Bostjan Cesar while clean through. Novice referee Halsey gave the free kick to Stoke from which they scored a lucky second. The floodlights were clearly too bright and dazzled starlet Carl Hoefkens, who is renowned for his excellent far post marking.

In the second half, Stoke were once again second class and were mesmerised by the way that Albion kept the ball on the halfway line and played delicious crossfield passes. This was in great contrast to Stoke's rapid, aimless attacking and long hoofs from one side of the pitch to the other. It was from another of these hoofs that Fuller got his third, taking the ball when it was clearly out and running past Hoefkens, giving him a little nudge on an area of grass that Stoke had watered pre-match, causing him to fall over. Again, incompetent referee Halsey refused to give the foul and even allowed Fuller to slot the ball past Dean Kiely. The referee had gifted Stoke three unjust goals.

This was not to stop the Super, International class Baggies, though.

Roman Bednar finished off a delightful passing move from one of the Baggies' 4,000 supreme corners. He beautifully escaped his marker and headed home past thug Simonsen. This marked a great justice as Stoke's thuggish defence had been outwitted.

After this, Stoke resorted to some of the dirtiest football that anybody is ever likely to witness. Fuller lay on the ground for many minutes before being sent off the field for treatment (note that he came back on almost immediately!) and Ryan Shawcross violently attacked Kevin Phillips, ruining his world-class hair. Phillips spent several short minutes on the floor while the physio and hairdresser came onto the field.

One mus tremember that this was Stoke's tactic throughout the game. Early on, Mamady Sidibe brutally elbowed Jonathan Greening in the face using an arm that he claimed had got a burst artery in it following an international match. Nice try, Mama, but it's obvious that nobody from the current Stoke side could ever play international football. It was clearly just a ruse to allowed Sidibe to go about committing assault on innocent players. Fortunately, Greening's makeup wasn't too badly damaged and he was able to play on.

Stoke were truly a disgrace to the game. Their heroic, backs to the wall defending that barely contained Albion's centre circle passes typified all that is wrong with the modern game. Referee Halsey should have known better than to allow Stoke to defend and should instead have penalised their thugs. Stoke are the lovechild of John Major and Margaret Thatcher - dull and pure evil. When the Baggies do return to the Premier League in glory, they will be treated with much more respect from the referees and from the opposition, who will recognise that they would easily beat the 1974 Dutch international team and will hence lay down as they rightly should. It is likely that with the current squad, a top 3 Premiership finish would not be out of the question. Stoke, obviously, would be in the relegation places of League 2 if it were not for scheming devil worshipper Tony Pulis.

Not surprisingly Tony Mowbray bore the hallmarks of a disillusioned man after the game. He was pleased with his side's effort 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 the Super Baggies had everything correct and that passing the ball along the halfway line is what every team should do.

Stoke should never be praised by anybody in the media. Rather, they should be ignored and derided for all eternity. Footballing luminaries such as Glenn Hoddle and Colin Wanker have already pointed this out in an entirely non-hypocritical way and we should follow their lead. What sort of true football fan could support Stoke's methods? Not I.

Obviously, I have notified FIFA about Stoke's infuriating methods of play and I fully expect Tony Pulis to be banned for life. The world game is under threat and world-renowned clown Sepp Blatter is standing by idly and allowing it to happen. This cannot be allowed and Stoke must be stopped. Fabio Capello may think he has his work cut out when he watches this match (which he will obviously choose to do, as all footballing purists want to watch West Bromwich Albion), but help is at hand from Albion, who can churn out world class players at will. Regardless of the result today, Albion will win the league and Stoke will be relegated.

[tazi]

Thank you Fornside.

[MarkWolstanton]

"I don’t play football to live, I live to play football.”
What a fantastic and refreshing attitude for a footballer of today to have.

Top man.

Thanks for the copies lads.

[daverichards]

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