Andy Tillson - Pottering On

Results

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Stoke had a great start to the month beating Arsenal 3-1 and they showed real dominance in that game. The start the game off poorly and Begovic made an uncharacteristic blunder when he caught Santi Cazorla's free-kick but then proceeded to drop it into his own net. Stoke didn't let that affect them and they went on to score on the stroke of half-time through Cameron Jerome who then scored his second not long after the second half kicked off. Peter Crouch rounded the result of with a late header.

Against Manchester United Stoke were very much second best and with Begovic back to himself he saved countless United shots as Stoke withstood the barrage and they countered one which eventually let to a goal after a scramble in the box.

The month ended poorly losing to West Brom as Stoke were very unconvincing and it looked as if the sides thought it would be a walk in the park after beating Arsenal and Manchester United.

Tillson on the month - "It's great to see us get a win over two of the big sides and it shows the quality we had. We had a poor September and we needed a lift and beating Arsenal and United was just what we asked for. We had a small blip against West Brom but we can't be everyone".

Table

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Stoke City's Player of the Month - Ryan Shawcross

Ryan Shawcross has had another solid month. He's been the most consistent player for Stoke and has yet to put a foot wrong. In October he was key in the wins over Arsenal and Manchester United. He's become a real leader in the last few months and he's really matured as a player. His performances even earned him an England call-up.

Results

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A poor result against Liverpool kick started the month. Liverpool have been in fine form and when Stoke came to visit they sat in 2nd position. Stoke played valiantly but Liverpool played out of their skins to get the victory. Finishing still seemed to be a problem when it came to the Sunderland game as missed opportunities ended up giving Stoke a poor draw. Finishing didn't seem to be so much of problem when it came to the games against QPR and Wigan where Stoke came out victorious. Against Fulham Stoke led twice but failed to capatalise on their leads and allowed Fulham to equalise.

Table

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Stoke City's Player of the Month - Steven N'Zonzi

Steven N'Zonzi had a great month for Stoke being their stand out performer both preventing goals and setting them up for Stoke.

During the November fixtures Stoke players Peter Crouch and Vitaliy Mandzyuk both suffered long term injuries. Crouch has been sidelined for 3-4 months with a torn hamstring and Mandzyuk for 2-3 months with a broken ankle. Crouch has been ever present in the Stoke team to date, his stats don't tell the whole picture, with 3 goals and 1 assist in 12 games. The stats paint the picture he hasn't been involved much in Stoke's play, however, as the target man he has played a vital role in knocking down the ball and holding it up to assist with attacks. Crouch's absence has proved a tricky one. Kenywne Jones has come into the starting eleven but has failed to make the impact that Crouch had.

Mandzyuk only joined Stoke this summer and just 3 months into his spell in England he will be sidelined for months. The player has made 9 appearances this season being a vital part in Stoke's defense. Ryan Shotton has filled in perfectly since then and Mandzyuk could struggle to get back his starting place.

Ouch! Big lose
Still, you're doing well so far Keep it up!

Stoke City manager Andy Tillson is believed to be chasing the signature of Arsenal de Sarandi defender Lisandro López. The Argentine defender is out of contract next summer and is available to sign a pre-contract at the end of December and Tillson has gone out of his way to make the player know he is a wanted man at Stoke by announcing his interest in the player and showing his admiration in the media.

Lisandro López has never left Argentina to play club football, having played for Chacarita Juniors and Arsenal de Sarandi, so a move away for the 23 year old could prove to be the next step in his career.

Results

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A terrible month for Stoke as they failed to make a real impact on their games, picking up just 4 points from a possible 18. Little positive to say on this month.

Table

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Stoke City's Player of the Month - Robert Huth

Robert Huth won his first Player of the Month award for Stoke this season. The central defender was key this month, despite the poor results. The defense has been the key part of Stoke's season so far and Huth outplayed his teammates.

Unlucky last month matey!! Keep it up though you have had some good results overall though

Ouch that last month was a bad one, especially against Southampton. Take inspiration from your results against Manchester United and Arsenal though. I am sure you can turn this around in the new year.

Beany- Yeah, it was a poor month. Very disappointed. Thanks for reading.

James - It was a bad month, gutted about some of the results. Finishing has been a real poor point for my team so far. I hope I can turn it around. Still, midtable isn't bad after I was tipped for relegation. Thanks for reading.

Results

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Stoke had a an action packed month. Despite the first two results, Stoke had a good month. They gained 10 points over January. Losing to Chelsea was deserved, Stoke were in a poor run of form and carried it over to both the Chelsea game and the Wolves game. They then fought valiantly against West Ham and Newcastle only to be denied a return to winning ways. Norwich proved an easy task as Stoke dismantled them. Finally, Arsenal fell victim to Stoke once again, losing for the second time to them this season, Jerome sunk them once again.

Tillson - "We had a mixed bag of results. 2 losses, 2 draws and 2 wins. The overall performance of the side really picked up against West Ham and only improved from there on. Hopefully we can take this form into February and continue to impress".

Table

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Stoke City's Player of the Month - Asmir Begovic

Asmir Begovic was key in all games this season. He's been on fantastic form all season and deserves more recognition then he gets. The rumour mill has started already and if even one of them is true Stoke will face a task to keep him.

Stoke City can announce the signings of midfield Olexandr Aliev from Dynamo Kiev and full-back Jorge Casado from Real Madrid. Aliev is a central midfielder who often is deployed as a playmaker. He's got 30 Ukraine caps to his name, with 6 goals. He joined for a fee of £3.8m after he requested a transfer due to the reported interest from Stoke.

Aliev has previously played for Lokomtiv Moscow and spent part of this season on loan to Dnipro, where for a short time, he was a team mate of Mandzyuk who he also plays with in the international team.

Jorge Casado joins from Real Madrid's Castilla team, where he has spent the last 3 years. Before joining Castilla he played for Rayo Vallecano's B side. He's expected to come in as rotation with Marc Wilson. The player cost a small fee of £350k.

Nice signings, I hope they can propel you into Europe or at least keep you in the top half

Stoke City have agreed deals to bring in Ajax winger Miralem Sulejmani and Federico Casarini, who is on loan at Cagliari from Bologona. Both of these players will join up with the Stoke City squad on the 1st July.

Stoke already have 6 players who are natural in the center of midfield, the position where Casarini plays. The signing of Casarini could indicate one of two things for Stoke, a change in system or a change in personnel.

This could also be the case with Sulejmani, who can play on the right of midfield or as a striker. With Walters as the starting right midfielder at the moment plus Kightly and Pennant Stoke are already stacked in that department.

Federico Casarini has played youth football for the Italian sides make 8 over three different age levels. He's played his entire career at Bologona, aside from his loan spell and Cagliari this season. Casarini is a very technical player, a great passer of the ball and his vision is outstanding.

Miralem Sulejmani has known he would leave Ajax for the entire 2012/13 season after announcing he wouldn't be signing a new deal. He started his career off playing for Serbian side Partizan before moving to Holland to play for Heerenveen where he rose to prominence and was snapped up for then a Dutch record of €16.25m. Sulejmani has played for Serbia at under 21 level 20 times and the senior national team 10 times.

Sulejmani can play various positions but is strongest on the right wing. He's a fantastic dribbler and is often found cutting in from the right to smash home with his favoured left foot.

We had a short statement from Tillson regarding his new signings - "I'm over the moon to be able to bring in two top quality players and beat some top sides to them. I've been tracking the progress of both these players over the course of the first 6 months of the season and they have impressed me a great deal. I can't wait to see what they can do for us here at Stoke".

2013-04-24 19:49#94496 LJO200 : Nice signings, I hope they can propel you into Europe or at least keep you in the top half

I hope so too. Aliev is already out injured for a month or so, such a pain in the backside. Thanks for reading.

Results

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A mixed 2 months for Stoke. It kick started with a loss to Swansea, looked to have picked up after a great come back against West Brom after being 2-0 down but then Manchester United dominated Stoke and made them pay for a lackluster performance. Stoke didn't let it bother them too much as they then came out and dismantled Liverpool and Sunderland in back-to-back games before a drawing with QPR.

Tillson - "Great run of results for us. As long as we continue in the fashion we ended March in we can propel ourselves to a top half finish. My job was to get Stoke to safety, which I have. Anything else from now on is a bonus".

Table

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Barclay's Manager of the Month for March

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It's only the second time this season that Tillson has finished in the top 3 for this award.

Stoke City's Player of the Month for February - Ryan Shawcross

Ryan Shawcross had another solid month in defense and continues to prove himself as one of the best in the league right now. He's had numerous England call-ups this season. Chelsea have shown interest recently and Rafa Benitez has been spotted at the Brittania.

Stoke City's Player of the Month for March - Peter Crouch

Peter Crouch returned from his long-term injury at the end of February, he returned to playing quickly afterwards and has shown Stoke fans what they have been missing. He has been key in their up-turn in form.