However, the future looks bright. We have managed to retain important players such as Ryan Shawcross and Ricardo Fuller and I’m sure there will be new faces around the corner. I have watched Stoke’s pre-season with great interest and we have clearly gone from strength to strength.
It all started off in early July when we made the annual trip to the Lyme Valley Stadium to set the ball rolling with a victory. Or not. A horrible piece of goalkeeping from Danzelle St. Louis-Hamilton allowed Chris Budrys to give Newcastle Town the lead but it seemed nothing more than a blip to the script.
Dave Kitson was looking tidy and we were creating numerous chances. Infact, James Beattie should have slotted home a hat-trick by the time the flame haired one set up Matty Etherington for a cool equaliser. It made the half time beers go down a little less embarrassingly.
Surely the second half would lead to a comfortable Stoke victory? Beattie was ineffective and seemed un-interested and it was left to young substitutes Ben Marshall and Louis Moult to create our best chances. However, by that time we were behind again. Another dreadful rush of blood from St. Louis-Hamilton allowed David Foy to loop the ball over him and into an unguarded net.
The defeat was compounded when we heard about the fate of our other team playing that day. A side containing the likes of Steve Simonsen, Andy Griffin, Richard Cresswell and Michael Tonge easily lost 2-0 at Nantwich Town. To say it wasn’t an ideal start would be an understatement.
As he always does, Tony Pulis sent the lads to Austria for a week of intensive training. During the week we lost 3-1 to St. Pauli (the only highlight being a rare Dave Kitson goal) and drew 1-1 with Hapoel Tel Aviv, thanks to Salif Diao's 45 yard screamer.
The lads returned to England in time for a trip to Preston, alongside former Sunderland captain Dean Whitehead. He performed well on his debut at Deepdale but missed a sitter from 2 yards and, combined with Liam Lawrence's penalty miss, it allowed Preston to take a 2-0 half-time lead thanks to a brace from Neil Mellor and poor goalkeeping from Thomas Sorensen.
Despite a few chances in the second half, we were limited to an own goal to cheer, despite Richard Cresswell's best attempts to claim it. It was hardly vintage stuff from the Potters.
The next fixture was at Nottingham Forest. A dreadful defensive first half performance (chiefly from Danny Higginbotham ) allowed David McGoldrick to put the Tricky Trees one up. We perked our ideas up for the second half and a lethal Dave Kitson strike levelled matters.
Ricardo Fuller, who was given an extended leave over the summer due to international commitments, came on to a great cheer and he didn't let us down. He was in one of his superb moods, where he is able to beat any player in the World. Although it didn't lead us onto victory, it was a very promising sign.
On the same evening, a fairly experienced side lost 2-0 at Newport County, perhaps highlighting how fragile our back-up is.
The final away fixture came at Derby County, infront of a massive crowd. The night before, a young side had beaten Mangotsfield 4-0 (due to a Ben Marshall hat-trick) and it was hoped the main side could register their first victory of pre-season.
It started well, with Lawrence's deflected cross looping over Stephen Bywater. Nigel Clough's side liked to pass it around but without much end product. That was until we allowed former loanee Stephen Pearson the freedom of the penalty area to head past Sorensen.
What followed from Stoke was magnificent. Kitson picked the ball up on the right wing and, surrounded by two defenders, he performed a Cuyff turn to give himself space. Looking up, he chipped the ball straight onto Fuller's chest who, with two touches beat his marker and volleyed past the keeper and a defender on the line. It was a goal worthy of winning any match, let alone a friendly.
Sadly, it didn't even mean victory. A poor save from Sorensen in injury time set up substitute Mendy who fired the ball past the Danish keeper to leave honours even at 2-2.
So, how are the lads performing? I didn't go to Austria but, having seen the main friendlies in England this is how I would mark them:
Sorensen: 5. Too many mistakes.
Shotton: 7. Promising stuff although I don't think he is ready for the Burnley match.
Griffin: 5. Not quite sure why he is playing so much!
Higginbotham: 6. Perhaps that injury is still giving him some grief.
Shawcross: 6. Not the best from Ryan.
Cort: 6. Average.
A.D. Faye: 7. Good as ever.
Dickinson: 6. Nothing spectacular but he did injure Giles Barnes!
Lawrence: 7. Promising signs.
Whelan: 5. Not upto his normal standard.
Whitehead: 7. Decent start to his Stoke career.
Delap: 6. One of his long throws created the goal at PNE.
Tonge: 6. Average.
Pugh: 6. Best performance was at Derby.
Etherington: 6. Not bad.
Kitson: 8. Star of pre-season so far.
Beattie: 4. Doesn't even look interested.
Fuller: 7. Continued where he left off.
Cresswell: 6. Not great.
Mr James Knowles.