Stoke City should have another comfortable mid-table finish, according to our predictions.
Where will your side finish in 2012-13? With the season just one week away, our pundits have put our heads together to give you a comprehensive set of predictions.
Opinions and analysis on all 20 Premier League clubs are given here by 12 of our writers and pundits here at HITC Sport. On the basis of the predictions from our ‘daring dozen’ we have calculated how the table will look come next May.
How does it work? All the predictions are totalled together, the team with the lowest score will finish 1st, and the highest will finish 20th. Here are the predictions for your club.
Verdict – Stoke will finish in: 12th
Highest prediction: 9th, Lowest prediction: 18th.
Dan Coombs: 15th; Many are expecting this to be the season the wheels fall off the Stoke wagon, and Tony Pulis has not had the cash to spend this summer he has in previous years. A move for Michael Kightly may well pay off, while pressure will be on Peter Crouch to reach the 15-goal mark. This season will be about consolidation after the excitement of the Europa League last year, but expect them to stay clear of relegation.
Vic Daniels: 14th; A bit of a struggle for Stoke this term, as rivals work out how to cope with a physically strong team
Mathew Nash: 15th; Star Player – Robert Huth. Top Scorer – Peter Crouch. I see a slow start for Stoke, continuing on their poor form so far in 2012. However results against other teams in their position will fend off relegation, for now, but the squad will need revamping after this close call. Peter Crouch will have to find the net more regularly with the help of Matthew Etherington’s crossing ability, but their star man will be Robert Huth as a solid defender to keep them up in a tough season.
Tomo Taka: 11th; Stoke have become the Premier League’s perennial mid-table side. They finished 14th last season and they should again be solid even with few additions to squad; only Jamie Ness from Rangers thus far has come in. Tony Pulis is experienced and organises his team well. Should they continue playing the Stoke way, they will arrive at a usual mid-table position. Star player: Wilson Palacios. Palacios was a good player at Wigan but failed to really make a mark at Tottenham. At Stoke he should rediscover same form as he displayed at Wigan. Challenge: The Premier League will see an increasing number of passing teams this season joining the likes of Tottenham, Liverpool and Swansea. Could Stoke be in danger of becoming out of date and outwitted by teams passing their way through.
Jake Lane: 10th; The Potters will celebrate their fifth year back in the top-flight with their best Premier League finish. They will make their experience count against the new-boys and tale advantage of last year’s suffering with the infamous second season-syndrome. The Britannia will continue to be a fortress so expect them to carry on taking points against some of the big boys – Arsenal a certainty.
Nigel Owen: 18th; There won’t be too many tears shed if Stoke get relegated. Passionate, loud fans, and at times an effective style of play, but Tony Pulis has not moved on from that in their 4 seasons in the top flight. 11th, 13th and 14th in recent seasons and the summer transfer window has done little to suggest that slide will be aborted. The gameplan is being countered, as highlighted by their 36 goals being the lowest total in the top flight last term. None of Crouch, Jerome, Jones, Sidibe or Walters have ever been prolific in their top-flight careers, managing 22 between them last season, but expect several to depart as the Potters head back to the Championship. If anyone in the Stoke squad can provide something different it is Matthew Etherington. He was Stoke’s player of the season in 2009-10, but his form dipped last year. If he can find the higher level of performance again then maybe Stoke can survive.
Surya Solanki: 13th; One of the most physical teams in the league, Stoke City’s main aim this season would be to continue their top-flight status. The signing of Jamie Ness on a free transfer after his release from Rangers is a good addition to the squad, but one cannot expect anything more than mid-table finish from the Potters.
Paul Moore: 10th; Tony Pulis will be happy with a top ten finish. Peter Crouch will once again have a good season. The workrate of the team is a reason they are hard to beat.
John Aggrey: 13th; They will be 13th because; this position might be shocking right? But this is all I think of Stoke City. Playing at Britannia has not been an easy task but at the same time, I really don’t see results to be easy coming for them too. Rangers Midfielder Jamie Ness is be on his way to Stoke and possibly Michael Owen too, if so Stoke would be a far better team upfront. My only problem is their away record, but they should be good enough to hang on for a 13th finish. Their main star should be; Peter Crouch. Is there any better player I would pick from this side for such a good mention? Is there? His ability to sometimes single handedly win games for Stoke and his adaptability to the Stoke style of football best suits him for this role of main star. Biggest Challenge will be; Concentration in the dying minutes of every game and trying to keep themselves from the wrong sides of officials books.
Naveenan Thanendra: 11th; Tony Pulis has done wonders to establish Stoke as a fixture in the Premier League and he will be looking to continue that good work. Although they haven’t made any signings that have really stunned the league, the addition of Jamie Ness certainly boosts their strength in depth. As a side that is well set up defensively, Stoke should not find much difficulty in finishing mid-table. However, it is the support that Crouch gets in scoring goals that will determine how far up the league they end up.
Keval Shah: 12th; Stoke have been a regular fixture in the premier league now for four years. As always you can expect Pulis to send out a well organised and disciplined side, worthy of causing any opponent problems on their day. With reliable players throughout the spine of the team, Stoke will be looking to improve on their 14th place positioning last season.
Khiam Barry: 9th; Similar to Everton’s David Moyes, Tony Pulis is a manager that demands hard work from his team and with two tough central defenders in the form of Huth and Shawcross, they have a strong foundation to build on. The wingers have an important part to play in getting the ball into the box for the likes of Crouch, Walters and Jones.
Connor Jipps: 11th; Tony Pulis has slowly been shedding away the ugly aspect of Stoke’s play from their debut season in the Premiership but it could prove to be to the Clubs detriment if the transition is made too quickly. In Etherington and Pennant, Stoke have two classy wingers capable of crossing a fantastic ball onto the heads of Stoke’s powerful strikers, with the addition of Michael Kightly providing excellent competition. Defensively Robert Huth and Ryan Shawcross provide a solid barrier and are capable central defenders able to dominate opposition strikers although sometimes are prone to loss of discipline. Stoke’s lack of transfer activity this summer suggests that Pulis is happy with his squad but the Potters should not be content with the current squad I feel. As previously mentioned there is a lot of talent but in the centre of the midfield Whitehead and Whelan are not good enough for a side aiming to progress towards regular top half finishes. They’ll be alright as they usually are and may cause a few shock results along the way, no doubt helped by the absence of the distracting Europa League. However I don’t think they will finish top half and will have to settle instead for lower mid-table.
Full predicted table: (1) Manchester City, (2) Manchester United, (3) Chelsea, (4) Arsenal, (5) Tottenham, (6) Liverpool, (7) Newcastle, (8) Everton, (9) Fulham, (10) Sunderland, (11) Aston Villa, (12) Stoke, (13) QPR, (14) Swansea, (15) West Ham, (16) West Brom, (17) Norwich, (18) Reading, (19) Wigan, (20) Southampton.
Where do you believe Stoke will finish next season?
image: © jad99
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