Source: Daily_Mail
Graham Poll - The Official Line: Why Stoke City are just not a dirty team
Plenty of accusations have been laid at Stoke City's door this season and the tag of being a dirty side resurfaced after last weekend's game against.[LNB]But in their FA Cup quarter-final they were disciplined, not dirty. They were professional and dedicated to their task which did not appear to spoil a football match.[LNB]Once again, Stoke did not have one player cautioned and none deserved a card from the excellent Martin Atkinson. [LNB]Their average of 1.85 yellow cards per game this season is the fourth highest in the Premier League, but it is hardly the sign of a team who are the enemies of the beautiful game.[LNB] Missile man: Rory Delap's long throws waste 15 more seconds than the average throw in[LNB] They gave away only 11 fouls at Stamford Bridge and almost all were in the midfield area.[LNB]They were designed to break up play and were only minor infringements such as blocks and shirt pulls.[LNB]Ricardo Fuller is the worst culprit, seemingly happy to concede tactical fouls to prevent quick breaks from his opponents, aware that his defenders are content to deal with any long free kicks which result.[LNB]The fact that Stoke made only 10 successful tackles could be a reaction to Aaron Ramsey's horrendous injury in last week's game against Arsenal.[LNB]Yet watching them closely, Ii concluded that their game is more about a disciplined approach to defending and ensuring that they double up in their defensive third negating the need to foul, as there is almost always cover.[LNB] Tough tackling: But Stoke conceded only 11 free-kicks against Chelsea[LNB] Of course, no analysis of would be complete without a look at Rory Delap's throw-ins and there were 11 of them. They took, on average, 15 seconds longer than standard throws and he does wear an undershirt, which he uses to dry the ball.[LNB]Chelsea tried to use a similar tactic in allowing Branislav Ivanovic to take long, looping throws and he took plenty of time to take them from his right-back position.[LNB]Overall I was impressed with Stoke's discipline only one free kick conceded in the final third as well as their dedication to duty. Their full backs never ventured forward and midfield players worked tirelessly to break up play.[LNB]The problem seems to be Stoke's reputation and the fact they are not the most attractive side to watch.[LNB]But that doesn't make them dirty.[LNB] Piers Morgan: John Terry wins the Oscar for best original score, the Inglourious B*****d!Ribery admits Chelsea temptation as he heads for make or break Bayern talks First the ton, then the title! Manchester United centurion Paul Scholes targets Premier League after personal gloryChelsea 2 Stoke 0: John Terry makes a point as shamed skipper fires FA Cup holders to Wembley[LNB]
