Tyler Starks ~~ Reign on the Pitch ~~

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Re: Tyler Starks ~~ Reign on the Pitch ~~

Stoke City defying odds with 17 points through September

Stoke City at full strength was only expected to contend for a mid table spot, yet if their phenomenal play continues they might find themselves competing for a birth in the Champions League. Their play has been out of character for a program that was unable to secure all the pieces they had hoped, are dealing with a transition to a new manager and several players are on the wrong end of 30, but nothing has held this team back this season.

Nothing, not even when physical 'freak' Jerome broke his tibia during a striking attempt against Chelsea, not starting Pugh in his place, Pugh wouldn't of even start on Starks Swindon Town side. Without depth that the elite sides of the league boasts, this streak most likely cannot continue especially when tournaments are factored in but this team is doing things that no one expected.

Ciro Immobile stepped up bringing his play to a whole new level. Averaging a rating of 7.9, most recently with a hat trick to draw the Everton side that is only one spot below them. The shocking thing was that Stoke City hasn't even been playing the weak end of the league. Opening with a 2-0 loss to Liverpool where almost everything went wrong as the players adjusted to a new system and transfers were being fitted in, they would rebound a week later with a 3-2 stunner over the 7th place Chelsea side.

Than a week later they would welcome Arsenal to their home pitch, putting on a clinic winning 5-2, despite losing their top striker. Everything that could go right, did. Arsenal is tied with Everton with 16 points, once again a win that was no simple matter. They would slip past Exeter who was seeking an upset bid, with a late goal to escape with a 3-2 decision.

They would draw Sunderland in a 1-1 match that would prove to be the second most disappointing game of the season with their shutout loss to Liverpool still in their minds. They would continue to roll, carving their way through the opposition with three consecutive wins, with three consecutive clean sheets winning in a combined 5-0. Closing out with the draw against Everton and this team has not lost a match since August 15th, with their next match coming up on the eleventh, the opportunity to go two months in the highest level of English football would be huge for a team largely considered to be a mid level contender.

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Re: Tyler Starks ~~ Reign on the Pitch ~~

Stoke City head into transfer window with 37 points ; holes

To claim that Stoke City is in any concern of a poor finish is virtually non-existant. This team is poised for an upper mid table finish, after an extremely hot start they cooled off heading into October and November. Crashing through December with a whole new slew of injuries to combat in the coming months.

Cameron Jerome will return from his injury, a broken tibia at the end of the year, but his duties would be limited to only playing in short bursts off the bench, with an early January fixture, he had been placed into the starting lineup after injuries sidelined other players. Johnathan Woodgate who has already said he is retiring at the end of his contract, was diagnosed with a Medial Collateral Ligament injury, that could potentially ended his career, with over three months on the timetable for return, he could've played his last game.

Acquisition, Curtis Davies suffered a similar injury, with a Lateral Collateral Ligament injury that could also have him sidelined for the remainder of the season, but his career is at no risk from the injury. None the less the things this team has managed to accomplish with all the suspensions and injuries is nothing short of spectacular.

A 2-1-1 October with a notable 3-2 decision over Manchester United was a high point to a month that showcased some flaws and ended their no-loss streak at 56 days, a great streak that couldn't slip past a loss on their road trip to West Ham United. They would quickly start a new streak, going through November without a loss, a 2-2-0 month that draws were against Aston Villa and Fulham and expected victories against Wolverhampton and Swansea City, both bottom of the table squads.

Their second no-loss streak would come to an end on December 23rd, with a loss to Bolton in 2-1, entering December with a 1-2-0 month prior to the loss, with draws against Manchester City and the Blackburn Rovers. Their streak would go 60 days exactly, with such spacing inbetween losses, the general hope would be this team would stay in the top five. Yet a 0-0 draw to close out 2015 would knock them down to sixth after Manchester United won their fixture.

"It hurts, with both streaks you would expect us to be a little bit better off, but with how banged up our team has been.. it's hard to complain. Everytime someone gets hurt, another player steps up in a huge way. I am happy to be in such a situation, with the youth movement sweeping through the team and the transfer window opening, this team is poised to make a serious run at the top of the table." Spoke Tyler Starks after the Everton draw.

The players on their way out this transfer window? Lee, Pugh, Wilkinson and Windbichler are all listed for sale, while Tchagouni is on a short term loan, in hopes of developing the player or at the very least shopping around his talents. Wilkinson is the most talented player to be put on the chopping block, but Tyler Starks is hoping to return to a 4-4-2 system and with his sale, it would become possible to get a good prospect to fill that fourth midfielder slot.

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Re: Tyler Starks ~~ Reign on the Pitch ~~

Stoke City manages to fill roster and bring in talent ; forfeit twice

Despite all of the positive things that Tyler Starks has had to say about Stoke City, the fact of things is, this team just cannot stay healthy. The injury list is sitting at five, with three being key starters, and three being key defensive components. On the positive side of things, they would manage to return to a 4-4-2 which makes all of the injuries in the first third of the pitch a little more bearable.

Curtis Davies and Jonathan Woodgate continue to work to heal, with Davies sitting at 5 weeks before he can start practicing with the team again, with Woodgate only a month away from being able to start practicing again, the need for these players is huge. Ezequiel Munoz was a recent addition to the injury list, but he will be playing in the upcoming fixture against Liverpool, despite being only considered 80% healthy. Midfielders, Cristian Llama (First XI) and Matty Lund (Reserve) both are new additions as wel. With Llama having a torn hamstring he is still expected to miss two more months, while Matty Lund who was filling in for a dilapidated defensive unit would sprain his knee and will be off the pitch for a month.

With minor injuries to other players throughout the squad, when Tyler Starks brought in players like striker, Edin Ilsanker who really won't even be ever seeing the pitch in a starting capacity unless the injury situation manages to get a little worse, a lot of people grimaced, but as the injuries pile on, being able to field a team is much more important than having a slightly better starter and spending your days on the sidelines because of forfeiture.

The big signing was Sergi Roberto, the youth Centerfielder from Barcelona is only 24 years old but was turning heads in Spanish competition and should continue to do so as he hits the English pitch. "It will be a change.. and I was surprised to be put into negotiations, but I am happy to be here." Said Roberto through a Spanish translator.

January on the pitch was a rough month. Opening up with three wins, two in Premier League play and one over the Queens Park Rangers in the F.A. Cup, than the injuries set in and two consecutive forfeits sent this team reeling. One against Manchester United and the other in the F.A. Cup against West Ham United. "It was tough, it is never good to miss a match against a great team like Manchester United and the general attitude was we could've beaten West Ham United, it is difficult but it's life. We were dealt a bad hand. At the least we can focus on the Premier league. We still have a shot at the top five and we cannot pass that opportunity on because of a bad situation.

In their return to the pitch after nearly three weeks, the squad would disappoint, with a 2-1 loss to Sunderland, the day that their highly touted transfer would board the plane. With a difficult Feburary that features Arsenal, Bolton (the lone easy game) and Manchester City, Stoke City still has four months left and they need to remember that. They cannot crumble or rest. They are sitting at seventh and need to claw their way back up to at least fifth and they are only three points from that. Going with two wins in February is almost a necessity.