He has been relied upon particularly in the absence of Harry Souttar and, with speculation over Souttar's future going into the January transfer window, Alex Neil is pleased to get everything signed. READ MORE: Stoke City boss reveals what he wants to add to squad READ MORE: Shotton still baffled by Pulis decision over Pennant The manager said: "To be honest, I didn't know Phil all that well before I came in although I obviously I knew of him. But when you come in and see a guy still doing what he does at his age is incredible. I think his enthusiasm and his love for the game is something that really comes across.
None of us could understand that. “I was sat there and, I don’t think we had this proper conversation but thinking, ‘How am I here in front of you playing right wing? This should not be happening! ’ “But it didn’t matter who you were, as long as you were willing to do what (Pulis) asked, you were in his team. I was his fifth defender really. ” Clarke, the former Stoke captain and Shotton’s agent, could understand Pulis’s thinking. He said: “This is where I’ll always defend Tony. Jermaine, and I’d say it to his face and have done, he’s a super talent but sometimes he just walked into the team, he stopped training correctly and this, that and the other.
Shotton still baffled by Pulis decision over PennantRyan Shotton admits even he was surprised when Tony Pulis threw him into Stoke City's Premier League team on the right wing ahead of Jermaine Pennant. Pennant was inspirational after he joined Stoke from Zaragoza, helping reach the 2011 FA Cup final, but he gradually fell out of favour in his second season as Pulis tried to balance a Premier League campaign with Europa League adventure.
"With the EFL taking centre stage domestically during the World Cup, the fixture represents an opportunity for the league to offer a unique approach to coverage, providing supporters with rare access to the full matchday experience. " Sky agreed a £595m five-year deal with the EFL in 2019, which was 35 per cent up on the previous contract even if it still pales into insignificance compared to what is paid for Premier League coverage. It has led to ongoing debate, with some Championship clubs "feeling undervalued" for 138 league games shown on TV each season, plus play-off games, potentially going up to 158 over the next two years. Viewing figures this season apparently peaked with 600, 000 watching the opening weekend clash between Huddersfield Town and Burnley. Rival bids are expected for the rights when negotiations take place next season for a package due to start in 2024. What innovations would you like to see in TV coverage? Have your say in the comments section READ NEXT Roar on England to World Cup glory by sending messages of support to Three Lions Will the shocks keep on coming at the 2022 World Cup? Predict what happens in Qatar World Cup of Shirts 2022: Pick a winner in our kit knockout special John Coates reveals three Stoke City phone calls he's glad he answered EFL ready to bring in new Financial Fair Play rules 'very, very quickly' Ricardo Fuller opens up on Stoke City soulmate, Tony Pulis and 'absolute privilege' The latest Stoke City news in one place Story SavedYou can find this story in My Bookmarks.
I didn’t think of it, the team needed a defender. I wasn’t on a prolific scoring streak and thinking that I needed to stay up front so I was open to the idea. A 14 year old lad just wants to play football. ” Shotton moved on after the arrival of Mark Hughes and would later play under Pulis again for Middlesbrough.
Port Vale team news vs Sheff Wed as Forrester returns in four changesPort Vale manager Darrell Clarke has made four changes for tonight’s game at Sheffield Wednesday as they look to build on their 1-0 Boxing Day win at home to Morecambe. Will Forrester, Connor Hall, Tom Pett and James Wilson are recalled to the starting XI, taking the places of Mal Benning, Sammy Robinson, Rory Holden and Lewis Cass. Benning and Robinson make the bench but there is no place in the 18 for Cass or Holden.
And Shotton has been recalling the experience in the first episode of BBC Radio Stoke’s new Stoke City podcast: A Cold Wet Tuesday Night, hosted by Clive Clarke and Lucas Yeomans. “The only position I didn’t play for Pulis was centre-half! My actual position, ” he said. He added: “We knew there were enough games in the season that everyone was going to enjoy themselves so there was no bitterness about someone playing over someone else or this and that. “I think the only little bit I found was when I started playing right wing over Jermaine. You’ve got Jermaine Pennant, who you’ve watched for years, a wonder kid, and I’m playing in front of him.
He had spells at Derby County and Birmingham but the highlight would always be playing for his hometown club at a special time. “Back when I was with the team and Pulis was here, he was ruthless in how he’d set up and if it was on a cold, wet Tuesday night against a team we knew we could intimidate, he would make sure he’d have everybody ready to do that, ” he said when asked about the reputation that has given the new podcast its name. “Back then I don’t think there were many teams who coped with it very well.
“Tony would say that to him. He saw Ryan doing a job for him at that moment so whether it was Jermaine Pennant, Gary Lineker, Beckham or any superstar, Ryan was doing the job for him. Tony was all about getting the job done. He didn’t care about the personnel. ” Tony Pulis trusted Ryan Shotton in the Stoke City squad. (Image: Sentinel) Shotton was always thought of highly as he came through the ranks at Stoke but, with successful loans at Altrincham, Tranmere and Barnsley, the task of breaking into the team had become that much harder after the club won promotion.
Stoke City team news as Alex Neil names starting line-up to face Bristol City Stoke City boss Alex Neil during the Sky Bet Championship match against
Cardiff City at the bet365 Stadium. (Image: Nathan
The FA Cup run was when I really started, made my debut. It was a bizarre way of how I got into the team (as emergency striker) and Pulis chucking me in and out. You’d go, ‘What am I doing?! ’ “Ok, I was a striker when I signed for Stoke at 10 years old but then I turned 14 and went to Everton away, we were lacking centre-halves so I turned defender and never played striker again.
The expectation is that if this proves a success and leads to a higher or more engaged audience, it will be considered as an option in the Championship too. Players have been mic'd up in other sports such as cricket and American football, while referees can be heard in rugby - which might help explain VAR decisions. READ MORE: Wins and losses targets for Stoke City to be safe or hit top six READ MORE: Top 20 Championship free agents for Stoke City and rivals to fight over Sky said as they announced the initiative: "It will give a unique insight into a manager's thoughts mid-match. There will also be a closer look at the role of the match officials, both in the lead up to, and on the match day.
Stoke on alert as Sky experiment with changing room access & mid-game interviewsStoke City and their Championship rivals will be watching with interest as Sky Sports launch an experiment with their EFL coverage this weekend. The League One fixture between Wycombe Wanderers and Portsmouth has been billed as an 'innovation game' and will include sweeping behind the scenes access, access to the changing rooms, on-pitch audio and club personnel being part of the co-commentary team. Wycombe manager Gareth Ainsworth and Portsmouth boss Danny Cowley are primed to be interviewed at half-time and while the second half is in progress.
Why Cardiff's Saturday 3pm kick-off is live on TV this weekend but Swans' isn't Queens Park Rangers v Burnley and Watford v Hull City are both League
One and League Two games have been made available to stream
Goalkeeper and midfielder Stoke City transfer priorities in pivotal January Keeping your best players fit and bringing in more game-changers in the
January transfer window might go a long way to dictating whether
“The end of my first professional year, having just turned 18, Stoke were promoted out of the middle of nowhere. You’re then mixing with Premier League players. The times we played in Europe, they were unbelievable. Walking out to stadiums and Stoke fans everywhere. “I think Stoke fans will agree that year was the best we’ll ever have as a football club for our generation. ” Shotton, now manager at Hanley Town, added: “I hadn’t really played much up until then.
How anger at Peter Crouch inspired Cameron Jerome's great Stoke City goal Stoke were losing 3-2 when Jerome ran onto a knock down from Peter Crouch
and sent the ball hurtling in off the bar from 30 yards out. Some
"Phil's had an incredible career and now he's doing everything he can individually but also he's helping other around him, whether he's in the team or not. He's in the team on merit because he brings something that we lack when he's not there. "I hope he can continue, he still feels good and then we can approach decisions we need to make further down the line based on how he feels. " Stoke City players in their 40s Stanley Matthews (winger, last game, aged 50, 1965)Bob McGrory (defender, last game, aged 43, 1935)Tom Brittleton (midfielder, last game, aged 42, 1925)Norman Wilkinson (goalkeeper, last game, aged 41, 1952)Shay Given (goalkeeper, last game, aged 40, 2016) Right decision? Have your say in the comments section READ NEXT Four moments which Stoke City must hope show turning of tide Stoke City in desperate need of being shaped as a side and club Stoke City boss picks out change in Liam Delap's game after two goals in two games Stoke City hero Jon Walters appointed technical director of two clubs Latest Stoke City news and transfer gossip Story SavedYou can find this story in My Bookmarks.
Stoke City on alert as Sky Sports experiment with changing room access and mid-game interviews Future EFL matches broadcast live on television could include greater
access to changing rooms and mid-match interviews. (Image:
Stoke City defender Phil Jagielka pens new contract at 40Phil Jagielka has signed a new extended contract with Stoke City until the end of the season. The 40-year-old centre-back joined Stoke in January after Derby's crisis meant they were not allowed to give him a new deal themselves. He was a regular under Michael O'Neill and signed a six-month deal in the summer which was due to end in January. Now he has agreed new terms to stay on, having made 14 starts so far this campaign.
The former Liverpool and Arsenal man was fined for breaking club rules and Pulis doubled down on discipline by leaving him on the sidelines despite not having an out-and-out replacement. READ MORE: Alex Neil sends clear 'no excuses' message to his Stoke City players READ MORE: Jermaine Pennant explains why he fell out with Tony Pulis Instead, the manager turned to youth graduate centre-half Shotton, who had also filled in as an emergency striker.
Stoke City v Burnley: How to watch on TV, live stream The Clarets have lost just two league matches this season and now have an
11-point cushion over third-place Blackburn. Meanwhile,
But he eventually got the chance to play at the highest level – and has a Europa League goal on his CV thanks to the winner at Hajduk Split. He said: “I’ve had many happy times in my career. Stoke is the one that really stands out because you had stuff that you probably only dream of doing. I grew up not really dreaming of playing in the Premier League, even if you want to aspire to that.
"More importantly, he understands the game. Tactically he is excellent. He can speak to people on the pitch, he passes on information and he's a good role model. " Jagielka has played in the middle of the back three in the last couple of games, getting his first chance to play alongside fit-again Souttar. And he has completed 90 minutes in all league games he's started over the last few months. He is only the fourth outfield player to appear for Stoke in his 40s, following Sir Stanley Matthews, Bob McGrory and 1920s long throw pioneer Tom Brittleton. Neil said: "I think he's at a stage in his career where he looks forward to games more than training but when you do get to that age you cherish every match because you never know when it's going to be your last.
'Have some of that!' - Micah Richards wowed by 'excellent' Stoke City star When you talk about positioning for a centre-back and making the right
decisions “He's going to have to be at the top of his game