Sian Massey. An Official We Need To Focus On

By Shane Thomas

Come the end of the 2012/13 Premier League season, Chelsea's 4-0 victory over Stoke is unlikely to be a game to last long in the memory. However, the match had an occurrence that could have long-lasting ripples, and not just for football.

The Diary Of A Pessimistic Arsenal Fan - Arsenal Profligate But Show New Found Maturity

By Shane Thomas

STOKE 0-0 ARSENAL

Expect many people to state that the spectre of the departed Robin Van Persie will continue to loom over Arsenal, as they failed to score for the second successive game. The 0-0 draw against Stoke may frustrate Gooners, but there was enough from the game to suggest that this latest squad possesses a quality not seen at the club for a good few seasons.

The 2011/12 Premier League Club Review

By Shane Thomas


One of the most common misnomers in sport is the word "great". Greatness is often ascribed to a sporting event or occasion when what one means to say is "eventful" or "dramatic".

There's no doubt that this past Premier League season was chock-full of excitement and drama, but great is was not. Greatness comes from a high standard of excellence. So while this season wasn't the greatest (that probably goes to either the 1998/99 or 2007/08 season), the past nine months were arguably the most dramatic seen on these shores. In the order of where each club finished in the league table, let's go through the clubs:

The Perfect Storm

By Shane Thomas

For regular football viewers, the hard-sell we have to endure from television companies borders on the maddening side of tedious. The amount of times we hear the word "best" misused in the name of trying to convince the public that the next match of football is "must-see", and the "greatest ever" is an affront to all intelligent people and the English language. David Mitchell once summed it up beautifully, thus.

City's Blue Heaven

By Shane Thomas

MANCHESTER CITY 1-0 STOKE CITY (Manchester City win the 2011 FA Cup)

Thirty-five years of anguish, disappointment and handwringing were brought to an end at Wembley as Manchester City finally ended their mammoth trophy drought with a 1-0 victory over Stoke. Yaya Toure was the hero as he struck with just 16 minutes remaining as they finally broke down the wall of resistance that Stoke had put up.

Manchester City vs Stoke City - Match Ratings

By Shane Thomas

MANCHESTER CITY:

JOE HART (7)

His role in the win was as important as any of his teammates. Dealt faultlessly with the Stoke aerial bombardment and made a crucial save to deny Kenwyne Jones at 0-0.

The Diary Of A Pessimistic Arsenal Fan - The B Team Triumph In Emirates Cauldron Of Hate

By Shane Thomas

ARSENAL 1-0 STOKE

Arsenal moved to within a point of Manchester United at the top of the Premier League table after overcoming Stoke in a spiteful encounter at The Emirates. But the victory could come at a heavy cost for the Gunners.

Spineless Cowards Are Uglifying The Beautiful Game

By Shane Thomas

Here's a scenario for you. Imagine you were hit by a car and ended up with a bad injury, say... a broken leg. Imagine that the driver was driving over the speed limit and had also had a little too much to drink. Imagine that the case not only failed to go to trial, but the parents of the driver justified their child's behaviour with the statement, "There was no malice in the incident. Our kid's not that kind of driver".