Six years ago today I was sitting at a cold Britannia Stadium watching Stoke City draw 0-0 with Leicester to guarantee promotion to The Premier League for the first time in 22 years.
Tony Pulis had done the unthinkable in just two years at Stoke, in 06/07 they missed the play-offs after a draw with QPR on the final day but in 2007/08 they made sure. The media were out in force almost the day after it was announced, no one thought Stoke would stay up with TalkSport thinking Stoke would finish worse off that Derby and Paddy Power paying out on relegation after Stoke lost 3-1 to Bolton on the opening day.
This was a reality check for Stoke and after this Stoke secured wins over Aston Villa, Tottenham and Arsenal and guaranteed their place in the Premier League for a second season with a 2-0 win over Hull, who were promoted with Stoke via the Play-offs.
The following season saw Stoke bring in the likes of James Beattie and Matthew Etherington, who helped Stoke to a big 1-0 win over the richest club in the world Man City in January 2009. The Potters avoided second season syndrome to guarantee another season of Premier League football in the Potteries.
09/10 was a season for Stoke fan’s to forget as Ryan Shawcross breaking Aaron Ramsey’s leg brought a wave of negative press Stoke’s way but the captain earned his first call up to the England squad and sat on the bench for the game against Egypt.
The following season is perhaps Stoke’s best on record, they won 5-0 at Wembley, the first team to do this, and made it to their first ever FA Cup final. Even though they lost they qualified for the Europa League and even managed to maintain their Premier League status at the same time.
Stoke were on a European Tour the following season as against the odds they made it out of the group stages of the Europa League and were only knocked out by giants Valencia. Stoke found it hard to balance both the Europa League and The Premier League and this saw them lose a lot of their Sunday games quite convincingly following Thursday night success in Europe.
The 11/12 season was one really to forget as Stoke were well and truly figured out, Stoke fans feared relegation for the first time since 08/09 and after they stayed up by the skin of their teeth it seemed the writing was on the wall for Tony Pulis and the man who had allowed Stoke fans to hope again and taken them further than they had ever been departed company at the end of the season.
Mark Hughes was announced as his successor days later and the negativity came thick and fast, Stoke fans were not happy, his record at QPR meant no one wanted him near the club but fans don’t choose the manager, the chairman does and much like when he brought Pulis back years before Peter Coates made the right decision and Hughes has changed the club for the better.
Stoke are now a passing side, they are playing football and this season defeated Manchester United and Chelsea for the first time, they equalled their highest ever points tally yesterday and are within reach of their highest ever Premier League finish. If Stoke take anything but a defeat away from The Hawthorns next week this will be their most successful Premier League season to date.
Mark Hughes is not just happy with that though as this week he talked about being the first manager since Tony Waddington to lift silverware with the club and Geoff Cameron believes Stoke could qualify for Europe again.
Six years ago Stoke were the small fish in a big pond, they have grown and changed and adapted and they are now an established side and now the future is looking bright for the team who now play football.
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