Just two short months ago Stoke City did what was perhaps their best deal of the transfer window when Kenwyne Jones made the switch to Cardiff and Peter Odemwingie came to The Potteries in return.
In truth Jones’s Stoke career was over months before, fans had turned against him and the striker refused to make himself available for the Liverpool game at The Britannia Stadium in January which Stoke lost 5-3.
Fans were so annoyed with The Trinidad and Tobago international following this snub that one of them even attempted to put him on Ebay.
In return Stoke received a player who much like Jones had loyalty issues with the club he was signed to. Last year’s January Transfer Window saw The Nigerian drive down to Loftus Road in an attempt to force through a move to QPR.
Needless to say, the move didn’t go through and Odemwingie has been tarred with this reputation ever since. But Stoke were no stranger to players like him. Players with egos like Tuncay, James Beattie and even Sammy Bangoura had walked through Stoke years before and whilst the club had changed them, they had never changed the club.
Plus fans were already impressed by the signings of John Guidetti on loan from Man City as well as the signing of Stephen Ireland from Aston Villa, but fans were mostly happy that Jones had finally left.
No one thought that Odemwingie would have the effect on Stoke that he has had, his four goals in the last three games have allowed Stoke to go undefeated for the whole of March as well as allowing them to amass the 40 points that are traditionally needed to retain Premier League status.
Mark Hughes’ January signings have changed Stoke, as well as players like Peter Crouch and Marko Arnautovic have raised their game in the last few weeks in the absence of Charlie Adam and Jon Walters.
Fans were worried that The Potters could have been embroiled in a relegation battle by the end of this month after both Walter and Adam were suspended but players have stepped up and proved that no one player makes a team and it seems all is right again in the Stoke locker room as the morale remains high.
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