The Ox in the box will be quick as a fox to knock of Villa's socks

Jack Wilshere was set for a return mid February setting the medical world abuzz with his miraculous return. Then he suffered a stress fracture in the same ankle during training and now the story is he's lost for the rest of the season or at least a good portion of it.

Will Jones sport the armband again? Will he have a better first touch?

When we last met out protagonist the USMNT it was doing battle north of the border, putting out a tiny skirmish, so to speak, that was attempting to be kindled by Venezuela.

The States controlled "the battle" and at the death put the South American foe to the proverbial sword, 1-0 after a dominating display especially in midfield against an overmatched opponent.

Liverpool's depressing 2-1 defeat to AC Milan in the 2007 Champions League final was hard to take for players and fans alike, and Daniel Agger has revealed that he still feels the heartache of losing such an important game.Rafa Benitez inexplicably picked Bolo Zenden and Jermain Pennant ahead of the (arguably) more deserving Craig Bellamy and Peter Crouch that night, and I think that even

Stoke lost their unbeaten Europa League record last night in Turkey going down 3-1 to Besiktas, Ricardo Fuller and Jermaine Pennant got the Turkey treatment as they were showered with lighters and coins but Stoke manager Tony Pulis refused to report the incident to UEFA quoting: We are Stoke we don't complain.

By Chris Wright

Unbeaten going into the game, ten-man Stoke stumbled to defeat in Turkey in their final Group E game, though it mattered little with them having already booked their place in the knockout phase courtesy of a draw against Dinamo Kiev last time out.

I said, it could be done and Besiktas did it!
Besiktas beat, unbeaten Stoke City 3-1 and claim the top spot in the group E and earned a spot in the round 32 of Europa league..
They,prett much did the damege to Stoke in the second half, after going down in the first half.

THFC1882 welcomes another guest writer on board. This time it's Glen Bocking. Glen is an Essex boy but now lives in Stoke so is handily placed to attend this game. Glen's first Spurs memories are the '91 FA Cup semi and final! Great start to his Spurs watching!

By Chris Wright

Dear sweet Jesusallahbuddha, what a plank...

At least there's no chance of Pennant forgetting where he parked that monstrosity in a hurry unless, of course, he parks up in the middle of a Hall of Mirrors and just loses it completely.

Image: Twitter.

We can't deny we were quite the lushes this weekend.

With our gluttony on a roll, we give you Carles Puyol's thigh(s). This may or may not resemble your brain on drugs, but just go with it. It's the best we can offer you at this time.

Saturday

- The Mirror tried to get cute with an infographic of their own but nothing will beat the original.

Will Bellamy start?Liverpool make a second trip to the Britannia Stadium on Wednesday night for their latest Carling Cup tie. After shots galore at the Stoke goal earlier this season, Liverpool failed to come away victorious with Stoke taking all three points.
Liverpool are lucky enough not to have any injuries to worry about and Lucas is also available again after being suspended for the Norwich game.

Stoke In League Cup For Liverpool

Will Bellamy start? Liverpool make a second trip to the Britannia Stadium on Wednesday night for their latest Carling Cup tie. After shots galore at the Stoke goal earlier this season, Liverpool failed to come away victorious with Stoke taking all three points.

Preliminaries: Untold Arsenal and Woolwich Arsenal sites have been under attack since Friday. We finally got this temporary site up and running on 25th, and we are still working on a resolution to the whole problem. Hence the odd layout and dodgy old picture. Tony

Untold Injury Index – Gameweek 9: Injuries rise again.

Written by oz gunner

How they lined up:

Arsenal (4-4-3)- Szczesny, Djourou, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Andre Santos, Song ©, Arteta, Ramsey, Walcott, Gervinho, Chamakh.

Subs: Fabianski, Frimpong, Rosicky, Benayoun, Arshavin, Park, van Persie.

Facts and figures ahead of the Premier League clash between Arsenal and Stoke City at the Emirates Stadium.

TEAM NEWS

Arsenal are without Carl Jenkinson due to a knee injury sustained against Marseille so, withBacary Sagna a long-term absentee, Johan Djourou could start at right-back.

The arrival of the beetle-headed dung-munching orcs from Stoke will be the first real test of our newly found confidence. Can Arsenal overcome these mutants and gain 3 points without a slew of injuries? Furthermore, can Arsenal get through 90+ minutes of battle with 11 players on the field another red card for the good guys would not be a huge surprise.

In his previous spell at Anfield, Craig Bellamy lasted only a year before leaving the club for West Ham. It was an abrupt departure, and a little surprising considering his (overall) good form. Now, the Wales International has provided some insight into his midset at the time, and possibly revealed one of the reasons why he decided to leave.

Clive Brunskill/Getty Images (Bleacher Report) Rory Delap has been a thorn in the side of multiple EPL clubs over the past seasons. It is well documented how much Arsene Wenger despises the player's long throw ability.
However, Liverpool have the fortunate advantage of making a trip to the Britannia Stadium this weekend without having to come up against the Potters' not-so-secret weapon.

Michael Regan/Getty Images(Bleacher Report) Liverpool new boy Stewart Downing has been quoted recently by the Daily Mirror as having tipped his new club for a strong top four push as the Reds aim to return to UEFA Champions League football next season.
The £20 million wide man has so far enjoyed a great start with the club as they sit in third place on seven points after the first month of action in the Barclays Premier League.

Is It Time To Bench Jamie Carragher? - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

Carragher without a doubt has been one of the most reliable and consistent players for Liverpool over the past decade. The veteran defender even now is brilliant with his abilities, however the major concern is that with his age the errors are increasing as well.

Match Review: Stoke 1 Liverpool 0

Liverpool feel to their first defeat of the season as their poor record at the Britannia Stadium continued. The Reds have yet to win a league game at Stoke's ground in four attempts, and Jonathan Walters' first half penalty was enough to secure victory for the Potters on this occasion.

Carroll, Craig and Coates on the bench: Stoke v LFC

The Liverpool team to face Stoke at the Britannia: Reina, Skrtel, Carragher, Agger, Enrique, Henderson, Lucas, Adam, Downing, Kuyt, Suarez. And on the LFC bench: Doni, Carroll, Johnson, Maxi, Spearing, Bellamy, Coates.

A Time for Tactics — How Liverpool Will Deploy Against Stoke

Before playing Stoke at Anfield last season, people were just starting to get a hint of how silly it was to question Kenny Dalglish's tactical ability. After Liverpool's 2-0 victory , the critics and cynics were left kowtowing to the King.

Holidays are not really holidays in Major League Soccer. Or, holidays are truly treated as holidays in MLS. Depends on one's outlook. A sports fan might think the latter, but wishes it weren't true.
There is one match scheduled for Labor Day. It's a good one, with Donovan and Beckham leading the charge against the upstart Sporting KC squad in its newest, state-of-the-art Soccer specific stadium.

Stoke City F.C. are leaving no stone unturned in their meticulous preparations for the club's first European campaign in 37 years. With work afoot to build a squad that can cope with the rigours of playing twice a week, they have also embarked on the gargantuan task of making thousands upon thousands of sandwiches.

Our next View from the Enemy on our final day is with Jon Owen from Why Delilah who has spoken to us about the highs and lows of last season.

Scott the Red: Were you happy with your team's performance last season?

John Owen: Very. It was disappointing not to finish in the top half, but it was another season of progress for us.

It was only three years ago that Stoke City got promoted to the Premier League and everyone expected them to immediately get relegated. Instead they finished 12th in their first season in the Premier League and have not looked back.

Stoke have always been strong defensively and last season Tony Pulis focused on scoring more goals, breaking the Stoke transfer record to sign Kenwyne Jones from Sunderland for £8 million.

And by hold the line I mean "keep raising prices." Neil deMause of Field of Schemes writing in Slate on the dip in demand for sporting event tickets in America:

Where we look to be headed, then, is a two-tiered system. A handful of top teams and events will be able to charge whatever they want, while most everyone else is forced to give away tickets.

Not a very exciting title and certainly not one that is going to shoot the lights out of the hit stats but after questioning myself about it I thought why not, do I really want to attract people who's blog name is "Wenger The Liar" and the like, not really was the answer. No, far happier am I to address the solid regulars of this fine site.

Not a very exciting title and certainly not one that is going to shoot the lights out of the hit stats but after questioning myself about it I thought why not, do I really want to attract people who's blog name is "Wenger The Liar" and the like, not really was the answer. No, far happier am I to address the solid regulars on this fine site.

Date: Sunday Apr 17 2011
Ground: Wembley
Comp: FA Cup Semi Final
Match: Bolton Wanderers 0 Stoke City 5 HT: 0-3
Etherington 11, Huth 17, Jones 30, Walters 67, 80

ATT: 75,064
Additional: Entrance £34.50, Programme £5.00

Wembley in pictures

Ground Statistics (marks out of ten, maximum 40)
Character 7, Structures/Terracing 7, Hospitality 3, Backdrop/Scenery or aesthetics for larger stadiums 7
Total 24

I was very privileged to be at one of or maybe the best Stoke game in their history.

Date: Sunday Apr 17 2011
Ground: Wembley
Comp: FA Cup Semi Final
Match: Bolton Wanderers 0 Stoke City 5 HT: 0-3
Etherington 11, Huth 17, Jones 30, Walters 67, 80

ATT: 75,064
Additional: Entrance £34.50, Programme £5.00

Wembley in pictures

Ground Statistics (marks out of ten, maximum 40)
Character 7, Structures/Terracing 7, Hospitality 3, Backdrop/Scenery or aesthetics for larger stadiums 7
Total 24

I was very privileged to be at one of or maybe the best Stoke game in their history.

ClubCall announced that Stoke City Manager Tony Pulis is possibly interested in a double move for Liverpool's Christian Poulsen and David N'Gog.
Poulsen never got his career off the ground for the Reds, despite reiterating desire to fight for his place he will most likely move on this summer.
David N'Gog has seen an offer from Sunderland recently but it looks to be that he will refuse as they will not match his wage demands.

This week in Soccer History: Minnesota Kicks versus Glasgow Rangers, May 26 1976
Contributing Editor Dillon Young
(links posted are to images of the original documents from the era)
The Scottish powers Rangers toured North America in May 1976 with a stop in Minnesota, marking the first time a professional soccer team in Minnesota played an international squad.

Anyone can forgive Sir Alex's curmudgeon's stance on the modern age and what it has brought to the sporting forefront.

After all, in one week he's to be playing in the club game's biggest game and his star striker is busy having an identity crisis whilst threatening to beat himself up.

Do we have to consider of adding a new centre back every time we concede a goal from set-pieces? Arsene must sort this problem out before next season starts or there will be no more trophies for Arsenal. Every time we sign new players, still the problem occurs. We now do have aerial winners at front but our crosses are mostly poor.

Do we have to consider of adding a new centre back every time we concede a goal from set-pieces? Arsene must sort this problem out before next season starts or there will be no more trophies for Arsenal. Every time we sign new players, still the problem occurs. We now do have aerial winners at front but our crosses are mostly poor.

As promised, here are the ratings from yesterday's match against Stoke.

Wojo 5 Not one of his better games. He didn't make any howlers, exactly, but you could argue that he could/should have stopped any of the three goals probably should have come out strong and claimed the ball on the first goal, got a hand to the second goal and maybe could have palmed it high or wide, and maybe could have come out more and made himself bigger on the final goal.

Where did the players go?

That was not an entirely impossible result but still tough to accept. Only 2 changes were made to the side that controlled and beat Manchester United just a week ago. The difference in performance and attitude from that game to the Stoke one yesterday was incredible.

Last weekend Arsenal beat the soon-to-be Champions Man United. They worked hard, played well, raised their game and deserved the three points from that game.

Yesterday, Arsenal lost 3-1 to Stoke City. They were careless, complacent, slipshod and deserved absolutely nothing from the game.

And it sums this Arsenal team in a nutshell.

Take all of Arsenal's weaknesses and put them in a blender. The result will not be very different from what we saw at the Britannia Stadium on an eminently forgettable day.

As I'd feared, Arsene started with Arshavin on the left. It was a bad mistake. The way Stoke are set up, having Arshavin and Walcott on the wings adds to redundancy in attack and leaves the defence vulnerable.