These are intriguing times in football. Already in 2008; there has been the return of ‘King Kev’ - to the delight of the masses on Tyneside (and rightfully predicted by your humble narrator), an Italian taking charge of England, & another much older & wiser (say the Irish) one taking charge of Ireland (in what has surely been the longest appointment process of all-time), they even planned to play the PL abroad – with an absurd ‘39th game proposal’. There is also Keano’s Irish revolution happening up at Sunderland, who incidentally, have become embroiled in one of the most exciting relegation battles in PL history. But for me, the most invigorating story in football at present is the rise of my beloved Stoke City to the summit of the Championship; whom after years of suffering & degradation find themselves on the verge of top flight football once again. And I have never been more excited.

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Anyway, back to my story…

When I moved to Ireland, any hopes of watching my team regularly had relinquished; fearful I had condemned myself to a life of listening to Stoke City on the radio via the internet, but for an annual FA Cup exit that may or may not be televised. Or, I may be lucky enough to occasionally watch the mighty Potters live on Sky Sports in the back room of a deserted Irish pub, as I listlessly attempted to explain to a polite-but-uninterested fella, where exactly Stoke-on-Trent is (closer to Manchester than Birmingham), who indeed comes from there (the Captain of the Titanic), & how important the Potteries used to be (pre-Thatcher). And this of course, would be on condition no Rugby or Gaelic matches - with any whiff of significance – were not on another channel; or that SUNDERLAND were not on Setanta, in which case, I’d have to indiscreetly & shamelessly watch the game in the stink of the bookies.

It seemed I had incarcerated myself to a life of torment. Or so I thought…

You see, after a 5th straight win against Ipswich yesterday, Stoke sit proudly at the summit of the Championship, & I would be lying if I said I am not slightly hopeful about our very realistic chances of promotion. My ardour, is echoed I am sure, by my fellow long suffering Stokies, & we could well be watching our team regularly on Sky Sports, Sentanta, ‘MotD’ & ‘The Premiership’ (its Irish equivalent) next season. And Potter’s fires will be well & truly reignited.

IMO Stoke are the Sunderland of the Championship this season; minus the Irish bandwagon – those which mysteriously came out of the woodwork last season, swearing blind they had followed the Black Cats since the days of Gabbiadini (classy goalscorer from 80’s & early 90’s) & the legend that was John Byrne (not so great goal-getter with 22 Caps for Eire). Stoke do not just adopt a similar style of football as Sunderland, possess their never-say-die spirit, or simply share the same workmanlike qualities as the Wear-siders; Stoke embody a je ne sais quoi, reminiscent of Roy Keane’s team last term, which ultimately won them promotion.

But the correlation between the two northern cities don’t stop there, & the similarities between the two clubs, dare I say it, are there in red & white.

Not only are these two heavily industrial cities of similar size & stature, but the working-class inhabitants are of corresponding nature also. And despite Sunderland being far more successful in the first half of last century, many parallels can be made in both club’s illustrious histories. Those amongst you who know your history will be aware that Stoke City are the 2nd oldest football club in the world, & inaugural members of the football league. But in that first season, unable to compete with likes of Preston, Burnley & Blackburn, Stoke finished bottom of the table & were controversially voted out of the top division. Their replacement, yes you guessed it, were Sunderland AFC. And to add insult to injury, Sunderland – the first club outside the midland/northwest region to compete in the football league – played in the same red & white strips famed by the Potters. The archetypes don’t stop there. 
                              

Some hundred years later & Stoke City were relegated from the top division in 1984/5 with a record lowest points tally. Some 20 years later, & who else but Sunderland were relegated with fewer. And finally, if it wasn’t enough that the old Roker Park looked suspiciously identical to Stoke’s famous Victoria Ground, the Black Cats new stadium - albeit with their corners filled-in thus accounting for an extra 20,000 capacity – is a carbon copy of the Britannia Stadium, & both opened in Aug 1997. It’s no great surprise then that ‘the Mackems’ are beginning to get up my nose.

Sunderland’s renaissance has been well-documented; I only hope the coincidences continue.

The excitement of transfer deadline day, matched any I’d experienced & took me back to days of page 302 on Ceefax. Whilst most, tuned into Sky Sports news to see if the Defoe/Benjani transfer had gone through, I anxiously sought confirmation that Glenn Whelan had become a Stoke City player. With his move from Sheff Wed not confirmed until 20 after midnight, with not even a mention by newsreaders, I retired to my bed with my renewed optimism fully justified. This signing, together with the £2.2million spent on 2 free-scoring centre-backs represented a massive change at Stoke City; whom hitherto, had always been a selling club. I wouldn’t go as far in saying that the Whelan transfer will be the catalyst in Stoke’s promotion, but it is certainly an extremely positive sign for a club used to letting go players with even an iota of potential. (Garth Crooks, Paul Bracewell, Adrian ‘inchie’ Heath, Peter Beagrie, Steve Bould, Lee Dixon, Mark Stein & Mike Sheron to name just a few)

At a club, where over the years, the fans had lost all confidence in the board (& at times the feeling  has been mutual) the Glenn Whelan signing, arguably the most promising midfielder outside the PL, for a meagre £500,000, is a massive coup for Stoke City & a gigantic step in the right direction. He’s young, gifted & Irish; I cannot believe Roy Keane & ‘Big Bird’ didn’t come sniffing.

But it’s two other Irish midfielders, whom Keane atypically decided to let go, that have been the biggest factor in Stoke’s remarkable run of form. Lawrence (£500,000 & scored 13 goals this season) & Delap (free & player of the season IMHO) have been Stoke’s two outstanding performers this season & a clear indication of Tone’s (as he’s affectionately known on the Potteries) shrewdness in the transfer market. If Stoke do get promoted, Stokies will be eternally grateful to Keane for gifting them with these two gemstones.

While we’re on the subject, & taking nothing away from Keane’s achievements at Sunderland; his dealings in the transfer market at times have been, at the very least, contentious. Tony Pulis, on the other hand has an impeccable record, & he deserves all the kudos that will inevitably be thrown his way. Previously known as the ‘Loan Ranger’, Tone has finally been granted a modest transfer kitty by friend & chairman Peter Coates(Bet365), & despite spending a record breaking £3.5million on players this season, the money he has recouped on sales such as Danny Higginbottom (£2.5mill to Sunderland – who else!) means he’s still £370,000 in the green. Furthermore, in his last tenure as Stoke manager, Pulis managed to make profits of £1.15million. No wonder himself & the chairman are such good friends. Keane for the record is £41.42million (& people give Benitez stick!) in the red in just 2 seasons at Sunderland, & I am not in the least bit surprised himself & big Quinny don’t get along.

Pulis, is not quite in the Wenger mould, nevertheless, Tone is the quintessential modern day manager, who understands the realities of running a club such as Stoke City. Whilst Sunderland’s return to top flight was quick-fix, tempestuous & dramatic, Stoke’s revival has been more steady & pragmatic. His team reminds me a lot of Tony Waddington’s (Stoke legend) teams of the seventies. He too, assembled a team of strays, cast-offs, past-its & also-rans, & mixed them with young talent (like Pejic & Hudson), & his strategies earned him huge success (winning the league cup in 1972). Tone’s side may well be a little more workmanlike than they were in the ‘Waddo Years’, owing much to his military background, but by incorporating flair players into his team such as Fuller & Lawrence, Pulis, like Waddington, has achieved a similar balance; & this has been key to the club’s recent success.

In short, on deadline day Stoke signed a young promising Irishman, wouldn’t it be ironic if he, along with 2 other Irishmen whom Keane cast aside, were the reasons behind Stoke City’s promotion. And wouldn’t it be poetic justice if it was Sunderland we replaced & this time it was they who were relegated? This is in no way any form of schadenfreude, it’s more like retribution, albeit after waiting 128 years for it to be exacted.

Keane, more than anybody, knows that success is born from adversity, & it’s for this reason, together with how much it means to the fans, that I am so desperate for Stoke to get promoted. And if my dreams are realised, we reach the PL, & we also sign a few more Irish players; I wonder if, whilst watching my beloved Stoke City live on Sky Sports in an Irish alehouse, I’ll be sitting alone? Or will I be joined by a bunch of brogues, all shouting for the mighty Potters?

It is a beautiful notion…