Amongst many people Stoke are thought of as a fairly robust mid-table outfit that on their day can compete with the best sides the Premier League has to offer. In the past however Stoke seems to have lacked a cutting edge to kill teams off when it really counts; exemplified by their narrow defeat in last seasons FA Cup Final against Roberto Mancini's Manchester City. In the semi-final of that competition they managed to crush Bolton 5-0; so they are a side that on their day can perform well.
Since he arrived at the Brittania Stadium in 2006 Tony Pulis has enabled Stoke to become an established Premier League side. Last season the club were facing an 8th place finish, but the clubs' loss to Wigan on the final day resulted in a 13th place finish in what was a very open Premier League season.
Transfer deadline day saw some major business, with Premier League clubs spending a total of £458m on recruiting playing personnel. Stoke did some very astute business by bringing in three players that will certainly strengthen the squad. Honduran International Wilson Palacios arrived from Tottenham for a fee of around £6m. With a lot of Premier League experience under his belt coupled with 76 international caps he is a good addition. Harry Redknapp liked to use him as a right-sided midfielder but I predict he will be used as a defensive midfielder; playing a holding role to allow the likes of Dean Whitehead to play slightly higher up the pitch.
