Sunday, August 12, 2012

FPLZ 2012/13 Season Preview: Stoke City F.C.

Stoke City F.C.
The Potters new away kit in conjunction with the club's 150 years celebration.
 You can download the full analyzed squad data here.
Password: http://p-fplz.blogspot.com/

Last Season: Quiet
Compared to the time where they have just joined the Premier League, Stoke City really looked anonymous last season. They played boringly, and had always been in the "unfocused" region of the league table (they finished the campaign 14th). Their trademark long throws were not as "fresh" as before as well.

This Summer: Quiet
The Potters signed Michael Kightly from Wolverhampton Wanderes and 21-year-old former Rangers midfielder Jamie Ness joined as a free agent, but otherwise things have been very quiet at Britannia, with no other new signings going in and only fringe and young players heading out. Ricardo Fuller is possibly the only man that Premier League fans may know in Stoke's exit list.

Upcoming Season: Quiet?
There aren't any big changes happening at Stoke City, so it's really hard to expect something special to happen there next season. With more and more midtable clubs spending money like nobody's business, the Potters have to be careful to not fall into the quicksand of relegation.

Walters' historical stats.
Gun In the Hole: Walters (FI: 0.506)
Being just a semi-starter two seasons back, Jonathan Walters (£6.5m) was fully entrusted by Tony Pulis to play in the hole last season. He did not disappoint, and went on to become the team's second top scorer with 7 goals, behind Peter Crouch (£6.5m).

With Crouch remain to be the only reliable striker they have, Walters should continue to play at his best position behind the towering lad. He may be the next Dempsey in the making - the American also start his career at Fulham from zero to hero.

Bright Start: Kightly (FI: N/A)
Michael Kightly (£5.5m) was tipped by FPLZ as the next fantasy hot pick during when Wolves first promoted to the Premier League, but things had gone oddly and he failed to shine, registering not even 2000 minutes over the last 3 seasons.

He only needed 134 seconds on the pitch to declare himself as a Stoke City player though, as he scored his first goal for his new club against SpVgg Greuther Furth in pre-season friendly. It's still hard to say how he will do in the league this season, but as one of the Championship best player seasons ago, he surely has the quality to shine.

Source of Creativity: Etherington (FI: 0.475)
Although not showy, Matthew Etherington (£6.5m) has been very consistent in FPL for the last 3 seasons, thanks to his high quality passing especially in set pieces. In fact, becoming the primary set piece taker of the team is a big factor for him to score for at least 120 points for the last 3 seasons.

With not much of good firepower upfront, the Potters will need to continue to rely on him to deliver. A dependable man who can deliver a good amount of fantasy points.

Tough Man: Shawcross (FI: 0.443)
Ryan Shawcross (£5.0m) was a hit when Stoke first joined the Premier League, but his price surge have made him a less popular figure in FPL.

The English defender is an tough man to beat, and is good at winning headers to score goals. Stoke will need to better their defensive record though, to make Shawcross a good fantasy defender to own.

Towering Presence: Crouch (FI: 0.467)
Peter Crouch (£6.5m) has always been a iconic figure in the Premier League ever since his time at Southampton, thanks to his height. Though not at a very prolific rate, the lad has a dependable goal record at every club he has played for, which is what Stoke sickly need.

Crouch ranked 10th last season in terms of fantasy points in the list of forwards. Not too bad with his price, but with the front pack of forwards all scoring crazy amount of points, fantasy managers may not feel comfortable to satisfy with a budget performer in their line-up.

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