My disappointment following Tony Pulis' appointment as manager was obvious from previous Comments here on 90 Miles From Home. For the first few days I stumbled around totally depressed, wondering what fate was to befall my beloved Stoke City. But slowly the pragmatist in me shone through and I knew it was pointless to attack the man without giving him a chance. It was ridiculous to call for his head (as some were doing) when he'd only just arrived, and it was a case of getting on with it, getting behind the team, and seeing what he could do.

I listened very keenly to his early interviews, and read with interest his replies during the "Meet the Manager" session. Slowy I began to warm to him, and and felt he was saying the right things even it was not yet fully clear whether he could deliver them. The crucial test would be the performances on the pitch.

Looking back at November, one point from a possible fifteen and dropping into the bottom three, on paper does not look good. But what the statistics and history books won't show is that Stoke were better than Grimsby, Millwall, and possibly Gillingham and created enough chances to have won all of these games. We also held Portsmouth away for an entire half and it took 2 late goals to give the league leaders a flattering 3-0 scoreline. We were still making silly costly defensive errors, but not as many, and luck deserted us in front of goal. However you could not criticise the battling qualities and the commitment of the sides that Pulis put out. We were looking better organised and the draw at Gillingham was a good result and hopefully a step in the right direction.

Furthermore Pulis' belief in hard work and giving players a chance has brought Petur Marteinsson back into the equation, while Hoekstra and Gudjonsson have also found themselves on the pitch when many expected them to be the kind of flair player that might not fit in with Tony Pulis. One final concern was that the style of play might descend into the horrors of the long ball game. However in the games I have seen or listened to, it has not been too evident, with more emphasis on getting it wide to wingers to supply forwards with decent crosses.

Tony Pulis also had his frustrations on the transfer market, unable to find anyone willing to join Stoke for much of the month. Crossley's arrival and then quick departure was typical of Stoke's recent bad luck, as too was Clarke's knee injury at a time when he was showing signs of improving his earlier shakey form. Early December has brought two temporary signings and that should help strengthen the squad and give Pulis a few more options. He has not finished his team strengthening yet, and that I'm sure will be key to whether the side can avoid the drop.

The results in November were poor, but the performances were far from poor. If Pulis can build on the initial work he has done to increase fitness, improve organistation, and confidence, hopefully soon we will turn those decent performances into 3 points. The jury is still out on Pulis, but I have been encouraged by what I have seen so far, and I wish him all the best in his attempt to keep Stoke in the First Division, and then push on from that. So first month's report - a pleasing start for effort but must do better in front of goal in December!

ID? Not for me!

The hooligans associated with Stoke City FC are a disgrace and it seems now that the club's name has been dragged through the mud so much by these idiots that the authorities are close to the end of their tether with us. In a bid to be seen to be doing something to remove this blight, the club have announced the compulsory requirement of an ID card for Stoke fans travelling to away games. The card will be needed to buy tickets and must be presented with the ticket at the away ground's turnstiles. The fans will also have to pay a one off admin charge of £10.

In principle I disagree with ID cards, and dislike the way that visiting supporters (the vast majority peaceful, well behaved football fans) are treated like sub-human scum by the Police. No other section of society could possibly be treated with the kind of disrespect afforded by Police Forces to the visiting supporter. As someone who works as a civil servant, someone with no criminal record, and is a member of the Potters Club, I see it as an affront to have to have one of these cards. I'm a peace-loving, non-violent individual who avoids trouble, and it seems totally unfair that the actions of a minority of mindless idiots is seen as justification to treat the rest of us like animals.

I do have sympathy for the club. They have to act to erradicate this unwanted hooligan reputation. I have no solutions to offer, and I'm sure they realise that this will be an unpopular measure. They are acting the best interests of the club, and measure of some kind are clearly needed to improve our tarnished reputation. However I still find it a bitter pill to swallow.

The most frustrating thing will be the inability to buy several tickets at once for friends without gathering all the cards together. This will really scupper the travelling exile should he wish to sit with his his mates. This ID scheme could deal a deadly blow to any group of Leeds based Stokies wanting to make a trip to see their beloved Potters play closer to home, and sit together during the match. For an something that is meant to be an entertainment (and an expensive one at that) the act of following a football club is getting increasingly frustrating and tedious. This can only ignite the onset of apathy and arm-chair supporting, and that might bring the end to many struggling clubs.

AndyP 06/12/02