[themaclad]

(Actually on this picture)

LAST TIME OUT



FORM GUIDE

PNE 10 STOKE 12

MANAGER

Hamilton Academical
After manager Billy Reid vacated his managerial position at Hamilton in April 2013, Neil (who had already been involved in coaching the club's youth teams)[24][25] was appointed player-manager on an interim basis. He was made manager on a permanent basis on 24 May 2013, at the age of 31.[26] Assisted by Frankie McAvoy, Neil led the club to promotion back to the top flight in his first full season, winning through the play-off system in May 2014.[27] Hamilton then enjoyed a good start to the 2014–15 Scottish Premiership, defeating Celtic away for the first time in 76 years.[27][25]

Norwich City

Neil at the 2015 Championship play-off final
In January 2015, Neil obtained permission from Hamilton to speak to Norwich City about their managerial vacancy.[27] On 9 January, he was confirmed as their new manager at 33 years old, the second youngest in the Football League after Mansfield's Adam Murray.[28] The following day in his first game, he managed his team to a 2–1 victory at Championship leaders AFC Bournemouth.[29] Norwich gained 17 wins from 25 games played under Neil in the 2014–15 season.[30][31] They finished third in the Championship and entered the play-offs, where in the semi-finals they beat East Anglia derby rivals Ipswich Town 4–2 on aggregate over two legs.[32] On 25 May, Neil led Norwich to a 2–0 victory over Middlesbrough in the 2015 Football League Championship play-off Final, as goalscorers Cameron Jerome and Nathan Redmond secured promotion to the 2015–16 Premier League.[30] During the 2015 close season, Neil signed a new contract with Norwich City.[33]

Norwich were relegated after a single season in the Premier League. Neil had his contract terminated in March 2017, with the Canaries 8th in the Championship table.[34] They had won seven of their last 24 games in The Championship and were nine points outside the top six play-off places.[35] Neil admitted to regret over summer recruitment, which led to his sacking in March.[36]

Preston North End
On 4 July 2017, Neil was appointed as manager of Championship club Preston North End, replacing Simon Grayson, who left the club to take over as manager of Sunderland.[37]

On 21 March 2021, Neil left Preston North End by mutual consent with the club 16th in the Championship table.[38]

Sunderland
On 11 February 2022, Neil was appointed as the new manager of Sunderland, on a 12-month rolling contract.[39] On 21 May 2022, Neil guided Sunderland to promotion back to the Championship after a four-year absence after they beat Wycombe Wanderers 2–0 in front of almost 50,000 Sunderland fans at Wembley in the 2022 EFL League One play-off Final.[40]

Stoke City
On 28 August 2022, Neil was appointed as the new manager of Stoke City, after the dismissal of Michael O'Neill. [41]

Hope we give him a decent reception, fate conspired against him, playing the latter stages of his managership at Deepdale without crowds didn't help him, however by then watching is team play was pretty dull so much so I gave up watching

https://www.stokecityfc.com/

Transfers

http://www.sportsbabble.co.uk/showthread...#pid237344

In The Dressing Room


Ryan Lowe will be able to call upon central defender Jordan Storey once again, after he served his one-game suspension midweek following his accumulation of five yellow cards.

Speaking to the press after that game against Bristol City, the manager confirmed Álvaro Fernández and Liam Lindsay both picked up knocks, and that they would need to be assessed ahead of the weekend.

Troy Parrott will miss out again, with the Tottenham Hotspur forward not expected to return to action until December.

A Look At Our Visitors


There will be a familiar face in the dugout at Deepdale on Saturday, with former PNE boss Alex Neil now in charge of Stoke City.

The Scot, who managed North End between 2017 and 2021, left Sunderland for the Potters in August of this year after enjoying promotion with the Black Cats, and he has since overseen a mixed run of results.

Their most recent outing will give them plenty of confidence, though, having beaten league leaders Sheffield United 3-1 last weekend, in a game which saw Manchester City loanee Liam Delap open his Championship account.

Going Head To Head


Games played: 109
PNE wins: 49
Draws: 24
Stoke City wins: 36
Last meeting: Stoke City 1-2 PNE, 3rd January 2022

One To Watch

Bringing Lewis Baker to the club in January has proven to be one of the shrewdest pieces of business in the division this calendar year.

Baker – formerly of Chelsea – has been colossal in central midfield for the Potters, boasting an impressive record of 12 goals in his 35 Stoke City appearances.

The former England youth international also holds the extra responsibility of wearing the armband, having been appointed club captain in the summer, and he will no doubt have a big part to play this weekend.

Match Officials

Matthew Donohue will take charge of his first PNE game of the season this weekend.

Donohue has refereed North End five times in his career so far, with the most recent game being the 2-1 victory over AFC Bournemouth at Deepdale last season.

So far this term, Donohue has refereed nine matches, showing 30 yellow cards, and he will be assisted on Saturday by Daniel Leach and Richard Wild, while Adam Herczeg is the fourth official.


MACS VIEW

The frenetic fixture list continues with Stoke at home followed by two away games next week to Huddersfield and Blackpool, suspect we have some tired legs given the mileage we have racked up in the last seven days, expect changes though who apart from Riis is going to score is a mystery
The return of Alex will give this a more competitive edge against a Stoke side who have flattered to deceive since relegation a few seasons ago.

[themaclad]

Preston North End 0 Stoke City 2 Smallbone, Campbell
PNE line-up: Woodman; Storey, Diaby (Evans, 83), Hughes; Browne (Potts, 71), Whiteman, McCann, Brady (Woodburn, 71), Fernández; Maguire (Cross-Adair, 82), Riis. Subs not used: Cornell, Cunningham, Ledson.

Stoke City line-up: Bursik; Wilmot, Jagielka, Fox; Sterling, Laurent, Baker, Smallbone (Clucas, 78), Fosu; Campbell (Delap, 70), Gayle (Clarke, 86). Subs not used: Bonham, Flint, Thompson, Wright-Phillips.

Attendance: 17,498 (3,235 Stoke City fans)

Referee: Mr M Donohue.

No complaints apart from a ten minute spell before half time, we were barely in this, no shots on target throughout the match which is not surprising as we don't shoot. A grey afternoon and that greyness spread to the team in White, Mr Neil got a good reception from the home support which was good to see, decent man.
A well populated away end who were noisy all afternoon, interesting song Delilah, about holding a castrated male capon in ones hand.
The first thirty minutes could be described as mind numbing, they had plenty of the ball, did little with it in the way of goalmouth chances apart from one decent save from Woodman.
Midfield was out muscled which meant the front two got little servce, we improved towards half time, had a shout for a penalty when Hughes went down nothing quite rightly given although the one for hand ball on the stroke of half time possibky should have been given. Forced a couple of corners looked dangerous but the best chance at the other end, Gayle about to shoot brilliant block by Storey.
Didn't get the penalty and level it was at half time and Mr Donohue left to boos at the break
The second period we created absolutely nothing, to be fair to them they denied us space, cannot recall Bursik having a shot in the second period which he had to save. They passed the ball about and we chased shadows, eventually Gayle got behind Storey, wasn't offside Diaby played him on, into the area, cross towards the 6 yard line Richard Chaplow lookalike Smallbone sidefooted home with ease.
From then on in looked a foregone conclusion and following a breakaway Campbell managed to fire home a second with two defenders in front of him.
They could have had more but job done, it was all too easy.
Another two games this week both away and the second at Bloomfield., given they have had three sent off today may give us a chance however on that performance the ominous clouds of doom are hanging above Deepdale.
Still not struck on Mr Fantastic yet.

Preston boss Ryan Lowe told BBC Radio Lancashire:

"There was a pivotal moment just before half time when we thought we should have had a penalty when it hit Phil Jagielka's arm. It's a different game if that had been given.

"Until they got the goals, we were well in the game. But we didn't really create enough chances to win it.

"We were beaten by the better team. We just have to debrief it and move on.

"There will be some positives to take but not many. The biggest would be young Finlay Cross-Adair making his debut at 17."

Stoke City boss Alex Neil told BBC Radio Stoke:

"We were good value for that. It was a proper team performance. We know we have quality in the squad, but it's all about having the organisation and showing the right work ethic - and in the last two games we've more than done that.

"The first goal came from Dwight Gayle. From his movement off the centre-back and to then get in behind him - and then the cutback for Will Smallbone.

"Then Tyrese showed a real bit of quality for the second goal. He had two defenders in front of him. but he shaped them up, bent it outside them and them and gave the keeper no chance.

"From that moment we played extremely professionally and could have scored more. Definitely another step in the right direction."

[themaclad]