Stoke City Season Preview

Stoke City were very, very good to me last season. Their fixture list fell just perfect so that their last few months were a cake walk. Not that I cleaned up, but I did get good returns from Lawrence, Beattie and Wilkinson. Meanwhile, Fuller and Shawcross were point machines.

Now it's second season syndrome. Can the Britannia Stadium again be a fortress? Will teams remain vulnerable to Stoke's size, physicality and Delap's long throw? I think Stoke will need to evolve to survive, and I think they have it in them. They can play a bit of football. The likes of Lawrence and Etherington can move the ball around. They have some good, young defenders fighting for playing time. Perhaps they are a bit thin (if also a bit thick) in central midfield with the likes of Diao, Faye and Delap all having their limitations. I would also worry about their ability to cope with injuries to their forwards or wingers if, as I'm suggesting, they will have to add a bit more creativity to their game. But if healthy and still motivated, I think fantasy managers can count on Stoke players for points, especially at home, sweet home.

Possible Starting XI: Soreneson, Wilkinson, Shawcross, Ab Faye, Higginbotham, Lawrence, Whelan, Delap, Etherington, Fuller, Beattie

Players to Watch:

Liam Lawrence: My absolute favorite type of player - a winger tasked with all of his team's set pieces. Last season I was able to pick Lawrence up for 7 after his return from a freak "dog on the stairs" injury. He was a solid point producer earning around 7 a week. And that was even factoring in his penchant for the stupid yellow card. Throw in a few goals down the stretch and I was a happy fantasy owner. I think more of the same will be expected this season, and he's going to have to do it from the off. He's a bit more expensive a player now, but if he can cut out the silly fouls - and maybe he can't - he's a useful addition to your fantasy team.

Ricardo Fuller: Fuller made more headlines last season for his slapping of Andy Griffin and his horrific shoulder injury than for his goal scoring. He was also overshadowed (in the press) by Beattie's arrival and impact at the club. There's no doubt that Beattie's goal came at the right time for Stoke, but that's a little unfair to Fuller who ended the season as the team's leading scorer. In fact it was interesting that in several matches Stoke scored two goals... one from each. Fuller was also the regular penalty kick taker, which only enhances his fantasy value. And at 3 less than Beattie, he's the smart money bet as well.

Andy Wilkinson: A rarity in the game these days - a cheap defender! Well, a relatively cheap defender. And he comes with lots of caveats. Is his place under threat from the veteran Griffin or the young-gun Shotton? Is Stoke a lock-down defensive club away from home? Will last season's trend continue where Wilkinson was the first player taken off the pitch as Pulis looked to lock things down or open them up? All that being said, Wilko could still turn out to be real value for money. Especially as the cheap end of the defender pool is very, very shallow.