Having qualified for the knock-out stages of the Europa League, Stoke City have finally found a win after one of their mid-week matches and the 1-0 win in the drab game at Everton shows that they are able of winning at places you might not expect.

Not that you wouldn't expect them to win at the Britannia, where they are backed by a small but noisy following.  And they are assisted by a drop in temperatures to below the national average by the whipping wind in the Potteries area.

But more than that, they have changed their style a little.  How little remains to be seen, as the big striker Peter Crouch appears ideally suited to the former route one tactics, but now he is deployed as a more regular target man.  With a couple of wingers and some industrious midfielders, Stoke have transmogrified into a half decent team on their day, but they still appear to want to play more football than their players' abilities sometimes allow.

There is still a reliance on set-pieces with Delap's long throws and corners from Pennant and Etherington, meaning that our central defenders and Adebayor will need to be alert, but the new style often leaves them open to the counter-attack.

At the back, Begovic hasn't been quite the keeper they thought he might be when they stole him from Tottenham on transfer deadline day, with Sorensen returning between the sticks.  And the defence as a whole have been a bit leaky, with five conceded at Bolton and four at Sunderland, which is a surprise, as they are known for being strong at the back.

It is the lack of goals up front that are costing the Potters points, with 13 goals in 14 games showing that their defence needs to be tighter if they are to pick up points. 

With a collection of ex-Spurs in their ranks - Woodgate, Palacios and Crouch - there will be an added incentive to do well and it would not surprise me if Pulis did not include them all to add an edge to his side's play.

While places like Stoke and Bolton were places where Spurs just paid a visit, these days, things are much different and the presence of Scott Parker means that we have a steel in the midfield, which was once missing in the recent past.  The set-up away from home will probably be Adebayor and van der Vaart, with Bale and Lennon supporting.  The Spurs defence has been sound this season and will need to stand up to the physical test they will be getting on Saturday.  If they can do that, then I think they will come back rewarded.

TV
Sky Sports 1 -  Football First  -  Saturday 20.25
Match of the Day  (BBC 1) - Saturday 22.20 (highlights)   [repeated at 07:35 Sunday]  Also available online.
Goals on Sunday (Sky Sports 1) - Sunday 11.00
Match of the Day 2  (BBC 2) - Sunday 22.35 - 23.35 (highlights)  Also available online.

For coverage in all parts of the world, check here and here.

Radio :  
BBC LONDON 94.9FM (London area only), Digital Radio (London area only) &  Sky Channel 0152  (live coverage)
Commentary may be found on
>   BBC Radio Five Live (live coverage)  606/939 MW
>  TalkSport (DAB or 1089 MW)
>  Absolute Radio  (1215 AM/MW)

If available on BBC radio, it can supposedly be heard in these countries on these stations ...
Australia (Melbourne) SEN  -  116 AM  Live Transmissions: TWI, Saturday. 12.45 & 1500 matches
Australia (Sydney)  Radio 2  -  1611AM  Live Transmission: TWI, Saturday, 12.45 Match
Singapore Media Corp Radio  -  93.8 FM  Live Transmission: TWI, Saturday, 15.00 Match
South Africa  SABC (Radio 2000)  Live Transmission: TWI, Saturday, 15.00 Match
Uganda  Radio 1 (English) 90.0 FM, Radio 2 (Lugandan) 87.9 FM  Live Transmission: TWI, Saturday, 15.00 Match
North America (USA, Canada, Mexico, Caribbean)  Sirius Satellite Radio  Live transmission: Saturday - 12.45, 15.00 (TWI) & 17.15 (BBC) Sunday - 14.00 & 16.05 (BBC) Mon, Tue, Wed - Various times (BBC)

Internet :
www.spurs.co.uk   Live webcast  - subscribers only
BBC London - http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/articles/2005/10/12/live_commentaries_feature.shtml click on link to "Listen to Tottenham Hotspur live commentary" on top right hand menu.

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