Stoke closing in on Spurs midfielder Palacios

He'd be a good player for you. Passing can be a bit iffy but got excellent energy levels and will battle for (and sometimes win) lost causes. I'd be happy for him to stay at Spurs but he's certainly behind Sandro and Hudd in the pecking order now, so this would probably be a good move for both sides.

Tom, I have nothing against you/Stoke wanting Palacios, and urging his sign with your article. I do, however, take serious issue with you second-but-last paragraph, saying: " ... evolving into a team with genuine footballing quality". You are kidding, of course, I imagine. Palacios, with his average passing ability, has more battling qualities than he has footballing, and knowing your manager, as we've all come to, footballing qualities would have been the last thing on his mind when he thought of Palacios. In my opinion, Palacios will bring your team closer, than ever before, to a Rugby Elevens side. In fact, I imagine your ranking, amongst non-Stoke fans, as the team anyone would most like to relegated would go off the radar (with Palacios in your ruck). Footballing qualities my backside. Cha!

Good luck Wilson, he'll be the perfect player for a team like you, Stoke fans. Not the biggest person, but still a big physical presence. His departure should open the door to Diarra joining us. COYS!

We may not be in the so-called Premier League rule book that some fans keep referring to (which is indeed a figment of imagination), and most don’t think our style is ‘pretty’ or whatever. But the most important thing is that is works like tonys_baseball_cap said. We pride ourselves on being different and relish opportunities to show what we truly are made of, especially to those who for some reason hate us or think that we’re a rugby team. Arsene Wenger being the biggest culprit. If you whizz back to the 70’s, tackles were much more brutal and weren’t frowned upon as they would be now. It’s could be a point that players of today are built more from tissue paper instead of meat and bone. You may question the lack of quality when a team uses physicality, but isn’t it playing to your strengths, literally? We do that and it’s worked for us, making Pulis one of our greatest managers. But having said that we do have quality players who can inject that bit of flair when needed, so that can’t be used against us. We are not all about long balls and gung-ho approaches, and we are continuously improving each year. Wilson would be a great addition for us because he is a good holding defender, not just because he can be physical, but because he can feed the wingers and cover defenders brilliantly.

Totally agree Tom and Ryan. We aint no rugby team by any stretch of the mind. Obviously they can't see us for what we really are, and that is a dormant volcano ready to errupt into the 'best of the rest'

Oh ho! Hold the press, gibbs131 is about to re-invent football; he says it's not all about passing.

hold up possession*

Good luck with Palacios. He is a good player, but would not have gotten much playing time this year at Spurs. I wish him well! Loyal player, never anything trouble off the pitch!

My purpose, Rhin0, is that football will return to the people, (sans all the money in it). Then, there'll be a better chance that the game will be played the way it ought to ... on the grass.

oxfordspur speaks a lot of sence. Finally, somebody recognises that we are a good side that is ever improving. roforofoSpurs; isn't it good to mix things up a bit? Tippy-tappy-tippy-tappy football is boring at the end of the day and I'd much rather see balls floating into the box making defenders scramble to clear. It's more exciting then see

iit would be a complete contradiction if Tunny came back, and on loan. it won't happen

He must have thrown a strop and went home to watch the Wolfsburg match on sky