Stoke & Staffordshire

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  1. Frustration reigns as Stoke slip up against Hullpublished at 12:02 GMT

    Mark Elliott
    BBC Radio Stoke's Stoke City commentator

    Stoke City and Hull City players clash after the final whistle at the bet365 StadiumImage source, PA Media

    At half-time, it looked like Stoke were cruising to a second successive win. By full-time they were coming to terms with a third defeat in four games.

    Such are the highs and lows of this rollercoaster Championship season in which nobody bar Coventry can seem to put a decisive run of wins together.

    Mark Robins was as emotional as we've seen him post-match. He said his team deserved to lose and wants more from them in the big moments that often decide the sort of tight games Stoke have lost in recent weeks.

    Emotions were heightened by the irresponsibility of some Hull players, led by John Lundstram who decided to goad the home fans in the Boothen End rather than enjoying the win with their own fans at the other end at full-time.

    That sparked several minutes of pushing and shoving on the pitch and the odd projectile from a minority in the stands in unedifying scenes that didn't need to happen.

    The palpable post-match frustration of those in red and white is fuelled by the fact that Stoke stand on the brink of an amazing 2026 that looks there for the taking if only they can solve two key problems.

    Can they be more efficient in front of goal and can they stop conceding goals from moves beginning with their own possession midway inside their own half?

    They played really well in the first half against Hull and they're clearly a good side. But their chances of promotion will be determined by their ability to become more efficient in those areas.

  2. Robins left fuming by Stoke's last-gasp loss at home to Hullpublished at 16:03 GMT 29 November

    Stoke manager Mark Robins was furious after their last-minute loss to HullImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Mark Robins was left fuming by Stoke's loss to Hull

    Stoke boss Mark Robins felt his side contributed to their own downfall in their last-minute defeat to Hull at the bet365 Stadium.

    Sorba Thomas volleyed Stoke ahead before they capitulated in the second half and Robins was not happy with Hull for sparking a player melee after the final whistle, which could result in an FA charge for the Potters.

    Robins told BBC Radio Stoke: "It was a game of two halves. We gave them the impetus, we gave them their goal, although it was offside. I've got to say it's offside and you can't miss that.

    "But they've missed that and it's ended up in the back of our net. And then time after time, we were getting in really good areas and not completing the pass, not finding the man coming onto it, not finding the final pass.

    "Then for the final goal, we've inexplicably given the ball away in the middle of the pitch and they've broken against us. They were better in the second half, but we allowed that to happen and that's a real frustration.

    "At the end, I've spoken to the referee, and one of their players has incited the crowd and we've ended up in a situation where there are players confronting each other. We'll get charged with failing to control our players or whatever it is and it's an absolute joke.

    "I'm fuming at what we did in the second half and I'm fuming at what happened at the end."

  3. Table 'not something I sit and stare at' - Robinspublished at 18:17 GMT 28 November

    Media caption,

    At this point in the season, Mark Robins says he is more interested in how people in and around Stoke City are feeling than who is in the automatic promotion places.

    His previous side Coventry are top of the Championship while The Potters are second after a 3-0 win against Charlton on Tuesday.

    When asked how he feels about seeing the two sides' places in the league table, Robins said: "I want to be top."

    He added: "It's not something I sit and stare at. It's not something I sit and think about too much. It's only 17 games, you look at all sorts of things that you can't affect and then you're wasting time so you procrastinate about things that you've got no control over so, no point.

    "I think that my energy is better served to look at what we're doing, what we can do better and then getting on with that and I think everybody is aware of that.

    "The staff and the players are aware of that. It's only about us. We talk about it's us in the building, it's us around the place, it's our supporters, it's you guys [the media], the positivity and the good will that we've gleaned.

    "Those are the things that feel good around the place and you can really use that to push things forward and I think that the players are in a brilliant place because of all of those things, because of the performances they put in so I'm happy with all of those things.

    "Christmas is around the corner and there'll be plenty of work that goes on in the community now, that continues all season anyway but we can start to put a little bit back into the community."

    You can listen to more from Mark Robins on BBC Sounds.