Stoke & Staffordshire

Latest Updates

  1. People protesting at the side of the road about Walleys Quarry landfill. Some are holding signs that say "stop the stink".

  2. A forensics officer at the back of a police vehicle. They are wearing a white protective suit and are looking inside the vehicle which says Forensics on the side. In the distance is a blue tent, a police tape and a police car and a building.

  3. 🎧 Is Stoke's squad better than most?

    "Stoke have a better starting XI than most teams in this league - the trouble is a lot of them have been missing and we've never really seen them all at one time."

    Is a fully-fit Potters squad worthy of a higher place in the Championship?

    Lucas Yeomans is joined by George Weaver (aka Potterlytics) and Stoke City fan Ben Rowley to discuss what's keeping the Potters at the bottom end of the table and the future of the club should their stand-out players leave in the summer.

    You can listen to the full episode and more on the A Cold Wet Tuesday Night podcast.

    Listen on BBC Sounds

  4. Black and white image of Brereton Colliery taken in 1908. Behind spoil heaps in the foreground are the colliery buildings, including a large chimney to the right

  5. A large roundabout with traffic cones and blue road signs across the left hand lane

  7. The former Staffordshire Golf Club house made from red brick and green cladding

  8. Solar panels in rows in a field.

  9. Five deer in Cannock, grazing, with grass and trees in the background

  10. Robins says support of Stoke fans is 'huge'

    Mark Robins gives out orders in Stoke's 0-0 draw with WatfordRex

    Mark Robins' Stoke have drawn 0-0 in three of their five Championship home games since he took charge

    Stoke City boss Mark Robins says he is grateful to have the Potters fans on his team's side as they continue to grind out performances - if not wins.

    Robins has only enjoyed two league victories in the 12 games since he took charge, plus the extra-time FA Cup win at Sunderland.

    But they have drawn five times in the Championship, three of them 0-0 at home, the latest of them against play-off chasing Watford.

    And he is relieved that the Stoke fans can see the effort the players are putting in to try to turn it round.

    "I have to thank the fans for their support," Robins told BBC Radio Stoke. "I'd asked for that and they gave us it. That was huge for us.

    "After the week we have had, it was important we did something that was more like what the supporters expect and what the players can do.

    "The performance was all right on the back of a three-game week. Watford have only played two games this week - and it makes a difference.

    "I am going to take the clean sheet and run with it because there were some good performances in there. Some of the things levelled against the players previously were answered in a more positive way and the supporters responded in kind.

    "It wasn't a classic by any stretch of the imagination. But there were a lot of positives. It was niggly at times but I was pleased with some of the tackles we put in.

    "There is a performance standard and minimum level we have to do. But the work rate they put in shouldn't be underestimated."

    Robins now has a clear week ahead of next Saturday's reunion at Coventry - his first return to the CBS Arena since being sacked by the Sky Blues four months ago.

  11. Sharon Price, with long dark hair, is wearing a dark dress on the left of the photo. On the right, husband Nathan Price, with dark and grey hair, is wearing a jacket, shirt and tie.

  12. A museum display behind glass of vintage Star Wars toys from 1983's Return of the Jedi film. They include orange, slug-like crime lord Jabba the Hutt who is placed on a toy throne, a brown Rancor monster with claws outstretched, and an alien musical group known as The Max Rebo Band, which features a blue elephant-like creature sitting inside a circular piano-like instrument. There are various other action figures and small vehicles on display, including opened original packaging which once contained such figures.

  13. Natasha Callan, with blonde hair, is smiling at the camera. A brick wall is behind her.

  14. A black and white image of a 11 women in football uniforms with black and white vertical stripes. They are all smiling. In the centre of the group one of the women is holding a trophy, while the woman next to her is holding a football

  15. The M6 motorway with the left-hand side of the carriageway closed while the right, northbound carriage continues to have traffic. The sky is grey and there are trees on both sides of the road.

  16. A residential street viewed from the entrance of a t-junction. A police car is parked next to a house on the left with two officers standing behind it.

  18. The remains of a pub building after a fire. The brick facade of the building is still intact but the roof is totally destroyed, and the inside of the building seen through windows and doorways is completely empty. The building has subsidence and very prominently leans to the left. On the front of the building is a sign that says The Crooked House, as well as a sign for Banks's Ales.

  19. 'SAS visit was inspiring for us' - Robins

    Mark Robins in the Stoke dugoutRex Features

    Mark Robins says a visit from former SAS Warrant Officer Melvyn Downes on Thursday provided some inspiration to his Potters squad.

    Stoke-born City fan Downes served 24 years in the British Army, the majority with the Special Air Service, and has gone on to train special forces around the world as well as appearing on reality TV series SAS: Who Dares Wins.

    While the tasks facing Stoke's players are vastly different to those experienced by Downes around the globe, Robins invited him to give a talk on facing adversity and rising to challenges as they sit five points above the Championship relegation zone after three defeats in their past four games.

    Robins told BBC Radio Stoke: "Listening to different people from different walks of life is always interesting.

    "His story is a really interesting one. He was obviously in a tough environment wherever he went in his career. He's still here to tell the tale.

    "It's inspiring to listen to people who have had those experiences in life and how they've dealt with them. What Army and SAS people go through, trained specialists - that obviously has an impact on you for the rest of your life.

    "It was inspiring to listen to."

  20. Pick of the stats: Stoke City v Watford

    club badges banner

    Stoke welcome Watford to the Bet365 on Saturday (15:00 GMT) with plenty at stake for both sides, with a dozen games remaining in the Championship season.

    Tuesday's 3-1 home defeat to Middlesbrough was a third in four matches for the Potters, who lie 19th, five points clear of the relegation zone.

    After a run of one point from five games, the Hornets have picked-up back-to-back wins and sit 9th, only three points behind West Bromwich Albion in fifth.

    • After winning at home against Watford 1-0 last season, Stoke City will be looking to win successive league matches against the Hornets on home soil for the first time since a run of three between 1993 and 1996.

    • Watford have won five of their past seven league games against Stoke City (D1 L1), scoring 2+ goals in each of those victories.

    • Stoke City boss Mark Robins is unbeaten in his past six league meetings with Watford (W2 D4) since a 3-2 away loss with Coventry City in November 2020.

    • Watford have won 1-0 against Middlesbrough and 2-0 against Luton in their past two league games – they last won three in a row in August, while they last did so without conceding in December 2015.

    • Watford's Edo Kayembe ended a run of six league games without a goal last time out against Luton, while in the reverse fixture against Stoke this term he scored his only brace to date in an English league game.

  21. Campaigners opposing a landfill standing on a street holding placards

  22. Five women stand in a line behind a table which has jugs, pans, boxes and bowls on top of it. All the women have their heads covered and are smiling. Two men can be seen in the background.

  23. Three women lean against each other, each is laughing as they look at the camera. Behind them is a lake

  24. Staffordshire County Council's logo is on the side of a glass building. There is a tree in the foreground.