Well folks thanks again for reading this page during the season and i hope you are all as proud to be a potter as i am. The lads have given everything for the cause this season and my congratulations got to everybody concerned. The coming campaign will be even tougher with the bar of expectation raised a notch or two, have we massively over-achieved or has everyone outside of the club underestimated us big time. A good summer in the transfer market could really see the potters with a seriously fine squad providing we keep the backbone of the team together. Players like shawcross, faye, fuller, lawrence, etherington, beattie, sorensen and whelan are providing a real spine to the team and with quality additions surely the only way is up. But like i have been saying all season arrogance is a dirty trait to possess and we as stokies should approach the next season no different to the one we have just experienced, the fight and the fire which has burned inside our bellies must never die. WE'LL BE WITH YOU.

Peace and love to all the readers of the stoke city fc catflap blog page. IGGY bless you all.

I'm sure none of you will ever forget the hullaballoo and verbal diahorrea that followed the potter's 2-1 victory over the gunners at the britannia. Thugs and cowards screamed the headlines, men singled out for showing too much passion and desire for the shirt they wear. Forward the clock and we sit pretty in mid table can look back on such events as turning points, when the stoke players turned in to men and started to show that we had the stomach for the almighty scrap that is survival. The emirates is always going to be tough place to go but with the potters in feelgood mode i suspect that pulis and the boys would like to show people that we can play and i'm expecting and hoping for a decent performance from stoke to see the season out. Whatever happens i've never been prouder to be a city fan.

Northy's Prediction

1-0 Stoke

May i just start this piece by thanking everyone who has read these ramblings since august last year. Tomorrow is my final day as SCFC catflap editor and i have really enjoyed the whole deal and i'd like to thank a few people. Homzy from teamtalk.com, rebellious jukebox (oatcake poster), superstokiesi (wolvo potter) and my dad. Big shout out to you fella's and all the others from the oatcake and beyond who have listened and read. Last saturday was a great day up the brit, a poor first half but a different second, on the pitch and off it. As the celebrations reached a crescendo i turned and looked around me at the packed stands full of smiling happy stokies, it was the way it was always meant to be at this stadium not the library style conditions we endured in the early years of the new ground. Everyone connected with stoke city fc have raised the bar this season, to maintain the standards the club must have a good summer in the transfer market, the signs for me are good, the image of the club is changing and the way we have gone about this season will do us no harm in the long run. We have risen from the ashes folks. We all must keep the fire inside our bellies and keep the inferno roaring on. Well done boys. We love you city.

Ay up folks, i haven't been posting much up lately and i'm afraid to say when the monthly prize money went down the drain so has my enthusiasm to write on a regular basis. Anyway we all know my wagers have been absolute stinkers so far this season, in fact only ONCE have i brought home the bacon in 2008/09. This momentus event was earlier in the campaign when i slapped a five quid double on stoke to beat arsenal and spurs to beat liverpool. We all know that the 'brutal thuggery' of the potters washed aside wenger's wimps and a couple of late goals saw a win for spurs at white hart lane. The fixtures are reversed for the final games of the season so get on it again i say. I'm going to whop a massive tenner (massive stakes for northy i might add) on the double tommorow.

Stoke to stick one up the arse 6/1

Spurs to lick liverpool at anfield 4/1

Pays £350 at coral. Get on it folks. THIS IS THE ONE

I'm skint this week so the £2 bet has turned into a 50p one. I've gone for the ridiculous task of predicting all todays premiership results so i might as well of spent the 50p on some sweets for northy junior. You never know though folks so get down coral and whack this bet on. The height of stupidity.

Wins for Blackburn, Bolton, Stoke, West brom

Draws at Everton, Fulham and West ham

Pays well over 600 quid off your 50p stake. GOOOOAAARN

Got to win this one boys. They might need it more than us but if our only two away victories of the season are at wba and hull then northy will be a very happy man indeed.

Hull City 0-1 Stoke City

Well folks, today's fixture is one every stokie wants to win. The visit to hull city sees us face the golden boys of the first half of the season. A cracking run by the tigers should have been the catalyst for a great season but the ego's took over and a mighty collapse ensued. If you could write a book of quotes from the hull camp over the season it would make hilarious reading. All the premmature talk of going for europe coupled with the arse licking off the press and other supporters alike has really put a spanner in the works for brown's men. Give me the down to earth and sensible approach of tony pulis anyday. Even this week george boateng has claimed that at least they won't have to face '650' long throws at the britannia. If his tongue was in his cheek then it would have been midly amusing. Get up for this today boys and ram the words of fools down their throats and edge these buffoons closer to the drop. GET IN 'EM STOKE

The 1-0 home loss to the hammers on saturday thankfully didn't do us much damage as far as the table is concerned with other results certainly going in our favour. Hopefully the defeat won't hurt stoke mentally and the players tired minds and bodies can somehow find that extra 10% and we can finish the season on a flourish rather than a downer. The goal which beat stoke was a cracker from tristan but lack of sharpness in the penalty area cost stoke really and the ref had a bit of a stinker too. The coming weekend sees all the bottom half playing each other and if stoke can do the business at hull then we could be looking at a seriously respectable 12-13th place finish which would be nothing short of remarkable. After hull(a) we have wigan(h) and arsenal(a). If we turn hull over then look at the wigan game as a chance to get 3 points that would put us on 45 and a mid table finish. If we manage to get something from the emirates then it could be even more. Give it your all boys, get the result at the kc stadium, take the momentum into the wigan game and GET IN!!

GOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAARN STOKE

Northys Prediction 2-1 Stoke

Four games left, we still need points to be sure of avoiding the dreaded drop and tomorrows home fixture with west ham united brings a chance to seal it. The hammers are having a decent season, when zola first arrived they seemed unsteady but they have picked it up and have sat comfortably in the top half for quite a while. Good side but one we can beat if everyone is firing on all cylinders. Hopefully pulis has reminded the boys that things aren't done and dusted yet and we still have plenty of 'aaard work to do. The fixture at upton park over the festive period will be remembered for the thing that i promised never to mention again on here and we lost the game 2-1 after being in a good position at 1-0 up. Personally this game lights a spark in my mind and the memories burn hard. 1982/83 season we beat west ham 5-2 at the victoria, i was there with my dad and saw a fantastic performance from mark chamberlain on the wing for the potters, it was also the first time i had ever seen football aggro live in the flesh. Stoke had a great side in the those days and were a pleasure to watch. Ooh georgie berry..... Take them on tomorrow stoke. Get in 'em.

Perennial piss taking bookie 'paddy power' who annoyingly paid out on stoke's relegation after the first game of the season decided to speak to the people of stoke on trent. Check it out.....

http://www.whydelilah.co.uk/news/24_Apr_2009/Paddy+Power+apologies+to+Stoke+over+%E2%80%98you%E2%80%99re+down%E2%80%99+jibe.html

Well folks, we are nearing the last month of my tenure as editor of catflap's stoke city blog so the idea is to crush all contenders with some razor sharp betting tips. In other words more crap acca's from a small time gambler who never wins owt. You just never know though and stranger things have happened so here are todays stinkers.

Go for...

The draw - Wba vs Sunderland 9/4

The draw - Coventry vs Watford 11/5

Plymouth to come good at QPR 11/5

Leeds to hurt Hartlepool 8/5

This lot will pay out £173 off a £2 stake at coral's.  Get stuck in it people.

Here we are down to the last five games of this first crack at the premiership, the lads have a tough encounter today down at craven cottage against a fulham side who have really 'pushed on' under roy hodgson, they had a thrilling end to the season last time around, looking dead and buried they won their last few games and stayed up. Hodgson has put together a decent side and they find themselves sitting in the top half. After viewing the game against them at the brit earlier in the season i couldn't help feeling that they were one of the more organised sides we had faced and a tough nut to crack. The potters have injury problems with beattie, higgy, wilko and a few others missing the trip so the fringe players will come in and give it a crack. Stoke long ago sold out the allocation of tickets and the 'neutral zone' at the ground should be full of potters fans as well. Very rare that i am pessimistic on this page but for some reason i can't see us getting much today but i would never back us to lose so.....

Northy's Prediction 0-0