Stoke Skipper: Bring On United!

Stoke City are scared of no one. Indeed, after last week's battering of Arsenal and yesterday's battle with Wigan, many teams are probably secretly frightened of Stoke.

Alex Ferguson's Manchester United are unlikely to be one of those teams. The Red Devils' manager should underestimate the Potters at his own peril, as the criticism on their professional integrity that they have endured this week seem to have only made them stronger.

Speaking after yesterday's scoreless draw with Wigan at the JJB stadium, Stoke captain Andy Griffin said:

"I think after the Arsenal game it would have been easy to get carried away but we’ve come to a tricky place, it was a tough, physical game and it’s a point that overall we deserved.

"Now we move on to Manchester United. So we’re going to have to be on top of our game, hope they have a bit of an off day and show a lot of resilience and character."

Griffin went on to highlight that Stoke really do not care what others think of them as their only concern is Premier League survival.

“As a club and players we can’t stop people from speaking out, we can’t control what goes in the media. A lot of people don’t appreciate the way we play, they don’t appreciate Rory Delap’s throw-ins, but it gets us goals.

"As a club, you have to be selfish. We want to survive in the Premier League - it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks.”

Manchester United know what to expect and will be ready for a battle next week.

Zack Wilson