Danny Higginbotham: Stoke City could yet be on brink of relegation battle (video)

I MUST admit I am back-tracking a bit this week because I thought Stoke were safe from relegation, no problem.

But they are obviously going through a bad patch right now after three successive defeats, and the fans are understandably restless.

Clearly, the next few fixtures will decide whether or not Stoke end up in a dogfight because tomorrow's crucial clash with West Brom is followed by a trip to Everton and then a home encounter with Aston Villa.

I truly believe it won't come to that and Stoke will be safe and sound again, but you can't deny that the teams below them are playing catch-up at the moment.

Stoke fans delight in reminding us that they always beat West Brom – and that WAS very true. But now I think Stoke are dealing with a different beast entirely.

I remember their early seasons in the Premier League when West Brom were a classic "yo-yo" team forever getting promoted, only to then drop out of the top flight again. But those days are long gone. The Baggies are now a well established team.

In the bad old days, they would play lovely football without actually getting anywhere, and a lot of our goals came from breaking away after they had been pressuring us.

Now they still play the attractive football, but they also have the fight and power running through their spine, from Ben Foster in goal to the powerhouse that is Romelu Lukaku up front.

Gone are the days where they were a soft touch, so this will be a tough game for Stoke.

I think the last few weeks have also shown just how important Robert Huth is to Stoke – not only in stature on the pitch, but also because players are having to play in positions they are not accustomed to cover for his absence.

One thing's for sure, they really could do with Huthy against Lukaku tomorrow.

I know it's been said hundreds of times over the years, but the Stoke faithful (especially at the Brit) can help determine the result.

They are the most passionate fans around, and that's great when they are behind you. However, it can also work the other way when they are not happy.

You can't have it both ways. If you have passionate fans, they will always let you know when they are happy... and when they are not.

But if the lads ever needed the Brit rocking like the bear pit it has been over the past few years, then tomorrow is that day.

Players and fans feed off each other at Stoke, and that is what made it such a wonderful place for me to play.

The passion is second to none and I know they will be right behind the lads come three o'clock – and hopefully come 4.45 as well.

I remember one game in our third season in the Premier League against Sunderland when we had under-performed in the first half and found ourselves a goal down.

We came out for the second half and the atmosphere was unbelievable. Kicking towards the Boothen End, we scored two late goals from Huthy to win the game.

The ball was virtually sucked into the net, and that kind of backing doesn't half give players a lift.

I remember sitting down after that game and thinking to myself how it really was possible for the fans to be the 12th man. Good days indeed.

I HEARD this week about Port Vale's Ryan Burge, right, going on Twitter to vent his frustration at being left out of the team. In my opinion, these things are best kept behind closed doors.

Yes, you are frustrated at times, but to put it out there for everyone to see is asking for trouble.

Different managers work in different ways. Some would have just told the player not do it again, but others would have seen it as a lack of respect.

I saw a similar incident when I was at Sunderland. We were playing Spurs away and two of our lads were late for a pre-match walk.

Nothing was said at the time until the pre-match meeting when boss Roy Keane decided the players had lacked respect for their team-mates.

The two players were instantly dropped for a game both were due to play in.

Fortunately, we won the game, the lads returned soon after and it never happened again.

IT was nice to see Ryan Brunt getting on the score sheet the other night... and not because it was against Vale.

Ryan was at Stoke until leaving for Bristol Rovers recently, and I have a lot of time for him as he went through cruciate problems at the same time as me.

His move to Bristol shows that youngsters, even after a serious injury, can leave a big club and still go on to forge a good career for themselves.

And if he continues the way he's started at Bristol, then he could well work his way back up the leagues because he has the right attitude and attributes.