by Robbie Earle

I CAN'T see Stoke's noisy fans upsetting Arsenal tomorrow, but the Britannia Stadium faithful do have a huge part to play in keeping their side in the Premier League.

To be honest, I don't think Arsenal or any other Premier League side will worry too much about the noise from the stands, even though Stoke's fans are the loudest in the league.

Let's face it, Arsenal have just won at Fenerbahce, where the crowd really do get hostile.

Those boys are letting flares off from 4pm for a night game so, having come through that, I don't see Arsenal losing sleep over facing the Boothen End.

I've played in front of some big crowds but, as an away player, you just let it become background noise.

Where Stoke fans will make a difference is in lifting their own team, in good times and bad.

By all accounts Stoke fans have been doing just that this season, giving them a standing ovation whether they have won lost or drawn.

That's just what the players need because the reaction from your own supporters does make a big difference to a player.

I remember going to Wolves a couple of times when they were promoted to the Premier League and being surprised that some of their supporters were getting on their team's back.

Like Stoke, they had waited a long time to get there, but I don't think their supporters gave their team the best chance of staying up.

Maybe perceptions have changed in the five years since Wolves were promoted because it seems Stoke fans appreciate just how hard it is going to be for their team to stay up.

Stoke need everything to go their way to have a chance, so I'm sure Tony Pulis is delighted to be able to talk about the special relationship his players have with supporters.

That means Stoke won't get booed off even if Arsenal run riot at the Britannia tomorrow.

Pulis will be doing his level best to ensure that doesn't happen, but if you catch Arsenal on one of their good days then there's not a lot you can do about it.

I enjoyed some good results – and suffered some real hidings – at Arsenal. I went there once and barely saw the football all afternoon because they were that good.

Stoke and their supporters will hopefully keep things in perspective if they do get turned over, but that doesn't mean a defeat is a foregone conclusion.

Stoke go into the game on a high having won on home turf on Wednesday.

Arsenal however, will be feeling like they got beaten against Tottenham, having managed to turn a 4-2 lead into a 4-4 draw in the space of a few final, crazy minutes.

Stoke need to be at their very best to frustrate Arsenal, but that doesn't mean just crashing into challenges to quieten the likes of Theo Walcott.

The best way to deal with Walcott is to lock him in the dressing room. If we're playing within the rules, then I think it is a case of using brain rather than brawn.

Stoke left-back Danny Higginbotham will have worked out a plan by drawing on his own Premier League experience and the fact he was at Southampton with Walcott.

My own suggestion would be not to make Walcott's mind up for him by committing to challenges to early.

Once you sell yourself then Walcott can nick the ball away from you. Once he's gone past, then there aren't many players who are going to get near him.

Far better is to show him into traffic. By that, I don't mean a tour of the Britannia's car parks. Rather, make him head towards the congested midfield.

If you encourage him to go down the touchline then the chances are he'll get past you and be away.

But if you force him inside then he's going to run into Stoke's midfield and defence. If three or four players can get a challenge in, the chances are at least one will be able to stop him.

That's all easier said than done of course.

But even if Stoke's best laid plans go wrong, I expect the City fans to be applauding their team off.