Stoke City: Club legend Denis Smith hails Ryan Shawcross and Robert Huth
RYAN Shawcross and Robert Huth can be the new Denis Smith and Alan Bloor – says Stoke legend Smith himself.
City's central defence looks secure for some time yet as Shawcross is under contract until the summer of 2014 while Huth has just signed a new deal which will keep him at City for the next four years.
Shawcross, aged 24, and Huth, aged 27, have been regulars at the heart of City's defence for three years.
And Smith believes they can be as important to City as his own famous partnership with Bloor, which was a fixture in the Stoke team for most of the 1970s.
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Smith and Bloor, both from Meir, clocked up 956 senior games for Stoke during a combined service totalling 29 years.
While Shawcross and Huth might not match that, Smith believes they have become a strength of Tony Pulis's side.
He said: "Sometimes in your career you get to play with someone who you are comfortable with.
"Ryan and Huthy click and work together just like myself and 'Bluto' did.
"I am delighted Huthy has signed a new contract. That's brilliant news for Stoke fans.
"He is a good around the dressing room and is a strong character. He is also good for Ryan, who people forget is young for a central defender."
Shawcross was linked with moves to Liverpool and Spurs last summer, but made clear he was happy at Stoke.
Huth, meanwhile, was rumoured to be interesting Everton.
Smith added: "It's a sign of how Stoke have moved on that good players want to stay.
Huth and Shawcross were the joint winners of the players' player award for last season.
Smith's not surprised they are rated so highly by their team-mates.
He added: "I've never seen a team win anything without two good centre-halves."
Comments
by soccerfoot11
Friday, June 22 2012, 8:43PM
“see what i mean ?!”
by Davejjohnson
Friday, June 22 2012, 8:37PM
“Same old rubbish. Like the man says, there has been a bit of discussion on football of late and the site has been the better for it. Then you come back. It's not an obsession, we just want you to clear off so that every thread on here does not get spoilt by your nonsense. it does not matter if the likes of myself and Wales ignore you, you will just argue with someone else. You always do because basically you are a total knob.”
by soccerfoot11
Friday, June 22 2012, 7:52PM
“and AS PER USUAL, never do these people who have a really morbid and frankly weird obsession with me, EVER direct comments or a contrary opinion about the subject , they just direct their comments directly about me personally !!”
by Haleswales
Friday, June 22 2012, 7:09PM
“This site has been an interesting read lately and given that it is the close season that is pretty good. Soccerfoot brings anger,resentment and an ability to wind up people. I have read Stonemels posts and although I thoroughly disagree with him he has a point, an opinion and a thread
Leave us be Soccerfoot - please”
by soccerfoot11
Friday, June 22 2012, 4:42PM
“during my absence i was forced to attend the, Davejohnson School for Superior Fans, to learn how to become such a person and abuse anybody else who does not agree with you and to NEVER EVER refute that person's opinion with fact. just call them names.
I flunked out after the 2nd day, I just couldn't take it and ran laughing as hard as i could away from there.
I see as usual you are ignoring me by well, not ignoring me and not making comments on what I say by making comments on what i say !
Some things never change !
So please, do us ALL a HUGE HUGE favor and really and honestly and truly ignore me for real.”
by Davejjohnson
Friday, June 22 2012, 4:26PM
“What did Peter Crouch do for us ? Reminds me of John Cleese asking "What have the Romans ever done for us" ? There's comedy genius and there's Soccerfoot.”
by Davejjohnson
Friday, June 22 2012, 4:24PM
“I suppose it was to good to last. The ***** is back and he's already insulted everyone who posts on here. Everyone produces simple minded stuff except him apparently. Still, I suppose to the insane the sane will seem insane and so to the simple minded the intelligent will seem simple minded. Don't know why I wrote that cus he will never understand it. I await with baited breath the same old rhetoric he's dished out a Million times before.”
by soccerfoot11
Friday, June 22 2012, 2:36PM
“sorry to ask you the tough questions pottedrengen, I know you have been used to simple minded stuff while i was gone”
by Pottedrengen
Friday, June 22 2012, 9:36AM
“Soccerfoot, could you stop asking insane rhetorical questions. I was enjoying your absence so much...”
by soccerfoot11
Thursday, June 21 2012, 10:22PM
“Pottedrengen, you have to look at all aspects before commenting on things. Last season, as a team and a team of course that included Peter Crouch, we scored fewer goals than anybody in the football league and fewer than any of the 4 seasons in the Prem !!
So, who did what for who ?”