Stoke City: January deadline day archive

THE January transfer window was launched back in 2003 when Stoke, under new manager Tony Pulis, battling against the odds for survival in the second tier.

Deadline days at the Britannia Stadium have normally been busy right to the wire ever since - and here is a collection of what went on the Sentinel's back page the following day  You can view the back pages here.

2002-03:

Status on January 31: 23rd in second tier

Ended season: 21st (and safe)

PETUR Marteinsson was left to ponder his future in the Potteries after the January transfer window failed to inspire any move for the defender-***-midfielder."It's difficult to show my best when I'm only on the pitch once every three weeks and in different positions, so I feel nobody here has seen the best of me," the 29-year-old said.

2003-04:

Status: 12th in second tier

Ended up: 11th

STOKE City were left to brace themselves for Gerry Taggart's recall to Premiership stragglers Leicester City.Leicester boss Micky Adams was under pressure to make changes and Taggart's recall was top of his agenda after the transfer window shut.

2004-05:

Status: 16th in second tier

Ended up: 12th

TONY Pulis captured winger Kevin Harper for a second time as he tried to resolve Stoke's exhaustive search for fresh firepower on the flanks.Harper, aged 29, agreed a two-and-a-half contract for what Stoke and Portsmouth were calling a moderate undisclosed fee.

2005-06:

Status: 16th in second tier

Ended up: 13th

JOHAN Boskamp re-negotiated Paul Gallagher's loan arrangement to prevent his immediate recall to Blackburn Rovers.City's hierarchy struck a compromise after Rovers were tempted to take Gallagher back to Ewood Park before the end of the transfer window.

2006-07

Status: Seventh in second tier

Ended up: Eighth (missing play-offs by two points)

STOKE sealed a deal for Charlton defender Jonathan Fortune just one hour before the transfer window closed at midnight.Tony Pulis sent a club representative to the Addicks' game at Bolton to ensure the paperwork for the 26-year-old was signed before the deadline.

2007-08

Status: Fourth in second tier

Ended up: Second (promoted)

STOKE cheated the midnight transfer deadline by a matter of minutes to land Glenn Whelan in a £500,000 deal.Whelan joined Paul Gallagher in the squad for the next game against Cardiff after the 23-year-old Scotland international rejoined Stoke from Blackburn on loan.News of their arrival was preceded by the shock departure of skipper John Eustace to Watford in a move worth £250,000, rising to £400,000 if they reach the Premier League.

2008-09

Status: 16th in Premier League

Ended up: 12th

STOKE were hoping to announce the signing of full-back Stephen Kelly from Birmingham following another nail-biting climax to their deadline-day activities.Negotiations straddled the 5pm deadline but special dispensation was given to clubs because of bad weather.Wigan striker Henri Camara joined until the end of the season on loan but Pulis failed to land either the experienced centre-half or a central midfielder he had been courting.

2009-10:

Status: 11th in Premier League

Ended up: 11th

TONY Pulis went into the the final hours of the transfer deadline having to play a game of cat and mouse with Portsmouth over goalkeepers David James and Asmir Begovic.Pulis confirmed Stoke had spoken to Pompey about Begovic, as well, as James but negotiations were hampered ahead of the 5pm deadline because of chaos behind the scenes at Fratton Park.

2010-11:

Status: Ninth in Premier League

Ended up: 13th

TONY Pulis vowed to work over time to re-invest the proceeds from Tuncay's £4.5m sale on at least one new striker in the summer.Pulis could not land any viable last minute targets before the deadline passed, leaving him monitoring the likes of Carlton Cole, Hugo Rodallega, Cameron Jerome and Kevin Doyle at the end of the season.

2011-12

Status: Eighth in Premier League

Ended up: 14th

TONY Pulis confirmed Danny Higginbotham had joined Nottingham Forest on loan, but Danny Collins's loan switch to Southampton had not gone through before the deadline.He defended the decision to sell Ben Marshall to Leicester for £750,000 rising to £1m following the failure to tie him to a new contract."We are disappointed we've lost Ben because he's a good player, but circumstances have determined what the club has done."