A FANTASTIC result for the team, the club and the city, beamed Tony Pulis after engineering arguably Stoke's greatest day at the Britannia Stadium.

In fact, in lofts around Stoke-on-Trent, veteran followers have reportedly been dusting off their tear-stained 1971 and 1972 FA Cup semi-final programmes before conjuring up the image of Arsene Wenger's touchline despair, and whispering: 'now I can let it go'.

With not too many 'fantastic' results in the last 23 years or so, City's hardcore have learned to take both good years and bad to their hearts.

Why else would Stoke's pinstriped monstrosity of a replica shirt, worn during the 1984-85 record-breaking relegation season, currently be selling in the club shop?

Remembering the worst of times so you can enjoy the best is probably the thinking.

However, you wouldn't expect to be waved aboard a cross-channel ferry by a steward wearing a large grin and a jaunty T-shirt emblazoned with 'Remember The Titanic'.

Nor, to my knowledge, have the Tory shadow cabinet taken to wearing pyjamas inscribed with the logo 'Black Wednesday, now that's what I call pear-shaped'.

Then again, I reckon those wearing the 84-85 shirts, and those who suffered that season, were jumping even higher than their brethren on the Boothen when Rob Styles's full-time whistle unleashed a roar which must have rattled the windows from Stone to Scholar Green.

Stoke City 2, Arsenal 1. I repeat, Stoke City 2, Arsenal 1.

The sort of result 19,000 fans couldn't have dared hope for when they bought their season tickets this summer.

What's more, this was no fluke, no freak result produced by Arsenal wastefulness or a referee's whim.

Stoke outfought Arsenal, had the better chances of a tight game and were only denied a second clean sheet in four days by a long-range injury-time strike which took two deflections past Thomas Sorensen.

And, yes, Stoke's goals did come from long throws, but there is more than hurl and hope about a tactic which has produced seven out of City's 13 Premier League goals.

Considering Rory Delap's well-documented precision and success rate, Arsene Wenger must have prepared for the tactic.

We can imagine him having studied tapes of Stoke's goals with the same mixture of distaste and curiosity with which an old headmaster might examine a confiscated stink bomb.

No doubt his team selection, recalling the taller more physical Alex Song, Nicklas Bendtner and Abou Diaby, was an attempt to combat Stoke.

It didn't work because Arsenal were as helpless as Everton, Aston Villa, Spurs and Sunderland at the Britannia against Delap's fear-seeking missiles.

Arsenal were no more successful in open play as they were closed down and knocked out of their stride by a tireless Stoke team. The visitors had more of the ball after the break, but with no great effect against a Stoke side whose mixture of intelligence and aggression was typified by an inspiring performance from skipper Andy Griffin.

Delap, understandably, will get the headlines and most of the attention in the nationals. An exemplary team-man, he's clearly getting a little uncomfortable with being singled out for praise, but Stoke will gladly live with that as the goals keep flying in.

Besides, the publicity this scalp brings should also ensure his team-mates become better known.

Stoke's well-drilled press team had their work cut out dealing with the dozens of journalists from around the world who crammed into the extended press room on Saturday.

So, nothing but sympathy was due to one Stoke official who came down from the press room at 2.20pm to tell his colleague: "We've got a problem, Mama Sidibe and Richard Cresswell are both on the team sheet as number 11 and it's causing some confusion up there."

No such identity problems for Arsenal's defence, who will recognise Sidibe in their nightmares after he ran them into the ground for 86 minutes before being substituted for Cresswell to finish the job.

The Mali international now also has his own song. To the tune of KC and the Sunshine Band's 'Give it Up', the Boothen End have begun to burst into 'Ma Ma Ma Ma Ma Ma Ma Ma Ma, Mama Sidbe, Sidibe, Maaama Sidibeeee'.

That was merely one of the more creative of an afternoon's repertoire which included 'Are You Tottenham in Disguise' – a final parting shot to crestfallen Arsenal supporters who had begun the afternoon by informing the home fans they were 'going down with the Tottenham'.

'Are you Hull in disguise' is a taunt the Stoke fans can only have dreamed of receiving after Pulis's side collected four points from their opening eight games.

Right now, news of another shock Hull win is less likely to have Stoke fans muttering darkly about throwing Phil Brown off the Humber Bridge, than see them raising their Bovrils in a cheery gesture of underdog camaraderie.

It won't always be like this of course. Fourth-from-bottom remains Stoke's objective and would still be a huge achievement.

You wouldn't put it past them though, just ask Aston Villa, Tottenham, Sunderland ... and Arsenal.