Stoke Veteran Claims Fan Frustration Over Lack of Success Shows How Far Potters Have Progressed

?Peter Crouch has claimed that the complaints over Stoke’s current Premier League position is a good indication of how much the expectation has increased over the club’s desire to succeed.

The veteran striker, who bagged his 100th Premier League goal against Everton earlier in the season, told the ?Stoke Sentinel that the club’s current 10th place position in the table is not good enough for a side with Stoke’s quality, and believes that unrest among the club’s fanbase shows much the Potter have progressed since they gained promotion to England’s top flight a decade ago.

He said: “I remember the first day I walked through the door. Tony Pulis brought me in and did a fantastic job, he was great with me, and obviously Mark Hughes came in and we are trying to kick on to the next level.

“There are ups and downs but if you take stock you can certainly see the improvements in the side since I first joined the club, you can see how much stronger the squad is and how much more established we are. 

“The fact that we’re complaining and not happy and we’re sitting mid-table in the league shows how far we’ve come. We all want to win something and get in that top eight.”

Crouch, who has enjoyed something of a renaissance in recent months after initially finding himself out-of-favour under Hughes this term, admitted that the first-team squad at the Bet365 Stadium harboured ambitions of landing silverware before some of them retire, and went on to add that his side’s inconsistent form throughout the campaign had been a source of constant frustration for both players and fans.

He said: “There’s still a lot to be done and a lot to be achieved for me here. I think we’ve got a side that’s capable of winning a League Cup, which would be fantastic, or an FA Cup, which would be even better. The club probably is very close to doing that and I would love to be a part of it because I know the city and the fans would go mental for it.

“It’s been far too long and it would be nice to go back to the King’s Hall one day and maybe show the Lord Mayor some silverware of my own.

“In recent weeks it’s been a little bit frustrating. Of course Swansea last Saturday (a 1-0 defeat) was even more frustrating. The main focus for me now is to finish the season off well and for the team as well. We don’t want it to peter out.”

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