February has been an outstanding month for Stoke, with three wins, four draws and one defeat. It has proven to be an intriguing and controversial period, culminated in the trilogy of ‘battles’ against Manchester City, providing copious episodes of drama; enough to make one redefine Tarantino's latest blockbuster as ‘uneventful’.

Prior to the Arsenal match, the team remained unbeaten in 2010, conceding only five goals in seven matches, whilst scoring eleven. Throughout the month there have been a number of exceptional individual performances that have contributed towards a comfortable mid table position as well as a place in the quarter finals of the FA Cup. Enormous credit must be given to a squad of players who endured eight matches (two a week) including extra time in the fifth round reply of the FA Cup, as well as away trips to Sunderland and Portsmouth. The Arsenal clash turned out to be one game too many in a month of suspensions, extra time and long away trips.

Special tribute must firstly be paid to Matthew Etherington. The pinnacle of a series of inspirational performances from the diminutive winger came at home to Blackburn Rovers. A delightful cross to the back post provided Mama Sidibe with the first goal, before he topped his performance with an intricate move with Liam Lawrence, after which, he expertly placed the ball beyond a despairing Paul Robinson. Etherington was presenting a master class in wing play, providing width, pace and creativity in a team that was often devoid of such attributes. It came as no surprise as the chant ‘are you watching Fabio?!’ echoed round a delirious Britannia Stadium. Etherington was once again the catalyst for a resurgent second half performance at Wigan, crossing for Tuncay’s equaliser, whilst also setting up James Beattie for what would have been a deserved winning goal.

The nominations are...

Ricardo Fuller

Playing the role as lone striker for Stoke is an almost impossible task at times and incredibly frustrating, especially without the creative presence of Etherington and an out of form Liam Lawrence. Fuller, however, has continued to work tirelessly for the team, whilst terrorising opposition defences with his strength, pace and guile. He has also been primarily responsible for winning a large percentage of free-kicks, corners and throw-ins, all of which have led to goals, by chasing down lost causes and harrying defenders into panicked clearances.

Fuller proved to be an inspired substitution at Wigan, which included him leaping majestically at the back post to head across goal, only for Sidibe to hit the bar. His performances against Manchester City (who aren’t short of defenders capable of matching Fuller, in Toure, Richards and Lescott) were nothing short of remarkable for a player who cost the club just £500,000. It would certainly be no overstatement to suggest that Fuller outperformed his twenty-five million pound counterpart in each of the three matchups, in terms of what he contributed individually and to the overall performance of the team.

Fuller is one of few players capable of producing individual moments of magic throughout the entire ninety minutes. When Stoke went down to ten men against Portsmouth, ‘Ric’ found himself even more isolated, yet still managed, following a fine ball from Rory Delap, to turn his marker inside out, before cutting it back and providing an open goal for Salif Diao.

Dean Whitehead

‘Deano’ has more than justified what was once a questionable transfer fee. Not only has he confirmed himself as an endless worker, but shown an enviable versatility, as well as an ability to break up play and support the front two. He has proven to be the clichéd ‘box to box’ midfielder we have been desperately seeking. His flexibility has been vital twice against Manchester City and for twenty minutes versus Portsmouth. His consistent tackling, positioning and incisive running have all contributed towards an exceptional ‘shift’ at right back.

Ryan Shawcross and Robert Huth

It remains hard to believe, following the performance’s of Abdoulaye Faye last season, that Stoke have acquired a new and equally successful centre-back pairing. Before facing Manchester City, Emmanuel Adebayor had scored three goals in his last three appearances. He then came up against Ryan Shawcross and Robert Huth. Unbelievably, Adebayor managed just one shot on target throughout the entire 263 minutes he faced Stoke. His undoubted talent was nullified by the by the performances of both defenders in each of the three meetings. Huth and Shawcross also remained resolute and unfazed by the physical presence of Kenywne Jones, one of the Premier Leagues top goal scorers, Darren Bent, and a Blackburn side who are renowned for their success at set pieces. Both defenders have also contributed towards recent goals. Huth was responsible for levelling the score at Portsmouth, whilst Shawcross put Stoke in front against Manchester City and assisted Danny Pugh’s header against Arsenal.

And the winner is...

Ryan Shawcross

Twenty-two year old Ryan Shawcross has continued to demonstrate a number of qualities against top Premiership talent. Ryan has shown immense maturity in his defending; his positioning and reading of the game are first class and improving with every match. He captained the team on his 100th appearance against Manchester City, showing admirable leadership and significant mental strength in inspiring the team to a 3-1 victory after extra time. Unfortunately the month ended with arguably the lowest point of his career thus far. In his typical combative nature, Shawcross in trying to win the ball halfway inside the Arsenal half was a second too late, resulting in the devastating injury to Aaron Ramsey. Hours later, Shawcross was deservedly called up to the England squad to face Egypt; a remarkable achievement for both Ryan and the club as a whole.

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