I CAN already see Stoke fans hovering around the radio, TV or computer come tomorrow morning when those Premier League fixtures hit the airwaves.

It’s a tense and exciting time every year, but I don’t imagine Tony Pulis getting too wound up either way.

There will be those saying you don’t want an Old Trafford or Anfield first up.

And others will be wanting to avoid one of the promoted clubs early on – especially on their own patch – because they’ll have some momentum about them. Not me. You’ve got to play at United or Liverpool at some stage during those 38 games, so what the hell if you get it out of the way on the opening day of the season?

As for the promoted clubs, I don’t see any of them being on a particular high because they will all know what a tough time they are in for.

In fact, I’ll say now that you can bank on at least two from Wolves, Birmingham and Burnley going down next season. And if I’m right, that has to be good news for Stoke City.

Brits now being out-muscled by rivals

I WENT to Wembley last Saturday with the grandchildren and suffered a thoroughly depressing experience watching England lose.

Yes, I did say England. It was the schoolboys playing their French counterparts and I thought it a good time to check on the progress of our future players.

France only won 4-2, which doesn’t sound too bad and, at one point, England were actually 2-1 in front. But don’t ask me how they were in front because they were behind in just about every single aspect of the game.

You’re not surprised to see a bunch of French youngsters ahead of England in terms of technique and how to handle the ball.

We’ve been used to that as Britons for many years now, but even then you’d find your Englands and Scotlands being competitive in other areas. Not on Saturday, I’m afraid to say.

What really worried me was how far behind England were when it came to overall movement, fitness and awareness. The French were also physically bigger and stronger, and with that they were also more aggressive.

Before the game, I thought I was watching the England lads warming up because they were physically bigger and wearing white shirts. But it was actually the French limbering up in white training tops.

England couldn’t get close to the French when the visitors had the ball – and couldn’t get away from the French when the home team had it.

It was all a far cry from the days when you faced English lads at that level and knew you were in for a physical hammering.

I’ll never forget playing for Scotland against England schoolboys at Southampton in about 1968 on a real mud heap at The Dell.

I remember Brian Kidd playing for the home side, and Mick Mills as well I believe, and they were so superior physically. I didn’t get a kick that night and was left all at sea in the mud.

So it was a real shock to see England lacking anything like that kind of physical supremacy against France on Saturday.

Traditional English/British trademarks and strengths were blown away and that was truly worrying.

Whether the French have kicked on and left us behind, or whether we’re doing something wrong, I’m not too sure. But something isn’t quite right in the game when a Scotsman endures that kind of spectacle and actually starts to feel sorry for the English.

It was certainly a sobering thought for those English fans getting carried away with the first rumblings of ‘England can win the World Cup in South Africa next summer’.

As things stand, they haven’t got a hope, I’m afraid, because there’ll be no Kazakhstans or Andorras waiting in Cape Town, Durban or Johannesburg.

This was always going to be an easy World Cup qualifying group for England, and it is certainly no great gauge for their chances when the serious stuff begins.

I just fear the media will really hype it up and leave everyone making the kind of horrendous mistake we Scots made back in 1978.

It was Ally’s Tartan Army when we flew out to Argentina, but we were branded Ally’s Tatty Army when we flew back home.