I’M told there were a few frayed nerves among the Stoke faithful after events at the Britannia on Saturday.

Well get used to it folks because that’s how it’s probably going to be over the last dozen games. Especially at home.

Stoke have built up a fine reputation on their own turf, but that in itself builds up pressure and expectation on the players.

Then there is the greater respect teams are going to pay them, particularly the likes of Portsmouth in a so-called six-pointer.

Stoke will face packed defences and tight games, and it won’t be easy to break them down.
With the best will in the world, you can’t expect Stoke to have the firepower to just rip such stubborn opposition apart.

It will be cagey, cat and mouse stuff from now on and we will see games being decided by strokes of good and bad luck – just like everyone saw on Saturday.

Tony Pulis called for a more even shout from referees, but even he couldn’t have hoped for the kind of break Stoke got for the ‘`handball’ penalty to even things up at 1-1.

But then the bad luck strikes again with that Ryan Shawcross own goal in the dying minutes.

Such incidents are going to decide the fate of these tight games and it’s vital the fans stay as patient and as believing as the players must.

I’ve heard supporters saying Stoke have to be more attacking, but that’s far easier said than done.

Stoke are Premier League newcomers and simply don’t have the ammunition of so many other clubs, so you are having to play it tight to try to nick games.

If that doesn’t make for great entertainment, then so be it.

It’s all about results, nothing else, at this stage of the season. Pretty football alone wins you nothing – just ask Tony Mowbray at West Bromwich Albion.

I always thought they were the weakest-looking of the promoted clubs and you have to fear for them as things stand.

The knives are also out for Middlesbrough, not to mention manager Gareth Southgate, but I’m not sure a change of boss will drastically alter their results.

It’s the players that will get them out of trouble and there’s no chance of changing them now the transfer window has gone.

It’s not so much a change of manager as a change in the form and luck of someone like Afonso Alves.

He seems to have been missing plenty of chances, but he’s the sort of striker who could suddenly find his range in front of goal and boy how that might change Middlesbrough’s results.

Other results are clearly vital to Stoke’s cause and, despite what he might tell us, I know the first thing Tony will do when he gets back to the dressing room after a game is check on the other scores.

And they aren’t exactly easy to call when you see struggling Newcastle reduced to 10 men against in-form Everton on Sunday, but still hang in there for a useful point.

Stoke go to Aston Villa next Sunday still looking for that first away win – and hoping it’s a good time to play them.

Fans will be wondering if Villa have gone off the boil a little after a couple of dodgy results, but I was never sure they were ever on the boil.

If you analyse their team, they are pretty ordinary by the standards of the top of the Premier League.

Martin O’Neill has simply got his team grinding out results and punching well above their weight.

Villa also have the distraction of a midweek trip to Moscow in the UEFA Cup, but I don’t see that excursion being a great exertion.

Players travel on private planes these days and can catch up on their sleep pretty quickly.

It’s not like the old days of flying behind the Iron Curtain and not knowing for sure whether the cold or the KGB would get you first.

Three out of four ain’t bad in big games

MY money is on three Brits getting through and one going out as we anticipate four mouthwatering Champions’ League ties this week.

I think Liverpool will be the one to fall as they face up to a much-improved Real Madrid.

Had this game been played a couple of months ago, I would have strongly fancied the Reds.

But their form has clearly dipped, while there remains a massive doubt over the fitness of talisman Steven Gerrard.

Arsenal have the easiest of the four ties, in my opinion, and that’s just as well because they still need someone to kick a bit of life into them.

The good news for Arsene Wenger, though, is that AS Roma are not exactly the strongest force out there at the moment.

There’s no question for me that Manchester United have the toughest task of all against Inter Milan. The very name sends a tingle down the spine, then there is the fact United
are in northern Italy tonight with a depleted defence.

I don’t think you can ignore Jose Mourinho’s terrific record against United over the years either because that is no coincidence when you take into account his thorough appraisal of the opposition.

Finally, tomorrow night sees Claudio Ranieri return to Chelsea as Juventus manager for yet another tasty little offering.

I’d have gone for Juve had Scolari still been in charge because Chelsea were all over the place and seemed to have lost the know-how to win matches. But Guus Hiddink is making his considerable presence felt already and so, for that reason alone, I think Chelsea will eventually make it into the last eight.