“If only he was 10 years younger” – Stoke City fan pundit reacts to Potters player decision

Football League World

·12 May 2022

“If only he was 10 years younger” – Stoke City fan pundit reacts to Potters player decision

This article is part of Football League World’s ‘Terrace Talk‘ series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Steven Fletcher’s time at Stoke City has come to an end after the Potters recently announced the striker would be released.

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The move brings Fletcher’s two-year stay at the club to an end.

During his time at the Bet365 Stadium, the 35-year-old appeared 82 times for the club, scoring 12 goals and laying on five assists for his teammates.

That included 35 Championship appearances and three goals this season.

With that being said, we asked FLW’s Stoke City fan pundit Ben Rowley for his thoughts on Steven Fletcher’s release.

“This is a really tough one for me because Steven Fletcher is a striker who is so much more than he seems.” Ben told FLW.

“You’d think that he’d be good as a box poacher or someone who can just hold the ball up, but actually his skill with his feet was remarkable.”

“Rabona’s, overhead kicks – he had a lot in his locker and he provided that bit of flair that Stoke were really lacking when he first joined.”

Quiz: Which club did Stoke City sign these 24 players from in the 2000s?

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Tony Dorigo

Blackburn Rovers Nottingham Forest Derby County Wrexham

“His first season at the club was really good, his second was hampered by injuries and at 35 years old, you can understand that.”

“He certainly was a short-term option for us. He was only going to ever stay for these two years.”

“But you know, if only he was 10 years younger, I’d have loved to see a Stephen Fletcher type player in our shirt 10 years ago now because he’s a great player, he was a great player, and I think he probably found the other part of his game at the wrong time in his career.”

The Verdict

It’s clear from our fan pundit’s words that Steven Fletcher left a good impression on Stoke City fans.

Joining the club at 33-years-old, it was never going to be a long-term stay with the Potters, but given his age, he still managed to rack up a good number of appearances for Stoke.

Given his age, the club are likely looking for a more long-term option in his position going forwards, and therefore, this release was the right decision.