Potters can ruin Sam Allardyce's party (From Northwich Guardian)

Blackburn Rovers v Stoke City: preview

4:35pm Friday 19th December 2008

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HARK, listen closely and you can hear the sound of people jumping on a bandwagon.

It’s a vehicle marked ‘Sam Allardyce will win his first match’ and every journalist from here to Timbuktu is leaping aboard it.

In three days, so the theory goes, the Big Man is going to wave his magic wand and show the rotten Rovers’ rearguard the right way to defend.

It’s a defence so poor that faced with Wilson Palacios running straight at their goal with the ball at his feet, it parted like the Red Sea at the sight of Moses. On ran Palacios to shoot and score.

No doubt Allardyce will have an effect if only because players will want to impress him.

But Stoke showed in their last away match at St James Park that they have the players to impose themselves on other teams and dominate.

It’s a defence so poor that faced with Wilson Palacios running straight at their goal with the ball at his feet, it parted like the Red Sea at the sight of Moses.

Ian Probert looks forward to the far from mighty Blackburn Rovers defence facing Stoke

Despite the fact that there will be no Mamady Sidibe in our side, we should be approaching the game with an optimistic outlook.

Blackburn have won just three times this season. Their home record is dreadful.

It’s hardly like facing up to Manchester United, Arsenal or even Spurs.

This is a largely ordinary team, which has had ordinary results.

They sold their most creative player, David Bentley, in the summer and that has left their most prolific player, Roque Santa Cruz struggling for form and pining for a move.

And instead of the rock that is Brad Friedel between the sticks, they have the fallen idol Paul Robinson.

Stoke’s defence has been pretty solid in recent weeks and will be even stronger if Ryan Shawcross is fit to partner Faye.

Dave Kitson could return which will give him a perfect chance to prove his growing army of doubters at my club wrong. He has not become a bad player overnight.

Judging by previous cautious line ups, I expect Pulis to go for a tough side and compete for the first hour or so, bringing on more creative players for the later stages.

But I hope Stoke will perform from the kick off this week and provide their biggest away following yet with the win on the road they have been waiting for.

Goooooooo-arn Stoke