Stoke. It is a town that has almost mythical significance for a certain sort of English football pundit. To them, it is the proving ground for Fancy Dans, a place where the mettle of a player gets its ultimate test. It is embodied in a phrase that, over the years, has been used to question the application of even the most fantastic talents, a question that has been posed about every entertainer from Maradona to Messi after a breathtaking moment of skill.
The voice of the Little Englander asks: "Yeah, but could he do it on a winter's night in Stoke?