Stoke & Staffordshire

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  1. Stoke fans want to see heart and desire - Pieters

    Erik Pieters in action for Stoke City in his playing days. He is wearing a blue club away shirtGetty Images

    Erik Pieters spent six seasons with Stoke City, with five of those in the Premier League

    Erik Pieters says he will use his new role in Stoke City's academy to help instil the club's DNA into the players.

    The former Netherlands left-back spent six years with the Potters in the Premier League, becoming a cult hero during his 206 appearances in all competitions.

    He is now back as a professional development coach with the under-21 side and will also play as an overage player.

    "Obviously, I'm not going to stop any talent from coming through so [I will play] only when they need me, but I'm there training with them," the 37-year-old told BBC Radio Stoke.

    "I can read the game earlier than the young lads. I can put them in the right position and instead of doing a half-time talk, or after the game, nine to 10 times I can see it coming and so I can do it straight away on the pitch.

    "I think that benefits myself but also benefits the whole team, and reading the game and explaining it afterwards why I did certain changes hopefully makes them understand the game better."

    Pieters, who also played for Burnley and West Bromwich Albion, said having spent much longer in the Potteries means Stoke will always be special.

    "Stoke always meant something. So for me, being back here and giving something back, that's something I want to achieve.

    "It's my first team in England, [they] gave me the dream to play in the Premier League and we did quite well, so there's always going to be a special place for Stoke in my heart."

    Pieters said he would use his bond with the club to tell the young players what playing for Stoke means.

    "I know what it was, how it was, what Stoke DNA is. I think that's really important, but I think also we must not forget about the fans.

    "The fans don't expect us to play like Manchester City or like all the fancy teams. The only thing they want to see is heart and desire for the club, for the badge.

    "Working hard and working for your badge, believing in what you're doing, giving something back to the fans is the minimum you can do."

  2. Ben Miller, a man with short dark hair, a beard and a beige shirt, stands next to actor Toby Jones, who is wearing a white shirt and dark blue jacket. They are both standing in a pottery gift shop.

  3. James Lewis is pictured holding a football. He is standing by the coast with a beach and buildings opposite. He has a moustache and beard and wearing a white England top.

  4. Kirsty is holding Harrison they are both smiling. She is wearing a black cardigan and he is wearing a white t-shirt.

  5. Dr Ellie Waters-Barnes sitting inside Keele University's mock ward.

  6. A mother smiles in a hospital ward as she cradles a small baby wearing a yellow knitted cardigan. He has a feeding tube in his nose and his eyes are shut. The mother is wearing a sleeveless black top and has long black hair.

  7. An aerial view of a three-storey, 19th Century library building which has brick walls and greenery in front of it. Several windows are boarded up or broken. The building is surrounded by roads on three sides and there are other buildings and streets visible in the immediate surroundings and distance.

  8. Staffordshire County Council's logo is on the side of a glass building. There is a tree in the foreground.

  9. Max Watters in action for Barnsley. He is wearing a home red shirt.

  10. Port Vale winger Onel Hernandez in action in his white home shirt

  11. A woman with a grey hooded top over a green shirt stands next to a taller man with a black and grey shirt in front of a purple background with BBC Radio Stoke branding.

  12. A dozen people gather outside the civic centre in Stoke holding large banners that read 'say no building on our fields'.

  13. Two fire engines are parked outside a three-storey building. The top floor windows of the building are missing, and there are black smoke marks around the tops of the window frames.

  14. Stoke City manager Mark Robins sits in the dugout during a game. He is wearing a black club puffer jacket

  15. A line of ticket barriers at a railway station. The signs overhead all have red crosses. A blue train can be seen waiting at the platform behind the barriers.

  16. A woman with partially brown hair is in the middle of the photo looking at the camera.

  17. Corey Addai shouting with his hands up while in action for Stockport County

  18. A man wearing a dark blue suit and a white shirt is sitting in front of an image of himself and other players in action in the England football team during their 1996 World Cup final match. The England players a wearing red shirts and white shorts, while the German player is wearing a white shirt and black shorts.

  19. A group of young people are standing in a circle in a bell ringing tower. They are holding onto the ropes which are hanging from the ceiling above their heads. Most of the group are wearing blue T-shirts.

  20. A road leads towards rows of mustard-coloured stone houses, with slanted brown roofs. Lamposts and cars can be seen parked in the background.

  21. 🎧 Stoke's pre-season prep

    BBC Radio Stoke's A Cold Wet Tuesday Night podcast is BACK!

    Lucas Yeomans and Matt Sandoz are joined by former Stoke City defender Gareth Owen to chat new signings, pre-season preparations and Nathan Lowe's loan to Hibernian.

    Listen below or on BBC Sounds here - and don't forget to subscribe to get each episode into your My Sounds feed.

    A Cold Wet Tuesday Night: Pre Season Prep

    Explore more Stoke City content on BBC Sounds

  22. Looking to the entrance of a large red brick building, which has a number of steps up to the wide glass front doors. There is a sculpture in the foreground showing a series of busts stacked on top of one another.

  23. A man with short hair, a black shirt and tattoos on his arms and neck, smiles as he stands in front of a van with branding on it and a chairs, table and laptop inside.

  24. A woman with partially brown hair is in the middle of the photo looking at the camera.