Port Vale’s combative striker is no shrinking violet on or off the pitch and itching for an FA Cup battle against Manchester City
When it comes to swapping shirts at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday evening, Tom Pope is not exactly counting his chickens. “If the Man City players have had a look at what I’ve said, they’ll probably tell me to bugger off,” the Port Vale captain says, laughing, referring to his comments on social media after watching back England’s Nations League defeat by the Netherlands in June, when he described John Stones as “soft” and “a target man’s dream”, saying he would love to play against the defender every week because he would have a field day.
Not for the first time Pope’s tweets catapulted him into the centre of a storm but six months on and before facing Manchester City in the FA Cup third round, the striker unapologetically stands by his words.
Written by Ben Fisher
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/jan/03/manchester-city-port-vale-tom-pope-john-stones under the title “
“. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
