Stoke striker Mamady Sidibe could miss the rest of the season after sustaining a suspected torn Achilles tendon.

“The medical staff have told me that it doesn’t look good for him,” manager Tony Pulis told the club’s website.

“We have to wait for confirmation. If that is the damage though, he will be lucky to play again this season.”

Sidibe signed with Stoke City in 2005, playing a key role in their promotion to the Premier League in 2008. Sidibe made 12 appearances for Mali before retiring from international soccer in 2008.

No matter what you think of their style, Tony Pulis and Stoke have put together a blueprint to keep his otherwise limited side in the Premiership for an extended period of time, one that doesn’t seem like it will end this season:

13) STOKE CITY

2009-10 standing: 11th

Gaffer: Tony Pulis (5th season)

Best new signing: None (as of yet) – Stoke is still in the market for a few players, but have not grabbed any as of this writing (July 31). West Ham’s Carlton Cole has been the subject of the most persistent rumors. He would fit perfectly with Stoke, but West Ham needs him pretty badly, too. Stoke may be in luck when Manchester City has to somehow cut their roster to 25 next month, a guy like Roque Santa Cruz or Craig Bellamy may fall into their lap.

Biggest loss: Ibrahima Sonko – Not a huge loss, but the Senegalese center back gave Pulis depth and another big body he could bring off the bench or just stick in the middle of the field to wreak havoc. He spent the end of last season on loan at Hull.

Key player: Ryan Shawcross – He wasn’t as good last season even before the whole Aaron Ramsey debacle (here’s my take on that, which riled up some Arsenal fans a little, but it’s just an opinion). But when he came back from that suspension, he played scared, and that’s no way for a Premiership center back to go about his business. Hopefully for Stoke, the summer off gave him time to get his fire back, he’s only 22, and I’m sure – despite what some Arsenal fans may say – the whole ordeal was not pleasant for him, either.

Random fact: Stoke did have five red cards last season, tied for third in the Premiership (Sunderland had nine and Hull had six), but their 63 yellow cards ranked them only seventh, and Stoke’s 493 fouls committed was only the 11th most in the league. So the physical vs. dirty argument rages on.

Bad news:
They haven’t added anything, and the team is getting a little older in key spots. Rory Delap is 34, and left Saturday’s friendly with a back injury, and that can’t be good for his greatest reason to be on the field. Abdoulaye Faye is also 32. It remains to be seen what Shawcross will bring this season, Pulis needs Faye and Shawcross at their best in the back.

Stoke’s 34 goals were more than only Wolves, and it’s hard to see them repeating the amazing feat of picking up 20 points away from the Brittania last season while only scoring 10 goals (4 wins, 8 draws). Ricardo Fuller (who will be 31 before the end of the year) will do his best as a lone striker, but needs help.

Good news:
Although they haven’t picked up anyone new, Pulis has managed to hang onto a squad that understands what he and Stoke are about. For all the talk about their physical play, Stoke does boast one of the most effective creative players in the league in Matthew Etherington, who led Stoke with five goals (although he was hurt last season and is nicked already this year).

To be honest, there is plenty of room for them to improve at the Brittania, where they were so tough to stop in 2008-09. Stoke lost six times at home last season and will surely be better this time around.

Outlook:
The injuries, especially with the age and lack of depth involved, are worrying, and there’s not too much margin for error for Pulis before Stoke starts getting close to the relegation trap door.

But let’s not forget that Stoke was 17 points clear of the drop zone to finish last season and nearly ended up in the top half of the table, even with Etherington injured for much of the time, Shawcross not really himself, and a mediocre – at best – home record.

Somehow Pulis will find a way to keep things together, and keep Stoke near the middle of the table.

The Premier League’s various chairmen met in their secret lair this week to discuss a possible playoff for England’s fourth Champions League spot.

In the proposal, the top three teams in the league would still automatically qualify for the group stages of the CL, but clubs finishing from fourth to seventh would play a knockout competition to determine who gets a spot in the final qualifying round. Right now, the league’s fourth place team automatically gets that spot.

Don’t get too excited, though – the idea got a big thumbs down from most Premier League chairmen. For the proposal to pass, at least 14 of the 20 chairmen needed to vote in favor of it, and the vote was closer to 50-50.

The idea doesn’t make too much sense for clubs who might finish above or around 4th place because they would clearly have the most to lose, so it was no surprise that Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Arsenal were all firmly against it. But for teams who could finish 5th, 6th, or 7th, a mini-tournament for the Champions League would be a very enticing prospect.

For now, though, a 4th place finish is as important as ever.

Ramsey Suffers Season-Ending Leg Break

Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsey is out for the season after breaking his leg during last weekend’s Premier League clash with Stoke. The Wales international fractured the fibia and tibula in his right leg after a challenge by Stoke’s Ryan Shawcross. The injury was so gruesome that it was not replayed on live television, and teammates Cesc Fabregas and Sol Campbell were visibly enraged on the pitch.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger deemed the tackle “just not acceptable”, although Shawcross and Stoke manager Tony Pulis have both maintained that there were no malicious intentions in the challenge. Shawcross left the pitch in tears following the final whistle.

“I would never go out to hurt a fellow professional,” he said in a statement.

“I am deeply upset that Aaron has suffered such a bad injury, and my thoughts are with him. I would like to send him my best wishes too for a speedy recovery.”

Wenger is understandably upset, having already seen Abou Diaby and Eduardo suffer similarly hideous injuries. Ramsey has already undergone surgery to repair the fractures, although a timeframe for his recovery is not yet set.

“The Red Knights” Seek Manchester United Takeover

Manchester United’s recent financial instability has prompted an army of wealthy investors to try and pry the club from the hands of the Glazer family.

“The Red Knights”, as they are known, consist of about sixty wealthy financiers who are reportedly raising a $2.25 billion bid to buy the team.

United’s debts recently spiraled past the $1 billion mark, and fans have become so irate over the financial state of the club that many have chosen to abandon wearing red at Old Trafford. They instead don the green and gold colors of Newton Heath, the original name for the club when it was founded in 1878.

The situation is even more difficult to swallow for United supporters after watching Manchester City emerge as one of world football’s wealthiest clubs since Sheikh Mansour’s takeover.

The Red Knights have asked United fans not to renew their season tickets in a bid to make the Glazer’s financial state even more unstable and force a sale of the club. United’s chief executive David Gill has maintained his backing for the Glazers and has repeatedly said that the team is not up for sale.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger launched an attack on the Premier League’s fixture list this season after his side fell to a 1-1 draw against newly promoted Burnley at Turf Moor.

“The guy who organised the fixtures this season must have come from a special school, because he’s more intelligent than I am,” the Frenchman said.

“We have some teams who do not play at all. We play Sunday and Wednesday away and at home on Saturday against Hull, who have not played all week.”

Wenger’s criticism came in the wake of Manchester United’s victory against Wolves on Tuesday, in which Mick McCarthy rested ten of his regular starters with a weekend match against Burnley on the horizon.

The defending champions strolled to a 3-nil victory, despite fielding another makeshift back-line. Wolves supporters were heard singing “we want our money back!” throughout the match at Old Trafford.

“We will have to compete with Manchester United over 37 games instead of 38,” said Wenger.

“I believe it is a problem for the international credibility of the Premier League, but it is not my problem, it is a Premier League problem.”

The Premier League at least seems to share Wenger’s views on McCarthy’s selection, and league officials have written to Wolves to “request their observations” about the match.

Premier League rules state that teams must field a full strength side in all matches, although the rule is quite ambiguous given the famous fixture congestion during the winter period and a manager’s prerogative to rest players when he sees fit.

However, both Burnley boss Owen Coyle and Stoke boss Tony Pulis have backed McCarthy’s decision to field a weaker team.

“Wenger is moaning like a drain because it doesn’t suit Arsenal. He ain’t moaning because it doesn’t suit Stoke,” said Pulis. “He is saying it because it doesn’t suit him and that was what Mick has done.”

Arsenal’s dropped points came after an away victory against Liverpool last weekend, and Wenger’s men now sit eight points behind league leaders Chelsea with a match in-hand.

Everton Reach Donovan Deal

Everton have reached a deal to sign LA Galaxy striker Landon Donovan on loan in January. The loan will last for ten weeks, ending in mid-March.

The US star just signed a new four-year deal that will keep him with the Galaxy until the end of 2013.

But Donovan was very excited about his move to Goodison Park, saying, “Everton have been incredibly professional and expressed their interest and I feel that is a place where I would feel very comfortable.”

Galaxy manager Bruce Arena seemed happy about the deal as well, adding, “”Everton is a club with a small roster and a congested schedule over the next few weeks and months. It’s a great fit, we are pretty confident that is where he’ll end up.”

Donovan’s arrival will be a large boost to David Moyes’ injury plagued squad, as Everton enter the busy winter period of Premier League fixtures as well as the next round of the Europa League.