Reid backs Stoke to lift FA Cup

Former Manchester City boss Peter Reid predicted yesterday that Stoke, where he was assistant manager until last year, will beat the world’s richest club to win the FA Cup tomorrow.

“I think Stoke will win because they’re playing with less pressure than City and you saw how they performed in the semi-final,” Reid, who made his name as a player at Everton, told AFP in Hong Kong.

Stoke, who under manager Tony Pulis have become a regular fixture in the Premier League, stormed into the final at Wembley with a 5-0 thrashing of Bolton.

But Reid, in the southern Chinese city for the International Soccer Sevens that kicks off today, said his heart wanted City to win because that was where he was manager, in the 1990s. He later took over Sunderland.

“If City do get beaten in the final, it will be a massive blow to the supporters,” he said.

“They need a trophy. They’ve not won anything for 30-odd years. I know many of the supporters and the tough time they’ve had, especially when they went down to the third tier of football.”

Reid, who left his post as Thailand coach in 2009 to become number two to Pulis before taking the job at Plymouth last year, said Roberto Mancini needed time to gel City into a team rather than just a set of expensive individuals.

“It takes time to build a team, make no mistake about that,” said Reid. “I was Manchester City manager when Alex Ferguson was under extreme pressure (at neighbours United).

“It took five years for him to win a trophy, and that was a cup. Mancini is on course and the plan is working.”