g0b0ks
Youth Player
Posts: 307
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Post by g0b0ks on Mar 21, 2010 10:21:53 GMT
From relegation certainties to comfortably mid-table. From 3 sure points to being the team no one wants to play. These 2 quotes below, both from media sources not known for their admiration of us underscores the progress we have made.
From the BBC:
"Spurs join Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Birmingham in leaving the Britannia Stadium with all three points this season and have certainly shown their top-four credentials. "
From the Times:
"None of their rivals for the final Champions League slot have won at the Britannia; Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea have. “An important win,” said Redknapp. “Someone said to me in the week, ‘Villa only got a point at Stoke’. I said, ‘That’s a great point’. Get a point here and you’ve done very well.”
We're the team that only the top 3 of the clubs that will qualify for Europe could beat at the Brit. The team that is used to measure a team's top four credentials. The team where a draw is considered "a very good point" by the top clubs. The team that the top teams have to change the way they play when they play us.
Progress? You bet! So how do we move to the next level? The way I see it, even the top teams struggle to beat us. (OK I know there are exceptions). Unfortunately, we struggle to beat the lower teams also. If we could add a striker who can just put away most of the chances that come his way, I believe we will qualify for Europe. I wonder how we would have fared this season with Zigic in the team?
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Post by Deleted on Mar 21, 2010 10:24:01 GMT
Good post mate. Agree.
We clearly HAVE made progress. Unfortunately for some, their hatred of the manager means that the goalposts will keep moving the more progress we make.
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Post by march4 on Mar 21, 2010 10:35:44 GMT
We have made more progress in the last 3 years than any club in England.
Still, its not enough for some and we must value their views.
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Post by robwahlmann on Mar 21, 2010 10:40:47 GMT
I'm enjoying some of my finest moments as a Stoke supporter and I'm 45! Not complaining at all, but sometimes it's hard to remember how much progress we have made since Coates took over and reinstalled Pulis! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
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Post by sufolkstokie on Mar 21, 2010 10:42:50 GMT
It is easy for some people to have a pop isnt it?
1. The media.
Cant blame them as TP is much like Sam and just gets on with his job. He isnt on the scale of Tango or Keane were there is a sound bite at every turn. He also isnt like the top 6 or so where the media are scared to death if they upset them as they would just get kicked out.
It is dead easy to write about Stoke and get away with lazy journalism
2. Armchair supporters
Well to be frank, we are not the best to watch if you dont support us. Far easier on the eye is Real Madrid, or Wigan getting wacked 9 (but they play in the right way). the simple fact is the majority of tv fans who mail blogs etc straight after a game want to see 5 goal stunners, mainly from the top four.
3. Arsenal
The Arsenal effect hit Blackburn and now it is hitting us in a big way.
4. Players
Whether we like it or not there are a lot of players who dont want to play for us given the intensity of our play. Also we aint European and we dont/cant pay top wack. There are still too many players who are happy sitting on a bench rather than 'dropping' down a few teams to get a regular game
5. Some of our own fans expectations
It just seems so easy to highlight a player who will do a job for us and some of our current players who cant. Truth is we are still not that attractive to many for a whole bunch of reasons.
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Post by tqstokie on Mar 21, 2010 12:22:47 GMT
What yardstick is being used here to measure progress. Yes, we are probably safe earlier than last season. Now is that a true measure of progress or simply that the fixtures meant we have played teams from whom we can take points earlier. Is it that we have more points than last year, well that has still to be realised and we have a lot of difficult games, more so than last season. Have we won more games on the road? Not yet we haven't. Are we playing better? Not to me we aren't. Is the squad any better? On paper maybe. IMHO I think the jury is still out. Yesterday Pulis should have put Moult on at home instead of Sidibe and left Kitson on. Everyone on here would probably have different opinions such is the magic of the game.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 21, 2010 12:26:03 GMT
What yardstick is being used here to measure progress. Yes, we are probably safe earlier than last season. Now is that a true measure of progress or simply that the fixtures meant we have played teams from whom we can take points earlier. Is it that we have more points than last year, well that has still to be realised and we have a lot of difficult games, more so than last season. Have we won more games on the road? Not yet we haven't. Are we playing better? Not to me we aren't. Is the squad any better? On paper maybe. IMHO I think the jury is still out. Yesterday Pulis should have put Moult on at home instead of Sidibe and left Kitson on. Everyone on here would probably have different opinions such is the magic of the game. This is only our second season in the top flight and yet at no stage have we really been considered relegation candidates. We have improved our away form. We have more points than at this stage last season. We reached our first FA Cup quarter final in 38 years. We have had a player called up to the England squad for the first time in nearly 30 years. I'd be interested to learn how this couldn't be considered progress. |
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Post by gibby1409 on Mar 21, 2010 12:34:46 GMT
In terms of Improvement from lower Mid Championship, to lower Mid Premiership and two Cup QF's in the same period, then if you could measure all that as one statistic, then our Progress or Improvement, call it what you will in the last 4 years is second to none.
I'm neither a TP lover or Hater, I'm a Stoke Fan who wants the best for our Club, but whichever side of the divide you sit, then it is an undeniable fact, that we are one of the most improved clubs in the top two divisions! Fact!
Add to this our financial stability, and we are set up nicely for when the powers that be impose some sort of wages cap based on turnover against salaries! This will come, it has to, Football will not survive long term without it, and we are set to be in the right place at the right time when it does.
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Post by tqstokie on Mar 21, 2010 12:36:13 GMT
Next year will be the crunch, there are going to be three competent teams coming up from the championship. We will need to strengthen in the summer to give ourselves a reasonable chance.
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Post by slangking on Mar 21, 2010 12:45:36 GMT
I couldn't believe what I was hearing from the bloke on Radio 5 interviewing Redknapp after the game, he said it was a measure of the progress that they had made that they won the game when they lost with Ramos in charge. Was he fcuking kidding? As I remember it Bale was sent off after 20 minutes and they could have actually won! Yesterday showed how far we had come not them! We more than matched them even with 10 men.
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g0b0ks
Youth Player
Posts: 307
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Post by g0b0ks on Mar 21, 2010 15:40:35 GMT
We have made more progress in the last 3 years than any club in England. Still, its not enough for some and we must value their views. Why?? If someone has retarded views that are plain wrong, why should I value them? |
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Post by Miles Offside on Mar 21, 2010 18:36:47 GMT
We have made more progress in the last 3 years than any club in England. Still, its not enough for some and we must value their views. Why?? If someone has retarded views that are plain wrong, why should I value them? We really need a big "Irony" sign as well as the faces. Anyway, I was saying to my mate before the game yesterday that each of the last 3 seasons has been an improvement on the one before it. It's not often I've been able to say that as a lifelong Stokie. |
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Post by jacka118 on Mar 21, 2010 18:57:23 GMT
Agree with that post mate
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Post by fradleyhomes on Mar 21, 2010 19:10:04 GMT
Great post (Original starting thread). The progress under Pulis has been remarkable, yet people still want to have a pop and criticise. We are mid table in what people say is the best league in the world. Although we still have not picked up enough points away from home the progress is there for the fans who go to see.
Tottenham away last season was a disaster yet we won this season, Everton was a disaster last season but we got a point this season. We played well against Wigan,Birmingham and Bolton away from home and should have got more.
I know people keep saying this but we HAVE GOT to remember where we have come from!
Pulis is a Stoke City Legend (Like it or not!) and I for one want him at the club for as long as possible.
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g0b0ks
Youth Player
Posts: 307
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Post by g0b0ks on Mar 21, 2010 19:25:08 GMT
Pulis is a Stoke City Legend (Like it or not!) and I for one want him at the club for as long as possible. I'll second that! .... Altogether now .... "There's only two Tonys"  |
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