Whelan Captain?!?!

[ManderBeast]

Definate captain in the makin!! .. think he dragged us thru that 2nd half yesterday..

[staffsstokie]

fairly anonymous in the first though.

better than Griffin though id wager

[potters11]

[sheikhmomo]

I genuinely thought he was and generally has been hugely disappointing.

[knowles]

You look through our team and you wonder if there is a real candidate.

Griffin is never a captain- he shouldn't be in the team.

Although he is so young, I feel Dicko would galvanise the troops superbly!

[u2oxeterstokie]

I didn't think much of him either and as for Ameobi, very disappointing!!

[FullerMagic]

I've been really underwhelmed by him since he's arrived. I expected much more after his supposedly excellent form st Wednesday last season.

Not that we're a team that's set up for a central midfielder with his reported qualities to shine.....

[y2j]

I don't know how anyone can criticise Whelan to be honest? He was everywhere last night, where as Delap for me has been carried in the last few games again after improving on his first few months of the season?

Thing is Whelan at Wed was an att mid, but at Stok both our centre mid (whoever they are) have to sit in front of the back 4 which is obviously down to Pulis and his tactics. I like Whelan, and think if we actually passed the bacll as ateam rather than whacked it all game long, this would suit him a lot more??

[craigscfc]

Whelan is a good player, and i think we've definately not seen the best of him yet. He keeps it simple and is good at what he does, i agree with y2j, if we passed the ball more it would suit him. Remember that half the time he has to watch the ball go over his head to Sidibe. He does a good job and works hard for the team..

Based on Griff's recent performances i think Whelan deserves a shot at being Captain

[sheffieldstokie82]

Give it to Liam - the games I've seen he's been the most committed and vocal player we have!

[knowles]

I would tend to agree Sheffield- however, his body language when we concede/lose points is awful.

It shows that he cares but as a captain it is your job to boost the morale of your teammates. Him crying when we conceded the third at QPR wouldn't do that!!

[sheffieldstokie82]

Maybe being captain would make him grow up a bit?

It is hard to guess how captaincy effects players I thought it might bring Griffin out of his shell but it seems to have made him even quieter and less reliable!

[davejohnno1]

I agree that Whelan shows glimpses of being a super player, but in the role he has to play in our team, he isn't a patch on Eustace, who I feel that we are missing very badly in more ways than one.

We need to play the last 4 games with our best 11. No sentiment, no stubborness, just our best 11. Bye for now messrs Griffin, Cort, Cresswell, Pugh and Mama. That is almost half a team, and 3 of a notoriously bad back 4.

I am not overly convinced by Nash either, despite his obvious strength in taking crosses. He looks heavy legged, immobile and in my opinion, considering their varying attributes, is not a patch on Simmo!

[y2j]

DaveJohnson - I think you are right. My team at Sat for which I am going and now not looking forward to would be:

Simmo
Dickinson
Shawcross
Cort / Riggott (still undecided)
Griffin
Whelan
Delap
Gallagher (right)
Pugh (left)
Ameobi
Fuller

SUBS:
Hoult (recall)
Cort / Riggott
Wilko
Sidibe
Cresswell

Though that does mean no Bothroyd? Does anyone know if Diao is out for the season??

[jezzascfc]

Dave, not playing Nash, and going shit or bust by not having a sub keeper would at least enable us to have Gallagher on the bench, if not in the team.

I know he's been disappointing this time round, but form is temporary, class is permanent and that boy can play. I'd certainly have had him on one wing last night ahead of the hard-working but limited Cresswell.

How about:

Simonsen

Wilkinson
Shawcross
Riggott
Griffin (one last chance on his favoured left side)

Lawrence (if fit, if not Gallagher)
Whelan
Delap
Pearson

Bothroyd
Fuller

Subs:
Pugh
Cort/Dickinson
Cresswell
Ameobi
Gallagher/Sidibe

[RAF]

or Jezza , how about -

Simmo

Wilko Shawcross Riggot Griffin

Lawrence Whelan Pearson Gally

Fuller Bothroyd

SUBS:

Nash
Dicko
Delap
Mama
Cort

H

[jezzascfc]

H, but that's six loanees- the league would never let a team get off scot free for doing that, would they?

Bugger, you modified it just as I was typing that!!

[surreystokie]

Jezza, exactly my nominations, with one exception.

You weren't here to see Gallagher stomp home in a huff, fed up with not being considered.

While I sympathise, - that's why he came to us, fairly recently, after all, - now is the wrong time to see a bad apple having a rotting effect in the barrel.

Better that he had stayed, to support his colleagues on the night, especially as I presume that he still got paid? ???

[Deleted]

"I genuinely thought he was and generally has been hugely disappointing. "


My thoughts exactly

[davejohnno1]

Surrey...in fairness to Gally, I would be looking at every feasible way possible to end this loan spell as he quite clearly isn't in the managers thoughts. It is a wasted move for him, and has probably done him more harm than good.

He is nowhere in the reckoning, so he might as well return to Blackburn.

Equally, if I was Dicko, a transfer request would be on the managers desk this morning. If Pugh is continually selected ahead of Dicko then the lad has absolutely no future whatsoever at Stoke.

As for starting 11's, it is all pretty pointless because we all know that Pulis has to get his bum boy Cresswell in the line up. What he has to do to be dropped or subbed is beyond me.

Simmo, Shawcross and Dicko are surely a must for the starting 11, particularly with the loanee ruling.

[jezzascfc]

You couldn't blame Gallagher or Hughes if they tried to end his loan now, a bit like Sinclair at Charlton (which looks madness given his performance last night).

Gallagher must be questioning his own ability if he can't get a look in ahead of some of the game, but essentially very limited, players Pulis continues to champion.

I just hope that last night's result may lead Pulis to play some shit or bust football now for the last four games, with the emphasis back on winning games rather than not getting beaten. If so, Gallagher may yet get some game time, especially if Bothroyd goes back to Wolves.

[davejohnno1]

Jezza...Gally clearly isn't a Pulis player despite Pulis assertions that without him, Boskamps Stoke would have been relegated.

I would have Gally involved in our team every week (or would have done prior to Pearson's arrival) but for him not to be on the bench whilst the likes of Pugh, Cresswell and Mama continue to ply their trade of nothingness in our team is ridiculous.

I would have liked to have seen how good Sinclair was had Dicko been in their to break him in half inside the first 10 minutes. Pugh could make me look like a decent winger.

[Somebody_Told_Me]

I'd have Whelan over Eustace any day.

[surreystokie]

Of course Gally should return to his club and I wouldn't blame him one bit. But, while he stays with us, he should toe the line, as part of the dressing room team, if not the actual one.

Having been short of players and the consequent bench embarrassment, earlier in the season, we seem to have reversed that, with a vengeance, but to ill-effect.

[ManderBeast]

we have two 'footballers' in Lawro & Whelan that want to get it down and pass it about abit, but with the likes of Pugh & Griff missing out the midfield when building attacks they are forced to creat something out of nothin, i believe ive seen enuf qualities of Whelan to warrant the Captaincy, giving it Griffin is an insult to other players efforts - no sentiment attatched!!!