|
|
Post by stokecitydom on Sept 1, 2012 19:34:16 GMT
In the end it was a good point which we could easily have turned into three. However I thought we were very poor at the back throughout.
For the first 5 minutes, we started 4-4-1-1 but with a twist. It appeared that Whitehead was on abit of a man marking job on Beausejour. Then they scored from a poor Wilkinson clearance.
Then the madness begun. I'm not really sure what happened, but Wilko was in all sorts of trouble. To me and many others around me, it appeared that we were playing with Huth & Shawcross in the middle, Wilson at left back, Wilko hovering in a right wing back role, Kightly as a left winger, then 3 central midfielders with Walets & Crouch up top.
This resulted in Shawcross having a few words with Pulis as he was quite rightly aggrieved with what was going on. It appeared that the players hadn't got a clue what system we were using. After another few minutes I saw Huth & Shawcross walk up to each other and both shrugged there shoulders with arms out stretched.
Adam came on and we improved slightly & equalised, but still didn't seem to have anything down the right hand side apart from Cameron.
Second half was very similar, poor defensively for there second goal. After that we still looked lob sided to me. The system didn't appear to have any symmetry and I thought we were outnumbered and vulnerable down our right hand side. Fortunately Wigan didn't really capitalise.
I thought Shawcross got dragged out of position a lot and was poor (and I'm his biggest fan). I think the unfamiliarity of the shape was to blame though.
On to the positives, Adam was tidy and kept us ticking over which was very pleasing. Jerome changed the game. Bit of pace and power and we looked very threatening.
Atleast we changed formation, but I still haven't got a bloody clue what it was.
The last half an hour was the most entertaining I've seen for a long time, so it's a start. Let's not kid ourselves though, it would have been abit of daylight robbery if we had taken all 3 points.
Hopefully a couple of weeks working with a new shape and getting players used to it and it could prove a success.
|
|
|
|
Post by lovejoy on Sept 1, 2012 19:56:31 GMT
On the plus side of things,pulis altered whatever formation he started with,for the better,albeit his hand may have been forced with a wilko injury.We looked more threatening,created chances,had more shots on goal for ages,scored goals & actually passed the ball to eachother. Ok Wigan moved the ball through and around us too often, but i think they're a decent side and will give most teams problems this season,so maybe we are gradually changing for the better.I certainly enjoyed the game, more than any i can remember away from home last season.
|
|
|
|
Post by stokecitydom on Sept 1, 2012 20:04:53 GMT
Wigan just lacked the cutting edge, I thought they turned us inside out a couple of times but didn't really finish it off.
|
|
|
|
Post by rennes5 on Sept 1, 2012 20:05:14 GMT
TP's enemies on this board must be licking there lips with glee at the prospect of the next five games,knives sharpened+all that.
|
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 1, 2012 20:08:40 GMT
When we kicked off i sat there looking at the team and not one player knew there job, it was a total fuck up which led to the midfield spending more time looking at pulis as he shouted instructions. Awful defensive display from us, the second goal was simply pathetic
|
|
|
|
Post by lagwafis on Sept 1, 2012 20:17:37 GMT
Encouraging although the shape needs work (understandable given it was untested until today)
Someone on Radio Stoke said we should be going there and winning but the Chelsea defeat aside Wigan look like they've carried over their form from last season (six goals in their last two away games and nine wins out of their last eleven I think) - always likely to be a difficult one, especially with us looking unusually out of sorts at the back
|
|
|
|
Post by stokecitydom on Sept 1, 2012 20:20:37 GMT
TP's enemies on this board must be licking there lips with glee at the prospect of the next five games,knives sharpened+all that. Nots sure if that was supposed to be a dig at me or not. All I've done is pointed out facts and what I saw. There were positives for sure, but let's not kid ourselves. We were all over the place at times defensively. |
|
|
|
Post by harrysburrow on Sept 1, 2012 20:27:57 GMT
Pulis didn't alter the formation he started with because there literally wasn't one. He acquired a system after Adam came on. We ended up kicking there arses for the last 25 minutes or so and earned an excellent point, but for most of the first half we were a total shambles. We sat back, seemed to get a touch of the ball every 5 minutes or so and that was only to hoof the ball back to their full backs. Don't know if Wilko was injured, but he was shocking, Wilson didn't seem to know where he was playing and Whitehead seemed to have some sort of free from somewhere that took him completely by surprise and Shawcross got dragged out of position. As Clyde said, it was a total fuck up.
|
|
|
|
Post by dickier on Sept 1, 2012 20:29:29 GMT
Taking Wilkinson off early was a great tactical move by Pulis. He was pure crap. Should have cleared the ball just before it hit Huth's arm.
|
|
|
|
Post by mica on Sept 1, 2012 20:33:31 GMT
I've got to say that was a great, exciting game to watch and I thought we played really well, especially going forward. I'm amazed that so many posters still want to say we're negative and boring. Today we were exciting to watch against a good, in-form team and we could easily have taken all 3 points.
Also, TP's substitution, when he brought Adam on, was inspired. (And I'm not always his biggest fan.)
I swear some of us just want to be bloody miserable!
|
|
|
|
Post by jonnynico on Sept 1, 2012 20:36:50 GMT
I enjoyed the last hour today, think it was the most entertaining hour i've seen stoke play this year. But then again what do i know (before anybody says owt)
|
|
|
|
Post by foxysgloves on Sept 1, 2012 20:37:07 GMT
Give credit to Wigan too.
They move the ball well and are arguably one of the form teams in the Prem over the last 20 or so games.
We are on a similar level to them. We went to their place and gave them a decent game, came away with a point.
Problems to work on but also some decent positives to take away.
|
|
|
|
Post by stokecitydom on Sept 1, 2012 20:40:04 GMT
Pulis didn't alter the formation he started with because there literally wasn't one. He acquired a system after Adam came on. We ended up kicking there arses for the last 25 minutes or so and earned an excellent point, but for most of the first half we were a total shambles. We sat back, seemed to get a touch of the ball every 5 minutes or so and that was only to hoof the ball back to their full backs. Don't know if Wilko was injured, but he was shocking, Wilson didn't seem to know where he was playing and Whitehead seemed to have some sort of free from somewhere that took him completely by surprise and Shawcross got dragged out of position. As Clyde said, it was a total fuck up. Glad that it wasn't just us then, as when we looked on the Oatcake on the journey back we thought we had seen a different game than many who had posted. Can anyone explain the formation yet? Thought it was like Tone had been playing Football Manager and created some kind of unique custom tactic. The right hand side seemed to have just been abandoned, with Whitehead drifting across to give the odd bit of random support to Cameron. Shawcross spent a lot of time in the right back position, seemed to follow Kone a lot. Not sure whether Pulus had told him to man mark. Begovic Shawcross Huth. Wilson Cameron Whitehead. Whelan Adam. Kightly Walters Crouch Not even sure how to explain it. |
|
|
|
Post by stokecitydom on Sept 1, 2012 20:42:02 GMT
Taking Wilkinson off early was a great tactical move by Pulis. He was pure crap. Should have cleared the ball just before it hit Huth's arm. Wilkinson was injured or so it seemed. The physio checked on him a few mins before he came off. |
|
|
|
Post by stokecitydom on Sept 1, 2012 20:44:51 GMT
I've got to say that was a great, exciting game to watch and I thought we played really well, especially going forward. I'm amazed that so many posters still want to say we're negative and boring. Today we were exciting to watch against a good, in-form team and we could easily have taken all 3 points. Also, TP's substitution, when he brought Adam on, was inspired. (And I'm not always his biggest fan.) I swear some of us just want to be bloody miserable! Who is being miserable here? Anyone who has commented is just pointing out that for a large part of the game, there were a large number of players who did not know what system we we playing. Shawcross was not a happy bunny. He quite rightly told Tone that it was farcical and needed sorting. |
|
|
|
Post by mica on Sept 1, 2012 21:10:53 GMT
Who is being miserable here?I was referring to the board, mate, not this thread. From some of the comments I read earlier, I wasn't sure if the posters had seen the same game I had. The point is, we played really well for most of the game. (OK, we were better when Charlie came on.) I just think we saw something today that was much better than we've been used to and it's time to celebrate that and get behind the team. (On the other hand, I could be talking crap as usual.  ) |
|
|
|
Post by stokecitydom on Sept 1, 2012 21:19:11 GMT
Who is being miserable here?I was referring to the board, mate, not this thread. From some of the comments I read earlier, I wasn't sure if the posters had seen the same game I had. The point is, we played really well for most of the game. (OK, we were better when Charlie came on.) I just think we saw something today that was much better than we've been used to and it's time to celebrate that and get behind the team. (On the other hand, I could be talking crap as usual. ) We were not great for large parts of the game. The last half an hour we looked quite dangerous going forward. That's a positive anyway. Certainly got value for money. |
|
)
