I find it disturbing that

[Cityfullergoals]

theres very little mention of Shola Ameobi on here this week

For the money he has cost, can we come to the conclusion after the Cov game that he WONT start on Saturday???

Can we afford not to play to the strengths of Mama as we have all season?

Still, Gallagher and Bothroyd have hardly been given their chance either have they?

Why pay silly amounts for loan players who arent going to figure

Is it the insurance of having impact players available if things go wrong

Thoughts please:

[u2oxeterstokie]

Who's Still?

[Tubes]

Apr 15, 2008 15:39:53 GMT u2oxeterstokie said:

Who's Still?

;D very good

[Cityfullergoals]

LOL

I expected one sensible reply

[glouscesterstokie]

is he not injured after the cov game?
i wouldnt start him anyway
i would start with the team that finished against cov but take out cresswell and put in pearson

[FullerMagic]

It is amazing how quickly he's gone from 1m season saviour to forgotten man.

But it's probably a realisation that we won't be seeing him again this season after his injury?

And the fact that Mama almost picks himself alongside Fuller, especially after one of his best showings since his return from the African Nations.

[monkhousestokie]

I think the reason is that an on-form Ricky is twice the player that Ameobi has been over the last few games - We just don't need him.

Ok, it would be nice to have him available, but we will miss him much less than four or five of the current squad. - Would you swap Ricky or Lenny for him on Saturday?

[Cityfullergoals]

Defo not

Just think the money could have been spent better

If it was pyscholgical as in Hey look, Stoke are really going for it, then it hasnt shown in results in the games hes played has it

[markscfc72]

rumour has it he has gone back to castle

[knowles]

I was going to mention that rumour too Mark

He has not cut the mustard in his 2 games + 20 minutes. We cannot afford to have him passing the game by in the three most crucial games of our recent history.

Mama is the man (although I think Bothroyd has a big part to play too)

[swampySCFC]

Its a classic example of pulis being damned for doing what many supporters were criticising him for which was to strengthen the squad with good players for the run in.

I think we expected Ameobi to be an instant hit which hasnt quite worked. Most Stokies were jumping up and down with glee when he signed.

OK it hasnt worked out but at least Pulis tried. I actually think he prefers Fuller and Sidibe when fit but Fullers suspension demonstrated the need for cover and Coates to his credit provided a significant amount of dosh.

The only criticism anybody can surely have is that the players werent signed 6 weeks earlier, giving them time to settle in without needing to prove instant goal machines.

But 6 weeks earlier, none of us know that they were available as it seems players were still holding back to see whether or not they would be involved with their parent clubs.

This is no time to slag either the players involved or the club off -its a time to get on with the job in hand and get behind those selected.

[Cityfullergoals]

To swampyscfc

Quite right mate

I am not criticising Pulis, I think we were all overjoyed when we signed Shola - it did show some ambition

I just think that Gallagher and or Bothroyd could have scored goals if they had been played. If Tony meant to stick with Cressy or Mama any way, I just think it is a lot of money for no return (YET)

[Lakeland Potter]

I quite like Ameobi and he COULD have proved to be a sort of Sidibe with goals. But he obviously wasn't fully match fit (or at least not match fit enough for the sharp end of a Championship promotion push). As he appears to be injured it is academic but, even if Ameobi wasn't injured, then Sidibe's performance on Saturday suggests we just don't have the time to give Ameobi the minutes on the pitch to get himself fit by the end of the season.

Bothroyd has been a bit unlucky not to have had more chances but Gally didn't show enough in the games he did play to suggest that he is as sharp as he was in his first spell with us. Given the rules on the number of loan players in the squad and on the pitch at any one time then Gally wouldn't be in my squad either. Pity he appears to have lost some spark - but he didn't set the world alight at Preston either - one goal up to Christmas I think?

[Tony Clueless]

He has not been mentioned because hes wank

[Davef]

Those jumping up and down though just saw the name and ignored the fact that he's played little competitive football for the best part of two seasons.

It was always going to be the case that whoever we brought in on loan up front was going to be a big gamble. Clubs just don't hand over goalscorers at this stage of the season, so we were always going to get someone who was either struggling for fitness or form.

It was a massive gamble by Pulis and Coates, and it hasn't come off. Unfortunately, it looks like we're going to have to write off well over half a million quid though.

Unless we go up, that fact could well come back to bite us on the arse.

[sheikhmomo]

High risk indeed but it wazzes all over the selling Pesch on deadline day type approach we've taken for the past 30 years.

[FullerMagic]

The papers would have us believe it's 570,000 + 25,000-a-week wages.....for what's proved to be 2 and a bit games from a player way off the pace.

We gambled...and didn't even win the sodding speedboat.

[Davef]

Apr 15, 2008 16:39:10 GMT sheikhmomo said:

High risk indeed but it wazzes all over the selling Pesch on deadline day type approach we've taken for the past 30 years.

Very true, though trust Stoke to go from one extreme to the other.

[Cityfullergoals]

Davef

Could the fact that we did not splash out on Lee Hendrie last season come back to bite us on the arse BIG STYLE

When he went back to Villa last season, we were in the middle of a purple patch. Had some ambition been shown then, who knows

Now, we are all hoping to fuck that he doesnt produce something special AGAINST US when it could matter most.

After all, hes spent the season just fucking about at Sheff U and Leicester???????

[sheikhmomo]

Of course not buying Parkin and using the money we’ve subsequently been spending like drunken sailors on leave in Bangkok on a striker at the start of the season would have been a preferential approach. Then again it’s all fucking academic if we go up!