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Post by davejohnno1 on Apr 14, 2013 21:10:43 GMT
Such words are ones that can usually be aimed at players who become embroiled in a relegation scrap but in our case, they are all words that can be thrown fairly and squarely at our manager today.
Having used a good few hours after the game to come to terms with the fact that we will almost certainly be relegated and having thought long and hard about our display today, I have to say that our players today gave it everything they had.
To a man, they all tried their very best. Perhaps against their more natural instincts at times, I could see a very real and very distinct pattern of play and approach to the game.
It was a gutless way to set up a team. From the outset, we had 5 of the 10 outfield players out of position. A central midfield player at right back. A right back at left back. A right back cum centre half at right wing. A forward on the left wing. A central midfield player playing as an auxiliary forward.
A team set up to be scared of its own shadow. 5 players out of position and some wonder why we are absolutely toss.
Talentless in the sense that post match, a manager acknowledges the opposition keep the ball to kill the game yet instructs his own players to launch the most aimless punts up field to no-one. A manager who is not talented enough to coach his players to pass, move and be fluid whilst keeping the kind of defensive discipline that a team needs. It is a sorry sight watching a goalkeeper taking free kicks just inside his own half and a centre half who receives the ball, marches 10 yards forward, looks up and launches it to no-one.
Spineless in that when the opposition manager launched a 5 minute tirade against the officials and one of our own players, our gutless, talentless manager just stood there with his hands in his pockets before taking them out to simply fold them across his chest. Where was our manager backing up his players? Getting involved in the fight? Giving his players confidence?
I watched bits of the Sunderland game. Their team played without fear. Their manager has clearly instilled something in them and removed fear from their approach. Meanwhile, I watch on as our team of players give it everything yet are hamstrung by fear, by rigidity, by a system that allows absolutely no freedom of expression.
Tony Pulis is a gutless, spineless and talentless manager who has totally lost his way. As predicted, he seemed content to see us keep our goal difference in some kind of tact like that will be the thing that saves us. We made absolutely no attempt to win the game today. We made no attempt to cause them problems. We made no attempt to give them a bloody nose.
Once again, we rolled over and had our bellies tickled by a team managed by old whisky nose, a bloke who Pulis openly admits to revering. So much so, that a bloke that will headbutt a member of his own team, won't even stand up to an opposition manager who is openly abusing one of his own players.
I am gutted. This team has relegation written all over it and if I wasn't at the end of my tether, watching Michael Owen wander around on the right wing, then the left wing has left me totally disillusioned.
"Forget what has gone on before" he said after the game yet come the middle of the week, he will be urging us to "remember where we've come from".
A walking contradiction and a gutless, spineless talentless manager. He urges us to "pull in the same direction" and to be "together" yet it is him that is seemingly pulling in his own direction and he doesn't seem to be taking anyone other than the "lively and inventive" Dave "Yes Tony" Kemp with him.
Time to go!
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Post by eriksson74 on Apr 14, 2013 21:16:02 GMT
a round of applause, spot on
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Post by robstokie on Apr 14, 2013 21:18:24 GMT
Good post, couldnt put it better myself.
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Post by Pugsley on Apr 14, 2013 21:20:16 GMT
Very true but very depressing post.
I said yesterday that Stoke were coming up against a vulnerable Utd team and we had a chance if the manager was brave.
A safe 2 nil loss ffs
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Post by pauliegualtieri on Apr 14, 2013 21:21:20 GMT
I agree with the vast majority of what is said but I think the personal jibes of 'gutless' and 'spineless' go to far. I want him to leave like the majority, but terminology like this are unnecessary.
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Post by alexk on Apr 14, 2013 21:21:44 GMT
*stands on chair, applauds, urges others to join in*
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Post by Deleted on Apr 14, 2013 21:21:58 GMT
So true, so correct, so brutally honest and bang on the money. I'm gutted.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 14, 2013 21:23:25 GMT
Five players out of position is what a League two side would do in an emergency. For us it's pretty much the norm. Shocking - just like every other stat you can find about our club at the moment.
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Post by johnsmithsupper on Apr 14, 2013 21:25:05 GMT
Standing ovation for Johnno
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Post by RINGO STARR on Apr 14, 2013 21:26:24 GMT
A perfect assessment.
Albeit a worrying and very truthful one.
Where do we go from here?
Sent from my GT-I9100 using proboards
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Post by stokieforever on Apr 14, 2013 21:31:50 GMT
Spot on assessment! I am resigned now to relegation.
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Post by bunnyscfc on Apr 14, 2013 21:33:41 GMT
A perfect assessment. Albeit a worrying and very truthful one. Where do we go from here? Sent from my GT-I9100 using proboards Peterborough
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Post by Harpoon Louie on Apr 14, 2013 21:33:54 GMT
An excellent post. Its a real shame that Peter Coates will never read it, because it sums Pulis up perfectly.
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Post by skip on Apr 14, 2013 21:39:13 GMT
Great post. *thinks*, ok, I'll say it. Why on Earth did we have five players out of position?
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Post by spitthedog on Apr 14, 2013 21:39:34 GMT
Unfortunately this has to stay at the the top of the board.
You've just about captured every emotion and feeling that all true Stoke fans will be feeling tonight.
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Post by geoff321 on Apr 14, 2013 21:43:49 GMT
"Gutless, spineless and talentless" A complete misrepresentation of a decent guy and highly accomplished manager.
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Post by Harpoon Louie on Apr 14, 2013 21:45:16 GMT
"Gutless, spineless and talentless" A complete misrepresentation of a decent guy and highly accomplished manager. You're not Little Ant by any chance are you?
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Post by wolvesstokie on Apr 14, 2013 21:46:13 GMT
Superb post that mate. Unfortunately we all know it will be the same again next week.
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Post by skip on Apr 14, 2013 21:47:21 GMT
"Gutless, spineless and talentless" A complete misrepresentation of a decent guy and highly accomplished manager. I've worked for a couple of different men who were decent enough but cometh the hour they panicked, bottled it, reverted to type, wouldn't listen to reason and so on. Looking in from the outside, Pulis fits that like a glove I'm afraid.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 14, 2013 21:47:24 GMT
"Gutless, spineless and talentless" A complete misrepresentation of a decent guy and highly accomplished manager. Why do you have such an interest in this when you have no real knowledge of the problems at the club? Are you a wind-up account?
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Post by skelman on Apr 14, 2013 21:54:16 GMT
Brutally true, upsetting analysis
It feels like we're going down without so much as a whimper
This isn't management!
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Post by geoff321 on Apr 14, 2013 21:54:20 GMT
Rob, Are you saying anyone who has a different view is a wind up merchant? I have had an interest in Stoke for a number of years. My mind is absolutely certain that Tony Pulis will keep Stoke in the Premiership. If I am wrong I will be happy to admit I was.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 14, 2013 21:59:12 GMT
Rob, Are you saying anyone who has a different view is a wind up merchant? I have had an interest in Stoke for a number of years. My mind is absolutely certain that Tony Pulis will keep Stoke in the Premiership. If I am wrong I will be happy to admit I was. Your 'interest in Stoke' doesn't seem to have led to you actually taking in many games though does it Geoff, and that being the case you're not in a great position to airily keep telling us how lucky we are and to be careful what we wish for. We've won 22% of our games since the start of last year. We're the lowest scorers in the football league for the second consecutive year. We've signed nine players this season and a grand total of one of those has established himself in the first team. We have spent £30m since the cup final, kept the vast majority of our star players, yet are a considerably worse team as a result. Taking all that into account, what evidence is there that anything's going to get better anytime soon?
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Post by RAF on Apr 14, 2013 22:00:08 GMT
"Gutless, spineless and talentless" A complete misrepresentation of a decent guy and highly accomplished manager. Hello March, long time H
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Post by swampySCFC on Apr 14, 2013 22:01:50 GMT
In fairness I think its a fair summary of where we are. At the end of the West Ham game N'Zonzi kicked the ball in to the stand out of frustation.So he comes back today and does fuck all
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Post by pauliegualtieri on Apr 14, 2013 22:04:20 GMT
Rob, Are you saying anyone who has a different view is a wind up merchant? I have had an interest in Stoke for a number of years. My mind is absolutely certain that Tony Pulis will keep Stoke in the Premiership. If I am wrong I will be happy to admit I was. Your 'interest in Stoke' doesn't seem to have led to you actually taking in many games though does it Geoff, and that being the case you're not in a great position to airily keep telling us how lucky we are and to be careful what we wish for. We've won 22% of our games since the start of last year. We're the lowest scorers in the football league for the second consecutive year. We've signed nine players this season and a grand total of one of those has established himself in the first team. We have spent £30m since the cup final, kept the vast majority of our star players, yet are a considerably worse team as a result. Taking all that into account, what evidence is there that anything's going to get better anytime soon? I think that's what is game,set and match for this little debate.despite how bad things are though the use of words like 'spineless' don't sit right with me personally,limited,stubborn and in need of firing yes,but spineless,no.
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Post by davejohnno1 on Apr 14, 2013 22:20:33 GMT
He was totally spineless and for today, it is a more than appropriate word.
How can a manager ballsy enough to headbutt one of his own players fail to stand up to an opposition manager who was abusing his captain?
Explain that to me?
I aren't saying that he is the best man in the world but would Di Canio have just sat back and watched that happen? Would Pardew? Would Fergie if the roles were reversed?
Would they bollocks. Tony Pulis needed to stand strong with his players. He needed to be with them and he wasn't.
I am not abusing the man per se. I am describing him TODAY. The way he sent the team out? All is perfectly fair.
As for Geoff...He isn't even worth responding to. He clearly isn't a Stoke fan regardless of his opinion, which he is perfectly entitled to have.
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Post by pavel on Apr 14, 2013 22:27:46 GMT
Brutally honest post, pulls no punches, but very depressingly, spot on.
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Post by roylandstoke on Apr 14, 2013 22:33:29 GMT
Tried to agree with this post about an hour ago. It seems I am as capable of operating my computer as SJW is of playing left wing.
That said.
I agree with the OP
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Post by Fred Ferret on Apr 14, 2013 22:53:06 GMT
Gutless, Spineless and Talentless? Yes that is a start - but what about:
Negative, bullying, bombastic, biased, incompetent, desperate, confused and abject?
The guy has punched above his weight early on - but he has been cruelly found out. He has no clue of which way to turn next.
We are fucked!
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