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Post by Block 22 on Aug 15, 2013 7:31:53 GMT
Troy Deeney, Scott Sinclair & Hoilett in!
Crouch & Etherington out!
Perfect window.
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Post by hoofmagic on Aug 15, 2013 7:40:50 GMT
NODS.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 15, 2013 7:48:40 GMT
We have a relegation squad as it stands. Slight over reaction, we have nowhere near a relegation squad! Really? Where's the pace? The creativity? The goals? We have the same one that finished seven points off relegation last season and many of our rivals have strengthened so far. If you stand still in this league you go backwards. Make no mistake about it, we're in the mix as it stands.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 15, 2013 7:54:15 GMT
Slight over reaction, we have nowhere near a relegation squad! Really? Where's the pace? The creativity? The goals? We have the same one that finished seven points off relegation last season and many of our rivals have strengthened so far. If you stand still in this league you go backwards. Make no mistake about it, we're in the mix as it stands. Totally agree Rob
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Post by fishlovesoatcakes on Aug 15, 2013 7:58:40 GMT
Really? Where's the pace? The creativity? The goals? We have the same one that finished seven points off relegation last season and many of our rivals have strengthened so far. If you stand still in this league you go backwards. Make no mistake about it, we're in the mix as it stands. Totally agree Rob Me too. We desperately need 3 players in. However we know nothing about what's going on behind the scenes at stoke. I'm hoping all will be revealed very soon.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 15, 2013 8:00:29 GMT
We have a relegation squad as it stands. For the sixth season running.
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Post by crouchbot on Aug 15, 2013 8:08:06 GMT
Said it last year and I'll say it again, the trip to the USA doesn't half leave us behind. There is no benefit at all that I can see of? I can only assume buying players from there and touring there, are to help us become 'a brand' but in all fairness, we will never be a glamorous club, so it's a waste of time, effort and money. Most clubs around us have seriously strengthened and most of them did while we were over the pond.
Also, am I the only one slightly worried about our lack of game time this summer, most clubs have played as many as 5 times more than us. Just got a horrible feeling we are going to get stuffed on Saturday.
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Post by cobhamstokey on Aug 15, 2013 8:10:11 GMT
We have a relegation squad as it stands. Slight over reaction, we have nowhere near a relegation squad! I have to say I can't think of any other club other than Palace and perhaps Hull less equipped at the mo for the seasons start. The way I see it is this The taps have been turned off so we won't get anyone else unless we sell. We have no one to sell so were stuck with what we have. Were waiting for everything to settle and for everyone to spend out before cherry picking what's left. Were sticking firmly to the "fair play" rules that no one else is. Were waiting for big clubs to do there business so we can target there squad players. We have no money. We have deals in place were just waiting for them to fall. We don't want to pay wages till the season starts. We won't pay inflated wages and will wait till players have to back down. I'm sure all the points above play a part. All I know is we're playing a very dangerous game and that unless 3/4 don't come in before Palace were doomed. We have 3/4 of a decent side but unless we address our front 3 we will go down. I'm sure PC and MH know this and it's whetherPC wants to take a huge gamble on what we have being good enough.
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Post by Championship Potter on Aug 15, 2013 8:12:55 GMT
Looking at the paper could it be Ince to Spurs Townsend to QPR Hoillett to Stoke If we have any sense we should be bidding for all three of those.
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Post by Lakeland Potter on Aug 15, 2013 8:20:13 GMT
Said it last year and I'll say it again, the trip to the USA doesn't half leave us behind. There is no benefit at all that I can see of? I can only assume buying players from there and touring there, are to help us become 'a brand' but in all fairness, we will never be a glamorous club, so it's a waste of time, effort and money. Most clubs around us have seriously strengthened and most of them did while we were over the pond. Also, am I the only one slightly worried about our lack of game time this summer, most clubs have played as many as 5 times more than us. Just got a horrible feeling we are going to get stuffed on Saturday. Can you name one Prem club that has played 5 times (or even 3 times) as many games as us? We've played 3 games against MLS opposition, 1 against Genoa, 1 against a Div 2 club and one against a Blue Square club. That's 6 games. I'd like to have played a couple more but if we'd played much more than that we'd have been over cooked. 8 is about the maximum pre season games we have ever played that I can remember. We may still get stuffed on Saturday, of course. But, if we do, that will be down to the lack of new blood not down to the number of pre-season games we have played.
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Post by Clayton Wood on Aug 15, 2013 8:31:34 GMT
Slight over reaction, we have nowhere near a relegation squad! I have to say I can't think of any other club other than Palace and perhaps Hull less equipped at the mo for the seasons start. The way I see it is this The taps have been turned off so we won't get anyone else unless we sell. We have no one to sell so were stuck with what we have. Were waiting for everything to settle and for everyone to spend out before cherry picking what's left. Were sticking firmly to the "fair play" rules that no one else is.Were waiting for big clubs to do there business so we can target there squad players. We have no money. We have deals in place were just waiting for them to fall. We don't want to pay wages till the season starts. We won't pay inflated wages and will wait till players have to back down. I'm sure all the points above play a part. All I know is we're playing a very dangerous game and that unless 3/4 don't come in before Palace were doomed. We have 3/4 of a decent side but unless we address our front 3 we will go down. I'm sure PC and MH know this and it's whetherPC wants to take a huge gamble on what we have being good enough. I wonder if PC's close links with the FA means he has to (be seen to) tow the line on FFPR? If so is this hampering our transfer policy or has Denise just got fed up of throwing money at Dad's interests?
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Post by Binndy on Aug 15, 2013 8:33:03 GMT
if there is a swap deal,stoke city wont let Crouch go until a new striker is coming in. we may still get Diouf , there Agudelo coming in Jan and Hughes did say we have to wait until the big clubs do there dealings . I think a Loan deal is in the pipeline.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 15, 2013 8:48:31 GMT
We have a relegation squad as it stands. For the sixth season running. This is the first time I've been seriously worried since that first season up. Do you really think this squad is strong enough to avoid a dogfight with no further strengthening? I'm sure we'll get a couple more in, but if we don't we're pretty fucked IMO.
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Post by trickydicky73 on Aug 15, 2013 9:02:38 GMT
For the sixth season running. This is the first time I've been seriously worried since that first season up. Do you really think this squad is strong enough to avoid a dogfight with no further strengthening? I'm sure we'll get a couple more in, but if we don't we're pretty fucked IMO. Hoilett coming in would be a start, Rob. I wouldn't even mind bringing Deeney in and offloading Crouch. I really don't think he suits our style of play, because he slows everything down. Jones can lead the line well enough, and if we got Diouf we'd be sorted for strikers. I am more worried about how late we are leaving it before we sign someone. And what happened to the Fabian link? That seems to have vanished into thin air!
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Post by Deleted on Aug 15, 2013 9:22:14 GMT
For the sixth season running. This is the first time I've been seriously worried since that first season up. Do you really think this squad is strong enough to avoid a dogfight with no further strengthening? I'm sure we'll get a couple more in, but if we don't we're pretty fucked IMO. As things stand I'd predict something similar to our previous 5 finishes. Anywhere between 11th and 15th. Every year we see the same thing. Plenty of teams doing more business than us. I fell into the trap myself last year. I was convinced QPR and Sunderland had done great business and had top 10 squads. I think some fans are that desperate for new faces that they'll be happy with literally anyone, regardless of their credentials. We definitely need new players but they have to be better than what we have already. We already have 2 or 3 players capable of scoring 10 to 12 goals in this league, if they are played up front and play a good percentage of games. There is no point adding another that will fall into that bracket. We have to be targetting players who we are confident will fall into the 15+ bracket imo. Players like Hoilett aren't the answer for me. I'm not sure Deeney is the answer either, although I'll admit I haven't seen a great deal of him. I think the squad as it stands isn't terrible and our back 5 will hold us in good stead. If we can get the balance right of being more attacking, without completely abandoning the good work we have in the defensive side of the game, then I still fancy us to get results and be good enough to finish above at least 5 teams this season. On paper it looks like everyone has got ahead of the game with their signings but things never pan out that way. Hull and Palace will both struggle. I'm not convinced on the likes of Sunderland, Fulham, West Ham, Cardiff, Southampton etc either. I'm nervous like most fans are. Its a new direction with a lot of unknowns. I don't think we'll go down though. And there is still time to get new players in.
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Post by nott1 on Aug 15, 2013 9:24:55 GMT
Clayton Woods......helicoptor.....agent....where are you?
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Post by Deleted on Aug 15, 2013 9:29:20 GMT
This is the first time I've been seriously worried since that first season up. Do you really think this squad is strong enough to avoid a dogfight with no further strengthening? I'm sure we'll get a couple more in, but if we don't we're pretty fucked IMO. As things stand I'd predict something similar to our previous 5 finishes. Anywhere between 11th and 15th. Every year we see the same thing. Plenty of teams doing more business than us. I fell into the trap myself last year. I was convinced QPR and Sunderland had done great business and had top 10 squads. I think some fans are that desperate for new faces that they'll be happy with literally anyone, regardless of their credentials. We definitely need new players but they have to be better than what we have already. We already have 2 or 3 players capable of scoring 10 to 12 goals in this league, if they are played up front and play a good percentage of games. There is no point adding another that will fall into that bracket. We have to be targetting players who we are confident will fall into the 15+ bracket imo. Players like Hoilett aren't the answer for me. I'm not sure Deeney is the answer either, although I'll admit I haven't seen a great deal of him. I think the squad as it stands isn't terrible and our back 5 will hold us in good stead. If we can get the balance right of being more attacking, without completely abandoning the good work we have in the defensive side of the game, then I still fancy us to get results and be good enough to finish above at least 5 teams this season. On paper it looks like everyone has got ahead of the game with their signings but things never pan out that way. Hull and Palace will both struggle. I'm not convinced on the likes of Sunderland, Fulham, West Ham, Cardiff, Southampton etc either. I'm nervous like most fans are. Its a new direction with a lot of unknowns. I don't think we'll go down though. And there is still time to get new players in. There is and I think we will get new players in. As it stands though there's precious little pace, creativity or goal threat. It's not about just wanting something new and shiny, it's about getting players in suited to how Hughes wants to play and who give us better options going forward. At the moment we're hoping for Lazarus-style resurrections on about half a dozen players to keep us afloat. That's not a good position to be in.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 15, 2013 9:37:56 GMT
We'll be fine pal. Would I lie to you son?
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Post by cheadlestokie on Aug 15, 2013 9:40:33 GMT
It's the lack of pace that worries me more than creativity.
I believe we have the players to create if they have two quick and mobile forwards,who find space,to work with.
Crouch and Walters are not those players and Jerome simply cannot cope with the ball into his feet.He does not seem to have the footballing brain that is needed more so in the way we now seem to want to play.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 15, 2013 9:45:40 GMT
there Agudelo coming in Jan We still have to get a work permit for him and I don't see that as being a certainty.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 15, 2013 9:51:07 GMT
We've never had pace. That's not a new issue that we are facing this season.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 15, 2013 9:56:57 GMT
We've never had pace. That's not a new issue that we are facing this season. We had some sort of pace or mobility in the three seasons we were good and very little in the two in which we've been shit. Jerome's pace last season played a big part in keeping us up.
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Post by scfcbiancorossi on Aug 15, 2013 9:59:19 GMT
We've never had pace. That's not a new issue that we are facing this season. We had some sort of pace or mobility in the three seasons we were good and very little in the two in which we've been shit. Jerome's pace last season played a big part in keeping us up. Exactly.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 15, 2013 10:02:44 GMT
We've never had pace. That's not a new issue that we are facing this season. We had some sort of pace or mobility in the three seasons we were good and very little in the two in which we've been shit. Jerome's pace last season played a big part in keeping us up. Completely agree Rob.
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assburgers
Academy Starlet
King of the Armchair Elite
Posts: 220
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Post by assburgers on Aug 15, 2013 10:26:24 GMT
No reason why we should not be going for him. He will provide something that we do not have at the club. But not for Crouch.
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Post by crouchbot on Aug 15, 2013 10:28:41 GMT
Said it last year and I'll say it again, the trip to the USA doesn't half leave us behind. There is no benefit at all that I can see of? I can only assume buying players from there and touring there, are to help us become 'a brand' but in all fairness, we will never be a glamorous club, so it's a waste of time, effort and money. Most clubs around us have seriously strengthened and most of them did while we were over the pond. Also, am I the only one slightly worried about our lack of game time this summer, most clubs have played as many as 5 times more than us. Just got a horrible feeling we are going to get stuffed on Saturday. Can you name one Prem club that has played 5 times (or even 3 times) as many games as us? We've played 3 games against MLS opposition, 1 against Genoa, 1 against a Div 2 club and one against a Blue Square club. That's 6 games. I'd like to have played a couple more but if we'd played much more than that we'd have been over cooked. 8 is about the maximum pre season games we have ever played that I can remember. We may still get stuffed on Saturday, of course. But, if we do, that will be down to the lack of new blood not down to the number of pre-season games we have played. I meant that some teams have played 5 times more than us, not x5. Just from what I can find out... Villa - 10 Man City - 9 West Ham - 9 There could be more, they're just the ones I've seen, think Spirs have played a few as well. The Burton game isn't classed as a friendly, so we have played 5 friendlies. Villa have played 10, hence my comment... 'Some teams have played as many as 5 times more than us'.
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hicc
Spectator
Hughes surveys Stokes midtable finishes & says: "You'll never be in this position again with me"
Posts: 49
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Post by hicc on Aug 15, 2013 12:03:54 GMT
Been QPR 's best player so far this season , so doubt Harry will be looking to sell. Definitely not to Stoke anyway, cos we think Hughes is a clueless cnt. ITK
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Post by Deleted on Aug 15, 2013 12:06:03 GMT
Been QPR 's best player so far this season , so doubt Harry will be looking to sell. Definitely not to Stoke anyway, cos we think Hughes is a clueless cnt. ITK Yeah, you're really in a position to be choosy about who you sell to...
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Post by Jimm on Aug 15, 2013 12:10:38 GMT
Been QPR 's best player so far this season , so doubt Harry will be looking to sell. Definitely not to Stoke anyway, cos we think Hughes is a clueless cnt. ITK ;) Player of the season after 2 games?
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Post by Danstoke82 on Aug 15, 2013 12:19:13 GMT
Slight over reaction, we have nowhere near a relegation squad! Really? Where's the pace? The creativity? The goals? We have the same one that finished seven points off relegation last season and many of our rivals have strengthened so far. If you stand still in this league you go backwards. Make no mistake about it, we're in the mix as it stands. Have to agree Rob. The squad is now desperate for a goal scorer. If it isnt addressed this window, im hoping it will be, then we could very much be finding ourselves struggling.
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