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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2014 4:43:19 GMT
I haven't felt so good and excited about the prospect of stoke city for the forthcoming season since mick mills splashed his 1m war chest in the 80's we all know what happened.....the dreaded relegation  however mark hughes is by far a better manager and we have signed better players than leigh palin.but I still have this uneasy fear of something coming along and fucking everything up? maybe its the pessimist in me? totally irrational I know, it just seems that everything is going too well we have the best squad I have ever seen as a supporter of stoke city I wouldn't be surprised if assaidi signs in the next few days, again everything is going too well!!!
I have still placed bets on stoke being top half,top midlands team,and the cups so why am I getting nervous?
a resounding victory over villa will put my fears at rest.[speaking of villa they are my outsider tip for relegation] |
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Post by Miles Offside on Jul 25, 2014 9:18:38 GMT
I haven't felt so good and excited about the prospect of stoke city for the forthcoming season since mick mills splashed his 1m war chest in the 80's we all know what happened.....the dreaded relegation however mark hughes is by far a better manager and we have signed better players than leigh palin.but I still have this uneasy fear of something coming along and fucking everything up? maybe its the pessimist in me? totally irrational I know, it just seems that everything is going too well we have the best squad I have ever seen as a supporter of stoke city I wouldn't be surprised if assaidi signs in the next few days, again everything is going too well!!!
I have still placed bets on stoke being top half,top midlands team,and the cups so why am I getting nervous?
a resounding victory over villa will put my fears at rest.[speaking of villa they are my outsider tip for relegation]Ah, wasn't it the Mick Mills "investment in promotion" plan?  I think I felt a greater trepidation looking forward to our first season in the Prem, but definitely looking forward to this next season. |
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Post by Kenilworth_Stokies on Jul 25, 2014 9:52:52 GMT
What worries me is the weight of expectation as the bipolar coaster of Stoke fans emotions take another upturn.
We bob between being 'a joke' or 'world beaters' in some people's eyes, and whilst I fully expect us to have a season as good, if not better, than last season I don't think I can take the whinging when we have our first sticky patch....
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Post by sheikhmomo on Jul 25, 2014 9:55:42 GMT
Expectation levels are stratospheric. That will almost certainly lead to disappointment.
Objective 1 = 40 points. It was always thus.
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Post by foxysgloves on Jul 25, 2014 9:58:13 GMT
The more we get excited and all Swanseafied the more likely we'll get our arses slapped.
Pretty sure Hughes, Bowen etc are well aware of that though so we should be fine.
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Post by nott1 on Jul 25, 2014 10:02:50 GMT
Too much pessimism folks, we're top 6 material now!
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Post by Lakeland Potter on Jul 25, 2014 10:10:34 GMT
The more we get excited and all Swanseafied the more likely we'll get our arses slapped. Pretty sure Hughes, Bowen etc are well aware of that though so we should be fine. Your second statement is probably true. Your first statement is probably bollox. Do you you really believe that what you or me or any Stokie thinks about our chances is going to affect the team's performance? That's about as logical as me saying that we beat Villa away 4-1 because I wore my lucky underpants when watching it on TV. Quite clearly nonsense. Of course, I will wear the lucky underpants again at the Brit in 3 weeks time, it would be tempting fate not to!  |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2014 10:11:02 GMT
Too much pessimism folks, we're top 6 material now! Unrealistic expectations like this, is my only worry. |
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Post by foxysgloves on Jul 25, 2014 10:18:04 GMT
The more we get excited and all Swanseafied the more likely we'll get our arses slapped. Pretty sure Hughes, Bowen etc are well aware of that though so we should be fine. Your second statement is probably true. Your first statement is probably bollox. Do you you really believe that what you or me or any Stokie thinks about our chances is going to affect the team's performance? That's about as logical as me saying that we beat Villa away 4-1 because I wore my lucky underpants when watching it on TV. Quite clearly nonsense. Of course, I will wear the lucky underpants again at the Brit in 3 weeks time, it would be tempting fate not to! Haha!! I totally agree. My first statement is utter illogical bollocks. But then illogical bollocks and Stoke supporter go together like hand and glove. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2014 10:19:08 GMT
Too much pessimism folks, we're top 6 material now!  1 player in that never achieved anything in the English leagues last time so is an unknown this time around.....1 complete unknown quantity who's done nothing the last 2 years and never played in England...1 who'll be a backup defender spending 90% of his time on the bench so....the arrival of Steve Sidwell and Phil Bardsley are apparently now enough to make us a top 6 side!!!  |
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Post by nott1 on Jul 25, 2014 10:19:09 GMT
Too much pessimism folks, we're top 6 material now! Unrealistic expectations like this, is my only worry. I don't see it as unrealistic. We finished 9th last year and now we have several upgrades. 6th it is! |
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Post by nott1 on Jul 25, 2014 10:20:57 GMT
Too much pessimism folks, we're top 6 material now! 1 player in that never achieved anything in the English leagues last time so is an unknown this time around.....1 complete unknown quantity who's done nothing the last 2 years and never played in England...1 who'll be a backup defender spending 90% of his time on the bench so....the arrival of Steve Sidwell and Phil Bardsley are apparently now enough to make us a top 6 side!!! Yes. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2014 10:21:33 GMT
Unrealistic expectations like this, is my only worry. I don't see it as unrealistic. We finished 9th last year and now we have several upgrades. 6th it is! We have spent around £1m in transfer fees and you are expecting us to break in to the top 6, think you need a reality check. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2014 10:30:41 GMT
I don't see it as unrealistic. We finished 9th last year and now we have several upgrades. 6th it is! We have spent around £1m in transfer fees and you are expecting us to break in to the top 6, think you need a reality check. we had some of the unrealistic crew on a thread yesterday too too many buying into the "He played for Barca so simply MUST be amazingly special" argument and not enough thinking about the far more recent and relevant "There's a reason why over 3 years ago Barca not only dropped him from their first 11 but from the entire setup and sent him out to 3 different clubs in 3 years where he achieved nothing of merit whatsoever" argument. apparently Barca, Roma, Ajax and AC Milan weren't able to reignite the Bojan spark but the mighty European club Stoke City FC are guaranteed to be able to do just that! jizz fest based on past glories rather than anything in recent history...it's Owen all over again! he COULD turn out to be a decent player and i genuinely hope he does but there's absolutely no guarantee of that whatsoever, he could do absolutely sod all like he has the last couple of years. there's a reason why no-one else in the Prem took a gamble on Bojan. if it was the same Bojan that played in the Barca first team then i could understand it but if it was then we, quite simply, wouldn't have had a hope in hell of being able to buy him....some need to wake up and smell the coffee! |
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Post by Block 22 on Jul 25, 2014 10:30:44 GMT
I don't see it as unrealistic. We finished 9th last year and now we have several upgrades. 6th it is! We have spent around £1m in transfer fees and you are expecting us to break in to the top 6, think you need a reality check. I don't expect us to break into the top 6 but how is the money we have spent a valid argument? We have improved the squad in the areas it needed most and only spent 1 million. Forget the figures, look at the additions. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2014 10:32:52 GMT
We have spent around £1m in transfer fees and you are expecting us to break in to the top 6, think you need a reality check. I don't expect us to break into the top 6 but how is the money we have spent a valid argument? We have improved the squad in the areas it needed most and only spent 1 million. Forget the figures, look at the additions. We have made decent additions there is no doubt about it, but my point is that you simply can't break in to the top 6 without spending big money. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2014 10:33:33 GMT
We have spent around £1m in transfer fees and you are expecting us to break in to the top 6, think you need a reality check. I don't expect us to break into the top 6 but how is the money we have spent a valid argument? We have improved the squad in the areas it needed most and only spent 1 million. Forget the figures, look at the additions. and the only 2 additions we know can and will make it in the Prem are Sidwell and Bardsley....Tex is a backup and Diouf didn't succeed in the Prem before and Bojan hasn't succeeded anywhere for over 3 years in other words, out of the 5 additions we only have 2 that we know will definitely be able to handle it all, the rest are just potentially great signings but by no means nailed on successes at all. it's called realism mate i'll take bojan and Diouf to my heart as and when they perform well on the pitch..until then it's just a jizz fest based on nothing but Oatcake hype..we've had big name players before that played for big european sides but did fuck all for Stoke, these transfers could turn out to be exactly the same. |
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Post by FullerMagic on Jul 25, 2014 10:34:05 GMT
Obviously 8th is the best we can do without something ridiculous happening.
There aren't any really scary teams in the 13-team mini league we'll be in that have to aim for 8th.
As it stands, you'd have to say 8th is vaguely within the realms of possibility.
But there's always a surprise team or two that click and pretty much everyone (except maybe Burnley) will think they've got an outside sniff of 10th.
Some of the teams we finished above last year have improved and I'd still be happy with 10th-12th. There are only really 7 clubs who can go head into the season and completely dismiss a relegation fight if they get a bit of a bad luck and get into a rut - and we aren't one of them.
If we outperform our wage bill, we've done well. So anything above 12th/13th is a big success
TOP 10 FINISH ODDS
Manchester City 1/750
Chelsea 1/500
Arsenal 1/200
Liverpool 1/150
Manchester Utd 1/100
Tottenham 1/33
Everton 1/25
Newcastle 11/8
Southampton 11/8
Stoke 13/8
West Ham 2/1
Sunderland 11/4
Swansea 11/4
Aston Villa 3/1
Crystal Palace 7/2
Leicester 4/1
Hull 4/1
West Brom 4/1
Q.P.R 9/2
Burnley 10/1
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Post by lagwafis on Jul 25, 2014 10:55:05 GMT
I think it's fair to be cautious at this stage. On paper this feels like the best squad we've had in some time but I wouldn't go along with some of the immediate side-by-side comparisons which have us suddenly on a par with the seasoned teams like Everton and Spurs.
On the upside I'm quietly optimistic and have complete confidence in Hughes. I like how he seems to be building a team under the radar and there's the potential we'll be able to catch plenty off guard. Speaking to fans outside of Stoke and some aren't aware we've signed Diouf while others haven't even picked up on Arnautovic's form at the end of last season and hints that he might be a bit special.
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Post by JetBlack on Jul 25, 2014 11:04:20 GMT
I have similar feelings as the OP, but mine are tinged with whether or not the new signings will gel as quickly as we would like.
Also, why does time seem to slow down the closer we get to the start of the season?!
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Post by foxysgloves on Jul 25, 2014 11:07:13 GMT
I don't expect us to break into the top 6 but how is the money we have spent a valid argument? We have improved the squad in the areas it needed most and only spent 1 million. Forget the figures, look at the additions. and the only 2 additions we know can and will make it in the Prem are Sidwell and Bardsley....Tex is a backup and Diouf didn't succeed in the Prem before and Bojan hasn't succeeded anywhere for over 3 years in other words, out of the 5 additions we only have 2 that we know will definitely be able to handle it all, the rest are just potentially great signings but by no means nailed on successes at all. it's called realism mate i'll take bojan and Diouf to my heart as and when they perform well on the pitch..until then it's just a jizz fest based on nothing but Oatcake hype..we've had big name players before that played for big european sides but did fuck all for Stoke, these transfers could turn out to be exactly the same. Well summed up. |
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Post by Block 22 on Jul 25, 2014 11:28:10 GMT
and the only 2 additions we know can and will make it in the Prem are Sidwell and Bardsley....Tex is a backup and Diouf didn't succeed in the Prem before and Bojan hasn't succeeded anywhere for over 3 years in other words, out of the 5 additions we only have 2 that we know will definitely be able to handle it all, the rest are just potentially great signings but by no means nailed on successes at all. it's called realism mate i'll take bojan and Diouf to my heart as and when they perform well on the pitch..until then it's just a jizz fest based on nothing but Oatcake hype..we've had big name players before that played for big european sides but did fuck all for Stoke, these transfers could turn out to be exactly the same. Well summed up. I agree with all of that - But say we had spent 12m on Enna Valencia like West Ham have.. Does that mean we would have better chance of the top 6? He is also unproven in the premier league and could turn out to be a flop. That was my point. |
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Post by roberthuth4 on Jul 25, 2014 11:33:23 GMT
As much as id love us to finish 9th,8th,7th. Does anybody else seem to agree we are getting carried away.
Yes we finished last season on a massive high and looked a brilliant team. Everyone else seems to be making a good buy or 2. But have we improved so much as so we should be looking at a top half finish for certain?
So we have signed;
Bojan
Texieria
Sidwell
Bardsley
Diouf
Out of that pack for me only Diouf looks like a definate starter. And really we are hoping he is a 15goals a season striker. If not we could start to look abit worried.
Bojan is either going to be a quality buy or a total flop. We will have to wait and see on that
Texieria doesnt look bad but more one for the future.
Sidwell in my eyes isnt an improvement on the whelan of last season, nzonzi, ireland or adam.
Bardsley is another not a bad player but no world beater and im not so sure it hes an improvement on cameron.
To me yeah its good business as we have spent next to nothing but i cant see many real improvements in our TEAM. Certainly the squad has been improved, but has our team? Im not so sure.
Im worried if results start abit shakey like most mark hughes teams do, how long will it take for the 'hughes out' brigade?
Personally id be happy with 14th-8th and a semi final in a cup.
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Post by Block 22 on Jul 25, 2014 11:36:02 GMT
We've never had a 15 goals a season striker since we've been promoted. Why would we be worried?
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Post by Davef on Jul 25, 2014 11:39:52 GMT
A top six place in the Premier League traditionally requires anything between 60 and 70 points. Last season was the first time we hit 50 points. Does anyone (well, anyone with their head screwed on) honestly think we're capable of adding another 15 or so points to our tally next season? Our peer clubs who've broken into the top ten over the past few seasons have done so by finishing around the 48-53 point mark, and that includes Southampton who were very good last season, played some excellent football and have seen some of their best players sold for big, big money.
The positivity around the club right now is wonderful, and it's great to see our manager not trying to talk down the supporters' expectation level, but some of us need to wind our necks in a little bit.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2014 11:43:15 GMT
I agree with all of that - But say we had spent 12m on Enna Valencia like West Ham have.. Does that mean we would have better chance of the top 6? He is also unproven in the premier league and could turn out to be a flop. That was my point. no...if we signed players like Lukaku for £20 mill, or Sturrdige for about £25 mill then we'd have a better chance of making top 6! the amount is irrelevant, whether they're unproven in the Prem isn't as important either but the simple fact is that the players we have bought are very good players for a club our size but neither bojan or Diouf would get into a top 6 side though which is why top 6 sides haven't bid for either of them. using Valencia as a comparison is a bit daft really as no-one is stupid enough to say they should now be pushing for a top 6 place simply because they've signed him as people on here are saying about us. the quality of players you need to get in to get into the top 6 cost far more than £12 mill in general (unless you're an already established top 6 side where the club itself has it's own pull so the fee doesn't have to be as high as players know it's a good team and they'll be playing in europe). 8th is a good ambition but it's about as high as we can go unless we spend tens of millions on players because the players that are the quality to break a smaller Prem club into the top 6 for the first time cost that much when we have no history of top 6 to show them and no promise of european football to give them. |
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Post by lordb on Jul 25, 2014 11:49:50 GMT
top 6 seems highly improbable
8th seems highly acheivable
7th isn't bonkers
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Post by roberthuth4 on Jul 25, 2014 11:56:25 GMT
We've never had a 15 goals a season striker since we've been promoted. Why would we be worried? Because we are pinning most of our hopes onto diouf. Albeit worded wrongly but you get the point. Thats what we need if we are to be constantly up in the top half |
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Post by geoff321 on Jul 25, 2014 11:57:06 GMT
Mark Hughes has managed four PL clubs, for a complete season or more, since 2004.
He has averaged 52 points per season, with his highest being 63.
His average placing has been 9th, average goals scored 48, average goals conceded 47.
Hughes seems to produce sides that are hard to beat and to get the best out of players who have had setbacks in their careers.
I think the PL is stronger now than ever, so it won't be easy for any medium sized club to make that step up, without a massive injection of cash.
For me Stoke have a mid table squad, but a top seven manager.
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Post by Block 22 on Jul 25, 2014 11:58:16 GMT
I agree with all of that - But say we had spent 12m on Enna Valencia like West Ham have.. Does that mean we would have better chance of the top 6? He is also unproven in the premier league and could turn out to be a flop. That was my point. no...if we signed players like Lukaku for £20 mill, or Sturrdige for about £25 mill then we'd have a better chance of making top 6! the amount is irrelevant, whether they're unproven in the Prem isn't as important either but the simple fact is that the players we have bought are very good players for a club our size but neither bojan or Diouf would get into a top 6 side though which is why top 6 sides haven't bid for either of them. using Valencia as a comparison is a bit daft really as no-one is stupid enough to say they should now be pushing for a top 6 place simply because they've signed him as people on here are saying about us. the quality of players you need to get in to get into the top 6 cost far more than £12 mill in general (unless you're an already established top 6 side where the club itself has it's own pull so the fee doesn't have to be as high as players know it's a good team and they'll be playing in europe). 8th is a good ambition but it's about as high as we can go unless we spend tens of millions on players because the players that are the quality to break a smaller Prem club into the top 6 for the first time cost that much when we have no history of top 6 to show them and no promise of european football to give them. Either my point making is attrocious or you're not understanding what I'm trying to say. If the point was - I don't think we'll achieve top 6 by signing Diouf etc etc that would have been valid. But to say because we've spent nothing is stupid. We could've got messi on a free  |
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