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Post by NG4POTTERS on Oct 6, 2015 10:35:20 GMT
Enjoyed reading that rob. Puts some of the shite out that there that passes as bloggery or even journalism to shame. Fair play to you fella.
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Post by reddipotter on Oct 6, 2015 10:43:48 GMT
Great writing again chief. And interesting points being made here about the midfield. Midfield can only operate smoothly with an understanding between the players involved. Whelan and Adam has worked really well in the last two games IMO and Bojan is sharpening up all the time. Also Hughes is still finding significant game time for MVG and Affellay from the bench. Really feels like the squad is coming together. Good point which maybe proves that both Affelay & MVG should have started from the bench at the start of the season and eased in over time. We made the same mistake last season throwing Bojan and others all in from the start before putting them on the bench for them to get accustomed to the league. Note to Mark Hughes for next season that, whoever the new signings are> Ease them into the team. Spot on. Especially when we finished last season so well. Why start again from scratch?
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Post by thebet365 on Oct 6, 2015 11:33:42 GMT
Good point which maybe proves that both Affelay & MVG should have started from the bench at the start of the season and eased in over time. We made the same mistake last season throwing Bojan and others all in from the start before putting them on the bench for them to get accustomed to the league. Note to Mark Hughes for next season that, whoever the new signings are> Ease them into the team. Spot on. Especially when we finished last season so well. Why start again from scratch? Not exactly from Scratch tho is it ? This is the 1st season we've been forced to change the side due to 2 1st team sales & 1 Long term injury. We addressed last years weak spot being the right hand side with Johnson & Shaq coming in. Affelay is a strange buy but I honestly think Joselu was brought 12 months early to get him used to this league. Surprised we've not sent him on loan for a month tbh. If Shawcross hadn't have been injured we'd be fielding a starting 11 with a maximum of 3 new players to the club. That's not a big upheaval by any stretch.
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Post by potterblade on Oct 6, 2015 12:11:51 GMT
Spot on. Especially when we finished last season so well. Why start again from scratch? Not exactly from Scratch tho is it ? This is the 1st season we've been forced to change the side due to 2 1st team sales & 1 Long term injury. We addressed last years weak spot being the right hand side with Johnson & Shaq coming in. Affelay is a strange buy but I honestly think Joselu was brought 12 months early to get him used to this league. Surprised we've not sent him on loan for a month tbh. If Shawcross hadn't have been injured we'd be fielding a starting 11 with a maximum of 3 new players to the club. That's not a big upheaval by any stretch. Maybe, but we have started the season with a nzonzi shaped hole in CM in front of various makeshift CB pairings. I think the point is that raw summer signings can only complicate the issues we already have. I used to be more pro MVG starting than Adam but cant say that now. Everyone has to find their place on the squad. With Bojan and Adam short of fitness there are still plenty of opportunities for the new signings to have an impact and acclimatize. I'm liking the balance at the moment
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Post by reddipotter on Oct 6, 2015 12:24:22 GMT
Spot on. Especially when we finished last season so well. Why start again from scratch? Not exactly from Scratch tho is it ? This is the 1st season we've been forced to change the side due to 2 1st team sales & 1 Long term injury. We addressed last years weak spot being the right hand side with Johnson & Shaq coming in. Affelay is a strange buy but I honestly think Joselu was brought 12 months early to get him used to this league. Surprised we've not sent him on loan for a month tbh. If Shawcross hadn't have been injured we'd be fielding a starting 11 with a maximum of 3 new players to the club. That's not a big upheaval by any stretch. Okay, 'from scratch' was an exaggeration. But Bego was replaced by a player already part of the group and not really a new signing. In theory, a Shawcross replacement was already at the club, too. So only N'zonzi needed replacing from the team that finished last season. Okay, any replacement would not be as good, but at least the shape could have been kept and new players brought in gradually to a settled formation.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 6, 2015 15:13:52 GMT
Good report as usual. I noticed that towards the end of the game, Afellay tried to get a couple of shots in, but failed due to a lack of pace. I really like to see players having a go at goal, and am hoping that Afellay will turn out to be a bit quicker in the long term. He doesn't yet seem to be up to pace, but due to the sending off, he hasn't had a consistent start to the season.
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Post by thestatusquo on Oct 6, 2015 15:40:52 GMT
Great read. As always
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Post by jezzascfc on Oct 6, 2015 15:59:01 GMT
Both Afellay and MVG seem to fall between two stools when it comes to fitting into our preferred system - Afellay is neither a winger (which we need) nor a number 10 (which we don't, with Bojan and Ireland), MvG neither a holding midfielder nor a box to boxer (either would be most welcome). Is it any coincidence that our upturn in fortunes has happened at a time that both have been consigned to the bench?
Much of football recruitment is a bit of a gamble, but loanees and freebies, whilst cheaper, tend to be even more so. Buying the right player for those roles could well have been far less of a risk, but one that maybe the money men were not prepared to sanction as well as the Shaq cash.
No big clubs were rushing to sign Afellay, whilst Jose must have thought MvG was not fit for the Premier League just yet, if at all.
We are left with a pacey cover winger and a partner for Whelan as two items which must be at the top of our January shopping list.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 6, 2015 16:08:57 GMT
Good read that Rob. Superbly written as usual.
The only thing I would disagree with is that i dont think there was even a decision to be made regarding their supposed penalty appeal with Cameron and Veretout.
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Post by chiefdelilah on Oct 6, 2015 16:16:06 GMT
Good read that Rob. Superbly written as usual. The only thing I would disagree with is that i dont think there was even a decision to be made regarding their supposed penalty appeal with Cameron and Veretout. In that it was or it wasn't Sid? Got none of the ball, took out the man, in the box...
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Post by kustokie on Oct 6, 2015 16:17:10 GMT
Outstanding write up mate. Kudos on the Pulp Fiction reference too. Good stuff Have you ever considered setting up an optional donation link at the bottom of each piece? You've done it for free for a long time now and if people wanted to continue to view on that basis then they could happily do so. I'm sure there's a number of people that would happily give a quid or two for what you produce though. It must take a significant amount of time and effort to write and the quality of the final product is top notch. You must get hundreds of hits at least so it'd only take a small percentage to donate to give you a bit of reward for your effort. I see it as no different to buying a magazine, fanzine or newspaper. You're paying for the content, and yours is consistently brilliant. It's a talent, why shouldn't you earn a few quid from it? I agree. I have also suggested before that you compile the entire set at the end of the season. It would be an excellent read and a great record of the ups and downs of the season. Don't forget to copyright your stuff! Edit: Something I just thought of. Be careful about charging and copyrighting your stuff if those are not your own photos. Otherwise you might get a nasty "cease and desist" letter from the copyright holder. They may not care if your not charging; however, it might not be a bad idea to provide an acknowledgement.
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Post by mrcoke on Oct 6, 2015 16:24:50 GMT
Excellent summary of the match as usual.
Unlike some of the posters on this thread who seem to think buying players to fit into a team is a piece of cake. It takes time to get new players fully merged into a side and sometimes they never make it, as witness by one B Rogers who has just spent over £300m over 3 seasons on "square pegs in round holes". N'Zonzi was hellish frustrating to watch under TP (probably playing to orders) and it took MH half a season to start to get him to play to his full potential in a team of players he was familiar with. It will take time to get MVG, Affelay, Shaqiri, Joselu playing to their full potential and it will take time for Bojan and Ryan to get back to their best. Patience is required, not constant criticisms.
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Post by countofmontecristo on Oct 6, 2015 16:38:23 GMT
Good read that Rob. Superbly written as usual. The only thing I would disagree with is that i dont think there was even a decision to be made regarding their supposed penalty appeal with Cameron and Veretout. In that it was or it wasn't Sid? Got none of the ball, took out the man, in the box... Cameron got himself (or part thereof!) between the man and the ball - never a penalty in a million years. You just can't bring yourself to give him unmitigated praise can you Rob? Irrespective, a top class effort as usual. Plenty of people get paid and don't produce as insightful and enjoyable reading as that.
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Post by chiefdelilah on Oct 6, 2015 16:42:23 GMT
In that it was or it wasn't Sid? Got none of the ball, took out the man, in the box... Cameron got himself (or part thereof!) between the man and the ball - never a penalty in a million years. You just can't bring yourself to give him unmitigated praise can you Rob? Irrespective, a top class effort as usual. Plenty of people get paid and don't produce as insightful and enjoyable reading as that. Yes, it's all part of my evil conspiracy against him, as evidenced by me giving him man of the match when most people gave it to Arnie. I can't tell if you're serious or not about the penalty...
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Post by countofmontecristo on Oct 6, 2015 17:09:57 GMT
Cameron got himself (or part thereof!) between the man and the ball - never a penalty in a million years. You just can't bring yourself to give him unmitigated praise can you Rob? Irrespective, a top class effort as usual. Plenty of people get paid and don't produce as insightful and enjoyable reading as that. Yes, it's all part of my evil conspiracy against him, as evidenced by me giving him man of the match when most people gave it to Arnie. I can't tell if you're serious or not about the penalty... I'm serious about the non-penalty. It was a nothing incident IMO - good defending by GCam after Veretout had waltzed through the rest of the defence.
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Post by superstokiesimo on Oct 6, 2015 17:25:31 GMT
Why would a Stoke journo admit it's a penalty anyway??? We should look after our own???
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Post by chiefdelilah on Oct 6, 2015 17:27:12 GMT
Yes, it's all part of my evil conspiracy against him, as evidenced by me giving him man of the match when most people gave it to Arnie. I can't tell if you're serious or not about the penalty... I'm serious about the non-penalty. It was a nothing incident IMO - good defending by GCam after Veretout had waltzed through the rest of the defence. How is clumsily knocking someone off their feet and looking guilty as sin about it 'good defending'? He was excellent otherwise.
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Post by chiefdelilah on Oct 6, 2015 17:29:37 GMT
Why would a Stoke journo admit it's a penalty anyway??? We should look after our own??? 1) Not a journo 2) Because I think it's important to be objective and any soft twat can just say 'yeah everything we do is right and everything they do is wrong'. That's not analysis.
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Post by superstokiesimo on Oct 6, 2015 17:32:10 GMT
Why would a Stoke journo admit it's a penalty anyway??? We should look after our own??? 1) Not a journo 2) Because I think it's important to be objective and any soft twat can just say 'yeah everything we do is right and everything they do is wrong'. That's not analysis. I prefer to support the lads
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Post by chiefdelilah on Oct 6, 2015 17:36:10 GMT
1) Not a journo 2) Because I think it's important to be objective and any soft twat can just say 'yeah everything we do is right and everything they do is wrong'. That's not analysis. I prefer to support the lads I do support them. It's possible to do that without arguing everything they do is 100% wonderful all the time.
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Post by superstokiesimo on Oct 6, 2015 17:44:03 GMT
I prefer to support the lads I do support them. It's possible to do that without arguing everything they do is 100% wonderful all the time. Saying we shouldn't of won / drawn ect is one thing but what if someone like a ref sees it and tries to put it right later??? If we get away with it we shouldn't talk about it after. Unlikely I know but it could happen and we already have a bad rep ect
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Post by chiefdelilah on Oct 6, 2015 17:46:33 GMT
I do support them. It's possible to do that without arguing everything they do is 100% wonderful all the time. Saying we shouldn't of won / drawn ect is one thing but what if someone like a ref sees it and tries to put it right later??? If we get away with it we shouldn't talk about it after. Unlikely I know but it could happen and we already have a bad rep ect It was featured on Match of the Day and in pretty much every match report of the game. Think the cat's out of the bag mate. Why would a referee be reading a fan blog on a team?
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Post by Deleted on Oct 6, 2015 17:46:56 GMT
Good read that Rob. Superbly written as usual. The only thing I would disagree with is that i dont think there was even a decision to be made regarding their supposed penalty appeal with Cameron and Veretout. In that it was or it wasn't Sid? Got none of the ball, took out the man, in the box... I seem to be in the minority but don't think it was a penalty mate,just a coming together in the box. I'm a firm believer in that not all contact in the box is a penalty.
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Post by bayernoatcake on Oct 6, 2015 17:49:14 GMT
Anti-American claptrap.
I'm oot.
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Post by loosestools on Oct 6, 2015 17:51:53 GMT
I do support them. It's possible to do that without arguing everything they do is 100% wonderful all the time. Saying we shouldn't of won / drawn ect is one thing but what if someone like a ref sees it and tries to put it right later??? If we get away with it we shouldn't talk about it after. Unlikely I know but it could happen and we already have a bad rep ect Its called being objective and fair, and this is the way to drop that tag.
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Post by whydelilah on Oct 6, 2015 18:18:03 GMT
Outstanding write up mate. Kudos on the Pulp Fiction reference too. Good stuff Have you ever considered setting up an optional donation link at the bottom of each piece? You've done it for free for a long time now and if people wanted to continue to view on that basis then they could happily do so. I'm sure there's a number of people that would happily give a quid or two for what you produce though. It must take a significant amount of time and effort to write and the quality of the final product is top notch. You must get hundreds of hits at least so it'd only take a small percentage to donate to give you a bit of reward for your effort. I see it as no different to buying a magazine, fanzine or newspaper. You're paying for the content, and yours is consistently brilliant. It's a talent, why shouldn't you earn a few quid from it? Cheers WD. Never really thought about it to be honest. Get it done then mar mate. Nothing to lose.
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Post by superstokiesimo on Oct 6, 2015 18:22:56 GMT
Saying we shouldn't of won / drawn ect is one thing but what if someone like a ref sees it and tries to put it right later??? If we get away with it we shouldn't talk about it after. Unlikely I know but it could happen and we already have a bad rep ect Its called being objective and fair, and this is the way to drop that tag. I don't watch Stoke to be " objective and fair"
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Post by chiefdelilah on Oct 6, 2015 18:28:24 GMT
Its called being objective and fair, and this is the way to drop that tag. I don't watch Stoke to be " objective and fair" Good for you mate. I support the team at the game like anybody else. If you only want to read ra ra happy stuff then it's really not for you.
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Post by loosestools on Oct 6, 2015 18:29:54 GMT
Its called being objective and fair, and this is the way to drop that tag. I don't watch Stoke to be " objective and fair" Fully understand and when I'm at the game I am very partisan and rawp and scream with the best of them - then I go home and debate the whole game with me mates in the pub and sometimes have a different view when looked at from a different perspective.
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Post by loosestools on Oct 6, 2015 18:33:45 GMT
I look forward to CD's write ups - its like waiting for me comics when I was a kid. What will Dan Dare do next?
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