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Post by Deleted on Nov 2, 2015 11:54:29 GMT
I've just watched football first from Saturday, and am quite content after seeing it. We had two or three really good chances, and the save off Walters was superb. Jack as we all know pulled off some great saves, but there are signs that the team is now coming together. We just need a consistent team playing together and we'll be alright. As I say, that save off Walters was excellent, and deserves to be rated alongside Jack's!
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Post by The Drunken Communist on Nov 2, 2015 12:20:49 GMT
We are trying to play football but it isn't working currently and it's pretty dull...........what's wrong with saying that? If that was all you said I very much doubt anyone would mind, or possibley even have noticed you'd said it, but that isn't what you say, is it? Pick any thread you like on this forum & you'll find dozens of posts from you slagging off our players about how shit they are. Post after post, thread after thread, day after day it's the same. By time you've spent a week reading this forum you've easily had the misfortune of reading a thousand posts by you doing nothing but saying how shit everyone & everything is at Stoke City... Add in the other two bellends (Benji & March) and you're often left wondering if you're on the right forum or not, as I'm sure this place is meant to be for Stoke city supporters.
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Post by OldStokie on Nov 2, 2015 12:22:28 GMT
At last a post that has made me, rather than reaching for an anti-depressant, giggle as if I was hearing Randle Patrick McMurphy saying "They was giving me ten thousand watts a day, you know, and I'm hot to trot! The next woman takes me on's gonna light up like a pinball machine and pay off in silver dollars!" Well, the bits about the sea creatures, that is. Bravo guys. OS. PS. Let's hope that whale doesn't find its way to a cuckoo's nest or we'll all be fucked... Illuminati and all.
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Post by mrcoke on Nov 2, 2015 12:39:32 GMT
Calm down , dear.
All teams have good and bad patches; MH's teams are better in the second half of the season. Beating Liverpool 6 - 1 has raised expectations to too high a level. We have played some rubbish football this season but no one has comprehensively beaten us. The defence is improving and will get better as Ryan gets back to top form. The midfield are holding on to the ball better and at least comfortably progressing into the opponents half of the field; compare that with the first few matches when we could hardly get out of our own half. The goal scorers will start to hit form and we will start to win our home matches, just be calm and patient. Things aren't quite clicking yet for Bojan and Shaqiri and Affelay but they will; they are proven talented players.
As the season progresses, all the teams in the bottom half of the Prem will have good runs, and a number of the top half teams will hit rough patches; Vardy is not going to score 30+ goals this season!
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Post by davejohnno1 on Nov 2, 2015 12:50:38 GMT
Walters has done well for us, but isn't a main striker, the midfield consists of very similar players who don't have the mindset to take pots at goal, Bojan being the exception. So if Diouf doesn't play we carry very little goal threat or presence in the area. Hughes needs to tell Joselu what Bobby Robson told Shearer, to only play the width of the goal, he gets involved too much in wide areas, how many times do you see our widemen stop because there is no one in the penalty area. I keep reading how well Walters has done and is doing for us but I don't see the improvement myself. He's doing nothing different now to what he's done before. In fact, he is some way short of the form he showed during March-May 2011. Through sheer physicality and work rate he has an impact on games and on occasion looks very good. Those very good performances are, in my opinion, few and far between yet he more than anyone seems to be able to live off the back of a good performance longer than most. Take the last few games as an example. He was OK at Villa but not great by any stretch of the imagination. It was a decent performance that followed on the back of a very good performance at Leicester, then a bang average one v Bournemouth which culminated in a winning goal. He was then OK at Villa and picked up an injury, missing the Swansea game. I was away for Watford and didn't see the game but having seen the Goals on Sunday coverage last night, he missed a fairly routine chance to get us back into the game. Not only did he miss that routine chance, his shot troubled the corner flag more than the goalposts. We move on to Chelsea. Again I was on holiday but this time I managed to watch the game live. First half, he was toss. Made it way too easy for Terry and Cahill who are getting rinsed by almost everyone they come up against these days. He also missed another golden chance. Second half, he was much better, scored a very good goal but also missed and wasted 2 half decent chances as well as several good situations. We move on to Saturday. He was utter wank. Didn't run the channels, never got their back line on the turn, struggled to hold the ball up and yet again, missed several chances, including 2 golden ones, one of which was harder to miss than it was score. He is great to have around the place and is a super squad player but he should never be relied upon regularly. He just doesn't offer us what the alternatives can in terms of creativity and quality. Would I play him against Chelsea at the weekend? On the one hand I would because that sort of game is generally where he's most effective. If I did play him, I'd play him wide, moving Shaqiri inside with Diouf up front. The little maestro would feature from the bench. However, Bojan is our best player and in many respects, despite his poor showing at the weekend and in the second half of most of his games to date, we have to keep playing him so he returns to his best as quickly as possible. If we are doing that, then why would Walters feature? He doesn't offer the quality of Shaqiri (who seems to be improving game by game now) and he doesn't offer the pace or goal threat that Diouf does. Should we really be playing Walters at the expense of Bojan who we need to be fully fit and firing in the quickest time possible. Short term, if that means we lose a little bit, then really, it is case of short term pain for long term gain. I just don't get the Walters love in at all. When he plays, in the main, we lack a consistent threat throughout the game. He is great in "backs to the wall" efforts but in a game where we need to force the pace, play on the front foot and make things happen, he's as culpable as anyone when it comes to assessing our struggles in such games.
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Post by davejohnno1 on Nov 2, 2015 12:54:33 GMT
Bayern is not Biscuit rest assured . The fact he cans we share the same concerns will be proven right or wrong as the season unfolds right now I've seen nothing to change my June views namely , The window. Was a disaster The lack of net investment a huge error of judgment The lack of support for Hughes over 5 windows going to bite eventually The fist team materially weaker. The best owned player sold too cheaply and not replaced adequately The best winger not replaced. Many of the players bought in Cheap but not good value and not good enough for the premiere league. We have taken a huge gamble on our premier league status. I'd have take 17rh in June and would now Since then I've said out Horne losses this early Renforce my view we are at material risk of not getting.20 points this calendar year , our home form is that of a relegated team . We will do well to get over 36 points.on current form Oh Amd I bet Jonno we wouldn't finish above Leicester. I totally stand by each and every one and have seen nothing yet to change those views and to the immense frustration of the detractors the league table and points total supports that logic. Its November now and Hughes himself has said Nov tells you who will flourish and who will struggle . You never took me up on that bet did you? You discussed it and attempted to ridicule the suggestion, but you never stuck your neck on the block as I remember. Just like last season when I told you that we would finish above and reverse the result of each of those teams (Burnley, Villa, Leicester and QPR) that took points off us early season. Again, you attempted to mock but wouldn't put your head on the chopping block with a cold, hard cash bet. We will have more than 20 points by the New Year (just as we did last season) and we will have way more than 36 points come the end of the season, just as we did last year.
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Post by Laughing Gravy on Nov 2, 2015 12:58:02 GMT
Bayern is not Biscuit rest assured . The fact he cans we share the same concerns will be proven right or wrong as the season unfolds right now I've seen nothing to change my June views namely , The window. Was a disaster The lack of net investment a huge error of judgment The lack of support for Hughes over 5 windows going to bite eventually The fist team materially weaker. The best owned player sold too cheaply and not replaced adequately The best winger not replaced. Many of the players bought in Cheap but not good value and not good enough for the premiere league. We have taken a huge gamble on our premier league status. I'd have take 17rh in June and would now Since then I've said out Horne losses this early Renforce my view we are at material risk of not getting.20 points this calendar year , our home form is that of a relegated team . We will do well to get over 36 points.on current form Oh Amd I bet Jonno we wouldn't finish above Leicester. I totally stand by each and every one and have seen nothing yet to change those views and to the immense frustration of the detractors the league table and points total supports that logic. Its November now and Hughes himself has said Nov tells you who will flourish and who will struggle . Pisser. June Views? Is that Dave's wife?
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Post by kustokie on Nov 2, 2015 12:59:24 GMT
Hi Good God people take the piss when I'm always on here. And then they make shit off when I have the temerity to sleep after staying up 'til 3 being rock and roll and watching the World Series. You conna fucking win. Rest assured I'm not Benji but unlike most who seem to want just attack people (never been a fan of that) within the grandiose bollocks of gravity and all that I've been saying the first few points since the summer....why....well because they're true. People don't like the truth though. But I do think we'll get more than 36 points. And if we can get a central midfielder in January I think we can finish top 10 again. Without one I think it'll be difficult. Hey Bayern. How about those Royals - World Series Champs. Waited 30 years for one of my teams to win something. Hopefully it won't be 30 years before The Potters win something. Not sure I've got that much runway left!
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Post by ohbottom on Nov 2, 2015 13:14:36 GMT
Bayern is not Biscuit rest assured . The fact he cans we share the same concerns will be proven right or wrong as the season unfolds right now I've seen nothing to change my June views namely , The window. Was a disaster The lack of net investment a huge error of judgment The lack of support for Hughes over 5 windows going to bite eventually The fist team materially weaker. The best owned player sold too cheaply and not replaced adequately The best winger not replaced. Many of the players bought in Cheap but not good value and not good enough for the premiere league. We have taken a huge gamble on our premier league status. I'd have take 17rh in June and would now Since then I've said out Horne losses this early Renforce my view we are at material risk of not getting.20 points this calendar year , our home form is that of a relegated team . We will do well to get over 36 points.on current form Oh Amd I bet Jonno we wouldn't finish above Leicester. I totally stand by each and every one and have seen nothing yet to change those views and to the immense frustration of the detractors the league table and points total supports that logic. Its November now and Hughes himself has said Nov tells you who will flourish and who will struggle . So you formulated all these views back in June did you? The window was a disaster before it had even opened? A player was sold too cheaply even before he was sold? The "fist" ( ) team was weaker even when it was still the same? Oh, and on "current form" we'll get at least 8 points more than the 36 you rather nonsensically suggest. Amazing how someone with such a track record of being completely wrong in everything he predicts, still seems to think he can come on here and say "I told you so"
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Post by passtheoatcakes on Nov 2, 2015 13:17:16 GMT
That's true. However f they develop mind control they'll make us develop special suits for them so they can survive outside of sea water. They may also contribute to global warming in an attempt to increase global warming and flood parts o the world. This links back to another worry so is even more concerning. If they join forces with the Chinese I'm pretty sure we are all screwed. Maybe they are the real illuminati? Seems like the rapture is closer than we thought. I am worried that the gravity crocodile is now in my bathroom waiting to pounce when I am playing with my rubber duck. It's a scary time to be alive really.
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Post by Kjones9 on Nov 2, 2015 13:25:09 GMT
Bayern is not Biscuit rest assured . The fact he cans we share the same concerns will be proven right or wrong as the season unfolds right now I've seen nothing to change my June views namely , The window. Was a disaster The lack of net investment a huge error of judgment The lack of support for Hughes over 5 windows going to bite eventually The fist team materially weaker. The best owned player sold too cheaply and not replaced adequately The best winger not replaced. Many of the players bought in Cheap but not good value and not good enough for the premiere league. We have taken a huge gamble on our premier league status. I'd have take 17rh in June and would now Since then I've said out Horne losses this early Renforce my view we are at material risk of not getting.20 points this calendar year , our home form is that of a relegated team . We will do well to get over 36 points.on current form Oh Amd I bet Jonno we wouldn't finish above Leicester. I totally stand by each and every one and have seen nothing yet to change those views and to the immense frustration of the detractors the league table and points total supports that logic. Its November now and Hughes himself has said Nov tells you who will flourish and who will struggle . So you formulated all these views back in June did you? The window was a disaster before it had even opened? A player was sold too cheaply even before he was sold? The "fist" ( ) team was weaker even when it was still the same? Oh, and on "current form" we'll get at least 8 points more than the 36 you rather nonsensically suggest. Â Amazing how someone with such a track record of being completely wrong in everything he predicts, still seems to think he can come on here and say "I told you so" Â Hacket?
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Post by chiswickpotter on Nov 2, 2015 14:34:08 GMT
Walters has done well for us, but isn't a main striker, the midfield consists of very similar players who don't have the mindset to take pots at goal, Bojan being the exception. So if Diouf doesn't play we carry very little goal threat or presence in the area. Hughes needs to tell Joselu what Bobby Robson told Shearer, to only play the width of the goal, he gets involved too much in wide areas, how many times do you see our widemen stop because there is no one in the penalty area. I keep reading how well Walters has done and is doing for us but I don't see the improvement myself. He's doing nothing different now to what he's done before. In fact, he is some way short of the form he showed during March-May 2011. Through sheer physicality and work rate he has an impact on games and on occasion looks very good. Those very good performances are, in my opinion, few and far between yet he more than anyone seems to be able to live off the back of a good performance longer than most. Take the last few games as an example. He was OK at Villa but not great by any stretch of the imagination. It was a decent performance that followed on the back of a very good performance at Leicester, then a bang average one v Bournemouth which culminated in a winning goal. He was then OK at Villa and picked up an injury, missing the Swansea game. I was away for Watford and didn't see the game but having seen the Goals on Sunday coverage last night, he missed a fairly routine chance to get us back into the game. Not only did he miss that routine chance, his shot troubled the corner flag more than the goalposts. We move on to Chelsea. Again I was on holiday but this time I managed to watch the game live. First half, he was toss. Made it way too easy for Terry and Cahill who are getting rinsed by almost everyone they come up against these days. He also missed another golden chance. Second half, he was much better, scored a very good goal but also missed and wasted 2 half decent chances as well as several good situations. We move on to Saturday. He was utter wank. Didn't run the channels, never got their back line on the turn, struggled to hold the ball up and yet again, missed several chances, including 2 golden ones, one of which was harder to miss than it was score. He is great to have around the place and is a super squad player but he should never be relied upon regularly. He just doesn't offer us what the alternatives can in terms of creativity and quality. Would I play him against Chelsea at the weekend? On the one hand I would because that sort of game is generally where he's most effective. If I did play him, I'd play him wide, moving Shaqiri inside with Diouf up front. The little maestro would feature from the bench. However, Bojan is our best player and in many respects, despite his poor showing at the weekend and in the second half of most of his games to date, we have to keep playing him so he returns to his best as quickly as possible. If we are doing that, then why would Walters feature? He doesn't offer the quality of Shaqiri (who seems to be improving game by game now) and he doesn't offer the pace or goal threat that Diouf does. Should we really be playing Walters at the expense of Bojan who we need to be fully fit and firing in the quickest time possible. Short term, if that means we lose a little bit, then really, it is case of short term pain for long term gain. I just don't get the Walters love in at all. When he plays, in the main, we lack a consistent threat throughout the game. He is great in "backs to the wall" efforts but in a game where we need to force the pace, play on the front foot and make things happen, he's as culpable as anyone when it comes to assessing our struggles in such games. Great well articulated post. Diouf is not as effective wide as an attacker though his defensive energy is very good. We need to stretch teams more and Diouf has the best movement of our front players, though Arnie is improving. Walters is not great in the air, has limited pace but can disrupt people. For Saturday I might use Walters behind Diouf though Shaqiri is a strong option. Bojan is on the classic recovery path, bright start then the reality of lack of pre-season catches up. I would be tempted to use him sparingly and give him more training for a few weeks. Longer term Walters can't be starting up front as our main striker if we are serious about a top half finish
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Post by harryburrows on Nov 2, 2015 16:48:19 GMT
Hi Good God people take the piss when I'm always on here. And then they make shit off when I have the temerity to sleep after staying up 'til 3 being rock and roll and watching the World Series. You conna fucking win. Rest assured I'm not Benji but unlike most who seem to want just attack people (never been a fan of that) within the grandiose bollocks of gravity and all that I've been saying the first few points since the summer....why....well because they're true. People don't like the truth though. But I do think we'll get more than 36 points. And if we can get a central midfielder in January I think we can finish top 10 again. Without one I think it'll be difficult. You can't be rock and roll if you have to tell people you are
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Post by fullmetaljacket on Nov 2, 2015 18:41:20 GMT
Do you not cast just a little glance at Benji's posts though Bayern and think.. Fuck that could be me in a few years time We will be fine this year. Just a case of players settling in.
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Post by spoton on Nov 2, 2015 22:10:12 GMT
Now we have scored less goals than any other team in prem with same games played.very worrying
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Post by The Drunken Communist on Nov 2, 2015 22:13:05 GMT
I know man, fucking wank that we've got less points than everyone from the same games too...
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Post by nutterpotter on Nov 2, 2015 22:13:12 GMT
We're bottom of the table too. Oh wait....
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Post by whydelilah on Nov 2, 2015 22:13:53 GMT
Now we have scored less goals than any other team in prem with same games played.very worrying I wouldn't say anything is "very worrying" about our current situation. We're not firing on all cylinders but it isn't a disaster either. We're in the last 8 of the cup and are averaging better than a point a game. I'd be "very worried" if I was a Villa fan, or Newcastle, Sunderland etc.
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Post by boltonstokie on Nov 2, 2015 22:13:33 GMT
I remember the three seasons before we got Hughesy where we scored less goals than every team in the entire football league!! No panic yet.
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Post by Bojan Mackey on Nov 2, 2015 22:14:06 GMT
Are we bottom like Villa?
Goals mean fuck all if you can't defend.
Christ I sound like March.
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Post by mightyone on Nov 2, 2015 22:14:52 GMT
Now we have scored less goals than any other team in prem with same games played.very worrying Not to worry that much I feel, if we were bottom and shipping goals for fun then I would be concerned. The goals WILL come I'm quietly confident in that. Keep the faith UTMPs .
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Post by algor on Nov 2, 2015 22:27:14 GMT
Now we have scored less goals than any other team in prem with same games played.very worrying You are knee jerking mate we are 9 points from bottom and 9 points from 3rd, the goal difference is 7 more than bottom and 7 less than 5th we are bang on mid table, nothing to worry about. Once Mame gets a run of games and we hit our traditional Hughes second half season runs we will be higher mid table goal scorers, nothing more and nothing less.
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Post by stokemanusa on Nov 2, 2015 22:29:33 GMT
We're tied for 7th in the league defensively... With Liverpool... We've had a better home defense than... Chelsea, Everton, Swansea, WHU, Leicester and Southampton... Our away GD is even better... Knicker wetting... The goals will come.
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Post by Laughing Gravy on Nov 2, 2015 22:31:16 GMT
Now we have scored less goals than any other team in prem with same games played.very worrying You are knee jerking mate we are 9 points from bottom and 9 points from 3rd, the goal difference is 7 more than bottom and 7 less than 5th we are bang on mid table, nothing to worry about. Once Mame gets a run of games and we hit our traditional Hughes second half season runs we will be higher mid table goal scorers, nothing more and nothing less. Yeah but being bang average doesn't fit the agenda quite so nicely as being 'the worst' does it? And of course we've got to be'worried' about everything as well.
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Post by spoton on Nov 2, 2015 22:33:02 GMT
Thanks lads I'm feeling a bit better now
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Post by Deleted on Nov 2, 2015 22:36:15 GMT
Abandon ship
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Post by Linx on Nov 2, 2015 22:42:01 GMT
It mainly comes down to goal difference. Ours is -3, which is par for the course for us. Last season, courtesy of our last hurrah against the Dippers, was the first season (I think) in which we finished with a positive GD since we got promoted.
Swansea have scored more than us, which is why they are 13th rather than us, despite identical points and GD. But I would prefer our current form to theirs, and I expect us to leapfrog them anytime soon.
If it wasn't for the freakish results against Albion and Watford, we would be very happy with our season so far, and those results are the difference between where we are and being in the top six. And last season, there was Villa and Burnley and Leicester at home that were the hiccups, so plus ca change.
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Post by march4 on Nov 2, 2015 22:51:31 GMT
Goals are irrelevant!!
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Post by algor on Nov 2, 2015 22:55:05 GMT
It mainly comes down to goal difference. Ours is -3, which is par for the course for us. Last season, courtesy of our last hurrah against the Dippers, was the first season (I think) in which we finished with a positive GD since we got promoted. Swansea have scored more than us, which is why they are 13th rather than us, despite identical points and GD. But I would prefer our current form to theirs, and I expect us to leapfrog them anytime soon. If it wasn't for the freakish results against Albion and Watford, we would be very happy with our season so far, and those results are the difference between where we are and being in the top six. And last season, there was Villa and Burnley and Leicester at home that were the hiccups, so plus ca change. Not sure you can call the Watford result freakish TBH, they deserved their win. The west Brom one was though!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 2, 2015 23:01:18 GMT
We're tied for 7th in the league defensively... With Liverpool... We've had a better home defense than... Chelsea, Everton, Swansea, WHU, Leicester and Southampton... Our away GD is even better Way too much common sense and objectivity.
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