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Post by kustokie on Apr 24, 2017 22:39:18 GMT
I have to believe that things started going pearshaped about the time of Bojan's injury, when we playing some fantastic football. If, and it's a big if, all his signings had have stay fit and lived up to their potential, the following would have been an outstanding team:
Butland Johnson Martins Indi Shawcross Pieters Allen Imbula Shaquiri Bojan Arnautovic Berahino
Most of these were high risk signings of players that were injury prone, inconsistent or both, The chances of all those players staying healthy and playing consistently was very slim. Unfortunately he had no Plan B and now we are in a downward spiral.
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Post by boskampsflaps on Apr 24, 2017 22:39:20 GMT
He was signing before Hughes got here. Doesn't mean it was a Pulis signing. Shea and Butland were both signed during his tenure but it's pretty common knowledge that he had little or nothing to do with their moves. I think its more not a Hughes signing rather than a Pulis signing, as you say.
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Post by crapslinger on Apr 24, 2017 22:41:17 GMT
He was signing before Hughes got here. Doesn't mean it was a Pulis signing. Shea and Butland were both signed during his tenure but it's pretty common knowledge that he had little or nothing to do with their moves. Not according to the man himself , he has stated publically after he was sacked that he was in control of all the signings made whilst he was our manager it is on record
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Post by Gods on Apr 24, 2017 22:44:13 GMT
3 consecutive top half finishes in the top flight has never happened before in our 150+ year history and will likely never happen again.
All bidding should start by acknowledging this simple fact.
It's a 9 for me.
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Post by GoBoks on Apr 25, 2017 12:14:56 GMT
Regardless of the final league position this year, if you had a showreel of the Best Of highlights of Hughes' signings, with the exception of Crouch's wonder goal against Man City, they knock Team Pulis into a cocked hat. It's such a shame that there hasn't been a consistent first XI or system. I'm genuinely saddened that Bojan is on loan, and the Waving Cat too come to that, and that Bony hasn't clicked (or been played) and so on. Absolutely spot on. Include one or two of fuller's and a delay throw, and that's it. We play so much better when we are on song. But that's exactly why I have come to the conclusion that it's time for a fresh face. Hughes cannot get his players playing consistently to anything near their potential. I think that Silvia could be the ticket to the next step up ( consistently challenging for a euro league spot.
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Post by riccyfuller93 on Apr 25, 2017 12:24:25 GMT
7. Brought in some players for us that shocked the footballing world and we can't thank him enough for that. It's been very poor getting the best out of our team though. Better than Pulis, but there's no sense of direction anymore.
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Post by alster on Apr 25, 2017 12:27:11 GMT
As the saying goes from the sublime to the ridiculous.
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Post by Widget123 on Apr 25, 2017 14:23:33 GMT
The problem for me is that its been a dull as dishwater season. A mediocre start to the season, the completely unnecessary loss to Hull in the EFL Cup and baste that particular turkey in January with a stupid loss to Wolves in the FA Cup the nett result of cooking that mixture results in there being no real interest outside of the league games for large sections of the season (which we've fortunately had a bit of in recent times).
This has meant that the league games are drawn into closer focus and on that front we've undoubtedly regressed in almost every way over the last 24 months in those games.
Contrast the wins against Man City and Liverpool at home when we had the wings and forwards entertaining us (Arnie, Shaq and Bojan (and Nzonzi before his move obviously)) and the defence with a confidence filled, England bound, Butland behind them, with the mess of early parts of this season where we changed goalie every other game and the defence/midfield(and the bloody strikers!) still seemingly are unable to defend and clear set pieces with every player back within the eighteen yard box.
In addition we've started conceding late goals resulting in lost draws and wins. This season more than the others it has become very hard to put together a personal highlight reel of the season which is on the whole favourable.
I've written off the season (and to be honest I did that back in Feb), I'm also personally rapidly losing faith in Hughes but if he stays another 12 months he needs to answer some very difficult questions about his management of the flair players, the issue of conceding too often from set pieces (including this manic tactic of bringing every player back) and his sometimes baffling starting lineup and substitution strategies. I don't expect him to fix everything at once but for the first time since his arrival he actually needs to bring forward his summer holiday to the period immediately after the season finishes (and insist that the players do the same) and start the prep for the 2017/2018 season in JULY! so the players and club are actually *ready* for the start of the season and so its not bloody October before the players are ready.
All that said the players have their role to play. Despite the general misgivings on the forum about "Pulis era players" the reason Hughes has rotated them so much into the lineup this season is down to their general reliability to do a task. I don't expect players like Arnie or Shaq (if he's ever fit) will ever turn up to the party at full pelt for every game (if they did they clearly wouldn't be at Stoke), so the rotation of players able to hit a happy medium innings consistently is important in a squad(*1) and Hughes has "fallen back" on betting on consistency when his players haven't performed. Which this season hand on heart I would say the squad as a whole (ie. almost every player) has been below par for the entire season - this isn't solely Hughes' responsibility - the players *have* to step up also for things to change for the better too.
(*1) The idea of course being that you "upgrade" your "happy medium innings" players over time.
//
TLDR: Score 6.5 - mostly on the first two years being an 8/9 and the last two being a 6/5 in terms of ascendancy and regression.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 25, 2017 14:35:37 GMT
He's Welsh so therefore a cunt. However he's our cunt. I like him GD P.S talking of cunts what happened to mermaid sal ?
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Post by cousindupree on Apr 25, 2017 14:48:46 GMT
8 He had us playing some of the best football seen at SCFC since the heady days of the 70's, at times it was thrilling to watch. To push on he needed an Nzonzi replacement and a 15+ striker, plus another wide player. We haven't found the Nzonzi replacement and have had to make do with Allen. Bony was a real shock at just how poor he has become and I guess 99% of people would have thought he would deliver more. If Imbula and Bony had lived up to their reputation we might well have pushed on I think we were that close. Sadly we have gone backwards, but who is the say he can't do it again with some major signings in the summer?
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Post by cheeesfreeex on Apr 25, 2017 15:11:45 GMT
The boy done good. Took a disharmonious bunch of relegation dodging miscreants who were putting pig's heads in lockers and egging expensive motors. Rumours of dressing room bust ups and players 'working to rule'. Turned us into a saucy footballing team on a shoestring. League Cup semi, talk of Champs League for a brief heady spell too. However I thought he achieved that at the cost of ignoring the nogger 'nuts & bolts'. {Set pieces and that.}
Stumbled in the kicking on, but not for want of trying, taking a few transfer risks and such. He'll be operating within the parameters set by Peter Coates and co. Still been able to attract some dazzling talents to Stoke, traditionally a pretty hard sell.
A season of IBS for me... not irritable bowel syndrome. Imbula, Bojan, Shaq all nearly men for different reasons. {It would have been nice to get Berahino in for the start of the campaign too.} But I do think he's addressed/addressing some of the basics, 'nuts & bolts', this season too.
I think we'll emerge next season a better and more complete outfit.
Still think there's plenty of life in the project. KTF.
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liquidlen
Youth Player
Let's see how this goes then...
Posts: 487
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Post by liquidlen on Apr 25, 2017 18:16:58 GMT
On the whole Mark has been great for us, no question. However, I have my own theory on things.
My biggest issue with MH's tenure here and the overriding factor for our current plight is pretty much down to one simple thing. And that is the sheer number of 4-0 drubbings that we've sustained over the last 15 months. Let's be honest, we have been humiliated on numerous occasions.
No side can get hammered that many times and fully recover itself. I said 12 months ago that we'll never put these beatings behind us with this Manager and we haven't. The damage is done and it's permanent.
Sadly, this is why he has to go.
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Post by alster on Apr 25, 2017 18:47:46 GMT
On the whole Mark has been great for us, no question. However, I have my own theory on things. My biggest issue with MH's tenure here and the overriding factor for our current plight is pretty much down to one simple thing. And that is the sheer number of 4-0 drubbings that we've sustained over the last 15 months. Let's be honest, we have been humiliated on numerous occasions. No side can get hammered that many times and fully recover itself. I said 12 months ago that we'll never put these beatings behind us with this Manager and we haven't. The damage is done and it's permanent. Sadly, this is why he has to go. I think you make a valid point the barrage of 4 something losses have affected Hughes' mentality very badly. He has become a much more cautious manager and its only resulted in negatives. I don't think we've won any games we would otherwise have lost but for his caution and I can certainly think of games we would have won but have ended up drawing or even losing because of it. I don't agree that it was inevitable I thought and hoped he was stronger mentally but you're right those results have taken him hostage and unfortunately I agree that he is unlikely to be freed whilst he remains at the club.
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