Well how’s this all going to turn out?

[neddy]

We have so many luminaires on here I think it’s time we all put our necks on the block as to where we will be at the end of the season?

Now before everyone rushes to be negative out of hand have a think as to the options? And remember the thread can be brought back at the appropriate time!!

I’ll start I am going for Hughes to turn it around and keep us up! I have no confidence at the moment from what I see but can’t see any alternatives as we speak! I think Coates will release him at that point and we enter a new era!

That’s my believe and hope so I am going with that so it’s over to you......what will happen and where will be?

Benji I think I know your shout?

Ned

[loosestools]

I'm slowly becoming de-sensitised. I am making myself believe that the drop is inevitable, then it wont be such a shock.

[exiledpotter]

Hughes to stay and keep us up (just) with help from other teams falling apart ... with an unexpected (very unexpected right now) cup run (to the QFs). Then a calm/planned parting of the ways & a new manager following the World Cup.

[cheeesfreeex]

There's a bit of a stat that indicates you're a bit fucked if rooted to the bottom at xmas.
Not a certainty and as far as I can recall no one has ever been relegated at xbox.

Mystic meg says.
'We'll do a Wigan'.

FA Cup and drop.
Ktf.

[stokemark]

I have seen enough of them to know

This is a relegation season

[Deleted]

Stay up, just, by 1 point.
Coates, Scholes, Cartwright will congratulate each other and we will be stuck trying to replace Shaq, Butland and Zouma in the bargain bin come July.

I doubt we will be fighting off any interest from clubs for Wimmer's signature at the end of the season that's for sure.

[firfuxache]

Think we’ll finish the season 5 points above the relegation places with Hughes still at the helm. Players queuing up to leave and an owner says we’ve done well this season all things being considered.

I won’t be surprised if we do drop and fully expect Hughes to be gone come safety or relegation.

[bayernoatcake]

I'm all set for relegation. In my head we're down.

[trickydicky73]

Dec 19, 2017 18:58:30 GMT bayernoatcake said:

I'm all set for relegation. In my head we're down.

We are truly dire. Even though we were hardly tearing up trees earlier in the season, at least we looked solid enough. At the moment the opposition looks like scoring with every attack.

[NG4POTTERS]

Yeah i think we will go down. This club is a lot different now to the one i grew up with though. I always had no hope, it was all just dreaming. If we go then we can get back up with the right changes. It might put some fire back in the soul of stoke city.

[Deleted]

We are poor, disorganised, with an insipid strike force and very little pace.

We have an ever-changing system/personnel, and potentially our “talisman” unsettled/wanting to leave (if the rumours are to be believed).

If Hughes stays, I think we will drop, unless major changes are made in January.

For me, the best option is to replace Hughes.

There are no guarantees, granted, but I believe we have enough quality if harnessed correctly, and with a few pacy additions for us to still comfortably finish mid-table.

[Staffsoatcake]

We will stay up by the skin of our teeth,Hughes will then lose his job.

[simple]

At the end of the day,we will be in the Premiership or championship next season,if you support your team it should not make any difference,in fact you get more for your money in the championship.And there a lot on here who say the hate the Premiership anyway,

[Deleted]

I think we're going down. I've got a feeling that we're in deep trouble and that the summer's transfer window, poor performances, and the Board continue to support Hughes then I think we've already left it too late to save ourselves this season.

It's going to take an almighty improvement with a massive change of performance levels, team selection, tactics, and above all results for us to have any chance of avoiding the drop.

IMO if we keep Hughes we have no chance of staying up, if we get a new manager with fresh ideas, fresh motivation of the players etc then we stand some chance.

[lordb]

Not a scooby.
Tenth?
Bottom?

[lordb]

Dec 19, 2017 19:13:00 GMT Staffsoatcake said:

We will stay up by the skin of our teeth,Hughes will then lose his job.

That works for me

[fca47]

Have resigned myself to the drop, but as with all supporters , with the lingering hope he will pull something from the fire in January and we will scrape home.

[roosterslovechild]

All our stars leave.
Relegated.
Hughes still in charge.
Sir Peter of Coates banks the parachute payment.
Back to our rightful position of “little old Stoke” in the lower leagues.

On the plus side the match tickets will be cheaper:)

[WhyDelilah]

I've started resigning myself to relegation.

The only slither of hope that remains is that there is/could possibly be 3 teams worse than us.

I have no confidence whatsoever that anything will dramatically improve over the rest of the season. There is no magic wand. After half of the season the league standings are a fair reflection of where a team is at and you can easily draw conclusions from the performances and results witnessed to date.

Our poor spell actually goes beyond this season too, spanning around 18 months in total.

Like I say, I do still have a glimmer of hope. The way we ground out the win against Swansea at home is a (half) decent marker, and if we can grind out another win against a poor West Brom side on Saturday then that will give me a bit more confidence/hope.

Even with a victory though, it doesn't change the fact we need a change of manager. My choice would be a change now but I get the feeling Coates will let it drag out until the Summer and hope we limp over the line.

Change at the top is inevitable though. It's just a matter of damage limitation now.

Firstly, can we stay up? Beyond that, can we keep hold of the likes of Butland and Shaqiri for at least another season whilst we try to rebuild?

It's a big ask. On both fronts.

[Deleted]

The West Brom game is massive. I'll give my view after that.

[Dresden_scfc]

Hopefully we stay up and not in danger towards the end of the season, don't want be twitching like harry!

[VolvicStokie]

I genuinely believe if Coates sticks, we're going down.

I think West Brom has to be Sparkys final game and we need to go all out and get Koeman. I think he's an appointment we'd all be impressed with and he'd get the full backing of the fans.

He'd be given funds, and I'm sure he would do something similar to what he did at Southampton with us.

If Rodgers wanted to get back into the Premier league maybe he'd be an option but I just can't see him coming.

Failing both of these, then, well fuck knows

Just anyone but Toxic

[neddy]

Dec 19, 2017 19:13:29 GMT simple said:

At the end of the day,we will be in the Premiership or championship next season,if you support your team it should not make any difference,in fact you get more for your money in the championship.And there a lot on here who say the hate the Premiership anyway,

So where do you think we will be?

[neddy]

Dec 19, 2017 19:37:35 GMT @robo51 said:

The West Brom game is massive. I'll give my view after that.

Oh go on come off the fence have a guess?

[CalgaryPotter]

I have always focused on goal difference at this time of the season rather than points. For me, it tells you a lot about whether a team may have been in a game.

At the moment our goal difference is worst in the league by some distance. We don't just lose, we get tonked on a regular basis and only ever win by the solitary goal. We have been one of the lowest scoring teams season after season whether it be under Hughes or Pulis but now our usual miserly defence is wide open, shipping goals at an average of >2 per game.
We look unfit, we have no shape, no confidence and nothing to bring off the bench to address the weaknesses.

Unless our much maligned transfer team pull out at least 5 gems in the transfer window then I fear for us continuing at this level. I say 5 because I am convinced we will lose two of our stars in January.

[scfcno1fan]

Gone.

We’ve a slim chance, but who are we kidding, we’re shite.

As echoed above, I’ve already prepared for it.

[crapslinger]

We will go down Hughes has done to much damage to be repaired in half a season, if we were showing any signs of fight and passion we would have a punchers chance, under Hughes we have lost all pride both the team and fans are so apathetic nothing will shake them out of it. The writing was on the wall last home game of last season when the ground emptied before the players lap of dishonour, I have never seen that happen at Stoke under any other manager.

Coates/Board have to plan longer term now a massive clear out in the summer where possible starting with Mark and his team all his team, the transfer team need fucking off as well as a number of deadwood in the squad, it is obvious that certain players do not want to play for us including a number of recent additions, get back to basics with a fresh manager for me Rowett would fit that bill. 

[Gods]

I think we are about 50/50 to go down, if we do we are gone for good.

[neddy]

Dec 19, 2017 20:25:19 GMT Gods said:

I think we are about 50/50 to go down, if we do we are gone for good. [/quote


No Pulis back and we stay up yet? March?

[dutchstokie]

Ive said all along we wont go down and I Will stand by that