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Post by kustokie on Dec 20, 2017 3:23:35 GMT
I think staying up with 37 points is a real possibility. It will take big and I'm not talking a single 20million pound player here, I'm talking 2 x 20 and another 2 x 10 million pound players to give us a chance. That's £60 million total for four players who could keep us up. Two defenders a box to box and FFS a striker. No chance Peter Coates will spend that so I'm afraid were gone. The subject of manager is a seperate issue to that minimum spend. How many strikers has Hughes signed only to either stick them on the wing or abandon them altogether? Let me help you: Diouf, Joselu, Berahino, Bony, Jese, and let’s not forget he signed Bojan with the understanding he would play him in his preferred position as striker. You can’t blame the board not to send more good money after bad on strikers that won’t work out. As far as the other positions are concerned: they couldn’t land two FBs and box-to-box midfield player in the Summer, so what’s makes you think they can pull three rabbits out of the hat in January? Even if they could find them, which they won’t because they are not out there, they can’t afford the quality of player we need. It’s not going to happen. We’ll have to make do with what we have. This is as good as it’s going to get!
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Post by alster on Dec 20, 2017 11:29:34 GMT
Think we'll stay up just. Hughes will have to go either in the next few days or at the end of the season. If he stays hope to fuck we don't leave replacing him until after the world cup as one poster suggested leaves very little time to reshape the squad before the transfer window closes before the league kicks off.
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Post by cheekymatt71 on Dec 20, 2017 11:44:56 GMT
IF we are relying on Wimmer in defence and Fletcher in midfield for the rest of the season we doomed for sure.
Or if Shaqiri gets injured we are royally fucked.
Not enough class in the first-team, and we are an embarrassment at the moment
= Relegation regardless of who is the manager
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Post by Staying up for Grandadstokey on Dec 20, 2017 12:19:04 GMT
I think our only saving grace could be the amount of teams in a similar position to ourselves. I can see Palace quite easily escaping providing they keep Zaha, West Ham should never be down there anyway and have the strongest squad in the bottom half, Huddersfield are the surprise package ,you think they could be in trouble then they come up with unexpected results and they have a team of battlers, Brighton have done well, but could still struggle particularly if they get injuries etc. Newcastle and West Brom are in even worse form than us, but at least seem to keep in games ,unlike us who get trounced on a regular basis. Swansea I think are in a worse position than us and don't score many goals . The thing that worries me more than anything and it has been said by many, is that we have to many players without the stomach for a relegation scrap. With more hope than conviction I'll say we will finish 17th.
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Post by thehoof on Dec 20, 2017 13:39:35 GMT
The bookie's say hughes is 4/9 to be sacked and Pulis about evens to return. If he comes back he will keep us up. He always proves his critics wrong. Well he certainly leaves clubs with the majority of fans loathing him. I wonder why?
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Post by chipsaway on Dec 20, 2017 14:42:00 GMT
We'll stay up; Swansea, Newcastle and Brighton to go down.
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Post by greystokie on Dec 20, 2017 15:10:15 GMT
I'm convinced that if Hughes remains as manager we will be relegated.
I expect that we will lose to the Baggies on Satdee. LMH will then get sacked and replaced but don't know by who.
The new manager will have some money to spend in January. It will not be enough to solve our goal drought but it might just help to shore up the defence to gain a few draws. The combination of the new manager lifting the team and a handful of 0-0 scorelines will just about keep us up.
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Post by dirtygary69 on Dec 20, 2017 15:29:58 GMT
So difficult to say as it depends on what happens in the coming weeks. I tend to be more optimistic than most but I know shit when I see it. I posted a few weeks back about the strange start to the season but the positives from that (scoring goals) have all but evaporated.
- Carry on like this and we're down, no doubt about it - Change the manager and gamble in the transfer window and hope for the best
This weekend's game against WBA is what it all hinges on in my opinion. Win that game and we go to Huddersfield with a bit of encouragement, rest players at Chelsea if needs be (defeatist I know), then come out fighting against Newcastle on New Year's Day. If we can get 9 points from the next 12 (I know it's a big ask) it would be absolutely monumental and see us climbing the table. I can see us then having the confidence to gather more points in the New Year and hopefully keep us far enough away from trouble to be comfortable.
If the reverse happens and we only pick up 2 or 3 points from the next four games then we I believe are doomed, whoever comes in. We'll have lost too many games against too many poor teams. The last time we dropped into the bottom three, we beat Man United at home and went on a run. Hopefully Hughes can somehow find himself again, at least for the foreseeable future.
My gut feeling is that we'll pick up a point against West Brom which doesn't really do anything for either us or Hughes.
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Post by potter25 on Dec 20, 2017 16:39:32 GMT
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. I think every stoke fan must wince when a team comes at us with pace and any creative movement
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Post by stokeyank on Dec 20, 2017 19:58:34 GMT
I think staying up with 37 points is a real possibility. It will take big and I'm not talking a single 20million pound player here, I'm talking 2 x 20 and another 2 x 10 million pound players to give us a chance. That's £60 million total for four players who could keep us up. Two defenders a box to box and FFS a striker. No chance Peter Coates will spend that so I'm afraid were gone. The subject of manager is a seperate issue to that minimum spend. How many strikers has Hughes signed only to either stick them on the wing or abandon them altogether? Let me help you: Diouf, Joselu, Berahino, Bony, Jese, and let’s not forget he signed Bojan with the understanding he would play him in his preferred position as striker. You can’t blame the board not to send more good money after bad on strikers that won’t work out. As far as the other positions are concerned: they couldn’t land two FBs and box-to-box midfield player in the Summer, so what’s makes you think they can pull three rabbits out of the hat in January? Even if they could find them, which they won’t because they are not out there, they can’t afford the quality of player we need. It’s not going to happen. We’ll have to make do with what we have. This is as good as it’s going to get! Don't think we need a striker, we have enough now that could do a job if they got more than a half chance per game. We need someone who can control the midfield and it will shore up the rest of the team. This will cost us 30+ million and don't know who we could get to come, but it's what is needed. Could do with a right back and another central defender but the midfield is the single thing that would keep us up.
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Post by Northy on Dec 20, 2017 20:20:50 GMT
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 Ive got a lux reading app on my phone if thats any use
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Post by neddy on Dec 20, 2017 21:13:48 GMT
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 Ive got a lux reading app on my phone if thats any use Lumin hell!!!
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Post by estp1863 on Dec 20, 2017 21:31:57 GMT
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 18th place. Failure to get someone in position for the January window will cost us
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Post by dano75 on Dec 20, 2017 21:41:24 GMT
Down with Swansea and Newcastle unfortunately , can’t see any light at the end of this very long tunnel, hope not but we’re a poor side
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Post by neddy on Dec 21, 2017 11:33:30 GMT
Down with Swansea and Newcastle unfortunately , can’t see any light at the end of this very long tunnel, hope not but we’re a poor side Is everyone still thinking Swansea for the drop?
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