MON not so bad considering the options we now have.

[ted1965]

They say a week in politics is a long time the same certainly applied when following Stoke City, in fact for me it’s 48 years this year, where the hell did the time go. By the end of last week like most people I was delighted that the club seemed to have decided to devise a plan that seemed exciting and practical at the same time, they were talking 5 year contracts, large transfer funds, it all sounded too good to be true, although as I retired Friday night I was a little deflated with some of the noises coming out of Spain and so it proved to be cautious after all this is Stoke City. the words TS is negotiating should have sent the shivers running down every supporters spine he's a joke and should have been sent packing long ago and take Cartwright with him. I honestly believe if this man was negotiating you a loan for £1000 he come back and say did my best but you owe them a million and they want it now or you'll go to prison for 20 years but don't blame me I did my best for you, oh I want 10% of what you owe now too.

It’s not the first time this kind of excitement has been quickly followed by utter despair for the long suffering supporters. I am not going to mention them all here it would take 48 years, losing Lou Macari just as we were really building momentum and the wilderness years looked like they were coming to an end. The delight of seeing Peter Coates selling the club after running it into the ground in those depressing late 90’s only for it to fall flat. Watching our best players sold for peanuts while others seemed to get double the money. Some of those 48 years were truly depressing if you didn’t keep a gallows humour you’d be throwing yourself off the nearest tall building.

Then the man who caused so much of that pain became amazingly wealthy and came riding back into town only this time he made amends in ways most of the long suffering could only dream of. We reached the promised land of the Premier league and we actually became a fixture and we got to an F A Cup final, okay we didn’t win it but life seemed good as we toured Europe until it ended in the weakened team sheet that was Valencia. Tony Pulis, dismantled what was a promising system and ultimately reverted to type and slowly began to strangle the life out of the supporters.
Then came Mark Hughes, he completely turned the football around, persuaded players we could only watch on the opposition team sheets playing for us and for about three glorious years played and outplayed at times the high and mighty, sadly this is Stoke and he became muddled in thinking and eventually the delight turned to despair culminating in his final humiliation at Coventry.

When QSF name became a genuine target it seemed a good fit, a manager with a decent CV who had actually won trophies in many countries including a continental cup and he had shown he could work well here in his one season at Watford. I was excited yet always mindful this is Stoke City until it’s signed and he’s on our training ground nothing is certain. It seems once more our inept backroom team couldn’t convince him of the project or that he would have control of his own destination, guess we shall find that out in time.

So onto plan B or it C, who knows. MON who for many seems like a match-box mini after you’ve been promised a new car for passing your driving test. Though is he so bad.

I know he’s 65 and his last club job was a disaster it seems from the outside but Sunderland has been a basket case much as QPR was during Hughes and others reigns. He actually kept them up comfortably when they looked doomed beyond redemption in his first season. We are not doomed without redemption and he has a better squad here than they did at Sunderland. I take comfort in the job he’s done with Ireland and being Irish I know he’s worked a miracle. The Irish squad he inherited are limited to say the least, he wasn’t blessed with a 20 something Robbie Keane up front. He has had to work with Murphy, Long and Walters all decent hard working professionals but hardly international quality. He qualified his motley collection of journeymen and half decent players for the Euro’s and came within a whisker of qualifying for the world cup, they were in a tough group and only a defeat at home to the Serbs denied him an amazing success. I know they were destroyed at home to Denmark but I guess you can only get so many miracles out of a sow’s ear.

I know most people are more concerned about Roy Keane, well if he was coming on his own I would be outside the Bet365 on a grassy knoll but if they come it will be MON who’s in charge and Keane is here to assist him. Of course will he be offered the war chest QSF was being offered, sadly I doubt it but I am sure he’ll be given money to bring a few decent players into the group. I again take some comfort in that he can actually bring players he wants into the squad, with Ireland it was these are your tools see what you can do with them, he did pretty well considering. There’s been a lot made of him playing very basic football again you do what you can with the players you have and considering the squad Ireland have to choose from he did a decent job and at times they actually played some decent football. The defence was regimented and solid but apart from Coleman these were mainly bench warmers or Championship players and apart from that Denmark game they were damn difficult to break down, we have decent defenders but they lack organization he if he comes will bring that.

I don’t see him as the long term project but for a couple of seasons he will steady the ship and hopefully those in control will shake the club up internally and we can then give a forward thinking manager his head and push on to some really exciting times but for now a steadying hand at the helm will have to do providing he actually says yes.

[Laughing Gravy]

Reference your last sentence Ted. Let's hope we haven't jeopardised our Plan A- by chasing Plan A rainbows.

We never do things the easy way do we.

PS I too am in my 48th year of penal servitude.

[hatchett]

Jan 14, 2018 7:42:05 GMT ted1965 said:

They say a week in politics is a long time the same certainly applied when following Stoke City, in fact for me it’s 48 years this year, where the hell did the time go. By the end of last week like most people I was delighted that the club seemed to have decided to devise a plan that seemed exciting and practical at the same time, they were talking 5 year contracts, large transfer funds, it all sounded too good to be true, although as I retired Friday night I was a little deflated with some of the noises coming out of Spain and so it proved to be cautious after all this is Stoke City. the words TS is negotiating should have sent the shivers running down every supporters spine he's a joke and should have been sent packing long ago and take Cartwright with him. I honestly believe if this man was negotiating you a loan for £1000 he come back and say did my best but you owe them a million and they want it now or you'll go to prison for 20 years but don't blame me I did my best for you, oh I want 10% of what you owe now too.

It’s not the first time this kind of excitement has been quickly followed by utter despair for the long suffering supporters. I am not going to mention them all here it would take 48 years, losing Lou Macari just as we were really building momentum and the wilderness years looked like they were coming to an end. The delight of seeing Peter Coates selling the club after running it into the ground in those depressing late 90’s only for it to fall flat. Watching our best players sold for peanuts while others seemed to get double the money. Some of those 48 years were truly depressing if you didn’t keep a gallows humour you’d be throwing yourself off the nearest tall building.

Then the man who caused so much of that pain became amazingly wealthy and came riding back into town only this time he made amends in ways most of the long suffering could only dream of. We reached the promised land of the Premier league and we actually became a fixture and we got to an F A Cup final, okay we didn’t win it but life seemed good as we toured Europe until it ended in the weakened team sheet that was Valencia. Tony Pulis, dismantled what was a promising system and ultimately reverted to type and slowly began to strangle the life out of the supporters.
Then came Mark Hughes, he completely turned the football around, persuaded players we could only watch on the opposition team sheets playing for us and for about three glorious years played and outplayed at times the high and mighty, sadly this is Stoke and he became muddled in thinking and eventually the delight turned to despair culminating in his final humiliation at Coventry.

When QSF name became a genuine target it seemed a good fit, a manager with a decent CV who had actually won trophies in many countries including a continental cup and he had shown he could work well here in his one season at Watford. I was excited yet always mindful this is Stoke City until it’s signed and he’s on our training ground nothing is certain. It seems once more our inept backroom team couldn’t convince him of the project or that he would have control of his own destination, guess we shall find that out in time.

So onto plan B or it C, who knows. MON who for many seems like a match-box mini after you’ve been promised a new car for passing your driving test. Though is he so bad.

I know he’s 65 and his last club job was a disaster it seems from the outside but Sunderland has been a basket case much as QPR was during Hughes and others reigns. He actually kept them up comfortably when they looked doomed beyond redemption in his first season. We are not doomed without redemption and he has a better squad here than they did at Sunderland. I take comfort in the job he’s done with Ireland and being Irish I know he’s worked a miracle. The Irish squad he inherited are limited to say the least, he wasn’t blessed with a 20 something Robbie Keane up front. He has had to work with Murphy, Long and Walters all decent hard working professionals but hardly international quality. He qualified his motley collection of journeymen and half decent players for the Euro’s and came within a whisker of qualifying for the world cup, they were in a tough group and only a defeat at home to the Serbs denied him an amazing success. I know they were destroyed at home to Denmark but I guess you can only get so many miracles out of a sow’s ear.

I know most people are more concerned about Roy Keane, well if he was coming on his own I would be outside the Bet365 on a grassy knoll but if they come it will be MON who’s in charge and Keane is here to assist him. Of course will he be offered the war chest QSF was being offered, sadly I doubt it but I am sure he’ll be given money to bring a few decent players into the group. I again take some comfort in that he can actually bring players he wants into the squad, with Ireland it was these are your tools see what you can do with them, he did pretty well considering. There’s been a lot made of him playing very basic football again you do what you can with the players you have and considering the squad Ireland have to choose from he did a decent job and at times they actually played some decent football. The defence was regimented and solid but apart from Coleman these were mainly bench warmers or Championship players and apart from that Denmark game they were damn difficult to break down, we have decent defenders but they lack organization he if he comes will bring that.

I don’t see him as the long term project but for a couple of seasons he will steady the ship and hopefully those in control will shake the club up internally and we can then give a forward thinking manager his head and push on to some really exciting times but for now a steadying hand at the helm will have to do providing he actually says yes.

Well written. I see him in for two and half seasons maximum.

We are a very week team at the moment, let him inject the steel back in us and then hand over to a Graham Potter type of Manager.

MON is s good Manager and will keep us in the premier league.

[pyrus]

I cannot really get excited about the prospect of MON as manager. Five years after Pulis left the club we still struggle shake off that ‘long ball, anti-football’ reputation. And can you remember how dispiriting it was to watch Pulis’s version of football: week after week of shite; even when we won it felt like we had lost. This isn’t a defence of Hughes, he had to go, but I would say that no matter how bad it got under Hughes this season, it really was never as bad as those days with Pulis because there was always the knowledge that ultimately we wanted to be expansive and entertaining. Over the last five seaons, it felt like we had turned a corner and were developing a reputation for entertainment and flair. Certainly before this season, particularly during Hughes first two and a half seasons, there was some some wonderful football.

We need a new manager, not a new version of Tony Pulis.

[wizzardofdribble]

Jan 14, 2018 8:51:25 GMT pyrus said:

I cannot really get excited about the prospect of MON as manager. Five years after Pulis left the club we still struggle shake off that ‘long ball, anti-football’ reputation. And can you remember how dispiriting it was to watch Pulis’s version of football: week after week of shite; even when we won it felt like we had lost. This isn’t a defence of Hughes, he had to go, but I would say that no matter how bad it got under Hughes this season, it really was never as bad as those days with Pulis because there was always the knowledge that ultimately we wanted to be expansive and entertaining. Over the last five seaons, it felt like we had turned a corner and were developing a reputation for entertainment and flair. Certainly before this season, particularly during Hughes first two and a half seasons, there was some some wonderful football.

We need a new manager, not a new version of Tony Pulis.

I agree with all of that BUT we need to stay up mate, that's the priority.

Nothing else matters at the moment.

MON will keep us up imo.

Flair & entertainment & enjoyment are luxuries at this point in time.

Unfortunately

[macarisredarmy]

Agree Wizards, survival is the key.

[gonesouth]

A level headed summary ref MON Ted. No one knows the reason why QSF turned down Stoke apart from the personnel involved in the negotiations. I have no issues with MON as Stoke manager. We need stability and someone who may give us a chance to escape the drop. He has the ability to organise teams with the resources available to him. Keane comes with the package and if that works good.

[ted1965]

I doubt anyone could consider MON exciting or what they really wanted but we are where we are and considering what we need right now he's about the best option who may actually come we can discuss all the exciting candidates who we could offer the job too but could TS then sell the club convincingly, it seems we know the answer.

the truth is if we want to attract more exciting managers we first have to survive and then shake things up behind the scenes we need a clean sweep of those selling the club and hopefully the new salesman is nothing like TS.

MON is the quick fix we need right now which yes is depressing but it could be much worse there are some truly depressing options out there who don't have MON's ability or credentials yet we could end up with them, so happy I am not but it could actually get worse this is Stoke.

[stokiejoe]

If the only thing stopping QSF coming was the potential drop in pay for going down I would be tempted to bite my pride and renegotiate, if possible.

[Deleted]

He would not be a bad appointment. We have handled the managerial recruitment very badly though.

[sufolkstokie]

Well done to everyone who can make a positive out of the situation the board have sleep walked in to and actually convince themselves that compared to 18 months ago, MON is a decent option. What a shambles

[pretzel]

Jan 14, 2018 8:51:25 GMT pyrus said:

We need a new manager, not a new version of Tony Pulis.

Considering the size of hole that the pizza boys have dug us into, I'd say that a new version of Tony Pulis (Who isn't Tony Pulis) is exactly what we need right now.
I'd have loved a more progressive manager but that particular boat has not only sailed but is lying at the bottom of the ocean along with the much fabled warchest.

[redstriper]

Assuming than Keane is part of the deal I'm excited about it. It could work, and it won't be dull.

Due to our totally underwhelming efforts in the cup comps our last few seasons have essentially been over by jan. At least this one will run through to May.

[wuzza]

Jan 14, 2018 8:51:25 GMT pyrus said:

I cannot really get excited about the prospect of MON as manager. Five years after Pulis left the club we still struggle shake off that ‘long ball, anti-football’ reputation. And can you remember how dispiriting it was to watch Pulis’s version of football: week after week of shite; even when we won it felt like we had lost. This isn’t a defence of Hughes, he had to go, but I would say that no matter how bad it got under Hughes this season, it really was never as bad as those days with Pulis because there was always the knowledge that ultimately we wanted to be expansive and entertaining. Over the last five seaons, it felt like we had turned a corner and were developing a reputation for entertainment and flair. Certainly before this season, particularly during Hughes first two and a half seasons, there was some some wonderful football.

We need a new manager, not a new version of Tony Pulis.

We need a manager that keeps us up and therefore keeps giving us the luxory of other options in the future.
Tony Pulis was a magnificent Manager for this club when we needed it most ( conveniently forgotten as per normal) and if we can get someone to produce the same results as he did we should be dancing in the streets considering the mess that currently exists.
This is all about securing the short / medium term future of the club and we really shouldn’t be fretting about the ‘style’ we win games with as long as we win the games.

(Ironically there is little to say that Flores actually plays a vastly expansive game either but that’s another point largely lost amid the general angst)

[christhepotter]

Yes he his a bad appointment if it happens ask Sunderland’s fans how bad

[Staffsoatcake]

The appointment will reflect the way we are been run,just a cheap option.

[Old School Stokie]

Can’t be arsed to read such a long post - can’t be that much to say on it. Simple good cop bad cop. Disco7nt Sunderland due to ownership issues and n7mber of managers shows bad news. Good appointment cos it’s a safer appointment than Flores

[ted1965]

whatever we do has to concluded by Tuesday the new manager will have 15 days to decide what we need and then actually get those players into the club, I just not sure there's more time to allow TS more thinking or monitoring opportunities or non negotiating time. if we offered QSF anything he may now still say no, he may think if you wanted me so badly you'd have not thought about it.

[kronkie]

Great post Ted, like you I have seen all the ups and downs in my 55 years of supporting our club and the last few years have been very poor, probably as bad as the binary season. I am not over impressed with MON but he is a good tactician and should with a bit of luck keep us up.

[rrrrleek]

May as well get neil baker in

[pyrus]

Jan 14, 2018 9:30:29 GMT wuzza said:

Jan 14, 2018 8:51:25 GMT pyrus said:

I cannot really get excited about the prospect of MON as manager. Five years after Pulis left the club we still struggle shake off that ‘long ball, anti-football’ reputation. And can you remember how dispiriting it was to watch Pulis’s version of football: week after week of shite; even when we won it felt like we had lost. This isn’t a defence of Hughes, he had to go, but I would say that no matter how bad it got under Hughes this season, it really was never as bad as those days with Pulis because there was always the knowledge that ultimately we wanted to be expansive and entertaining. Over the last five seaons, it felt like we had turned a corner and were developing a reputation for entertainment and flair. Certainly before this season, particularly during Hughes first two and a half seasons, there was some some wonderful football.

We need a new manager, not a new version of Tony Pulis.

We need a manager that keeps us up and therefore keeps giving us the luxory of other options in the future.
Tony Pulis was a magnificent Manager for this club when we needed it most ( conveniently forgotten as per normal) and if we can get someone to produce the same results as he did we should be dancing in the streets considering the mess that currently exists.
This is all about securing the short / medium term future of the club and we really shouldn’t be fretting about the ‘style’ we win games with as long as we win the games.

(Ironically there is little to say that Flores actually plays a vastly expansive game either but that’s another point largely lost amid the general angst)

My entire point was that I had not conveniently forgotten the Tony Pulis years. I was there, I went to the games, I understood what we were doing and why it was effective. I also saw other teams come up and survive and I very much remember thinking why can we not not play like that.

There is a significant body of supporters who automatically assume that the only way to survive is to play like a Tony Pulis/Martin O’Neill side. I challenge that assumption.

For example, look how West Ham have recovered under Moyes. Of course they are more defensive, but they are not a Neanderthal team like we were under Pulis.

[pretzel]

Jan 14, 2018 9:32:41 GMT christhepotter said:

Yes he his a bad appointment if it happens ask Sunderland’s fans how bad

Ask them how theyre doing now?
MON has managed 7 times and in every case other than Sunderland has won more games than he has lost.

[Block 22]

Jan 14, 2018 10:12:33 GMT pyrus said:

Jan 14, 2018 9:30:29 GMT wuzza said:

We need a manager that keeps us up and therefore keeps giving us the luxory of other options in the future.
Tony Pulis was a magnificent Manager for this club when we needed it most ( conveniently forgotten as per normal) and if we can get someone to produce the same results as he did we should be dancing in the streets considering the mess that currently exists.
This is all about securing the short / medium term future of the club and we really shouldn’t be fretting about the ‘style’ we win games with as long as we win the games.

(Ironically there is little to say that Flores actually plays a vastly expansive game either but that’s another point largely lost amid the general angst)

My entire point was that I had not conveniently forgotten the Tony Pulis years. I was there, I went to the games, I understood what we were doing and why it was effective. I also saw other teams come up and survive and I very much remember thinking why can we not not play like that.

There is a significant body of supporters who automatically assume that the only way to survive is to play like a Tony Pulis/Martin O’Neill side. I challenge that assumption.

For example, look how West Ham have recovered under Moyes. Of course they are more defensive, but they are not a Neanderthal team like we were under Pulis.

This annoys me, insanely.

[StoneSCFC]

Does anyone think it will have any effect on MON and his relationship with our club that he was in essence not even our 2nd choice? Or do you think he’ll not give a toss? I kind of get this feeling like the situation is he’s the last to get picked when picking footy teams in the playground - you know how it’s a bit embarrassing for the last few to get picked.

[ted1965]

i think right now we need to survive and worry about how we play in May

[ted1965]

I hope if he's the manager he will see an opportunity to prove all of us who see him as a last resort candidate wrong. if he's resentful of not being number one choice then he probably should retire now.

[drfootball]

Jan 14, 2018 7:42:05 GMT ted1965 said:

They say a week in politics is a long time the same certainly applied when following Stoke City, in fact for me it’s 48 years this year, where the hell did the time go. By the end of last week like most people I was delighted that the club seemed to have decided to devise a plan that seemed exciting and practical at the same time, they were talking 5 year contracts, large transfer funds, it all sounded too good to be true, although as I retired Friday night I was a little deflated with some of the noises coming out of Spain and so it proved to be cautious after all this is Stoke City. the words TS is negotiating should have sent the shivers running down every supporters spine he's a joke and should have been sent packing long ago and take Cartwright with him. I honestly believe if this man was negotiating you a loan for £1000 he come back and say did my best but you owe them a million and they want it now or you'll go to prison for 20 years but don't blame me I did my best for you, oh I want 10% of what you owe now too.

It’s not the first time this kind of excitement has been quickly followed by utter despair for the long suffering supporters. I am not going to mention them all here it would take 48 years, losing Lou Macari just as we were really building momentum and the wilderness years looked like they were coming to an end. The delight of seeing Peter Coates selling the club after running it into the ground in those depressing late 90’s only for it to fall flat. Watching our best players sold for peanuts while others seemed to get double the money. Some of those 48 years were truly depressing if you didn’t keep a gallows humour you’d be throwing yourself off the nearest tall building.

Then the man who caused so much of that pain became amazingly wealthy and came riding back into town only this time he made amends in ways most of the long suffering could only dream of. We reached the promised land of the Premier league and we actually became a fixture and we got to an F A Cup final, okay we didn’t win it but life seemed good as we toured Europe until it ended in the weakened team sheet that was Valencia. Tony Pulis, dismantled what was a promising system and ultimately reverted to type and slowly began to strangle the life out of the supporters.
Then came Mark Hughes, he completely turned the football around, persuaded players we could only watch on the opposition team sheets playing for us and for about three glorious years played and outplayed at times the high and mighty, sadly this is Stoke and he became muddled in thinking and eventually the delight turned to despair culminating in his final humiliation at Coventry.

When QSF name became a genuine target it seemed a good fit, a manager with a decent CV who had actually won trophies in many countries including a continental cup and he had shown he could work well here in his one season at Watford. I was excited yet always mindful this is Stoke City until it’s signed and he’s on our training ground nothing is certain. It seems once more our inept backroom team couldn’t convince him of the project or that he would have control of his own destination, guess we shall find that out in time.

So onto plan B or it C, who knows. MON who for many seems like a match-box mini after you’ve been promised a new car for passing your driving test. Though is he so bad.

I know he’s 65 and his last club job was a disaster it seems from the outside but Sunderland has been a basket case much as QPR was during Hughes and others reigns. He actually kept them up comfortably when they looked doomed beyond redemption in his first season. We are not doomed without redemption and he has a better squad here than they did at Sunderland. I take comfort in the job he’s done with Ireland and being Irish I know he’s worked a miracle. The Irish squad he inherited are limited to say the least, he wasn’t blessed with a 20 something Robbie Keane up front. He has had to work with Murphy, Long and Walters all decent hard working professionals but hardly international quality. He qualified his motley collection of journeymen and half decent players for the Euro’s and came within a whisker of qualifying for the world cup, they were in a tough group and only a defeat at home to the Serbs denied him an amazing success. I know they were destroyed at home to Denmark but I guess you can only get so many miracles out of a sow’s ear.

I know most people are more concerned about Roy Keane, well if he was coming on his own I would be outside the Bet365 on a grassy knoll but if they come it will be MON who’s in charge and Keane is here to assist him. Of course will he be offered the war chest QSF was being offered, sadly I doubt it but I am sure he’ll be given money to bring a few decent players into the group. I again take some comfort in that he can actually bring players he wants into the squad, with Ireland it was these are your tools see what you can do with them, he did pretty well considering. There’s been a lot made of him playing very basic football again you do what you can with the players you have and considering the squad Ireland have to choose from he did a decent job and at times they actually played some decent football. The defence was regimented and solid but apart from Coleman these were mainly bench warmers or Championship players and apart from that Denmark game they were damn difficult to break down, we have decent defenders but they lack organization he if he comes will bring that.

I don’t see him as the long term project but for a couple of seasons he will steady the ship and hopefully those in control will shake the club up internally and we can then give a forward thinking manager his head and push on to some really exciting times but for now a steadying hand at the helm will have to do providing he actually says yes.

How dare you post on here using reason,intelligence and common sense.You should be ashamed 😂

[sportsman]

Jan 14, 2018 9:32:41 GMT christhepotter said:

Yes he his a bad appointment if it happens ask Sunderland’s fans how bad

Are you obsessed by Sunderland. Why don't you ask other fans from say Leicester or whoever.

[cobhamstokey]

From Flores to Lambert in 1 day

[silverdollar]

Employing O'Neill and Keane would be a massive mistake. He perhaps would be able to organise us defensively because all he has known at Ireland is being the underdogs and the metallity of being underdogs. He and his regime are from another generation that doesn't belong in the modern game. Ever likely Pejic was extolling the virtues of Keane! They are both from the same ilk of ruling by fear. Another prehistoric idea that belongs in the arc.