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Post by doitforfrank on Jul 15, 2018 20:30:41 GMT
Truth is, the day Nzonzi left was the first day towards our relegation. For a club of Stoke's size, Nzonzi was irreplaceable. Take Messi out of Barca, they're not the same team. Take Hazard out of Chelsea, they're not the same team. Not saying Nzonzi is up there with those two, but for Stoke he was that big a presence. Since then we've had no one in midfield who could win the ball and keep the ball with equal ease. Nzonzi was and clearly IS an absolutely class player, the likes of which we may never see again. It took us 40 years to get anyone near as good as Greenhoff or Hudson, and Nzonzi was that good in my opinion.
I feel privileged to have seen him wear our red and white stripes, and then go on to play in and win a world cup final. Congratulations Steven and good luck for your future, As long as its not at Arsenal.
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Post by rawli on Jul 15, 2018 20:47:26 GMT
Sold for £7m. Mark Hughes. Eye of a dead fish when it comes to a player He. Had. No. Intention. Of. Staying. Beyond. His. Contract. We'd Have Been Better Off Making Him See Out His Contract And Getting Nothing Instead Of Spunking 18 Million On A Replacement
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Post by pottersrule on Jul 15, 2018 20:51:47 GMT
Another one given away... So fuckin predictable
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Post by rawli on Jul 15, 2018 20:52:21 GMT
Typical of this club that Walters is lauded even though he agitated and NZonzi is still moaned about as being a crab.
Look at our record after he left.
Pearls before swine.
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Post by nutterpotter on Jul 15, 2018 21:02:30 GMT
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Post by TheWiseMaster on Jul 15, 2018 21:45:11 GMT
So - is he the only ex Stoke player to play in a world final?
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Post by redwhite on Jul 15, 2018 22:58:10 GMT
Could tell he was a fantastic player from the second we signed him. This “he was only good in his final season” theory is utter bollocks.
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Post by spitthedog on Jul 15, 2018 23:29:38 GMT
Could tell he was a fantastic player from the second we signed him. This “he was only good in his final season” theory is utter bollocks. Some people seem to have forgotten what our midfield was like before he came He transformed our play immediately and made Whelan into twice the player he was. He was not a God, but he was outstanding. Never seen anyone since Hudson who could keep possession of a football so well. He always has time on the ball...that is a sign of a very good player and his movement off the ball is top drawer.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 16, 2018 10:57:17 GMT
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Post by JurgenVandeurzen on Jul 16, 2018 11:06:01 GMT
So - is he the only ex Stoke player to play in a world final? In the modern era yes, of course Banksy won it. Geoff Hurst played for us after winning the World Cup.
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Post by lordb on Jul 16, 2018 11:07:12 GMT
So - is he the only ex Stoke player to play in a world final? In the modern era yes, of course Banksy won it. Geoff Hurst played for us after winning the World Cup. Banks was a Leicester player in 1966
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Post by JurgenVandeurzen on Jul 16, 2018 11:08:28 GMT
In the modern era yes, of course Banksy won it. Geoff Hurst played for us after winning the World Cup. Banks was a Leicester player in 1966 Still, an ex-Stoke player who's played in a World Cup final though. Claim what we can.
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Post by jeycov on Jul 16, 2018 11:18:22 GMT
£35 million release clause
Still interested Arsenal?
Good value?
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Post by nott1 on Jul 16, 2018 11:18:37 GMT
Obviously the French manager read my posts about him being blind not to see his class and ignoring him while at Stoke!
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Post by spitthedog on Jul 16, 2018 11:37:11 GMT
Banks was a Leicester player in 1966 Still, an ex-Stoke player who's played in a World Cup final though. Claim what we can. So N'Zonzi is the only ex-Stoke player to feature in a World Cup Final i.e had played for Stoke before playing in it.
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Post by JoeinOz on Jul 16, 2018 11:37:55 GMT
The moment he walked on the pitch I just groaned inwardly knowing all this would come to the fore again.
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shimmer
Academy Starlet
Posts: 244
Location: Middle Earth
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Post by shimmer on Jul 16, 2018 11:49:13 GMT
Great player, fully deserved.
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Post by boskampsflaps on Jul 16, 2018 12:26:52 GMT
He. Had. No. Intention. Of. Staying. Beyond. His. Contract. We'd Have Been Better Off Making Him See Out His Contract And Getting Nothing Instead Of Spunking 18 Million On A Replacement So lose out on 7mil, yeh that makes sense.
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Post by rawli on Jul 16, 2018 12:46:43 GMT
We'd Have Been Better Off Making Him See Out His Contract And Getting Nothing Instead Of Spunking 18 Million On A Replacement So lose out on 7mil, yeh that makes sense. Lose 7 to keep 18? Finish higher in league to gain more prize money? It would ha e been a better decision. Glad you see it makes sense.
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Post by JoeinOz on Jul 16, 2018 12:49:13 GMT
He. Had. No. Intention. Of. Staying. Beyond. His. Contract. We'd Have Been Better Off Making Him See Out His Contract And Getting Nothing Instead Of Spunking 18 Million On A Replacement What if he'd refused to play for us. That's a nightmare scenario. Remember from the moment he arrived he just wanted to go.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 16, 2018 13:01:30 GMT
Truth is, the day Nzonzi left was the first day towards our relegation. For a club of Stoke's size, Nzonzi was irreplaceable. Take Messi out of Barca, they're not the same team. Take Hazard out of Chelsea, they're not the same team. And take N'zonzi out of the French national team and they might not have won the world cup. Even if he's not exactly a regular in the team. But when he came on, with one third of the game still to come, he gave France something extra that even the much lauded Kante couldn't give them. He just had a cool manner of slotting in and immediately own the pitch, and Croatia had no answer to that. And while he may not be first to acknowledge it, it was we that made a man out of him in footballing terms. With Blackburn he was a talented player but he didn't know what his best position was and was a troubled outsider in the team. Some of that misfit stayed with him when he arrived here and probably never left entirely, but partnering him with Whelan was a stroke of genius that benefitted both of them, and us too of course. I think Whelan probably drew him out of his shell, and from Whelan N'zonzi learned something that made him bark orders at the world's costliest midfielder. Even so I'm surprised how far he has made it. Because even though he was dying to get international recognition, it seemed to have passed him by. Two years ago France was sending out B-teams as they prepared for the Euro's and he couldn't even get into those teams. His agent father was even offering him to the English national team. Then suddenly last year at the age of 28 he was suddenly given a debut by Deschamps. A very strange selection as Deschamps hates players that don't fit in the team ethics, and Steven never has. But he must have done something right. Possibly Deschamps even sees a little of himself in N'zonzi's functional role as the free defensive midfielder who controls and also playmakes from deep. Which is exactly what he did yesterday. Congratulations to Steven N'zonzi!
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Post by boskampsflaps on Jul 16, 2018 13:14:03 GMT
So lose out on 7mil, yeh that makes sense. Lose 7 to keep 18? Finish higher in league to gain more prize money? It would ha e been a better decision. Glad you see it makes sense. How would we have kept 18, he would still need replacing, and we'd be 7 mil lighter because he goes for nothing, saying we'd finish higher is guess work. There's sticks to beat the club with if you must but this isn't one of them.
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Post by ohbottom on Jul 16, 2018 13:23:37 GMT
I think there was one that got merged almost straight away, so I'm guessing that one wasn't counted
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Post by followyoudown on Jul 16, 2018 13:28:09 GMT
So lose out on 7mil, yeh that makes sense. Lose 7 to keep 18? Finish higher in league to gain more prize money? It would ha e been a better decision. Glad you see it makes sense. We were 9pts behind Liverpool in 8th, Nzonzi was a great player for us but wouldn't have made up that difference. As for saving £18m we would have been spending that money the year after buying a player anyway and who is to say we would not have still bought Imbula then.
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Post by cheekymatt71 on Jul 16, 2018 13:35:25 GMT
Congrats to Nzonzi he really didnt look out of place in a World Cup final playing for France who have a wealth of talent.
Was a pleasure to watch him for Stoke and nothing wrong with wishing an ex-Stokie well.
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Post by JurgenVandeurzen on Jul 16, 2018 13:35:49 GMT
This board is an incredible place at times.
We have posters who think Pogba is absolutely terrible, and people lauding over N'zonzi for winning a World Cup.
Pogba - 539 minutes played Nzonzi - 141 minutes played
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Post by robrigo on Jul 16, 2018 14:05:37 GMT
Nzonzi was/ is a sulky little bugger but boy what a midfielder and what a player.
Over the last ten years we have had some real talent represent us and it’s sad that we have lost the likes of him, Arnie, Shaq. Shame that it’s come to an end for now.
Now we build again and hopefully one day we will attract such talent again. It was great while it lasted and I thoroughly enjoyed having the likes of Steven Nzonzi on our books.
However we have to stop giving these players away when the likes of them come around.
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Post by interestedobserver on Jul 16, 2018 14:16:05 GMT
Still, an ex-Stoke player who's played in a World Cup final though. Claim what we can. So N'Zonzi is the only ex-Stoke player to feature in a World Cup Final i.e had played for Stoke before playing in it. Let's not forget the legend Brek Shea who is the only player to score a continental winner while under contract at Stoke. For those of you who forget, here is his glorious strike from distance:
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Post by gregstokie on Jul 16, 2018 14:23:17 GMT
The moment he walked on the pitch I just groaned inwardly knowing all this would come to the fore again. Sorry Joe, I was just taking the piss. Didn’t think it would start a mass-debate (see what I did there?) snigger Anyway, the last laugh is he can’t visit Trentham Gardens Monkey Forrest now, nor can he watch the sun set behind the Incinerator next to the Britt/Bet365/Whatever it’s called at the time of reading... Just opened the door and lobbed the grenade in and left didn’t I??
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Post by JoeinOz on Jul 16, 2018 14:26:09 GMT
The moment he walked on the pitch I just groaned inwardly knowing all this would come to the fore again. Sorry Joe, I was just taking the piss. Didn’t think it would start a mass-debate (see what I did there?) snigger Anyway, the last laugh is he can’t visit Trentham Gardens Monkey Forrest now, nor can he watch the sun set behind the Incinerator next to the Britt/Bet365/Whatever it’s called at the time of reading... Just opened the door and lobbed the grenade in and left didn’t I?? 😁😁😁😁😁
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