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Post by GrahamHyde on Aug 6, 2019 22:54:55 GMT
Yes, we are shit.
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Post by iglugluk on Aug 6, 2019 23:35:46 GMT
I was hoping not when Jones came but his performance over the last 8 months has me genuinely worried.. hard to admit but he seems less capable than Rowett and that's saying something. I hope I'm wrong but the team he has assembled doesn't inspire confidence so far.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 7, 2019 0:52:19 GMT
Anyone who watched Sunderland 'till I die will have seen in the game snippets the comical errors in defence and the inability to score goals and / or hold a lead.
Does it sound familiar.
They were under a lot more financial stress than we are. But if our players don't start getting the basics right soon, we will be battling with the clubs with less resources but a hell of a lot more fight.
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Post by onionman on Aug 7, 2019 2:21:43 GMT
If we get into a relegation battle we are certainties to go down, given the lame characters we've built our team around and general chaos surrounding the club. Those were the ingredients for relegation in 1990, 1998 and 2018. Hopefully we can get a few wins against the ordinary teams early on, to keep the pressure off.
Being honest, when you weigh up everything we've done in the past three years, including this summer, we deserve nothing other than to continue our downward spiral. As numerous other failing Premier League clubs have found out, the Championship is a pretty honest division. Clubs that make sensible decisions tend to do well. Clubs that spend stupid money on rubbish players with no proper plan tend to struggle.
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Post by sufolkstokie on Aug 7, 2019 6:42:10 GMT
Recurring fragility at the back, lack of goals and little creation in midfield does not bode well.
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Post by bayernoatcake on Aug 7, 2019 6:54:20 GMT
As I’ve said for the God knows how many years, we’re definitely rotten to the core. So of course we could. It just takes a bad start and I don’t think we’ll recover.
Even if we start winning on the pitch, the issues off it won’t be gone until Scholes leaves.
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Post by CBUFAWKIPWH on Aug 7, 2019 7:05:52 GMT
Yes it is. And so is promotion, Jones was a massive gamble and not a safe pair of hands - why is anyone surprised at the possibility of extreme outcomes? It feels like being surrounded by a bunch of kids wanting to get off a roller coaster they were whining to get on because its starting to look a bit scary. Enjoy the ride or close your eyes until its all over and we can go play on the Teacups.
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Post by benjaminbiscuit on Aug 7, 2019 7:10:29 GMT
As I’ve said for the God knows how many years, we’re definitely rotten to the core. So of course we could. It just takes a bad start and I don’t think we’ll recover. Even if we start winning on the pitch, the issues off it won’t be gone until Scholes leaves. Funny when I said that 4 years ago it bought outfight condemnation . On this occasion your spot on . Refreshing the leadership is absolutely critical to any organisation and we stood and watched and even sniggered as the new generation of.Bournemouth . Palace , Leicester , West Ham . , now Wolves Caught us and disappeared Over the horizon
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Post by BuzzB on Aug 7, 2019 7:13:42 GMT
14/1 with our leaders for the drop.
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Post by benjaminbiscuit on Aug 7, 2019 7:17:03 GMT
14/1 with our leaders for the drop. Blimey at least they saw how bad it was , if rumour is to Believed and we put great stock on the statistical analysis that must hurt
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Post by nonameface on Aug 7, 2019 7:23:42 GMT
Is promotion a possibility?
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Post by redwhite on Aug 7, 2019 7:24:00 GMT
There are too many diabolical teams for us to finish bottom of the league. We are shit though.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 7, 2019 7:28:16 GMT
Yes it is. And so is promotion, Jones was a massive gamble and not a safe pair of hands - why is anyone surprised at the possibility of extreme outcomes? It feels like being surrounded by a bunch of kids wanting to get off a roller coaster they were whining to get on because its starting to look a bit scary. Enjoy the ride or close your eyes until its all over and we can go play on the Teacups. That rollercoaster has no seat belts, no emergency stop button and is missing half the fucking track that’s the problem.
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Post by robboleek on Aug 7, 2019 7:33:53 GMT
I have said several times that there will be no half way house this season. Jones will either get it to work and we will be top 6 ( where anything is possible) or it will be such a gigantic clusterf***, we will be feeding the fishes. 10 games in we will know. I have this opinion and said as much before we had finished last season.
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Post by Pugsley on Aug 7, 2019 7:40:56 GMT
The performance on Saturday together with the form since Jones arrives has the stench of relegation.
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Post by Gods on Aug 7, 2019 7:45:59 GMT
Our trajectory of results is a big concern.
Where are we now, 3 wins since Jones got here 8 months ago.
I mean can anyone even remember the last time we won?
I worry about the Bojan sacking, he was the poster boy for better times, and his departure will turn the mood far darker far quicker if we can't turn things around.
Ulutimately we need to win a bastard football match, I don't care how, and build some confidence and forward momentum.
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Post by skip on Aug 7, 2019 7:47:23 GMT
I have said several times that there will be no half way house this season. Jones will either get it to work and we will be top 6 ( where anything is possible) or it will be such a gigantic clusterf***, we will be feeding the fishes. 10 games in we will know. makes it all sound rather exciting!
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Post by skip on Aug 7, 2019 7:51:57 GMT
I said that probably Tony Pulis is waiting in the wings. 😊 Some remarkably sensitive administration on duty tonight. No, just fed up of every other thread being spammed with this shit and the squabbling that inevitably follows. We've even having to remove posts about Tony from threads about Imbula and Gayle! It's like Stoke's very own Godwin's law! "As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Pulis approaches 1";[2][3] that is, if an online discussion (regardless of topic or scope) goes on long enough, sooner or later someone will compare someone or something to Tony Pulis or his deeds, the point at which effectively the discussion or thread often ends."
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Post by terrorofturfmoor on Aug 7, 2019 8:04:45 GMT
I look at this squad now, and can't help but think that even with all the summer recruitment, we're no better than last season.......
And "IF" we were somehow lucky enough to get promoted, we'd have to bring in another complete new squad, just to try and fend off relegation!!!
On the flip side, if we were relegated, I think we'd still have to make big changes, in order to just bounce straight back up!!!
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Post by wearepremierleague on Aug 7, 2019 9:00:14 GMT
As bad as Saturday was , I don’t think there’s any chance we will go down. There’s some pretty horrendous teams in this league, we will be better than at least 3 of them come May
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Post by harrysburrow on Aug 7, 2019 9:23:11 GMT
It was Smudge's comment in the Sentinel that struck a chord with me. Saturday really did feel like game 47 of last season and all this about it only being the first game and the players need to gel bollocks - we're still waiting for some new manager momentum 7 months and 7 new signings on?
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Post by thestatusquo on Aug 7, 2019 9:28:04 GMT
Unless we can turn this slump in form around quickly then it’s a real possibility. Losing can become a habit every bit as much as winning. We lack backbone.
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Post by CBUFAWKIPWH on Aug 7, 2019 9:40:40 GMT
It was Smudge's comment in the Sentinel that struck a chord with me. Saturday really did feel like game 47 of last season and all this about it only being the first game and the players need to gel bollocks - we're still waiting for some new manager momentum 7 months and 7 new signings on? The expectation among some fans for the last 3 years is that all we need to do is sack the manager, get a new one in and within weeks we'll look like a Premiership side. The reality is we're just another ex-premiership side struggling with the harsh realities of competing in the Championship. We are starting from scratch and it will take time to rebuild. Changing the manager yet again will make bugger all difference to the reality of where we are at. We took a punt on Jones and he needs time to turn things around. As would any manager dealing with our situation.
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Post by pavel on Aug 7, 2019 10:09:27 GMT
I know, i know...this is the sort of thread title that would usually have me spitting out my coco-pops in laughter at the usual overreaction to one defeat. However, when I look at our squad, I can't help but think that in the worst case scenario we're not that far removed from a relegation side. Difficult to believe when you start looking at who we still have on our books, but we had them all last season too and there were certain points during the season when the 'R' word did start to get mentioned. Ultimately, it doesn't matter how high the players' reputations are on an individual basis, we've seen time and time again how they don't make any sort of cohesive collective, whether that's down to poor tactics, poor attitudes or just a collection of players who have absolutely no connection with each other on the pitch. The strikeforce worries me more than anything. Afobe and Vokes look like a modern day partnership of Vincent Pericard and Keith Scott. I don't think it matters who else you've got in your team if the front men are such complete and utter duffers as you're never going to score enough goals. To compensate for this, you'd think a midfield of Nick Powell, Joe Allen and Peter Etebo would be more than good enough for a Premier League side, let alone a championship one, but there are huge question marks over Allen's consistency, Etebo has made a few murmurs in the past about moving on, and nobody can be sure how well Powell's going to fit in. I'm not going to start another rant about McClean, but the likes of Clucas and Woods aren't that much better than him, while Cousins has arrived with a reputation of being the epitome of mediocre. The defence is another worry. we don't have a left back other than the geriatric Ward, the manager seems to have convinced himself that our one good full-back needs replacing with someone who's not as good, while the centre-back situation isn't exactly stable either. Overall, I'd still probably say there are enough pockets of quality in that side (the midfield's decent on the whole) to get at least 50-something points, but there are also huge chasms of worry that I can't see being addressed for one reason or another. Do I need to go for a lie down, or has the possibility of another 89/90 or 97/98 catastrophe entered anyone else's mind? Yes probably on both counts, I just don’t get it at the moment, words and deeds seem diametrically opposite. Pace, balance and creativity is still lacking and we seem to be picking up journeymen. Even if it works it’s not going to be pretty, it won’t take much for it to go pear shaped and we are still a very fragile team, short on confidence.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 7, 2019 10:10:43 GMT
Anything's a possibility at the moment, isn't it? We're one game in.
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Post by fca47 on Aug 7, 2019 10:28:03 GMT
Well the optimism for the season didn't last long.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 7, 2019 11:11:11 GMT
Well the optimism for the season didn't last long. I dont know many people who were/are optimistic to be fair.
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Post by Squeekster on Aug 7, 2019 11:12:08 GMT
Yes!
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Post by shrewsburypotter on Aug 7, 2019 11:15:36 GMT
I have delayed any comment on this board despite the provocation from the management which would have prompted it earlier but the time has come to give a personal view.
I confess to being one of those after almost 60 years of supporting the club, took the advice of some of our less tolerant posters on here and f*****d off at the end of last season and did not renew my season ticket. I simply could not bear watching the mediocre rubbish that was being trotted out in the name of our once great club constantly being talked by the directors and a succession of ever deluded managers. I am not a johnny come lately premiership only supporter so lets get that out of the way.
I am passionate about Stoke City but we as a society have come to expect more for our money than just the opportunity to attend and happyclap whatever is on offer even though it may be rubbish (and rubbish it has been). The way in which the club has fallen from grace in the hands of the present board is scandalous over the last 3 plus years and I still cannot get my head around how the Coates family with all its business nous seems to have no idea what was and is still required.
The demise was foreseeable as many on here (often derided for their negativity)stated and even in the darkest days under MH it could have been turned around with strong board and on field management. The problem has been that our tenure in the premiership raised expectations amongst the majority of fans and that is now having a knock on effect with how fans see what is now going on.
The difference between now and 4 years ago is unrecognisable and for many intolerable. I am one of those and chose to vote with my feet and not put any more money in the hands of Stoke City and their merry management team. I am not alone and it is self evident from season tickets sold and more importantly bums on actual seat at matches in person.
Any one believing there were 24k plus at Saturdays game needs to go to Specsavers. I cannot find anywhere the real figures for attendances other than the club generated one which includes all season tickets sold but not matched by an attendance. If something doesn't change soon and I see nothing from the present manger top persuade me it will, actual attendance will continue to drop as they did last season. I can already hear the keyboard warriors response to this - "f**k off up the vale" *good riddance and stay away".
Good luck to you as you will be watching division 1 football soon sadly and you can then big it up about how you have stuck with them through thick and thin and in much worse times. This thread is about any possibility of relegation. Of course there is - Jones record so far is relegation material. He talks the talk cannot walk the walk. I am sure he is a very nice man but nice men in football get nowhere fast and that is where he is taking Stoke. This board bleats about wasted money but what can possibly inspire about the mediocrity Jones has brought into the club.
We are average at best and at worst poor and in decline rapidly. Jones wanted time to get his own style and players in. Well here we are and its not looking good. Looks to me like a man out of his depth and no idea how to respond. Too early to say relegation is definitely on the cards but if this continues to the end of September its on the cards as a distinct possibility. As for promotion, I would love to see it but I am not deluded, as even top 10 would be a miracle. Teams considered much inferior to us gave us the run around last season and will do so again.
I want the best for the club but cannot see where it is going to come from. The club will always have its happy clappy hardcore willing to attend whatever but those 10k are welcome to it - many like me with a complete lifetime of supporting the club just cannot stand it any more and have taken the decision to stay away rather than just attend and be negative about all aspects of what is going. I have only posted in the face of some of the nonsense posted bout the possibility of promotion still being on the cards. Wake up and watch the games (I do wander whether many on here actually go to or even watch the games). At the end of this season unless a miracle happens there will be many more like me and those who have already voted with their feet.
I feel cheated by the club in so many respects but mostly for robbing me of the experience and enjoyment of my Saturday afternoons (yes I know it s not often a Saturday). I never expected us to be Barcelona but to be as we are now is just a step too far for me. So tin hat on best insulting replies if any at the ready
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Post by Davef on Aug 7, 2019 11:22:44 GMT
As bad as Saturday was , I don’t think there’s any chance we will go down. There’s some pretty horrendous teams in this league, we will be better than at least 3 of them come May ...said every relegated club ever.
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