Why are putting up with it as fans!

[stevenp]

Surely after last season and with what we've been subjected to this season we as fans make a real stand against Luton that we will not tolerate anymore of this shit! We go game after game (well i certainly do anyway home and away) only missed 4 away matches in the last 3 years and not a home one in 5 seasons that we really do let the players know that what they are giving us is just not good enough. I can personally take losing but what we should never have to put up with is these fucking gutless twats not giving 100% every game they step out on the pitch! I would do fucking anything to play for Stoke and these charlatans couldn't care less about the team and even less about us! It just isn't acceptable but they think it is okay to put us in this position and then not even be bothered enough to really try and get us out of it! We hear the soundbites every bastard week about how we need to do better, we are in a false position, there is enough quality in the squad to get out of it blah blah but is there really! Even poor teams in the past have done well because they have worked harder than the opposition and we don't even get the right amount of effort from out of the players! They are an embarrassment to the club and the city because we as people from Stoke on Trent work hard and give 100% as people in what we do. So tomorrow night i won't be going because i cannot be fucking arsed to sit in the cold watching these fuckwits not put in the acquired effort to win a football match! I'm completely done with this current crop of wasters 

[19notbeaten72]

I would imagine that thousands feel exactly the same as you i know i do. But the downward spiral will carry on till wholesale change is made which could mean new owners.
The Coates family have been fantastic for the club & the city but times have changed & things move on unfortunately we have stood still & have now gone backwards at an alarming rate that i do not think they can halt it.

[stroller]

Dec 9, 2019 10:19:37 GMT stevenp said:

Surely after last season and with what we've been subjected to this season we as fans make a real stand against Luton that we will not tolerate anymore of this shit! We go game after game (well i certainly do anyway home and away) only missed 4 away matches in the last 3 years and not a home one in 5 seasons that we really do let the players know that what they are giving us is just not good enough. I can personally take losing but what we should never have to put up with is these fucking gutless twats not giving 100% every game they step out on the pitch! I would do fucking anything to play for Stoke and these charlatans couldn't care less about the team and even less about us! It just isn't acceptable but they think it is okay to put us in this position and then not even be bothered enough to really try and get us out of it! We hear the soundbites every bastard week about how we need to do better, we are in a false position, there is enough quality in the squad to get out of it blah blah but is there really! Even poor teams in the past have done well because they have worked harder than the opposition and we don't even get the right amount of effort from out of the players! They are an embarrassment to the club and the city because we as people from Stoke on Trent work hard and give 100% as people in what we do. So tomorrow night i won't be going because i cannot be fucking arsed to sit in the cold watching these fuckwits not put in the acquired effort to win a football match! I'm completely done with this current crop of wasters 

Just shows how bad things have got when a hardcore supporter like you won't go to a home game. Sadly you're not alone, I expect even more empty seats tomorrow.

[thevoid]

Apathy reigns

[JurgenVandeurzen]

What's all the fuss about?

[estrangedsonoffaye]

Why do we put up with it?

For years on here and at the ground people peddled the "little old Stoke" rhetoric which for me is a massive hangover of the Pulis era. That we were lucky to simply be gracing the same pitch as the clubs were playing. Playing games away at the top 6 was a "bonus" and we should stay in our lane. Any kind of suggestion that the club could push on to some form of modernity or actual genuine ambition was met with "be careful what you wish for" crap, especially when it came to the summer of 2017 when it was clear that Hughes had gone stale and the squad needed replacing.

Try to mention any culpability the Coates may have in this disaster and you're instantly met with the challenge of HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN THE CUP FINAL THEN or some such irrelevance. Because that's what all those memories count for in this current situation, irrelevance and comfort. Of course I haven't forgotten, they were amazing days for the club but for the last 3.5 years they've ran this club disastrously and need to be held to account. Yet when a fan tried to do this in the Boothen End earlier this year against Forest (albeit clumsily) he was set upon by half the block with people trying to beat the shit out of him in front of his kids.

It's pathetic how fucking accepting of failure some of our fans are. Think back 4 years, look where we were and how well we were playing. Now look at the current state of the Premier League, the top 6 is broken wide open and clubs we used to finish above, Leicester, Wolves, Sheffield United have all gone light years ahead of us because they've adapted to the needs of a modern football world, we could have been right up there with them given our resources. It's something the ownership, the club, the city and the fans haven't done at large. The result is what you see now, a club sinking into the third tier with scarcely a whimper...and people still questioning whether we should be making our opinions heard.

[Malcolm Clarke]

There is a body charged with the responsibility of expressing fans views about the running of the club - the Supporters Council

[nott1]

I am finding that as I get more disillusioned with the worst football team we have ever had, and the entertainment on offer is minimal, I am spending more time with other pursuits that I find increasingly more enjoyable, and am getting to the stage that if I miss a match I don't even bother to watch the so called "highlights", as really I know there won't be any. Buck up Stoke or I'm on the verge of ridding myself of your paltry efforts for good!
At least I can recall better times like the Waddo era and before with which this mob could not possbly compare.

[crapslinger]

Dec 9, 2019 12:06:47 GMT Malcolm Clarke said:

There is a body charged with the responsibility of expressing fans views about the running of the club - the Supporters Council

Is that running or ruining and how do we access the Supporters Council ? is there anyone on there who will ask the straight questions that need answering ? if so is there anyone at the club who you trust to give truthful honest answers ? 

[westlandstokie]

I'm with you on this one...as I posted last week I've gone past caring now. I missed the Blackburn match to take the family to the Manchester Xmas markets and I didn't miss the match one bit
The mate who has been going to matches with me for almost 40 years contacted me this morning to say he wasn't going against Luton tomorrow 
Thats fine with me because I can't be arsed to dash around,freeze my knackers off for 90 minutes and be bored to death by that bunch of wasters
My family are older now (all left school) so are quite independent....I'm financially secure so me and the Mrs are gonna get away for weekends away and take more holidays 😎

[crapslinger]

Dec 9, 2019 12:35:15 GMT westlandstokie said:

I'm with you on this one...as I posted last week I've gone past caring now. I missed the Blackburn match to take the family to the Manchester Xmas markets and I didn't miss the match one bit
The mate who has been going to matches with me for almost 40 years contacted me this morning to say he wasn't going against Luton tomorrow 
Thats fine with me because I can't be arsed to dash around,freeze my knackers off for 90 minutes and be bored to death by that bunch of wasters
My family are older now (all left school) so are quite independent....I'm financially secure so me and the Mrs are gonna get away for weekends away and take more holidays 😎

+1 first match 1967 last match 2019 enough is enough sadly my son has also given up as well, I know four long term season ticket holders who have not attended many home games this season, it's gone beyond apathy it's now changed to inevitability.

[Malcolm Clarke]

Dec 9, 2019 12:18:36 GMT crapslinger said:

Dec 9, 2019 12:06:47 GMT Malcolm Clarke said:

There is a body charged with the responsibility of expressing fans views about the running of the club - the Supporters Council

Is that running or ruining and how do we access the Supporters Council ? is there anyone on there who will ask the straight questions that need answering ? if so is there anyone at the club who you trust to give truthful honest answers ? 

There is an email address for the Council which is on the club website. As it's now more than 5 years since I was on the Council, I can't answer your 2nd question from direct experience. The minutes are available on the club website. I chair the Supporters club, which did have a place on the Council but that was removed by the Council itself (not the club) so we no longer get direct reports back. The Chief executive and other senior staff ( but not the owners) attend the meetings and the role of the Council members is to raise the issues which are of concern to supporters.

[thevoid]

Dec 9, 2019 11:41:15 GMT estrangedsonoffaye said:

Why do we put up with it?

For years on here and at the ground people peddled the "little old Stoke" rhetoric which for me is a massive hangover of the Pulis era. That we were lucky to simply be gracing the same pitch as the clubs were playing. Playing games away at the top 6 was a "bonus" and we should stay in our lane. Any kind of suggestion that the club could push on to some form of modernity or actual genuine ambition was met with "be careful what you wish for" crap, especially when it came to the summer of 2017 when it was clear that Hughes had gone stale and the squad needed replacing.

Try to mention any culpability the Coates may have in this disaster and you're instantly met with the challenge of HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN THE CUP FINAL THEN or some such irrelevance. Because that's what all those memories count for in this current situation, irrelevance and comfort. Of course I haven't forgotten, they were amazing days for the club but for the last 3.5 years they've ran this club disastrously and need to be held to account. Yet when a fan tried to do this in the Boothen End earlier this year against Forest (albeit clumsily) he was set upon by half the block with people trying to beat the shit out of him in front of his kids.

It's pathetic how fucking accepting of failure some of our fans are. Think back 4 years, look where we were and how well we were playing. Now look at the current state of the Premier League, the top 6 is broken wide open and clubs we used to finish above, Leicester, Wolves, Sheffield United have all gone light years ahead of us because they've adapted to the needs of a modern football world, we could have been right up there with them given our resources. It's something the ownership, the club, the city and the fans haven't done at large. The result is what you see now, a club sinking into the third tier with scarcely a whimper...and people still questioning whether we should be making our opinions heard.

Excellent post, take a bow.

[TrentValePotter96]

Dec 9, 2019 11:41:15 GMT estrangedsonoffaye said:

Why do we put up with it?

For years on here and at the ground people peddled the "little old Stoke" rhetoric which for me is a massive hangover of the Pulis era. That we were lucky to simply be gracing the same pitch as the clubs were playing. Playing games away at the top 6 was a "bonus" and we should stay in our lane. Any kind of suggestion that the club could push on to some form of modernity or actual genuine ambition was met with "be careful what you wish for" crap, especially when it came to the summer of 2017 when it was clear that Hughes had gone stale and the squad needed replacing.

Try to mention any culpability the Coates may have in this disaster and you're instantly met with the challenge of HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN THE CUP FINAL THEN or some such irrelevance. Because that's what all those memories count for in this current situation, irrelevance and comfort. Of course I haven't forgotten, they were amazing days for the club but for the last 3.5 years they've ran this club disastrously and need to be held to account. Yet when a fan tried to do this in the Boothen End earlier this year against Forest (albeit clumsily) he was set upon by half the block with people trying to beat the shit out of him in front of his kids.

It's pathetic how fucking accepting of failure some of our fans are. Think back 4 years, look where we were and how well we were playing. Now look at the current state of the Premier League, the top 6 is broken wide open and clubs we used to finish above, Leicester, Wolves, Sheffield United have all gone light years ahead of us because they've adapted to the needs of a modern football world, we could have been right up there with them given our resources. It's something the ownership, the club, the city and the fans haven't done at large. The result is what you see now, a club sinking into the third tier with scarcely a whimper...and people still questioning whether we should be making our opinions heard.

spot on

Our last top half finish was in a season where Leicester, Southampton and West Ham finished above us 

In our history more than half of our seasons have been in the top flight... To see some basically shrug as we lost our hard earned premier league place was disgraceful 

[songthrush01]

Dec 9, 2019 11:41:15 GMT estrangedsonoffaye said:

Why do we put up with it?

For years on here and at the ground people peddled the "little old Stoke" rhetoric which for me is a massive hangover of the Pulis era. That we were lucky to simply be gracing the same pitch as the clubs were playing. Playing games away at the top 6 was a "bonus" and we should stay in our lane. Any kind of suggestion that the club could push on to some form of modernity or actual genuine ambition was met with "be careful what you wish for" crap, especially when it came to the summer of 2017 when it was clear that Hughes had gone stale and the squad needed replacing.

Try to mention any culpability the Coates may have in this disaster and you're instantly met with the challenge of HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN THE CUP FINAL THEN or some such irrelevance. Because that's what all those memories count for in this current situation, irrelevance and comfort. Of course I haven't forgotten, they were amazing days for the club but for the last 3.5 years they've ran this club disastrously and need to be held to account. Yet when a fan tried to do this in the Boothen End earlier this year against Forest (albeit clumsily) he was set upon by half the block with people trying to beat the shit out of him in front of his kids.

It's pathetic how fucking accepting of failure some of our fans are. Think back 4 years, look where we were and how well we were playing. Now look at the current state of the Premier League, the top 6 is broken wide open and clubs we used to finish above, Leicester, Wolves, Sheffield United have all gone light years ahead of us because they've adapted to the needs of a modern football world, we could have been right up there with them given our resources. It's something the ownership, the club, the city and the fans haven't done at large. The result is what you see now, a club sinking into the third tier with scarcely a whimper...and people still questioning whether we should be making our opinions heard.

great post mate,said the same myself for years.you just get battered on here with it.

[baltipiesmuggler]

I'd say 3 months ago I was as apathetic as anyone, but with every shambolic, half arsed performance I'm getting more and more angry now.

[Veritas]

Dec 9, 2019 10:19:37 GMT stevenp said:

Surely after last season and with what we've been subjected to this season we as fans make a real stand against Luton that we will not tolerate anymore of this shit! We go game after game (well i certainly do anyway home and away) only missed 4 away matches in the last 3 years and not a home one in 5 seasons that we really do let the players know that what they are giving us is just not good enough. I can personally take losing but what we should never have to put up with is these fucking gutless twats not giving 100% every game they step out on the pitch! I would do fucking anything to play for Stoke and these charlatans couldn't care less about the team and even less about us! It just isn't acceptable but they think it is okay to put us in this position and then not even be bothered enough to really try and get us out of it! We hear the soundbites every bastard week about how we need to do better, we are in a false position, there is enough quality in the squad to get out of it blah blah but is there really! Even poor teams in the past have done well because they have worked harder than the opposition and we don't even get the right amount of effort from out of the players! They are an embarrassment to the club and the city because we as people from Stoke on Trent work hard and give 100% as people in what we do. So tomorrow night i won't be going because i cannot be fucking arsed to sit in the cold watching these fuckwits not put in the acquired effort to win a football match! I'm completely done with this current crop of wasters 

Because we are fans

[Miles Offside]

There are thousands who don't put up with it anymore, just look around the stadium on matchday. And those that still go have been numbed into the quietest crowd for ages.

I think there's been only one season since Pulis got us promoted that we've had a positive goal difference.

Only 7 wins since last Christmas. Only one game out of well over a hundred have we scored more than twice. Being constantly outplayed by sides that just look organised and do the simple things better than we do. Bringing everybody back for corners. Rarely having a shot on target. Gifting goals to the opposition through schoolboy mistakes.

The club is fuelling negativity and the fans they've lost will take a lot of winning back.

[Pugsley]

Dec 9, 2019 11:41:15 GMT estrangedsonoffaye said:

Why do we put up with it?

For years on here and at the ground people peddled the "little old Stoke" rhetoric which for me is a massive hangover of the Pulis era. That we were lucky to simply be gracing the same pitch as the clubs were playing. Playing games away at the top 6 was a "bonus" and we should stay in our lane. Any kind of suggestion that the club could push on to some form of modernity or actual genuine ambition was met with "be careful what you wish for" crap, especially when it came to the summer of 2017 when it was clear that Hughes had gone stale and the squad needed replacing.

Try to mention any culpability the Coates may have in this disaster and you're instantly met with the challenge of HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN THE CUP FINAL THEN or some such irrelevance. Because that's what all those memories count for in this current situation, irrelevance and comfort. Of course I haven't forgotten, they were amazing days for the club but for the last 3.5 years they've ran this club disastrously and need to be held to account. Yet when a fan tried to do this in the Boothen End earlier this year against Forest (albeit clumsily) he was set upon by half the block with people trying to beat the shit out of him in front of his kids.

It's pathetic how fucking accepting of failure some of our fans are. Think back 4 years, look where we were and how well we were playing. Now look at the current state of the Premier League, the top 6 is broken wide open and clubs we used to finish above, Leicester, Wolves, Sheffield United have all gone light years ahead of us because they've adapted to the needs of a modern football world, we could have been right up there with them given our resources. It's something the ownership, the club, the city and the fans haven't done at large. The result is what you see now, a club sinking into the third tier with scarcely a whimper...and people still questioning whether we should be making our opinions heard.

1 milliion percent correct, something that I have alluded to for years.

[jarvinski]

I won’t be going tomorrow either, i’ll watch it on TV and if it is still shite, switch over to emmerdale, can’t watch it anymore, and i’ve been watching my beloved team for 58 years, and this is the worst team i’ve ever seen

[neddy]

It will be really interesting to see what team he puts out which will say a lot!

[stevenp]

I won't be putting up with it anymore up unfortunately! Some people will call me a bad supporter deserting the team when they need us the most but I just can't go and watch this shower any longer. If I thought they were really trying then it might be different I just do not see it myself. If I am a bad supporter then so be it but missing no home matches in the last 5 seasons and only 4 away in the last 3 seasons I don't think I am a bad supporter! Starting from tomorrow night I will not give them anymore of my time until something drastically fucking changes! I have a young child and another on the way and whereas I actually made plans around them to go and watch Stoke that will be changing from now on. I will not go and put up with what they are churning out every week!

[FrankButcher]

Dec 9, 2019 10:29:16 GMT 19notbeaten72 said:

I would imagine that thousands feel exactly the same as you i know i do. But the downward spiral will carry on till wholesale change is made which could mean new owners.
The Coates family have been fantastic for the club & the city but times have changed & things move on unfortunately we have stood still & have now gone backwards at an alarming rate that i do not think they can halt it.

My thoughts exactly, as good as the coates family have been the "overhaul" they promised just simply has not happened and i feel we'd need new owners to come in with a fresh approach and new ideas with FFP looming if we do go down could mean a transfer embargo and possibly a points deduction which could force their hand to look at getting investment in. 

[Miles Offside]

Dec 9, 2019 11:41:15 GMT estrangedsonoffaye said:

Why do we put up with it?

For years on here and at the ground people peddled the "little old Stoke" rhetoric which for me is a massive hangover of the Pulis era. That we were lucky to simply be gracing the same pitch as the clubs were playing. Playing games away at the top 6 was a "bonus" and we should stay in our lane. Any kind of suggestion that the club could push on to some form of modernity or actual genuine ambition was met with "be careful what you wish for" crap, especially when it came to the summer of 2017 when it was clear that Hughes had gone stale and the squad needed replacing.

Try to mention any culpability the Coates may have in this disaster and you're instantly met with the challenge of HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN THE CUP FINAL THEN or some such irrelevance. Because that's what all those memories count for in this current situation, irrelevance and comfort. Of course I haven't forgotten, they were amazing days for the club but for the last 3.5 years they've ran this club disastrously and need to be held to account. Yet when a fan tried to do this in the Boothen End earlier this year against Forest (albeit clumsily) he was set upon by half the block with people trying to beat the shit out of him in front of his kids.

It's pathetic how fucking accepting of failure some of our fans are. Think back 4 years, look where we were and how well we were playing. Now look at the current state of the Premier League, the top 6 is broken wide open and clubs we used to finish above, Leicester, Wolves, Sheffield United have all gone light years ahead of us because they've adapted to the needs of a modern football world, we could have been right up there with them given our resources. It's something the ownership, the club, the city and the fans haven't done at large. The result is what you see now, a club sinking into the third tier with scarcely a whimper...and people still questioning whether we should be making our opinions heard.

For me, some of that's right, but some isn't.

When you talk about the culpability of Coates, I've been a critic of his but now find myself defending him. Coates has backed his managers. Aren't we one of the biggest net spending clubs in recent years? If he hadn't have backed them, or maybe sacked them sooner than he did, then he would've been criticised for that too.

And the "little old Stoke" thing isn't accurate either, or the Sky Sports pundits wouldn't have made famous the phrase "but can they do it at Stoke on a cold Tuesday night?". We weren't "little old Stoke" in the eyes of the clubs that didn't fancy playing here.

The £100m blown on the fees and contracts of three wasters who hardly kicked a ball for the club broke our finances. That was followed up by many more wasted millions. We've never really recovered from it. Then Jones filled the squad with pub players. Every transfer window since has been dominated by trying to correct these mistakes, rather than building positively.

But, for me, one of the biggest problems - and this is where Coates IS culpable because he should be holding his managers to account for their style of play - is the constantly negative approaches to games that have seen us with some of the worst stats in modern football. That can be changed now.

[estrangedsonoffaye]

Dec 9, 2019 19:22:54 GMT Miles Offside said:

Dec 9, 2019 11:41:15 GMT estrangedsonoffaye said:

Why do we put up with it?

For years on here and at the ground people peddled the "little old Stoke" rhetoric which for me is a massive hangover of the Pulis era. That we were lucky to simply be gracing the same pitch as the clubs were playing. Playing games away at the top 6 was a "bonus" and we should stay in our lane. Any kind of suggestion that the club could push on to some form of modernity or actual genuine ambition was met with "be careful what you wish for" crap, especially when it came to the summer of 2017 when it was clear that Hughes had gone stale and the squad needed replacing.

Try to mention any culpability the Coates may have in this disaster and you're instantly met with the challenge of HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN THE CUP FINAL THEN or some such irrelevance. Because that's what all those memories count for in this current situation, irrelevance and comfort. Of course I haven't forgotten, they were amazing days for the club but for the last 3.5 years they've ran this club disastrously and need to be held to account. Yet when a fan tried to do this in the Boothen End earlier this year against Forest (albeit clumsily) he was set upon by half the block with people trying to beat the shit out of him in front of his kids.

It's pathetic how fucking accepting of failure some of our fans are. Think back 4 years, look where we were and how well we were playing. Now look at the current state of the Premier League, the top 6 is broken wide open and clubs we used to finish above, Leicester, Wolves, Sheffield United have all gone light years ahead of us because they've adapted to the needs of a modern football world, we could have been right up there with them given our resources. It's something the ownership, the club, the city and the fans haven't done at large. The result is what you see now, a club sinking into the third tier with scarcely a whimper...and people still questioning whether we should be making our opinions heard.

For me, some of that's right, but some isn't.

When you talk about the culpability of Coates, I've been a critic of his but now find myself defending him. Coates has backed his managers. Aren't we one of the biggest net spending clubs in recent years? If he hadn't have backed them, or maybe sacked them sooner than he did, then he would've been criticised for that too.

And the "little old Stoke" thing isn't accurate either, or the Sky Sports pundits wouldn't have made famous the phrase "but can they do it at Stoke on a cold Tuesday night?". We weren't "little old Stoke" in the eyes of the clubs that didn't fancy playing here.

The £100m blown on the fees and contracts of three wasters who hardly kicked a ball for the club broke our finances. That was followed up by many more wasted millions. We've never really recovered from it. Then Jones filled the squad with pub players. Every transfer window since has been dominated by trying to correct these mistakes, rather than building positively.

But, for me, one of the biggest problems - and this is where Coates IS culpable because he should be holding his managers to account for their style of play - is the constantly negative approaches to games that have seen us with some of the worst stats in modern football. That can be changed now.

Isn’t the entire “cold night in Stoke” based on the notion they wouldn’t fancy coming to a lesser, workmanlike side in tough conditions? That’s exactly the same notion behind giantkillers and FA Cup shocks? David beats Goliath etc. But interestingly we only really did it to Arsenal in the peak of the Pulis era. Chelsea, Manchester United (winners in the same period) regularly won at ours because they weren’t arsed about it. The later wins came when we played a more expansive brand of football under Hughes topped off with not playing like underdogs in any way in the 2-0 wins over both Manchester clubs in 2015/16. We played like a team with ambition and real quality rather than relying on “pashun” and guts. Both were excellent styles but after 7-8 years we should be aiming for the latter.

With regard to Coates and backing the manager, it’s true he’s plugged millions in and credit to him for that. But he’s doing the equivalent of putting diesel in a petrol engine. He has to realise, money won’t change this. We need the major structural overhaul we were promised. legitimately, what changed in the summer of 2018? We need a modern club structure where there is someone overseeing the long term future of the club that doesn’t 180 turn on a sixpence when we sack a manager. Every day it doesn’t change is another day his legacy is tarnished and the club dies a little bit more. The stats we generate aren’t in the least bit surprising when you’re signing players for managers as starkly different as Mark Hughes, Paul Lambert, Gary Rowett, Nathan Jones and Michael O’Neill.