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Post by OldStokie on Oct 27, 2008 11:02:15 GMT
This post is for my Mr Daftbugger. A 'Tedlike' one. This surreal experience. Well, that's how I'm feeling about our time in The Prem. How strange it is, and how different from everything else we've had this last three decades. We've gone from the heady emotions of promotion to reality check. Bump. We're there. Bloody hell, we've won. Twice! And drawn away against the mighty Liverpool. Who can knock that? We all can if we're not too blinded by the exhilaration of 'creaming it with the best'. We need to do better. That's pretty obvious. And yet we have done better. We've had our finest moment in over two decades when we beat Villa. What a day that was! It was a supreme day. Wonderful. Bloody wonderful! Even I, as a high-ranking PHW, paid homage to 'Our Tone' that day. Along with another general of the PHW army, winger. That moment was surreal in itself. But Pulis deserved our token, self-humiliating, grovelling plaudits that day. Even from the worst of his detractors. But now it's different. I don't want to be one of those who can proudly boast that we once made it to The Prem. I want to be different from those who think that way. I want to be able to say that we were promoted and stayed there. It's when I look at the harsh realities that I know the latter is probably not going to happen. Why? I don't think we're good enough to stay in this league. That's why. We have a manager who has spunked £9,000,000 [Yes, NINE MILLION SPONDULICKS] on two players who are unsuitable. One, Kitson, is surplus to requirements because he doesn't fit the Pulis System and we all know Pulis will not change his system. The other, Olifijana, or whatever his name is, is simply not good enough. He's lazy and/or half asleep most of the time. Jeezus! We could have bought a swish pad in Monaco for the dosh he's wasted on those two. [Well, at least laid a good deposit on one.] That would have been cool. At least we could boast SCFC owns part of that wonderful Principality rather that a pair of unsuitables. But I'm rambling. I tend to do that when I'm confused. Why have I posted this thread? I don't know. I just don't know. It's the first one I've started for yonks. Most of you will probably ignore it as the ramblings of an old, senile gobshite who is now no longer a gobshite. Well, technically, I'm not. I rarely post these days. It's not that I don't read the Oatie any more. I do. There are still some great posters on here despite the influx of clowns: of agressive clowns. [They're the worst - the aggressive ones.] I don't mind the ones who post that Hull are candidates for relegation despite them being almost at the top of the league, having gained half the required number of points to stay up. Already! After just nine bloody games! And now to the blood and guts of this post. [Were any of you foolish to think there wouldn't have been some? You silly people!] Pulis, pull your fucking finger out! You're making me angry. Again! I want to stay in this league, not be some dumbwit who stands, happily, singing 'Rule Britannia' as the Good Ship Stoke City flounders back to the shallows of The Championship. If Tango Man can do it, why can't we? I know the answer to that. So do many others. It's become a crime on here to say so though. Work it out for yourselves. I need to put the kettle on. NB. For those who want to give me some advice, read my avatar and fuck off up The Fail yourselves! OS.
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Post by sheikhmomo on Oct 27, 2008 11:09:28 GMT
Answer this honestly, OS. Realistically how many points are we behind what we could have reasonably expected to accumulate so far. 1 perhaps, 3 at the absolute most?
On that basis it's a bit early to start a stealth campaign of Pulis hating wankstainery even for a Dender FC fan isn't it?
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Post by OldStokie on Oct 27, 2008 11:17:11 GMT
Aktually, Victor, we have 7 points more than I thought we would have when I looked at the fixtures before the season started. That doesn't alter the basic premise of my post though. Do you, honestly, think we won't be relegated?
OS.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 27, 2008 11:21:08 GMT
The main thing I have learned from the opening fixtures is that we will not “do a Derby” which was the main line of drivel which was thrown at us when we sealed promotion. We haven’t been turned over or utterly outclassed by anyone yet (including yesterday) like Derby were last season.
That’s not enough though and we need to start getting points on the board…..and soon. People disillusioned by yesterdays result need to take a reality check. Our season won’t be decided on games like Man City away, it will be decided on the likes of Wednesdays game, Sunderland at home.
If we can win that one we could jump up a few places, that’s how tight it is at the bottom. We also have Hull and West Brazil coming up as back-to-back home games, these are the one’s that really count.
When we sealed promotion I said I’d do everything I could to just go and enjoy this season regardless of what happens, we’ve certainly waited long enough for it.
Aston Villa and Spurs at home have already given us 2 great victories and the Villa match especially will live fondly in the memory for a long time to come (you couldn’t write a better script). Through in the experience and result of Liverpool away and we’ve already had some great occasions this season to hold onto and hopefully they’ll be more to come.
We could have had a better start, yes. But we could have had a lot worse too and we are still very much in touch.
Let’s not lose sight of how we felt just a few months ago when we sealed promotion. These are good times, lets enjoy it.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 27, 2008 11:21:25 GMT
OS, this season was always going to be a fight and we were always going to get our share of tonkings. We need to make the home form count and pick up points in the Sunderland, Hull and West Brom games. We weren't great by any stretch yesterday, but realistically teams like City have far more quality and better resources than we have.
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Post by sheikhmomo on Oct 27, 2008 11:20:53 GMT
I think we probably will get relegated but I wouldn't completely rule out staying up. Exactly my feelings in August.
I refuse to sucked into a whirlpool of misery based (from what I can see) solely on Hull doing so fantastically well.
It is hard to pick three teams to finish below us but is West Brom, Bolton and say Fulham such a fantastic leap of faith?
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Post by Cupid Stunt on Oct 27, 2008 11:26:03 GMT
Can't we just enjoy it whilst it lasts? Yesterday, I was stood in one of the biggest grounds in the country, watching MY team play a team with Robinho. When I was 6 I used to sit at the Brit with my dad watching us lose to teams like Bristol Rovers 4-1, at school all I got was "you'll be in the conference in 3 years", and now we're on Match of the day everyweek and people have heard of our players. We always knew it would be tough, OldStokie is right, we're probably not quite good enough, but we need to stick with Pulis and I still think we can stay up!
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Post by Deleted on Oct 27, 2008 12:33:28 GMT
Shut yer rambling, yer senile old gobshite! Can't we just enjoy it whilst it lasts? Yesterday, I was stood in one of the biggest grounds in the country, watching MY team play a team with Robinho. When I was 6 I used to sit at the Brit with my dad watching us lose to teams like Bristol Rovers 4-1, at school all I got was "you'll be in the conference in 3 years", and now we're on Match of the day everyweek and people have heard of our players. We always knew it would be tough, OldStokie is right, we're probably not quite good enough, but we need to stick with Pulis and I still think we can stay up! Well said, fella. Keep the faith. Like Fulham last season I fully expect us to be in the bottom three come the last 11 games. How we handle that run in (and what points we pick up at home before then - home to Hull and WBA for starters) will dictate whether we remain in the international spotlight, or drop back down to the dark-depths of championship despair. Getting stuffed by Citeh hurts. But it hurt much more ten years ago, when the fixture was in Division-3. No one suggested it was going to be easy, almost everyone said we'd get tonked in a number of games, so there's no use being outraged when we do (finally) get a good kicking. Chin up, roll on Blunderland at the Brit. ah
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Post by JoeinOz on Oct 27, 2008 12:46:19 GMT
Can't we just enjoy it whilst it lasts?
Sorry but we need to aim higher than that. Of course its exciting and hard but to just accept our fate is lame and defeatist. Surely we have more about us as a club than that.
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Post by FullerMagic on Oct 27, 2008 12:48:51 GMT
I was pretty encouraged yesterday. They were just too good where it mattered.
But I just wish that we'd spent the money better in the summer. We really needed to squeeze every ounce of value and extra quality out of our £21m spending bonanza to really give ourselves a chance.
£8.5m on Kitson and Olly (who seems exactly the player the Wolves fans described), and another £2m on Tonge, who it seems will only be used if there's an outbreak of the plague, is enough to drive you to drink.
On the plus side, Soares again showed a lot of promise and showed he could prove to be a decent investment.
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Post by Will_75 on Oct 27, 2008 13:05:10 GMT
"no longer a gobshite" if you only opened your mouth once a year you'd still be a gobshite
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Post by ladyinred on Oct 27, 2008 13:11:19 GMT
Can't we just enjoy it whilst it lasts? Sorry but we need to aim higher than that. Of course its exciting and hard but to just accept our fate is lame and defeatist. Surely we have more about us as a club than that. we can enjoy it without being defeatist! I haven't given up hope of survival - stay within three points of safety and there is always a realistic chance of staying up. We all knew it would be tough and that we would be in a relegation scrap. We are in a relegation battle - but its a battle we are capable of winning. A battle that I believe we will win!
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Post by lordb on Oct 27, 2008 13:44:59 GMT
we are only going to stay up if Kitson starts scoring some goals imho.
could be a long winter
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Post by Alvechurch Assassin on Oct 27, 2008 13:46:28 GMT
If I was given a free bet, I'd probably go for relegation. That's not being defeatist, but realistic in that this is the best league in the world.
I'm not giving up though, there is fight in this team and if we are within touching distance of safety come March, we have a chance.
Just don't compare us with Hull's freakish start. We were never going to be competing for the top 4! We are where we probably all expected us to be. There will be a few in the mix inc Brazil, Fulham, Bolton, maybe Wigan, and possibly one of Spurs and Newcastle.
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Post by sheikhmomo on Oct 27, 2008 13:50:31 GMT
4.50 on the 29th November is when we'll have a real feel for our chances of staying up. If betweeen now and then we haven't picked up some serious points (7) against Sunderland, West Brom and Hull it wil be looking bleak. Anything against the Arse, Man U and even Wigan will be a bonus. If we're on 14 by the end of November we'll still be bottom three but still very much in touch with the new window just a month away.
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Post by eriksson74 on Oct 27, 2008 13:59:57 GMT
Coming away from the game yesterday had me convinced we are down all ready.
Looking at the players after the third went in, gave me a massive cause for concern. To a man they all looked shell shocked and not one was vocal in trying to lift the team, they all trudged back to prepare for kick off in a startled gaze.
Everyone keeps saying that a Pulis side will never give up and we will go down figthing, but that moment did look like they had given up.
Hopefully we can get some confidence back on Wednesday to rally the troops again!
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Post by FullerMagic on Oct 27, 2008 14:03:23 GMT
Sund H
NOV Arse H Wigan A Man U A WBA H Hull H
DEC Newc A Fulham H Blackburn A
Yeah, there does look to be points available before now and Xmas.
With lots of luck and everything going our way, it's not totally inconceivable that we could pick up 12-15 points in the next 9 games, then things could look much brighter.
The again, it's not totally inconceivable that we ould pick up 4 or 5.
Apart from the Arse and ManU games, it's about as 'easy' as Premier League runs get.
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Post by OldStokie on Oct 27, 2008 14:03:34 GMT
Will...do one or I'll send DDM after yer! Sorry, Dom, but that is exactly the attitude that will get us relegated. We need more than that. We need to be winners, not admirers. I rarely agree with that condescending sod, Sneyd Green Stokie, but after I read his thread entitled, 'Doom & Gloom - Your dead right', I liked his attitude. This one.That's the attitude that will keep us up. Winners! Winners! Winners! Pissed off when we lose to whoever we lose against. No excuses that we played against a 30 million quid player. Other teams have played against the same 30 million quid player and beaten them. Easily. We lost! Victor. Don't come the old 'window' stuff. We've had so many disappointing ones in the past and so many excuses why they don't do much for us that I lay little faith in them. It's the here and now that matters and not some imaginary leaping off place in the future. We have to adopt an attitude. A winning one. Now! Starting on wednesday and, yes, even saturday. OS.
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Post by greyman on Oct 27, 2008 14:17:23 GMT
What we need is that little bit of luck Nige
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Post by Deleted on Oct 27, 2008 14:22:04 GMT
There’s nothing wrong with the “lets enjoy it” attitude. As long as it’s the fans’ attitude and not the players then I’m all for it.
We’ve waited a long time to get here, there’s nothing wrong with enjoying it.
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Post by wizzardofdribble on Oct 27, 2008 14:22:13 GMT
OS, this season was always going to be a fight and we were always going to get our share of tonkings. We need to make the home form count and pick up points in the Sunderland, Hull and West Brom games. We weren't great by any stretch yesterday, but realistically teams like City have far more quality and better resources than we have. Totally agree.. Hindsight is a wonderful thing and its easy to say we've wasted a lot of money on lame ducks..but at the time we bought them...not many people were saying that...or we'd be saying they were 'quackers'... If Hull hadn't made such a Triffic' start I don't think some Stoke fans would be complaining as much as they are...remember if we beat Sunderland then we'll have 10 points from 10 games..which means we're on course to stay-upAnd we've still got 28 games left.. No doubt are away results have been dissapointing and to be honest I'd rather us play 3 up front and get tonked 10-0 then continue with the habitual 4-4-1-1...which means we sit too deep and invite word-class players to attack us..and something needs to change about that..but as you have said in another post Odstokie..this is a Pulis team..with a Pulis squad.. You can put lipstick on a pig..but it's still a pig.. And theres a world of difference between constructive criticsm and generic moaning..which is almost invariably destructive.. Come on OldStokie.. Keep The Faith
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Post by OldStokie on Oct 27, 2008 14:27:45 GMT
Some good posters on this thread. At least I've acheived that. And, I've got your backs up big style. That was a bonus. Oi, wizzard, it WAS constructive criticism! If I had employed generic moaning, I would have brought Bossie into the equation. That would have brought mumf steaming in and have Victor in an apoplectic fit. Winners! Think postive. *Hello, Eli. OS.
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Post by sheikhmomo on Oct 27, 2008 14:28:00 GMT
"Pissed off when we lose to whoever we lose against"
It's interesting that this phrase would be used in the presence of two of our Boskamp rimmers ;D
I thought it was all swash and buckle with you lot and damn the consequences! Now you suddenly can't stand losing and yet depsise a man who delivered only 20 defeats out his last 92 in the nortorious anyone can beat anyone championship.
I detect some inconsistencies here!
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Post by okeydokeystokie2 on Oct 27, 2008 14:27:52 GMT
This is going to sound like sitting on the fence, but you're all right!
The Citeh game got away from us. They scored early - which we didn't want, and right after half time. Then we're stretched, and easy pickings for probably the fastest breaking attack in the league. I thought Sturridge was excellent. We were well beaten yesterday, but we missed our chances and it turned into the perfect game for them and the worst kind of game for us.
But look at the league. We shouldn't fear anyone outside the top 6. (The real top 6, because Hull will be in the bottom 6 in May.) The big 4 + Villa and City (at home) are way better than all the rest. Sunderland could finish 7th this season.
We have had a tough start, but I think Bolton and Boro were worse defeats than yesterday. Tone's sides tend to evolve. It's a squad game, and I think Kitson, Sidibe, Whelan, Soares, Cort and Shawcross will all have a massive part to play. I think Kitson's a fighter, and his first goal will be a big monkey off his back.
Its a massive game on Wednesday, and we really need at least a point. Nothing's changed, and don't be fooled by the league or the pattern of the fixtures. Nobody's ever been relegated in October, and we're still battling against Hull, Brazil, Wigan, Bolton, Fulham with probably Newcastle, Blackburn, and maybe even Boro, West Ham and now Portsmouth getting dragged into the dogfight.
Sounds like the old mantra, but keep the faith and enjoy it. We are going to lose more than we win this season, so we've got to keep taking the positives. Get behind the lads on Wednesday, and let's see what happens as this great season unfolds.
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Post by OldStokie on Oct 27, 2008 14:35:25 GMT
"...swash and buckle with you lot and damn the consequences!" Well done, Victor. I was looking for that admirable turn of phrase but just couldn't find it in my addled old brain. Take another Brownie point while you're passing that message down to Pulis on a slip of paper. Blimey, it's 14.36. Nap time. I'll be off. OS.
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Post by followyoudown on Oct 27, 2008 14:42:28 GMT
What we need is that little bit of luck Nige Rubbish what we need is more centre-halves ;D
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Post by okeydokeystokie2 on Oct 27, 2008 14:44:13 GMT
Another centre half to play at right back?
Now when is Davies going to be fit...
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Post by wizzardofdribble on Oct 27, 2008 14:46:47 GMT
What we need is that little bit of luck Nige ;D
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Post by mcf on Oct 27, 2008 14:52:04 GMT
The margins of success and failure can be tiny.
The loss yesterday was nothing to get too upset about.
We defended poorly and we missed the seldom opportunities we had.
Like Tony Pulis says, the key is not to let defeats bother you. We are not a bad team just because we had a bit of a lesson off Man City.
We will be in bottom 3 team if we don't beat the likes of Fulham, Boro, Bolton, Sunderland, West Brom, Hull, Wigan in our home fixtures.
Finishing 4th from bottom would be glorious - better and more difficut than actually getting promoted.
Four of the next five home games are winnable and we need to pick up points from them.
PS Olly is an excellent midfielder.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 27, 2008 14:55:27 GMT
What we need is a reality check. The step up from championship to premier league is a huge one and anyone who thinks it isn’t is deluded.
Yes, we’ve spent a lot of money compared to what we are used to but at the end of the day we are still up against teams who spend more on one player than Tone has spent creating a squad for this season.
The step up in quality is immense and the fact that we are competing against these teams is a sign of how far we have come in recent years (you only need to look at the Little/Bates/Kamara years to see how sh*t we were a few years ago).
It’s a big ask to stay up this season but a Pulis side will give it a bloody good go, that’s for sure. We may fall short or we may just upset a few people and pull it off.
Either way it’s a good time to be a Stokie, I’d prefer to pit our wits against the elite than the Mighty Morecambe.
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