I thought it was another poor game today

[spitthedog]

OK the fans were great, the atmosphere was brill but tbh I can't understand much of the hysteria surrounding what was imho, a poor game on the whole.
Apart from a ten minute spell just before the sending off, the game lacked quality or enterprise, typical of many early kick off games in my experience.
Ok we huffed and puffed, we played four defensive midfielders who managed to hold out most of the game, everybody gave 100% etc (why would you expect anything less???)
Utd looked hung over from their Japanese endeavours, and they will be very happy that they played a team who couldn't take advantage of it. We will probably never have a better opportunity to beat them.
Again we could hardly hold possession, the midfielders played very deep, and we might do our fans proud for effort but......... unfortunately we will win very few games in this division playing like this. We need to do some very good business in the next few days.

[serpico]

I thought it was a very similar type of game to the Arsenal game, but obviously we didn't nab a goal with any of the opportunities we had, IE Pughs header/Fuller's chance in the very first minute.

I don't think we you can expect anymore against a top 4 clubs, so I think you're being unfair.

[mumf14]

At this juncture I think it would be fair to point out, that we were playing the best club side in the world.

Thick sods take note.!

[craig1974]

i thought we played really well 2day. and if Fuller had kept his sodding boots on then the score might av been different, decent performances by both Faye's, Shawcross and Wilko before he got sent off . . i wud av settled for a 0-0 but Wilko lost us the game i'm afraid with a stupid tackle. with 11 men on the field i think we equalled them.

[Joules]

I think we played well today , there wasnt much in it - could of gone either way. Thanks to the Ref, it went their way....

[spitthedog]

i also think we played as well as we possibly can with everybody giving 100%, and in that sense we gave a good account of ourselves, my point is that at the top of our game against a poor united side we still could not win, and the quality of our play (passing/possession etc) was poor.
Our style of play makes us very predictable and makes it hard for us the score many goals.
Nobody can question the commitment of the the team and the supporters.

[Beloved Monkfish]

Hardly a poor Utd side though is it?

Van der Sar was by far the busier keeper today, and I think that's as well as we could have played against the best team in the world. What was different about today as in recent weeks is we actually looked like scoring. I think you're wrong to complain about that performance today, we were so unlucky not to scrape a draw which we deserved......against Man Utd for fucks sake.

[jonnyd]

sometimes you numpties amaze me! Only last season, some six months ago, we dreamed of playing games like today, we those who have been around from the last time.. Then I read a numpty comment like " I thought it was another poor game today". is obviously your first season because what i have been watchin for 27 years struggles to come close to a top flight match like that. remind - what did those tossers do last season, what did they win the other the day? we keep them out for 83 mins amd have 3 good chances to score - if you want more - unlucky - you may as well become a glory hunter

[pricey21]

Oh fuck off we played well! Always somebody putting a downer on things. Pisses me off!

[spitthedog]

Dec 27, 2008 1:20:03 GMT jonnyd said:

sometimes you numpties amaze me! Only last season, some six months ago, we dreamed of playing games like today, we those who have been around from the last time.. Then I read a numpty comment like " I thought it was another poor game today". is obviously your first season because what i have been watchin for 27 years struggles to come close to a top flight match like that. remind - what did those tossers do last season, what did they win the other the day? we keep them out for 83 mins amd have 3 good chances to score - if you want more - unlucky - you may as well become a glory hunter

For your information, I have been going to Stoke games for 40 years, and for at least 25 of those i've had a season ticket. I've seen Best, Hudson, Pele, Maradona etc, etc and imho the quality of football (except for a 5-10 minute spell) was not good. This is supposed to be the best league in the world. Allowed to have an opinion aren't I????

[hanibal7]

I thought we played much better than in recent weeks against a top quality side.manu will not get a harder game than that all season,i was proud of the lads today, as i have been critical of the performances but we actualy passed the ball well at times

[Paul Spencer]

I thought we played much better than in recent weeks ... we actualy passed the ball well at times

Agreed.

I really hope Tone goes with the same midfield/tactics on Sunday.

[CalgaryPotter]

I can't believe someone is complaining about todays performance.
I've just watched it over here and am nothing but proud of the lads efforts.
Fuller should've scored early on, one or two of Rory's throws caused problems and Pugh should have got the header down further in the corner. Even Cresswell, but for a superb challenge was pressing for a goal late on.

If they take this performance to West Ham we should get that elusive first away win.

[DodgyDino]

I feel we were never going to win the game, Weve got all the hustle and bustle but never really looked a danger up front, Fuller is totally isolated without Mama up front to hold the ball and play off him. The way we play we need Mama back ASAP.
Having said that i was dissapointed we didnt hold out for a draw because for all thier play they never really caused any major problems.
All in all not a bad display against who i consider the best side in the country.

[Sparkiee]

I thought we played excellently. Shame we threw away a win against Blackburn..I can't see us getting too many points in January =\

[stokie63]

i thought it was a good game from our point of view we were the better side and deserved at least a point.

[johnnysoul60]

I think we were as good as we could be and should have been two up before united scored, we gave them a tough game and our players did well, we need to stick to what we do well and take our chances, forget about playing open football until we can afford good enough players and we are about three years of premiership money away from that, had fuller and pugh not missed sitters we might be celebrating a famous victory today

[GazMcNicol]

I feel the reason we played so well (and yes, I DO believe we played well!) is because of a definite change in the way the ball was bought out from defence. It was refreshing to see Amdy Faye in particular, play the ball out, or even (shock horror) run out with the ball and PASS it to our forwards. That said, Wilko, even though he had a good game upto the sending off, was for me the only one that HOOFED the ball out.

[surreystokie]

Yes, as is stated above, we were playing the best club side in the world. The point is, however, that they did not play like it. And they'd scored only three goals, since blasting someone 5-0. We must stop making excuses.

We aslo played the Cup winners, not too long ago and they too had alos just been abroad, playing in Europe, and were there for the taking. Funny how Pompey won, too.

And we played Wigan, who at the time had the worst home record, but did not get a goal there, either. As for low on confidence Newcastle and Blackburn....... Just don't get me going.

Someone who knows where the net is, gets near to it (as we don't seem to score long-rangers) and stays calm, would help. Oh, and knows how to tie his boot laces, doesn't stop for offside when it isn't, and is not now tainted by every ref, because he has tried the dying swan and the gobby critic too often.

Let's hope for some New Year resolutions, starting three days early. It's not too late. There is half a division, vying to be relegated.

[Cupid Stunt]

Fucking hell, we lost to man united by only a goal, and people are complaining that we wern't good enough.

Work out how much their team cost and then think about what you've said spitthedog.

[Paul Spencer]

I feel the reason we played so well (and yes, I DO believe we played well!) is because of a definite change in the way the ball was bought out from defence. It was refreshing to see Amdy Faye in particular, play the ball out, or even (shock horror) run out with the ball and PASS it to our forwards.

I couldn't agree with you more mcnicol, there was a definate shift away from Plan A (hoof) yesterday, and my IMHO we looked a far better side for it.

I don't see any reason for us not to do the same tomorrow.

[TheWiseMaster]

back to your kennel spit..

What do you really expect against one of the top teams in the world?

And yes we have beaten teams this season and were close to a point yesterday

Brainless post spit ???

[Lakeland Potter]

Monica, I know where you are coming from but I don't think you give the team enough credit for their display yesterday. ManU didn't play like World Champions largely because our defence and midfield didn't let them play like World Champions.

I thought we played a very similar game to the one we played against Arsenal. Of course, ManU didn't curl up and die like Arsenal did but they found it hard going. Their keeper was busier than ours and they could have had two players sent off to our one if the ref had done a decent job - and that could have swung the game our way quite easily. And - we achieved all that with Lawrence and Sidibe (two of our better players) absent from an already small squad.

[surreystokie]

John,

I actually thought we put up a fair show, (a million times better than at Ewood Park and v Pompey) but lost it through reasons given. It just maddens me that we play better against good teams, when I'd prefer to do well in the six-pointers.

And we do have a problem with luck - or the lack of it. It seems like we very rarely win when we don't deserve to and when we do, the ref is often an ass.

I'll be disappointed if we lose tomorrow but am not expecting to. Another six-pointer.