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Post by carverdoone on Mar 6, 2009 8:29:28 GMT
Taken from a post by Lakeland Potter on another thread, I felt that it was wothy of thread of its own.
Well said that man.
'Staying up for Martin - my thoughts exactly. We have been 23 years out of the top flight, we are an unfashionable club and we were all the "experts" top tip for the drop. Players were naturally very wary of joining us. 9 months after promotion I have to keep pinching myself when I look at some of the players we now have.
OK, some of TP's buys have not made the grade and some (Kitson especially) look like expensive failures. But the flip side of the coin is that we now have a striker who has got 5 goals and two assists in 7 games and who is closing in on 100 Premiership goals. We have a keeper who I wouldn't swap for about 12 of the other keepers in the Prem. We have a centre back who I would rate as one of the best I have ever seen at Stoke in the 50 years I have supported them and a winger who is left footed, has pace and can beat a man on the outside. Added to that 5 or 6 of last year's Championship side have stepped up to the plate and shown they can cut it at the top level.
Pulis can be frustrating but he has shown he can build a decent side in any division. If he left for whatever reason we'd be lucky to find a more effective manager to replace him. '
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Post by bigcashprizes on Mar 6, 2009 11:05:22 GMT
Well said indeed
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Post by foxfield on Mar 6, 2009 11:51:22 GMT
Totally agree mate. Mr. Pulis now has a squad of players that are 100% ers. PC and TP work very well together and I don't think we could ask for more. There will always be times when we criticise team selection or tactics because we all have our own ideas. We now have every chance of staying in the big time.
We have the best support in the Prem. League and we have developed a bond with the team that is something the top four would die for. I just hope we can stay up and build on all these positives. The future is quite rosy.
I have supported Stoke for well over 50 years and am very satisfied with the current situation.
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Post by trebor63 on Mar 6, 2009 12:58:26 GMT
Crikey I wonder who hacked into Mr Fornsides computer. That made sense and was very well put ;D
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Post by y_oh_y_delilah on Mar 6, 2009 13:16:50 GMT
So well written and thought provoking, it almost had me in tears.  |
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Post by Lakeland Potter on Mar 6, 2009 15:13:00 GMT
Aw shucks guys. I wish all the Oatcake posters were as wise as that nice Mr Doone of Mousehole! ;D
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Post by wembley4372 on Mar 6, 2009 15:29:07 GMT
This must be the first thread without anything nasty, controversial or stupid for a long time. Well done chaps.
I just hope we stay up and don't have to rebuild but can move forward.
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Post by Peters Pipe on Mar 6, 2009 15:40:31 GMT
This must be the first thread without anything nasty, controversial or stupid for a long time. Well done chaps. I just hope we stay up and don't have to rebuild but can move forward. What a load of complete bollocks from a complete arsehole; Cresswell is a hero and should start every game; I'm going to be the next King of England. Hope that redresses the balance for you there wembley4372  ps: wise words indeed from lakeland..... |
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Post by pez75 on Mar 6, 2009 15:41:45 GMT
Hate to be a party pooper, but I can take issue with some of what has been said (much to Fornside's surprise ) I agree with the sentiment that Pulis probably found it tough to attract players to the club at the start of the season which is why it took until Jan for him to lure the likes of Beattie & Etherington - two quality signings. However - you suggest we have a decent side - it depends on your definition of 'decent'. It is certainly the best side we Stokies have seen in many a long year - no doubt about it. But is it 'decent' enough to keep us in the Prem? Time will tell, but if we should go down, or even stay up by goal difference or a point then that would maybe suggest we do not have a decent side after all? We know the likes of the aforementioned Beattie, Etherington, Sorenson & Abdy are quality - along with Fuller & Shawcross, but the jury is out with the majority of the others at this level, and there are a few who are even in the first team who just are not good enough for the Prem. This unanswered question means that it is yet unclear whether Pulis can cut it in any division as you state. This is not a criticism, it is just too soon to say. To be honest this conclusion could only be drawn in my opinion when we have stayed up and then consolidated. Many teams can go up a division, compete at a higher level with the winning momentum and continued euphoria from the previous season, then drop like a stone the next time around. Credit where it is due - we are surpassing my expectations at the moment and I hope that we can do it. I am just not getting carried away yet, and I do not think anything has been proved other than the fact that Pulis & SCFC have the fight & determination to have a good go at staying up, and the fears of doing a 'Derby' as some suspected are a distant memory. |
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Post by Lakeland Potter on Mar 6, 2009 15:54:54 GMT
Pez if we only based our opinions on facts after the event then there wouldn't be much point in having a message board to argue about Stoke - we could just buy the "Big book of football facts" and read that!
My opinion is that Pulis has built a decent side and that he has shown enough ability (to me) to suggest he can build a decent side in any division. You are, of course, free to disagree.
What I would say though is that my post at the top of this thread was copied (not at my suggestion) from a thread where the opening premise was that TP should be sacked - NOW. I feel I gave a decent enough bunch of arguments as to why TP shouldn't be sacked - now. And that was the ONLY objective of the post which, of course, appears on this thread totally out of context.
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Post by luke45 on Mar 6, 2009 16:10:52 GMT
However - you suggest we have a decent side - it depends on your definition of 'decent'. Time will tell, but if we should go down, or even stay up by goal difference or a point then that would maybe suggest we do not have a decent side after all? For me every side in the top flight is decent, some obviously better than others. The big question mark when we got promoted for me was could we compete, i think the evidence is there, certainly at home that we can and have. |
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Post by wembley4372 on Mar 6, 2009 16:16:34 GMT
pez look on the bright side - we could be baggies fans
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Post by pez75 on Mar 6, 2009 16:30:46 GMT
"Pez if we only based our opinions on facts after the event then there wouldn't be much point in having a message board to argue about Stoke - we could just buy the "Big book of football facts" and read that!" Not really - you say Pulis has shown he can build a decent side in any division, I am just pointing out that surely that cannot be concluded until May at the earliest? As for your snippet being posted out of context - fair enough - but I have hardly shot you down in flames, just offering a different take on things. Luke - "For me every side in the top flight is decent, some obviously better than others." I suppose you could look at it like that, but if you are not good enough to stay in that division then are you decent? Were Derby decent last season? Wembley - thank heavens for small mercies  |
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Post by TheWiseMaster on Mar 6, 2009 19:00:10 GMT
I am sure that this season will prove TP has built a good side
I would go as far as to say that the team will now avoid relegation by some magin (barring multiple injuries/suspensions to key players)
Credit to both the manager and Coates
The only blot on the season has been the inability to win away and in part this is down to TP. Time to let the team off the leash a little and we will then see if we are as good as I believe us to be
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Post by jbstokie on Mar 6, 2009 19:05:28 GMT
Spot on Lakeland
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Post by Deleted on Mar 6, 2009 19:24:24 GMT
For me, I think we have a good core set of 1st team players with a few areas that can still be strengthened/will be strengthened by shawcross & wilko gaining in experience. This time last season I was thinking we had a chance to go up, then I was thinking we had blown it then pottermouth came along and I new we HAD to do it and eventually that we WOULD do it!!!! I've seen 23 of the 28 fixtures so far and I am past the we HAVE to do it and am now at the point of view that we WILL do it 4 wins WILL ensure our survival - 3 at home and 1 away is what I predict. Goaaarrrrnnnn Stoke ;D |
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Post by dozintheseventees on Mar 6, 2009 20:20:40 GMT
The question of wether or not we go down doesn't, in my opinion, affect the question of how decent (or otherwise) a team Pulis has managed to produce. There has been lots of very 'decent' sides relegated in recent years. Lets face it, three of them HAVE to be relegated each season, and that doesn't mean that there are necessarily three crap sides in the division (It's all relative).
In my opinion, based on what we have done so far, and what I see each week, Pulis has undeniably produced a 'decent' side (Not world beaters by any means but certainly decent)
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