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Post by marwood82 on Apr 9, 2009 9:46:50 GMT
in the build up my main hope was that we wouldn't embarrass ourselves. particuarly when it was all quiet on the transfer front when the likes of hull were buying anyone with or without a pulse.
I genuinly felt we would do better than west brom as the 2 things that stood out for me were that we scored goals and were a threat from set plays. We didn't need to rely on creating goals from open play which is much harder at this level. once brazil dumped phillips, to me that sealed their fate.
must say though after the bolton loss i got very worried. especially given that that game looked to be one of the best chances for a win in the first few matches. but after that, we gave as good as we got and started picking up a few points.
what has impressed me most is that when we have had games that we had to win to stay in the hunt (spurs, bolton, west brom sunderland at home) we've managed to pull it off.
whatever happens from now on in, this season has been fantastic. i wouldn't have swapped it for anything.
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Post by Cupid Stunt on Apr 9, 2009 11:02:09 GMT
I thought we'd come 19th, I honestly thought we'd better West Brom and at the end the season on about 28-32 points. My problem was I couldn't see us scoring, so thought we'd compete but lose 1 or 2-0 each game, with the occasional draw. I thought Hull would do a Wigan/Reading but I thought they'd come down when they lost 5-0 to the Latics at the start of the season. I think the fact I hated Phil Brown made me thought he'd be a success.
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Post by Bick on Apr 9, 2009 11:32:56 GMT
I was worried. Looking at our team, I wasnt sure if we had many players who could make the step up. But each and every one of them has... even Griff.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 9, 2009 13:23:41 GMT
I really thought we would do a Derby.
Derby 1975 that is woooo hoooo
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Post by march4 on Apr 9, 2009 13:27:54 GMT
I was counting down the points early season, until we had beaten Derby's low total.
The glory hunters I work with (and the soap dodgers) spent the summer telling me we didn't have a chance of reaching a double number of points.
He who laughs last............... is the thickest one in the group ;D
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Post by lancer on Apr 9, 2009 14:02:15 GMT
Always confident that we'd get another five or six points on top of the Baggies game, and so it came to be.
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Post by tsm on Apr 9, 2009 15:52:40 GMT
I remember getting a message via a colleague of mine about our opening day loss to Bolton, taking the piss, basically. I knew though, that the team we sent out that day was not the one we would see for most of the season, so I told him to wait and see. What happened the following game? Of course, we all know, but it was sweet result.
To answer the OP, no, I never thought we'd "do a Derby", since I thought we were already better than them before we strengthened the squad with Abdy and the rest. I have been worried on occasion, but at least we've got our fate in our own hands now. I'll still be biting me nails until we're mathematically safe or the last whistle, whichever comes sooner!
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Post by Staying up for Grandadstokey on Apr 9, 2009 19:08:13 GMT
I was convinced that even if we had not signed a single player we would not have done a "Derby". I have rarely seen such a spineless team as they were last season , and we all know T.P would never allow that to happen.
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Post by SneydGreenStokie on Apr 9, 2009 19:28:15 GMT
the way our fixtures were laid out said to me it was never going to happen ffs big 4 (except ars away) done and dusted before end of jan. which meant mini runs could always happen i bet next year we wont be so lucky Maybe but its only 8 games out of 38. Plus, we have taken 5 points from those teams this season and should have had more ala Chelski (a) and Man Yoo (h). SGS
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E-man
Youth Player
Posts: 277
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Post by E-man on Apr 9, 2009 19:42:43 GMT
4 out there 11 came v newcastle!
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Post by Gunslinger on Apr 9, 2009 19:42:58 GMT
I wasn't too worried that we would end up copying Derby this season. A TP-team never surrenders and always battles to the end. He also has a unique joker up his sleeve: the relationship with PC and access to his 'warchest'.
I anticipated that we would play to our strengts and I wasn't too wrong ;D I feard meeting 'The Big Four' though and didn't anticipate any points from those encounters. The season has been better than expected and even if we go down we can hold our heads high. Survival is crucial now: It looks like many of the 'established' teams will struggle financially next season and the promoted teams will more or less automatically fight with their backs against the wall. Staying up now will give us a tremendous advantage next season.
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Post by sansomonhisarse on Apr 9, 2009 20:50:22 GMT
I thank the premiership machine for enabling a sorry sunderland and then a desperate derby beating our lowest ever top flight points scored total. This is why unfortunately I was worried at the start of the season that it is possible to "do a derby". This comment will I think possibly live forever and to "do a derby" will never be repeated or bettered (worsened) Thank the lord I am not a derby fan and have such an unwanted monkey on my back. As a stokie I dont like monkeys :-D
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Post by walrus on Apr 9, 2009 20:54:27 GMT
It was a small worry at the start of the season and over the summer, but once I saw the quality of some of the signings we had brought in, and we had got that first win, I never really thought it was going to be an issue.
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Post by surreystokie on Apr 10, 2009 20:14:33 GMT
I never at any point thought that we'd do a Derby, because I had spent much of the summer wondering how on earth Derby could do a Derby. I mean, how can you win only one game at home? Even Stoke City, with a no-hope manager, won thrice, in our nightmare season. How can you never play well and still win, or never have opponents score a winning own goal for you or be playing against ten men, or never hit a ball that bounces off the crossbar and hits someone's backside, to go in? No, I originally thought we'd have a fair chance of staying up. And that was before I'd seen the PL in action. Frankly, I've been very surprised by the low standard, outside the top few. Which is why I'd be bitterly disappointed if we were to be relegated, knowing that it was our fullt entirely, through those crazy sendings-off.
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