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Post by GoBoks on Mar 17, 2022 22:14:14 GMT
If the mast is MoNs Stoke City- It would have been guiding the ship to a record crossing of the Pacific only to have veered off course half way and been shipwrecked on a desert isle The mast would then have been chopped up for fuel to start a fire, only for the wood to be the non inflammable sort and most freeze to death in the night then cannibals come along and eat the survivors leaving only their shoes But ..... ala "Billys Boots", the shoes swim home in time to win all the remaining games on their own, setting us up to walk the title next season.
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Post by GoBoks on Mar 17, 2022 22:12:09 GMT
He hasn’t had it any tougher than the majority of other managers in this league. There’s the clubs receiving parachute payments who obviously have a huge advantage but after that everyone is having to put a side together made up of low transfer fees, freebies and loans. The likes of Huddersfield, Luton, Coventry, Blackpool, Preston, Millwall and Swansea have all spent a fraction of what we have over the past couple of years but are all outperforming us. Interesting that managers of two of those clubs were hounded out of Stoke but are now used as examples to compare MON against.
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Post by GoBoks on Mar 17, 2022 20:18:23 GMT
By that measure, Stoke City has had 150 years of abject failure. Clearly there are other measures of success or no one would supoort anyone other than a handful of "successful" clubs. You could argue that point yes but we have had several trips to Wembley and other highlights too. 3 ninth place finishes in the prem for a club of our size and budget is a noteworthy achievement and would be considered successful seasons whereas finishing in probably your worst position in the championship since being relegated despite bringing a fair number of new players to the club can only be seen as an abject failure as pretty much confirmed by the manager himself On the other hand, you could argue that with 8 games to go, we are just 6 points off our best finish since relegation. However, IMO, it really does not matter where we finish. I direct you to my earlier post regarding goals and plans and achievement thereof. If he is not achieving according to the owners’ goals, he’ll soon be out on his ear. But until that day, I always support the club, the manager, the players and the owners. Without them we’d be in big trouble.
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Post by GoBoks on Mar 17, 2022 15:08:59 GMT
No, that's not the only measure of success. there is a list of clubs who won games and did well but were not successful. Look at Portsmouth and Leeds as prime examples. The owner's measures of success (rightly or wrongly) may be different to yours. Sorry Boks but that makes no sense. As I’ve said other aspects maybe ok but the only REAL measure of success is challenging for honours be it the league or a cup competition and at the moment the present incumbent is failing badly. Had we not had a decent start we’d be in real trouble By that measure, Stoke City has had 150 years of abject failure. Clearly there are other measures of success or no one would supoort anyone other than a handful of "successful" clubs.
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Post by GoBoks on Mar 16, 2022 23:03:22 GMT
Much as I am tempted to throw in the towel after tonight, I won't. As a supervisor, I don't base my hiring/firing decisions on transitory conditions (injuries, loss of form etc). I look at what the person is doing and what they have accomplished; I compare it to my goals and instructions. If they don't match, I ensure they are aware of what the goal is and ask for a plan on how to get they will accomplish the goals. If they fail to match their own plan on how to achieve my goals, I'd start getting impatient and ultimately fire the person. I think part of the frustration is that our goals (wishes) for Stoke may not match the owner's goals. We tend to think in terms of how many games without a result, or how many absolutely dross performances, while they may be thinking in terms of progression to a multi-year goal. For example, what if the owner's instructions were something like this: Season Ending 2020 - Avoid Relegation 2021 - Avoid Relegation, Reduce expenses by 20%, Reduce average age of playing squad to <29, recruit backroom staff 2022 - Mid table finish (9-15), Reduce expenses by 15%, Reduce average age of playing squad to <27, Blood 1 Stoke Youth 2023 - Playoffs, Maintain budget neutral to 2022, Blood 3 youngsters from within Stoke 2024 - Promotion, Increase budget by <10%, Recruit 2 class "A" international players I'm not saying those are his goals, but it would be hard for Coates to turn around and say "Well, you've met most your goals, but we're firing you anyway". And if those were indeed the owner's goals, why would they even consider firing him? As you say though, there’s nothing to say those were his goals are there? We currently look as poor a side as we ever have under his care. Is it really an unrealistic ‘wish’ to think we might do better than 3 wins in close to half a season? We’re showing relegation form. No, we don't know, but we do know that the match results are not what we would have set as targets. We also know that the owners have not said or done anything to indicate dissatisfaction. I'm merely pointing out that the people who make the decisions may have a more strategic approach than how many games he wins? I agree with you and was one of the last to abandon the idea that we could still make the playoffs. I want us to win every single game we play. By 4 goals to boot! But I also don't want to see us in Derby's position or sunderland or Portsmouth, etc etc. I am willing to trust the owners who took us back to the top flight which is something I thought would not happen in my lifetime.
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Post by GoBoks on Mar 16, 2022 22:41:10 GMT
Excellent post, well stated and looking at the big picture. But, the last 3 games were disappointing so the Oatckae jury has proclaimed he must go. Bottom line, the club is way better off now than when he first arrived. How many other things have improved is all well and good. However in a results based business the only real measure of success is ultimately the number of points won and the league position those points translate to and unfortunately on that metric alone he has failed despite being backed by being allowed to bring in a number of players in. 3 wins in 18 paint’s a fairly bleak picture of how things really are. I admire your optimism but this is the second year in a row where we’ve collapsed fairly spectacularly and as he keeps chopping and changing the line up game by game does give a pretty good indication that he doesn’t know what his best line up is. No, that's not the only measure of success. there is a list of clubs who won games and did well but were not successful. Look at Portsmouth and Leeds as prime examples. The owner's measures of success (rightly or wrongly) may be different to yours.
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Post by GoBoks on Mar 16, 2022 22:37:52 GMT
Simply a consolidation phase! Out of interest, what would it take for you to see a problem? How many poor results, how lengthy a run? Much as I am tempted to throw in the towel after tonight, I won't. As a supervisor, I don't base my hiring/firing decisions on transitory conditions (injuries, loss of form etc). I look at what the person is doing and what they have accomplished; I compare it to my goals and instructions. If they don't match, I ensure they are aware of what the goal is and ask for a plan on how to get they will accomplish the goals. If they fail to match their own plan on how to achieve my goals, I'd start getting impatient and ultimately fire the person. I think part of the frustration is that our goals (wishes) for Stoke may not match the owner's goals. We tend to think in terms of how many games without a result, or how many absolutely dross performances, while they may be thinking in terms of progression to a multi-year goal. For example, what if the owner's instructions were something like this: Season Ending 2020 - Avoid Relegation 2021 - Avoid Relegation, Reduce expenses by 20%, Reduce average age of playing squad to <29, recruit backroom staff 2022 - Mid table finish (9-15), Reduce expenses by 15%, Reduce average age of playing squad to <27, Blood 1 Stoke Youth 2023 - Playoffs, Maintain budget neutral to 2022, Blood 3 youngsters from within Stoke 2024 - Promotion, Increase budget by <10%, Recruit 2 class "A" international players I'm not saying those are his goals, but it would be hard for Coates to turn around and say "Well, you've met most your goals, but we're firing you anyway". And if those were indeed the owner's goals, why would they even consider firing him?
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Post by GoBoks on Mar 16, 2022 17:01:00 GMT
And you accept he has made massive progress? It depends how we're defining it. He made progress in the early stage of his tenure but we're regressing again and there isn't much in the way of evidence to suggest he knows how to address that. Simply a consolidation phase!
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Post by GoBoks on Mar 16, 2022 17:00:04 GMT
From nailed on certainties to disappointment that we’re not in the playoffs = massive progress From a bunch of overpaid uncommitted old one last pay day to a team with a blend of youth and experience assembled on a budget =. Significant improvement, but still need to gel and build commitment From fans almost attacking the team and chanting you’re not fit to wear the shirt to fans calling for Mon’s head because he can’t get a team that is clearly capable of better things into the playoffs in only his second full season having had to build the team first. = massive unappreciated progress. I respect your opinions and rightly so but I think the bloke is way out of his depth , the team is poor and results have shown that and it’s a results business and that’s something he’s failing to achieve , the table doesn’t lie either And that's the nature of Football. Two blokes who love the same club and want nothing but the best for it, discuss their opposing views on how to get there, and agree to disagree. LEt's hope for a resounding win against Cardiff ??(thereby proving I was right and you were wrong!)
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Post by GoBoks on Mar 16, 2022 16:56:37 GMT
I know I'm going to be swimming against the tide here, but I would keep MON. Here's why. 1. He's a decent, intelligent and I think, honest guy who has a track record with NI of getting teams to punch waaay above their weight. 2. He brings much more than team management and coaching. His work on the cost side of the club has been incredible and swift. 3. His Stoke City has played some decent football. After West Brom, how many of us thought we might challenge for automatic promotion? 4. Some signings have been good. Lewis Baker class, Jagielka and Sawyers were smart, Jacob Brown is getting better every season, Wilmot and Thompson promising. 5. He has put his trust in younger players. The age of our squad has come down. 6. I believe he can get us promoted, and if so, he is a perfect manager to re-establish us in the Premier League. In fact, he has been so drastic in cutting cost (Davies and Batth as recently as Jan) that he has left himself with almost a scratch team. Bursik (injury) & Bonham haven't played much, Moore coming back from injury, Baker (not much game time), Campbell & Powell back from injury, Bidace not much game time, and all a long way from a proper pre-season. Add to that some bad luck with injuries and it hasn't been easy. Bad management or a necessary evil to balance the books? You decide. We're going through a tough patch and there is more work to do on the wage bill in the summer. We sometimes have to stick with a guy when the going gets tough. Our recent form on changing managers hasn't produced good results. Let him finish getting the squad more manageable, get rid of some high earners, add some new players and hope for a season with less injuries. This time next year let's hope we are a bit nearer to getting out of this incredibly hard, but exciting league. Good luck Michael and hang in there. O'Neill in. Excellent post, well stated and looking at the big picture. But, the last 3 games were disappointing so the Oatckae jury has proclaimed he must go. Bottom line, the club is way better off now than when he first arrived.
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Post by GoBoks on Mar 16, 2022 16:51:59 GMT
Not the first time and won't be the last. We've still made significant progress and IMO MON deserves another season. I understand your opinion is different, so be it. So you accept that it isn't anything to do with getting into the play-offs then... And you accept he has made massive progress?
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Post by GoBoks on Mar 16, 2022 16:50:55 GMT
I've defended him countless times on here. More often than not trying to kid myself that he'll turn it around. After going the Barnsley and Peterborough games I have finally had enough. I would get rid at the end of the season. The football is no better than what Jones played. It's now turned toxic in the stands and the last three games I've been I've seen fighting amongst Stoke supporters due to their different opinions. I'm afraid it's time to go. That's more of an indictment against some Stoke fans than of MON.
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Post by GoBoks on Mar 16, 2022 16:49:38 GMT
Then why wasn’t it accomplished earlier? That's a question for the Stoke City Board to answer,they are after all responsible for the "Direction" of the club. Maybe this could be raised at the next Supporters Council meeting? Not really. You're claiming that shifting the deadwood is mainly due to agent action. I beg to differ. MON had a huge role to play in clearing most of the deadwood out.
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Post by GoBoks on Mar 16, 2022 16:47:59 GMT
By the way, are you capable of talking English or do you just talk potty? You're. That's cheered me up!
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Post by GoBoks on Mar 16, 2022 16:46:51 GMT
From nailed on certainties to disappointment that we’re not in the playoffs = massive progress From a bunch of overpaid uncommitted old one last pay day to a team with a blend of youth and experience assembled on a budget =. Significant improvement, but still need to gel and build commitment From fans almost attacking the team and chanting you’re not fit to wear the shirt to fans calling for Mon’s head because he can’t get a team that is clearly capable of better things into the playoffs in only his second full season having had to build the team first. = massive unappreciated progress. It's a straw man to suggest it's only related to the play-offs though isn't it? We've won three of our last 18... Not the first time and won't be the last. We've still made significant progress and IMO MON deserves another season. I understand your opinion is different, so be it.
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Post by GoBoks on Mar 16, 2022 13:55:02 GMT
Desperate to stay in job because of what he’s earning? If he is fired, he is paid out his entire contract and can then go earn additional money elsewhere. I think he really wants to stay in the job ( and the Coates family want him in the job) because it’s easy to see the progress that has been made. In addition, he has never failed at any job he has been in. Like he said, fans have to decide if they’re going to be patient or if they trash the work already done and start over, which will require an even greater level of patience. your full of shit.. the Coates family want him in the job?? How the fuck would u know By the way, are you capable of talking English or do you just talk potty?
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Post by GoBoks on Mar 16, 2022 13:53:15 GMT
ROFL Because they pay his salary every week? yeah they pay his salary because he’s on a contract.. they haven’t said a word so nobody would know what they are thinking.. an I certainly wouldn’t say it’s a forgone conclusion mon will be here next season When the owners of a club don’t want the manager anymore, they fire him contract or no. Live with it …. MON was amd remains their choice!
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Post by GoBoks on Mar 16, 2022 13:51:32 GMT
Can you explain the progress he has made , I can see the progress by shifting the deadwood but on the football side and league he’s made no progress at all I imagine that "shifting the dead wood"is more of an action by the players agent, following an acceptable agreement on severance terms with the club. Then why wasn’t it accomplished earlier?
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Post by GoBoks on Mar 16, 2022 13:50:14 GMT
Desperate to stay in job because of what he’s earning? If he is fired, he is paid out his entire contract and can then go earn additional money elsewhere. I think he really wants to stay in the job ( and the Coates family want him in the job) because it’s easy to see the progress that has been made. In addition, he has never failed at any job he has been in. Like he said, fans have to decide if they’re going to be patient or if they trash the work already done and start over, which will require an even greater level of patience. Can you explain the progress he has made , I can see the progress by shifting the deadwood but on the football side and league he’s made no progress at all From nailed on certainties to disappointment that we’re not in the playoffs = massive progress From a bunch of overpaid uncommitted old one last pay day to a team with a blend of youth and experience assembled on a budget =. Significant improvement, but still need to gel and build commitment From fans almost attacking the team and chanting you’re not fit to wear the shirt to fans calling for Mon’s head because he can’t get a team that is clearly capable of better things into the playoffs in only his second full season having had to build the team first. = massive unappreciated progress.
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Post by GoBoks on Mar 16, 2022 12:40:22 GMT
Desperate to stay in job because of what he’s earning? If he is fired, he is paid out his entire contract and can then go earn additional money elsewhere. I think he really wants to stay in the job ( and the Coates family want him in the job) because it’s easy to see the progress that has been made. In addition, he has never failed at any job he has been in. Like he said, fans have to decide if they’re going to be patient or if they trash the work already done and start over, which will require an even greater level of patience. your full of shit.. the Coates family want him in the job?? How the fuck would u know ROFL Because they pay his salary every week?
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Post by GoBoks on Mar 16, 2022 12:39:32 GMT
Being 3rd rate it makes it more impressive that he took them to their first ever Euros to add to his 2 league titles as manager. Odd how things can be twisted to suit an agenda I guess But is he up to the task of taking a second rate championship team into the Premier League? I fear not. Stoke may be second rate in your eyes, but to me they are the greatest team the world has ever seen! Besides, why would a second rate Championship team ever even aspire to get into the premiership?
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Post by GoBoks on Mar 16, 2022 12:36:49 GMT
“I think when we’ve got all our players fit and back – and over a season you may not have that very often – we’re certainly capable of being in the top six. I think we’ve demonstrated that. “We’re trying to challenge to stay in that top six. That has to be our ambition this season.” That was O’Neil in December. “The crowd are impatient, I get that, they want the team to get back to the Premier League, but I think they have to realise where the club is. Our wage bill will be considerably less in the summer than it has been, our squad will be considerably younger than it was, we have hungry players who want to do well for the club. I would just ask for a bit of patience. Fans will decide if they want to give us that or not.” This was O’Neil today. He’s certainly changed his tune. He sounds desperate to stay in the job - which isn't surprising given what he's rumoured to be being paid LinkI bet he can't believe his luck.... Brechin City, Shamrock Rovers, a few games with a 3rd rate national team and then he gets a gold-plated deal with us. I think we'd all change our tune to keep earning what he's earning when he isn't actually earning it with results and performances Out of his depth completely Desperate to stay in job because of what he’s earning? If he is fired, he is paid out his entire contract and can then go earn additional money elsewhere. I think he really wants to stay in the job ( and the Coates family want him in the job) because it’s easy to see the progress that has been made. In addition, he has never failed at any job he has been in. Like he said, fans have to decide if they’re going to be patient or if they trash the work already done and start over, which will require an even greater level of patience.
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Post by GoBoks on Mar 16, 2022 12:29:25 GMT
All I would say is that I am sure people will be examining things closely. If something doesn't seem right with the accounts from an FFP perspective, I would say there is a positive duty to flag it to the correct people- at a club level I mean. Same goes for any club, and yes it seems like a positive- Mr. Gibson reported Derby, did he not. Couhig also has his claim in vs Derby and Barnsley are exploring legal position in terms of Reading. If you want to be a successful wind-up merchant, you really should change your user name because: A. You’ve already been sussed. B. What the hell is a “bristolcityinpeace” anyway? You’re not Stoke therefore you’re the enemy! C. How the hell can you expect to be accepted “in peace” when all you do is throw rocks and try to cause dissent? D. Have some pride in your own team! “Lunaticbrizzleontherampage” might be a more apt name for you. E. As I’ve told you before, your name implies your own team is so crap you spend most of your time on other team’s message boards. Pizzle off to the brizzle board and leave us in peace.
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Post by GoBoks on Mar 16, 2022 12:19:01 GMT
I don’t understand this criticism of John Coates. He is academically able and is open and friendly. He is as much a Stoke fanatic as his Dad. He wants the very best for the club and has the money to help us. The only fault I can see is also often a strength and that is his patience with the people he employs. He will take us back to the Prem. Sadly it is taking longer than we and he hoped. Looking for a scape goat is as old as the hills I’m afraid. Unfortunately the internet bullies can get away with it nowadays. I do hope that John Coates - as an intelligent guy - is able to blank out this shite. As a loyal Stoke fan I am extremely grateful that we have such committed and responsible owners. Its a game for fucks sake. For every winner there has to be a loser. When I started going away in the early 70s it was rare that you encountered fans hostile to their own team. Now it’s rife in all four divisions. The so-called fans that propagate it are as silly as arseholes; fortunately the silent majority can see it. Unfortunately, the vocal arseholes minority are spoiling it for everyone else and are too stupid to even perceive that their actions are not wanted, not needed and actually causing harm to the club. They are deluded enough to see themselves as some sort of crusaders fighting evil and saving the day.
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Post by GoBoks on Mar 15, 2022 16:32:33 GMT
A few thoughts: 1. You yourself say it's almost impossible to run at a profit. But you want to exchange a family that has a proven track record of pumping money into a losing proposition for some Fairy God Mother who has nothing better to do with their money than throw it away on covering a football club's losses? Oh, hang on a sec, I believe Roman is looking for a new football home. 2. If you bought and paid for an app, a piece of equipment, a home, a business or, (helmet on) a football club, it's yours to treat as you please. If you're sensible, you will look after it and maintain it properly so it gives you many years of enjoyment/benefit. How many years have the Coates' been involved with Stoke City? How long has John been running the show autonomously? Yet he's automatically "foolish"? 3. When you suggest that "we" take matters into our own hands, what exactly are you implying? Is that a boycott? or something more? 4. Stoke City has been around for a heck of a lot longer than you. I bet the folks who were watching us be expelled from the football league, or failing to make an instant return from the Birmingham & District league, or following up a 4th placed finish with a slide to 17th position 2 years later, or selling Sir Stan and losing the League title in our last game and sliding to 15th position the very next season, or watching one of our best teams dismantled because of a freak gust of wind, or the holocaust season, or a myriad of other wonderful events, would be absolutely amazed (and helpless with laughter) at the concept that some fans think that xyz Billionaire whose family had financed the return of Stoke City to the top Tier after 20+ years "is a little foolish" and therefore let's get our knickers in a knot. 1. I've not suggested the Coates sell up. I said the wrong Coates runs ths club. 2. To use your example sometimes over time that thing you paid for say a car, may need some maintenance, an MOT maybe a service. Thats what we need, the Engine is fine but the car has the potential to be far more valuable with a bit of tlc. If the tyres are worn they need replacing, do nowt and you will end up breaking down in Crewe then Accrington, Plymouth etc 3. I didn't say that, I suggested how far do we have to fall before fans voice their displeasure at the board. Will it take a relegation battle ? Will it take another poor managerial appointment, will it take ffp hitting us with a point deduction. Look at how close we are to any one of these things. 4. So we shouldn't complain because things have been worse than this before, quite literally its the most Stoke thing to say and sums up the area quite well. Lets not dare dream of making things better even though we have all the resources at our disposal. Why can we not dream of being better and why is it always don't rock the boat. Are we that down trodden that we just have to accept mediocrity even though we are the richest club in the league. We can do so much more with those resources and I don't mean buying better players. Get the infrastructure in place now to build a better tomorrow. I find it so odd that I seem to be a lone voice who dares dream that we could/should be doing better with the wealth our owners have. Thank you for your well stated answers. You are not a lone voice, just check the 498,000 threads demanding everyone out. But to your points: 1. It's not for us to decide who runs the club. We could equally say that "I wish it was not Coates family but Bezos family that owned the club". It's their money and obviously they trust John (and probably know him a whole lot better than we do) to be a good steward. I am very pleased it is not Denise running the club, because you would probably see any flow of funding turned off real quickly. 2. You also do not replace the same part 45 times in quick succession. If the same problem is not fixed by your maintenance actions, it is possible it was a faulty part, but more likely that it is a different problem. Additionally, if you either can't (or don't want to) afford a top-of-the-line part, a medium quality part may have to do. Also, if there are rules limiting the amount you can spend, they have to be adhered to. 3 & 4. How far have we fallen? Bottom of the second tier despite massive spending for this level, and I agree things were looking pretty grim. The owners stepped up and took actions to steady the ship and we are now looking upward rather than downward. So really it's a matter of how fast are we rising? Rome wasn't built in a day, and the fact we didin't bounce up the next year after MON was appointed is disappointing, but not the end of the world. As far as the history, it does help to have a little perspective. Even Putin knows that you don't start tossing nukes on day 1 of a war, because the consequences of getting it wrong are dire. We all want the same thing, for Stoke to be improving and participating at the top table again. It's just a matter of how we get there.
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Post by GoBoks on Mar 15, 2022 15:16:54 GMT
So as long as we have cheap season tickets then we should all be happy.....good to know. A few thoughts: 1. You yourself say it's almost impossible to run at a profit. But you want to exchange a family that has a proven track record of pumping money into a losing proposition for some Fairy God Mother who has nothing better to do with their money than throw it away on covering a football club's losses? Oh, hang on a sec, I believe Roman is looking for a new football home. 2. If you bought and paid for an app, a piece of equipment, a home, a business or, (helmet on) a football club, it's yours to treat as you please. If you're sensible, you will look after it and maintain it properly so it gives you many years of enjoyment/benefit. How many years have the Coates' been involved with Stoke City? How long has John been running the show autonomously? Yet he's automatically "foolish"? 3. When you suggest that "we" take matters into our own hands, what exactly are you implying? Is that a boycott? or something more? 4. Stoke City has been around for a heck of a lot longer than you. I bet the folks who were watching us be expelled from the football league, or failing to make an instant return from the Birmingham & District league, or following up a 4th placed finish with a slide to 17th position 2 years later, or selling Sir Stan and losing the League title in our last game and sliding to 15th position the very next season, or watching one of our best teams dismantled because of a freak gust of wind, or the holocaust season, or a myriad of other wonderful events, would be absolutely amazed (and helpless with laughter) at the concept that some fans think that xyz Billionaire whose family had financed the return of Stoke City to the top Tier after 20+ years "is a little foolish" and therefore let's get our knickers in a knot.
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Post by GoBoks on Mar 15, 2022 13:44:16 GMT
I guess the old chestnut needs polishing! If you want entertainment, go to the circus! If you want good food go to a fancy restaurant! If you want to listen to good music of your liking, go to a concert! If you want to drink good beer while watching Stoke play, watch on TV! If you want to see a club winning things go and watch just about anyone but Stoke! If you want misery, you’re at the right place! And before certain posters get their knickers twisted, it’s meant as a joke……. And yes, many a true word spoken in jest!
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Post by GoBoks on Mar 15, 2022 12:58:04 GMT
Argh! Mike Pejic is disappointed that he couldn’t walk around the ground with a cup the club won 50 years ago? Poor dear, he needs to suck it up. We’re disappointed that we have to have tin pot 50 year celebrations because the club has won absolutely nothing since then! What the hell, if we’d won 10 trophies in consecutive years, does that mean we’d be having a significant “anniversary celebration every year for the rest of our lives? I think you are missing the point. Perhaps you feel the League Cup win isn't worth celebrating 50 years on and I can see your point but for those of us around then it was the start of a golden era when Stoke were one of the best teams around, playing wonderful attacking football and only failing to win more trophies because of fate (five broken legs in three months when squads only had about 15 players) and refereeing decisions in not one but two FA up semi finals against Arsenal when they were a team of cloggers and Stoke were the purists' favourite. Most of us supporting them then would, I think, claim that that era even eclipsed the ten years in the Premier because of the way we played, outclassing other teams, and were glad of the opportunity to remember and show appreciation. That isn't the point though. The club chose to commemorate the occasion and then went about it in a tin pot, second rate way. If they considered it worth doing then they should have done it well. There should have been consultation with fans and players, there should have been more publicity. Like the Shawcross fiasco it ended up being more of an insult than a tribute, having the players stood on the edge of the pitch with a plastic cup in front of empty stands. Interviews and a walk around at half time would have filled an empty 15 minutes when we have to watch birthday messages and interviews with people we've never heard of. Some welcome of the players on the pitch in the ten minutes between the warm up and kick off could have been used to lift the big crowd just before kick off. Like Shawcross's farewell it stank of somebody spending all of 5 minutes thinking about it and is just typical of the half arsed approach the club has to publicity and fan engagement. You’re right. If you are going to celebrate, CELEBRATE in style! Even though I was “around” at the time, a celebration of winning a small trophy 50 years ago (albeit the start of a “golden era” where we won nothing else) just reeks of a bunch of old, old, guys sitting in the park swapping “I remember when ….. “ stories. I understand why some want to do it, but for me, no thanks……it’s simply another reminder of how unsuccessful we’ve been in the last 150 years.
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Post by GoBoks on Mar 14, 2022 1:33:49 GMT
On a similar theme, I thought the 50th anniversary of the League Cup win celebrations on the designated match day were incredibly basic and underwhelming. And, of course, it was almost impossible to hear the players' interviews. Mike Pejic talked about it in his column quite critically. He was disappointed not to have been able to share the celebrations more with the fans, not to have been able to walk around the pitch with the trophy, not to have been invited into the boardroom, not to have the directors at the celebration dinner (incredibly it seems no directors were there but MON who had no connection to the team in 1972 was). That seems to sum up the club's attitude, token appreciation and obviously no consultation with the cup winning squad, just like they treat the fans. Amazingly he claims that ten years ago the cup winning squad were publicly promised free seats for life at the ground but are still waiting and like the rest of us he had the email last week telling him it was time to renew his season ticket. How exceedingly shoddy and second rate that all makes the club seem. The Coates family cannot be criticised for what they have done for the club but the PR throughout the club is atrocious. Argh! Mike Pejic is disappointed that he couldn’t walk around the ground with a cup the club won 50 years ago? Poor dear, he needs to suck it up. We’re disappointed that we have to have tin pot 50 year celebrations because the club has won absolutely nothing since then! What the hell, if we’d won 10 trophies in consecutive years, does that mean we’d be having a significant “anniversary celebration every year for the rest of our lives?
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Post by GoBoks on Mar 14, 2022 1:26:46 GMT
Never has a chicken burger better summed up the state of a football club than the one photographed at the ground recently and widely shared on social media. It's everything about Stoke City FC in a bun. A half-arsed, "That'll do" attitude that runs through the club from top to bottom. The problems run far deeper than Michael O'Neill failing to get an imbalanced squad to perform on the pitch. The whole match day experience is well below the standard it should be. The music before the game is poor: the playlist seems to have not been changed for a decade. The reading out of the teams a good twenty minutes before the players come out rather than when the players are out massively reduces the atmosphere. Think back to the Premier League years. Opposition players would visibly shrink when their names were roundly booed seconds before kick off. Our players would visibly grow when cheered. Now we have to listen to Delilah blaring out way too loudly over a substandard tannoy system, which stops any kind of atmosphere being generated in its tracks. As we've seen recently, the food is abysmal, refusing to move with the times. Not good enough. And if you don't go down to the concourse for a bite to eat at half-time, what entertainment is there on offer from the stands? Absolutely none. Yes, we do a great job in the community, but do we really need to hear about it every week? When we have a special guest, such as Shawcross recently, the whole thing again is carried out as if the club only found out it was happening five minutes earlier. Not good enough. Many, many smaller clubs do it so much better. Apart from the football (which is persuading nobody to attend at the moment), what else is there to entice people to the club on match days? The club has got a lot right over the years, but seems to be stuck thinking it's still 2010. Football, entertainment and the world have moved on. I think we all wish it was 2010!
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