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Post by davejohnno1 on Feb 18, 2023 19:47:41 GMT
Why was he given the armband when he came on? Didn't notice but if he did it shouldn't have happened. Jags probably felt it was the right thing to do. It’s happened in every game where he’s come on as substitute
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Post by davejohnno1 on Feb 18, 2023 19:32:11 GMT
Probably the only Welsh player in decades to have played as high a level as Championship and not get a cap Appalling today Highlight of the game was baiting a lad who spent most of the game abusing Fox. I said he was our player of the season, consistently our best performer and a bloke who churns in regular 5/6 out of 10 performances which is more than the rest could claim. It was only a matter of time before he swung a punch in my direction. Had I not had my little lad with me I’m sure he wouldn’t have been able to resist 😂
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Post by davejohnno1 on Feb 18, 2023 19:28:55 GMT
Kofi Nyama was probably on about £500 a week. Not an insignificant amount I'll grant you, and I wish I was earning that 25 years later, but Morgan Fox is on at least ten times that and he's not much better. Pound for pound, this team is as bad as we've ever seen. I’ve been slated for saying that for quite some time now.
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Post by davejohnno1 on Feb 18, 2023 19:25:48 GMT
Point is where do we go from here... 32 games in ... and Gayle,Brown,Campbell don’t look like they have ever played together No inter play or passing between one another, complete lack of understanding for each other’s game , yet the manager keeps playing them (admittedly 50 yards apart) Think it’s Time for a reset........... Brown is shit. Gayle is finished. Campbell isn’t looking like he’s ever going to recover from a rotten injury. For differing reasons all 3 are hopeless. When you’ve got Thompson and lovely legs behind them what really do we expect.
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Post by davejohnno1 on Feb 18, 2023 18:53:53 GMT
Morgan Fox is as bad as any named player on thus thread. Nowhere near for me. Bryan small is easily the worst left back I’ve ever seen, followed closely by Tony Dorigo and Derek Statham. Lee Fowler was pretty god damn useless as well.
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Post by davejohnno1 on Feb 18, 2023 18:51:54 GMT
Yes, we are bad Yes, it is incredibly frustrating to support us But come on, if you have supported Stoke longer than the Premier League years, to say this team is the worst we have had is beyond laughable! If you don't know the names, Kofi, Martin or Clayton then you really have no idea as to how bad we have been I”ll see your Kofi and raise you a Nicky Mohan 😃 Cup winning captain?
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Post by davejohnno1 on Feb 18, 2023 18:02:12 GMT
They’re gutless mercenaries. I’ve got no sympathy for any of them, people are right to be infuriated with where the club finds itself and with the shithouses who represent it. Infuriated is fine, the levels of abuse was not. I think the Stoke side that lost 7 at home to Birmingham got less If it had just been booing, moans and groans wouldn't have posted A player in that team was punched whilst he was on the pitch. It wasn’t great and on today alone it was probably undeserved but it’s not about today is it. Laurent played well, fronted up at the end and probably took some abuse that was more aimed at others.
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Post by davejohnno1 on Feb 17, 2023 18:29:48 GMT
I thought that until you compare him now to that picture of him that comes up on the screen when they announce the players which was obviously done at the start of the season. He looks much stronger now. He is still unusually lightweight for a midfield player though. I was thinking to myself when he came to take a corner in front of the Boothen End in midweek that he had the build of a middle or long-distance runner like Seb Coe or Mo Farah rather than how you'd picture a modern footballer (and judging by the running stats Neil keeps highlighting, that's not a coincidence!) It'll be interesting to see how that develops. Neil absolutely purrs about him though, to a surprising degree. I remember when he signed, it was said that he was going to sign a new deal t Soton before going on loan, but there's been no official conformation anywhere on that - so maybe he is out of contract in 2024. Neil sounds like he'd be all over a potential deal in the summer if available. I posted in the week that Neil loves him and he's practically the first name on the team sheet. Seems I was right. He is obviously the reason Powell hasn't featured much and Baker has been dropped. Smallbone is Neil's man for that advanced midfield role despite a lack of both goals and assists.
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Post by davejohnno1 on Feb 16, 2023 19:01:41 GMT
The whole league is absolute dross though. The best team we've played, and by some distance I'd argue, is Middlesborough. Agree on Middlesboro but the championship is no different than it’s ever been Absolutely...which makes the fact that we've been utter shit for 4/5 years even harder to stomach. It's practically impossible to do what we have managed to do yet somehow we've done it with great aplomb.
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Post by davejohnno1 on Feb 16, 2023 18:57:25 GMT
I'm not convinced. We've beat two horrific teams which is great but I thought last night it was lucky we weren't playing anyone good. We definitely would have conceded. But it could be a start, lets hope it is. We need it to be. I think that's about the level we are tbf. Good enough to beat the absolute dross but not much else. The whole league is absolute dross though. The best team we've played, and by some distance I'd argue, is Middlesborough.
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Post by davejohnno1 on Feb 16, 2023 18:56:29 GMT
I’ve forgotten large swathes of this season already but has he taken set pieces much this season? I can’t remember but I do remember how shit Thompson’s and Baker’s have been. Smallbone’s were on the whole really good. Why hasn’t he been taking them more? It gives him a real value. I was more amazed that he could kick it as far as from the corner flag to the penalty spot to be honest.
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Post by davejohnno1 on Feb 15, 2023 14:29:49 GMT
It will be interesting to see who misses out. Celina and Hoever would be my assumption. Wouldn't it be typical of us if it meant that Sarkic was the one to miss out meaning Bonham had to feature again! If it's 433 then Celina starts & Smallbone misses out, if it's 5-3-2 then you'd imagine it will be Smallbone that Starts and Celina misses out. I don't see any scenario where he drops Smallbone. Neil seems to love him!
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Post by davejohnno1 on Feb 15, 2023 14:19:12 GMT
It will be interesting to see who misses out. Celina and Hoever would be my assumption.
Wouldn't it be typical of us if it meant that Sarkic was the one to miss out meaning Bonham had to feature again!
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Post by davejohnno1 on Feb 15, 2023 12:47:27 GMT
Did anyone ever come in for Ryan in his time with us? And the other stalwarts...Huth, Walters etc Tottenham did twice and Everton
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Post by davejohnno1 on Feb 15, 2023 12:43:20 GMT
I can’t stand Alex Neil but it wasn’t really a perfectly fair question. “Started well…” is something of a stretch when it comes to Ryan Woods. He was absolutely toss, moved around like he’d got a broom stuck up his arse and his only decent game in a stoke shirt was his debut. Thereafter he was useless. Why isn't it fair? Good on these two chaps for asking the kind of questions that fans have long wanted to know the answer too and not the banal, sugar-coated questions that Ange gives in order to toe the line. Woods' first game was a revelation, he looked class. And he did have a few more decent games for us as well before he turned to rat shit. I don't think there was anything provocative about the question. He perfectly validly said that many players had come to Stoke and gone off the boil, so asked what assurance AN had this wasn't going to happen to his own signings. There was no need for AN to get pissy like he did. Ryan woods was useless Ryan wood’s hasn’t seemingly had much enthusiasm at the numerous other clubs he’s been at since leaving us Alex Neil never managed Ryan Woods Alex Neil pretty much answered that it’s little to do with enthusiasm and more ability or lack of Alex Neil Will obviously think his signings will be better than Ryan Woods It was a crap question using a crap example. Not one player that we wanted to leave has gone on to prove anything beyond the fact that the manager responsible for signing them was an idiot.
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Post by davejohnno1 on Feb 14, 2023 21:14:50 GMT
If Burnley were to turn it round it would apparently be 11 successive wins for the first time in their history credit to Kompany My lad is there tonight. Hope they get stuffed! 😂
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Post by davejohnno1 on Feb 14, 2023 21:14:15 GMT
Vale slipping towards the relegation zone at great speed. Weren’t they promoted and “playing stoke next season” back in September?
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Post by davejohnno1 on Feb 14, 2023 21:10:29 GMT
Very poor answer to a perfectly reasonable question. The way he tries to bully people is the reason I want him gone quick smart. Well that and his shit results. I can’t stand Alex Neil but it wasn’t really a perfectly fair question. “Started well…” is something of a stretch when it comes to Ryan Woods. He was absolutely toss, moved around like he’d got a broom stuck up his arse and his only decent game in a stoke shirt was his debut. Thereafter he was useless.
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Post by davejohnno1 on Feb 14, 2023 21:05:50 GMT
Sunderland winning 4th now amazing what a positive Change of manager can do The manager you're on about guided them to promotion to this league and left them in fifth position after winning at Stoke. You have no idea how their season would've panned out had he stayed at Sunderland. I’d have rather had Mowbray than Neil to be fair
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Post by davejohnno1 on Feb 14, 2023 21:02:12 GMT
When you say “most will renew”, what would you expect our season ticket number to be next season? How many do you reckon we have this season? I don’t know the exact figure Dave but I would guess around the 15k mark Interesting. Judging by our announced attendances I’d say we have somewhere around 16,500-17,000 season ticket holders. I would be surprised if we didn’t lose at least 3-4000 of those with sales somewhere in the 14000 region for next season.
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Post by davejohnno1 on Feb 14, 2023 19:55:21 GMT
It’ll be exactly the same as it’s been for the last few years and when push comes to shove most fans will renew When you say “most will renew”, what would you expect our season ticket number to be next season? How many do you reckon we have this season?
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Post by davejohnno1 on Feb 14, 2023 19:41:22 GMT
You’d think that we will take more than 1500. I get that it’s an initial allocation but still seems low. I have the 150 priority points but the other lads don’t. So I'm guessing that I will have to wait until Friday to get them all together? You’ll have no problem getting tickets. It’s a long time since we’ve taken anywhere near 1500 to Sunderland. This may have a bit of added interest with Stoke fans keen to enjoy the abuse Sunderland fans will dish out to Alex Neil 😂
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Post by davejohnno1 on Feb 13, 2023 23:31:13 GMT
MON was a likeable man. Alex Neil is the polar opposite.
If someone told me we’d sack MON and replace him with Alex Neil I’d have been more than happy to stick rather than twist.
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Post by davejohnno1 on Feb 13, 2023 23:26:53 GMT
It's a real difficult one.You know that if he is not offered a contract,he will undoubtedly be fit next season and have a great run for another Championship club.His best performance will be reserved for when he plays against Stoke. Personally I would like to think we could offer him something that would be acceptable for both parties. I think he's off tbh. Why on earth would he want to stay when the manager considers his best attribute to be that he’s tall? I imagine he’s completely demoralised having to train and play under the idiot we call our manager. I suspect Baker feels similar.
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Post by davejohnno1 on Feb 12, 2023 23:29:29 GMT
I’d rather MON to Alex Neil every day of the week and twice on a Sunday.
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Post by davejohnno1 on Feb 12, 2023 14:59:34 GMT
Ricardo’s was decent enough
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Post by davejohnno1 on Feb 11, 2023 22:05:53 GMT
Dave, I am no goalkeeping expert, but why didn't he just catch that free kick, it looked a routine catch?. They aren’t coached like that anymore. The balls move and they are coached to expect that movement and get it away from danger. There were 2 similar ones weren’t there. The first one he was actually positioned more centrally for a cross so parried, I think, because he had to make up a fair bit of ground to get back to front post. The second one he probably could have caught but he at least cleared it so far it practically went out for a throw in. The 3rd save, to the other side from distance was brilliant and his smother 2nd half showed his athleticism and bravery. He was so quick once their lad took the big touch.
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Post by davejohnno1 on Feb 11, 2023 21:51:04 GMT
My eldest had a chat with Rory at the Burnley v Preston game today. Said Liam was hopeless (my lad not Rory) How did that go down? He didn’t tell Rory that Liam was hopeless. He told Rory that his dad was a Stoke fan that loved him and he told me Liam was hopeless when I got home 😂👍
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Post by davejohnno1 on Feb 11, 2023 21:43:13 GMT
No you aren’t the only one. Apart from being unable to kick it with his left foot, it was a very confident home debut. The save first half was brilliant and won’t get the praise it deserves. Excellent goalkeeping in the 2nd half where he got out to smother as well. I'm not as well versed in goalkeeping as yourself and others, but it looked to me that he is a much more confident and decisive presence in goal with better footwork than his predecessors. Absolutely. He never shut up either and one particular call, where he shouted “away” as Sterling went for a header, I heard from block 30.
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Post by davejohnno1 on Feb 11, 2023 21:17:05 GMT
Am I the only one who thought he made a couple of important, decent saves but also the that the defence looked far more comfortable with him behind them knowing they could push a bit further forward because he can play sweeper and that they can pass back to him and he will deal with it even under pressure. His kicking accuracy in the first thirty when we were dominant was excellent. He also made all the right decisions quickly with the ball at his feet knowing immediately whether to pass along the ground, kick long or just get rid as soon as possible. Such a difference from the dithering we are used to. No you aren’t the only one. Apart from being unable to kick it with his left foot, it was a very confident home debut. The save first half was brilliant and won’t get the praise it deserves. Excellent goalkeeping in the 2nd half where he got out to smother as well.
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