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Post by davejohnno1 on Feb 3, 2023 12:43:19 GMT
Gone are the days of miserable Graham and getting a bollocking off Margaret😊 Margaret was brilliant as well. She had a huge heart. As a youngster, we used the Coach (usually no2) for away games and for the Liverpool Cup game (Tony Kelly last minute equaliser), my old man couldn't go due to work. It was to be my first away game without a parent in tow and my mum was adamant I wasn't able to go. The away game before, Margaret told my old man to get my mum to ring her or go down to the ticket office to see her. My mum did just that. Margaret explained how the coach travel worked, straight to the ground, straight in the ground, straight back on to the bus and straight home. She promised to look after me. My mum yielded, let me go, but said it was a complete 1 off and I wouldn't be going to an away game on my own again at the age of 13/14 or whatever I was at the time. I went, got home safely, Margaret saw me off the bus and into my mums car, told her how well behaved I'd been and that I was welcome on her bus any time. I can't remember what the next away game was (I want to say Leyton Orient but I can't remember) but I went again, on my own with my pals and without the old man. God bless her. Margaret was a legend!
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Post by davejohnno1 on Feb 3, 2023 12:35:59 GMT
Dreadful place with very few pubs available. Best bet is Milton Keynes or Watford.
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Post by davejohnno1 on Jan 29, 2023 18:51:24 GMT
Adam Davies is still absolutely toss I see. Davies at it again! Useless. Absolutely useless. The praise he got on here drove me insane and temporarily drove me away from this board. Of all the things we’ve got wrong over the last few years, the mistake was signing Davies. Getting shut of him was a rare good decision.
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Post by davejohnno1 on Jan 29, 2023 18:00:03 GMT
Adam Davies is still absolutely toss I see.
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Post by davejohnno1 on Jan 21, 2023 23:00:53 GMT
We paid 10m for their no10 🤦♂️ Did you listen on your drive back? No. Went to get my hair cut. Reckon you’d have agreed with first caller Chris though. What did I miss?
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Post by davejohnno1 on Jan 21, 2023 22:32:41 GMT
We paid 10m for their no10 🤦♂️
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Post by davejohnno1 on Jan 21, 2023 22:07:35 GMT
He must have done a fair bit in stoppage time because by time I left on 89 mins he hadn’t touched the ball
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Post by davejohnno1 on Jan 19, 2023 22:25:08 GMT
Good riddance.
Another terrible player departs the building. How many down is that now? Who is next?
Kilkenny? Gayle? Smallbone? Tymon? Brown? Fosu? Flint? Fox? Wilmot?
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Post by davejohnno1 on Jan 19, 2023 21:11:09 GMT
Ederson…a billionaires answer to Jack Bonham
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Post by davejohnno1 on Jan 18, 2023 20:41:23 GMT
Blackpool is even closer to Alex Neil’s home. He could be at the training ground inside 15 mins, 20 max.
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Post by davejohnno1 on Jan 17, 2023 13:19:50 GMT
Hopefully Alex Neil’s name is added to this thread before we get to page 40 Page 41 and he’s still here. Was hoping his appearance at the Fail last night was the prelude to him being unveiled as their new manager!
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Post by davejohnno1 on Jan 16, 2023 12:10:01 GMT
All this discussion is pedantic. They are our owners not employees. They can ruin the club as Mel Morris did Derby if they decide to call in all the debts and put us up for sale. I just don't understand why people think hounding owners out is a good idea. Let them know our feelings yes. Use the supporters council to connect with the board but in the end it's their money and they can run their club as they like. I think there is an attempt to alter the structure but it won't happen overnight. There were no complaints when we were enjoying Premier football on the back of their money and being run in their way. But nothing changes, they don't listen and they run the club like they want to. Tarting up a bar in one corner of the ground constitutes fan facing developments. Simply dreadful. Bigger brands than Stoke have gone out of business due to a disregard towards and presumed loyalty from their 'customers'. I saw a very appropriate comment on a different issue over the weekend that was particularly applicable to us and owners… Billionaires answer to no-one. They do what they like!
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Post by davejohnno1 on Jan 15, 2023 14:13:54 GMT
I don't suppose it will be too long until we hear Bob the Builder chants ringing around the BET365 stadium.
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Post by davejohnno1 on Jan 15, 2023 11:28:37 GMT
To be honest it’d be nice just to have players that actually suit the system that the manager wants to play too. Right now it feels like jack of all trades ace of none. We need to have a style of play, buy players that suit it and stick to it. Neil seems hell bent on wanting two holding midfielders, despite our squad probably being more suited to having just one. So if someone like Pearson came in then at least he can play alongside Thompson, Laurent, or Baker (the latter of who I think, if he has to play in defensive midfield, operates better as a sole operator than alongside somebody). If we are relying on Thompson to be a regular starter between now and the end of the season we are going to struggle.
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Post by davejohnno1 on Jan 15, 2023 10:51:33 GMT
It’s impossible not to question them. Despite the best of intentions they’ve appointed bad managers and wasted millions. Ironically they want self sufficiency and probably because of a lack of football nous and knowledge, they’ve succeeded only in taking us as far away from that model as is feasibly possible.
We should have appointed a football operator many years ago. A Dan Ashworth type. Even at the height of the Fergie days with Man United they had smart football operators who drove activities behind the scenes particularly off the pitch to ensure progress was continually made. When they lost the key operators there started to be a disconnect.
Alas our model involves securing an exceptional manager with the premise that “if the team is doing well on the pitch, everything else looks after itself”.
It’s why, for a while we were a good Premier League club on the pitch yet off the pitch we scandalously neglected infrastructure beyond the walls of Clayton Wood. Our commercial revenues, beyond Premier League TV money and increased season ticket sales barely increased. The infrastructure around the stadium wasn’t improved. The match day experience was taken for granted.
Credit the owners for backing their managers but giving copious amounts of money to idiots is insanity.
A member of the Coates family has been at the helm for many years over 2 spells. They’ve appointed countless managers and of those, it could be argued they’ve got it right 3 times…Macari, Pulis, Hughes.
Their money ensures we have a club to support but the question is growing…is that alone enough?
We’ve got billionaire owners willing to invest. I don’t think there are many more similar types that would have an interest in owning Stoke City. Therein lies the problem.
We need them to change, they won’t. We need them to park ego and get effective football administrators in place. They won’t.
Jon Coates is a failed law student. The runt of the family. A childhood and young adult Man United sympathiser (some would say former season ticket holder).
We have owners who are, on the face of it, the best we could hope for, yet in reality have started to use the club as a bit of a family play thing or tool for ego. People with long associations at the club are banished for daring to criticise things, ex managers have to agree NDA’s that say little about their time with us aside from praising the owners, arguments behind the scenes about the location of statues/memorials for club icons (banks/Ritchie), legends of the club receiving no response to applications for roles in the club.
It’s a mess from top to bottom seemingly. We are going nowhere fast and pretty much everything is self inflicted. It’s like death by 10 million cuts.
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Post by davejohnno1 on Jan 14, 2023 20:45:24 GMT
Who is the last decent loan signing this club has made. I’m thinking now about a player who has come in and made a real positive difference and genuinely improved the team like we see with other clubs every season. Lee Hendrie over 15 years ago? Shawcross?
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Post by davejohnno1 on Jan 14, 2023 20:42:54 GMT
Sadly it was nothing more than an injury. ahhh damn, thanks though Dave I actually thought for 30 odd minutes in the 2nd half our midfield played well and Baker looked far more effective higher up We are so desperate we’ll take any glimmer of light won’t we. Just being crap was an improvement on us being absolutely shit 😂
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Post by davejohnno1 on Jan 14, 2023 20:39:06 GMT
Anyone know why Will Smallbone wasn't in the squad today Hoping mad Nath has decided young William is the answer to Sotons left back dilemma Sadly it was nothing more than an injury.
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Post by davejohnno1 on Jan 14, 2023 18:42:18 GMT
Hopefully Alex Neil’s name is added to this thread before we get to page 40
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Post by davejohnno1 on Jan 14, 2023 18:35:06 GMT
Feel sorry for Bill Kenwright. Genuine in his love for the club. puts no money into the club , but loves it And takes a lot out of it 👍
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Post by davejohnno1 on Jan 14, 2023 18:32:54 GMT
If I had a pound for every time the commentary team said “poor control by brown” or “brown failed to control the ball” I’d have been able to treat the family to a nice meal out tomorrow
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Post by davejohnno1 on Jan 14, 2023 18:27:44 GMT
Feel sorry for Bill Kenwright. Genuine in his love for the club. One of the biggest crooks in football
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Post by davejohnno1 on Jan 14, 2023 18:24:04 GMT
Broken Finger nail? Strained an eye lash?
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Post by davejohnno1 on Jan 11, 2023 22:14:19 GMT
He’ll be fucking unbearable forever now. He beat Pep. He beat Pep you know!
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Post by davejohnno1 on Jan 11, 2023 21:50:20 GMT
I’m not saying he’s good or bad. Just describing the type of keeper he seems. People say Pickford is great with his feet but I think his ability in that regard is overrated. People rate Ederson who is fantastic with his feet but he also seems to save very little outside of 1v1s. I think he’s a bit of a fraud! Was looking forward to your thoughts on Bentley, Dave. You obvs know your beans when it comes to keepers. What’s your gut feeling, would he be a good signing for us? He’s better than what we’ve got for sure and he seems a confident lad who could be a positive in the dressing room. I’m not 100% sure on him but a short term deal be it a loan or taking over the remainder of his contract would give club and player a good chance to have a look at each other. Would rather Iversen if we could get him. He can’t be happy playing 2nd fiddle to ward but maybe we simply can’t afford him. For where we are at right now I think Bentley would be a decent short term option but maybe not longer term if we can ever wish to be a serious promotion contender
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Post by davejohnno1 on Jan 11, 2023 13:13:00 GMT
I’d describe him as the opposite of that. He’s an Ederson type keeper. Very good/confident with the ball at his feet, aggressive starting positions and very much your modern day keeper. He’s also a “character”. Re Bonham - he played 2nd fiddle to Bentley when they were both at Southend and at that time, Bentley was very much a rookie keeper having started life as a midfielder in non league football I believe. Arsenal took Bentley in to their academy having seen him in his very first game as a goalkeeper can you believe? This sounds a lot better than what my Bristol City supporting mate described. That Arsenal story is quite something. I’m not saying he’s good or bad. Just describing the type of keeper he seems. People say Pickford is great with his feet but I think his ability in that regard is overrated. People rate Ederson who is fantastic with his feet but he also seems to save very little outside of 1v1s. I think he’s a bit of a fraud!
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Post by davejohnno1 on Jan 11, 2023 13:08:10 GMT
This has the potential to make us look very, very silly. I hope we keep him. Surely you’d hope he goes for that very reason?
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Post by davejohnno1 on Jan 11, 2023 13:03:04 GMT
My concern with Bentley is that he appears to predominantly a shot stopper and we are crying out for a keeper that commands his area. I’d describe him as the opposite of that. He’s an Ederson type keeper. Very good/confident with the ball at his feet, aggressive starting positions and very much your modern day keeper. He’s also a “character”. Re Bonham - he played 2nd fiddle to Bentley when they were both at Southend and at that time, Bentley was very much a rookie keeper having started life as a midfielder in non league football I believe. Arsenal took Bentley in to their academy having seen him in his very first game as a goalkeeper can you believe?
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Post by davejohnno1 on Jan 8, 2023 0:28:22 GMT
Having a bit of a dodgy spell at wolves at the moment isn’t he? He’s only 21. He’s had meteoric rise in the terms of his career. Barring injury he’ll be around the EPL for a long time. No doubt. Not sure if yours is just a general comment or a spring to his defence at some perceived criticism but that wasn't my intention hence the question mark. Irrespective of good form, bad form or slightly inconsistent form, Nathan Collins is a star and is destined for far bigger things than Wolves, Stoke and Burnley. He's an absolute gem!
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Post by davejohnno1 on Jan 7, 2023 21:56:54 GMT
I think people are clutching at straws big style if they think replacing the keeper is going to make much difference to the way this season pans out. Bonham has been ok lately and indeed made one or two very good stops. I think it’ll make more of a difference than people think. Not because of what he does with his hands necessarily but 1- If we’re trying to play around at the back having a keeper who’s competent with the ball at his feet is massive. 2- Having a keeper who commands his box will give his back 3 or 4 confidence. This for me is a big weakness for both Bonham and Bursic. Spot on.
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