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Post by Davef on Feb 23, 2008 23:11:59 GMT
Not going away are they? In fact, they're like an itchy arse at the moment. Amazing isn't it. They've been absolutely nothing for the best part of, well, most of their existence actually, yet here we are, top of the Championship and with the Premier League in sight, and they suddenly turn up and decide to be decent...! Whatever happened to the days of Danny Wilson's wonderful wing back team? If they'd done what most promotion teams do and consolidate their position in their first season up, we'd be laughing! Fair play to them though, they're still on the scene. I remember plenty of posts after they'd beaten us earlier in the season predicting that they wouldn't last the pace, but they're still up there challenging. And who's to say they won't last the pace? They're scoring an awful lot of late goals just lately and that quality has all the hallmarks of a promotion winning team. The media are fawning over the ex-Premiership clubs, but maybe, just maybe, us and Bristol City will be the teams to finish in the top two?
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Post by Olgrligm on Feb 23, 2008 23:21:53 GMT
I hope so. Would you have thought it all those years ago with us both always around the play-offs in division two? Lee Trundle, the over-rated, overweight league 1 showpony could suddenly be in the Premiership. The bizarre thing with Bristol is their goal difference. Every so often they come in for a massive thrashing and then they go back to getting results.
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Post by eranu on Feb 23, 2008 23:28:57 GMT
I'd love it if us and Bristol went up automatically with either Hull/Plymouth via the playoffs. Imagine the egg on all the media pundits faces. Imagine Pardews/Mowbrays excuses
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Post by prem4stoke on Feb 23, 2008 23:32:43 GMT
They will fall off very shortly You can't keep geting the last few minute goal. If your a real contender you need to be scoring most of your goals before your oponents, the odd time you can get away with but constantly ??? They really are a pain in the bum they defeat all odds! But odds will no doubt always win in the end, wont they. God I,m kinda wondering myself now
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Post by Alvechurch Assassin on Feb 23, 2008 23:34:56 GMT
seems unfair, it's taken us 6 years to get to this position, and this is their first crack at it!
in all fairness though, as long as we go up I couldn't give two shits who go up with us.
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Post by tazi on Feb 23, 2008 23:38:21 GMT
If they are going to fall away i would have expected it to be after today's match at Colchester, and now they have got the win i cannot see them falling away because quite simply that was a fantastic result away to a team that is fighting for Championship survival.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 23, 2008 23:41:01 GMT
I don't think they'll fall away at all. They have an excellent manager, a decent team and plenty of money.
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Post by prem4stoke on Feb 23, 2008 23:41:16 GMT
So you wouldn't expect us to win 2-1 or better at Colchester? I would be gutted if we did worse than that myself
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Post by Deleted on Feb 23, 2008 23:48:38 GMT
I see what Tazi's saying - this is the time of the season where some relegation threatened teams start putting together a fighting run of results to get them out of trouble.
Remember the promotion form we were in in 2002-03 to give ourselves a fighting chance when all seemed lost?
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Post by prem4stoke on Feb 24, 2008 0:01:32 GMT
yeah I understand but that was when we were not as good as we are now. Maybe as Bristol C are now if you know what I mean. If you look at Man U (I know they are much better than us) but their position etc for them to lose to Derby say no matter what the stage in the season they would want to win. We should now be thinking along these lines, no longer should we slip up to poorer oponents, and neither should Bristol C, West Brazilwich (who are doing so now). So their win was not great it was about right for a second placed team.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 24, 2008 0:04:39 GMT
This league's far tighter than the Prem though. Can't really compare the two. There's a a million times difference between Man Yoo and Derby than between us and Scunthorpe.
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Post by tazi on Feb 24, 2008 0:05:35 GMT
To be honest i dont expect Stoke to win any game because they're all damned difficult and most of all when you're travelling to a small ground with a tight pitch against a side threatened with relegation. Not to mention that we did'nt exactly have it easy against Colchester at the Brit earlier on in the season.
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Post by prem4stoke on Feb 24, 2008 0:20:23 GMT
If we want to be part of the Prem the Colchester, Scun etc should be easy! If we can't beat these teams then we shouldn't be top end of. As it happens we are beating everyone thats the way it should be!
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Post by tazi on Feb 24, 2008 1:24:05 GMT
In an ideal world i agree that would be great if it was easy but unfortunately we dont live in such a world. Instead we have to battle against anyone even if theyre dozens of leagues below us let alone teams in the same division.
We got no god given right to even think that we can easily beat the likes of the Scunthorpe's Colchester's of this world let alone carry it out.
No game is easy mate, never has being and never will be, and if teams do not take that kind of mentality/attitude out onto a football field then 9 times out of 10 they're going to come unstuck somewhere along the line.
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Post by Tubes on Feb 24, 2008 1:33:57 GMT
I hope to god the baggies go up with us. 6 points guaranteed is a godsend for us in that league!
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Post by Lakeland Potter on Feb 24, 2008 7:34:00 GMT
I hate the parachute payment system so if we get promoted I'd like the two other teams to get promotion to be teams who do not get the payments.
Us and Bristol City for auto promotion would suit me nicely and via the playoffs I'd like Plymouth to win through as I lived there for 28 years and it would be great for them to reach the top flight for the first time in their history. If Plymouth don't make it then I hope Burnley get through. Not because I particularly like them but because it would be a near away game for me living in the Lakes - I go to all away games north of Stoke.
I think a year when no club getting parachute payments got promoted might perhaps be the start of the end for a despicable system. It would be far better if all the parachute money was divided equally between all the Championship clubs.
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Post by soicowboy on Feb 24, 2008 7:37:37 GMT
Wouldn't rule out Hull for the play offs- they go to Ashton Gate on Saturday. Bristol then go to Charlton- if the pitch at the Valley is ok ;D Pardew's men could do us a favour
Have to win our own games first but still think will be us and Watford
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Post by knype on Feb 24, 2008 9:11:56 GMT
Think that Gary Johnson has done a fantastic job at Bristol City, it should certainly be a good game when they come to Stoke, I reckon taht they will bring 3k with them and it should be a vibrant loud atmosphere!
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Post by Stick It On Cort's Head on Feb 24, 2008 9:13:37 GMT
If they do knype, then there will be around 27,000 at the brit!!!
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super tony pulis
Youth Player
We now have that bit of quality in the final third Nige,av it
Posts: 275
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Post by super tony pulis on Feb 24, 2008 9:28:10 GMT
i dissagree derby did it last year,lots of late goals they got. They will fall off very shortly You can't keep geting the last few minute goal. If your a real contender you need to be scoring most of your goals before your oponents, the odd time you can get away with but constantly ??? They really are a pain in the bum they defeat all odds! But odds will no doubt always win in the end, wont they. God I,m kinda wondering myself now
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Post by Deleted on Feb 24, 2008 9:35:20 GMT
I remember thinking back in November that they were doing fantastically well but would fall short of the play-offs in the end. I now have a completely different outlook on them! They are a team that can keep the ball well between their defence and midfield and can then break fairly quickly with Carle in the centre and their wingers. I've not been overly impressed with them when I've seen them, BUT, they obviously know how to get results and they deserve to be where they are. They now have a massive 7 games in March, including Charlton away and Watford and Hull at home. And if we're both still sniffing around the auto places come April 19th, well, it'll be a bit mouth-watering won't it?
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