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Post by Deleted on Mar 18, 2008 11:05:17 GMT
18/03/2008 - Lou Macari: Fleet Street snobs wrong to criticise City
Reading some of the national press coverage of Watford v Stoke over the weekend, I was left wondering when the FA would charge Stoke City for bringing the game into disrepute.
Talk about snobby journalism from experienced reporters who should really know better.
Some of the sniffier remarks included the suggestion that if both Watford and Stoke were to win promotion, then perhaps they should play that 39th game in Beijing so the smog would prevent anyone seeing it.
Others said the Watford v Stoke game was a shocking advert for the Championship - and that Stoke shouldn't bother going up even if they win promotion.
Such comments are thoroughly out of order. And I say that as a football person, not a former Stoke manager.
You can't help wondering whether the script was already written by some of these hacks before they'd even set off for Vicarage Road.
I was at Derby against Manchester United on Saturday and, with a bit more luck, Derby might just have scraped a goalless draw against the league leaders.
And that after as bad a season as they've had, so there's every reason why Stoke City should take their rightful place in the Premier League and give it their best crack.
But the objective for the moment for the Stoke Citys of this world is simply to get there.
It certainly isn't to worry about how they get there and how their style may or may not offend the supposed expert eye of a few London hacks.
If it's a scrappy game at Watford, then so be it, because there's going to be little free-flowing football at this stage of the season when the stakes are so high.
Anyone with any degree of knowledge about the game might just realise that.
We keep hearing what a wonderful footballing side West Bromwich Albion are, yet that doesn't prevent them going down 4-1 at home to relegation strugglers like Leicester on Saturday.
Teams like Stoke are clearly being labelled as direct and such labels take a long time removing.
The secret is simply having the know-how to win matches.
If you are top of the league by doing it your way, then it's the right way. If your bottom of the league by doing it your way, then clearly it's the wrong way. Or at least the wrong way with the players you have, and there's the secret. You play to your strengths.
When Tony Pulis had Lee Hendrie in his team this time last year, I don't suppose he told him to get stuck in with crunching tackles, nor knock too many long and hopeful balls into the channel.
When I had Ian Cranson and Vince Overson at the heart of my Stoke defence they were under instruction to go in strong, not fanny about on the ball, because that's what they were good at.
However, you'd want the ball around the feet of a Nigel Gleghorn because he was a player capable of doing something with good possession.
It's all about getting the best out of your players and knowing what they have to offer the team.
There were even some digs at both Watford and Stoke for having players who could launch long throws into the box on Saturday.
Well I'd be questioning any manager who didn't exploit players with that kind of length on their throws.
If a journalist is suggesting that Rory Delap and Leigh Bromby are only at Stoke and Watford respectively because of their long throws, then I think they seriously under-estimate the two managers involved.
It's a compliment to Stoke's heritage that reporters can hark back to the golden age of Stanley Matthews - as happened over the weekend - but to criticise the present Stoke City set-up by comparison is way over the top.
What relevance does the great man have to today's Stoke City - or today's game for that matter?
After Cristiano Ronaldo, I'm struggling to find another Stanley Matthews in the British game, never mind within the strict confines of Stoke City.
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10 Pint Potter
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Goaarrn you rip roaring Potters!!!! WE ARE PREMIER LEAGUE SAY WE ARE PREMIER LEAGUE!
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Post by 10 Pint Potter on Mar 18, 2008 11:11:28 GMT
Good on you Lou!!! I'd give you allthe karma in the world if i could!
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Bonkolina
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Post by Bonkolina on Mar 18, 2008 11:13:31 GMT
I wonder how much he's put on Stoke to get automatic promotion . GD
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Post by winsfordpotter on Mar 18, 2008 11:21:09 GMT
Well said Lou.
The press is really starting to piss me off. We never get any coverage except bad coverage.
As Lou states and TP has always said he will play the football which his players are capable of playing. Who would be happy to see us pass the ball on the floor for 90 minutes only to loose most weeks 2 or 3 nil.
Nobody out there was complaining when Jose was in charge of Chelsea and they used to lump the ball up front get 1 nil in front then stick 10 men behind the ball trying to get another goal on the break did they.
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10 Pint Potter
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Goaarrn you rip roaring Potters!!!! WE ARE PREMIER LEAGUE SAY WE ARE PREMIER LEAGUE!
Posts: 417
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Post by 10 Pint Potter on Mar 18, 2008 11:21:22 GMT
still hoping on my £4 on ladbrokes when it was at 6/4!
too poor to make real bets!
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frosty
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Posts: 243
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Post by frosty on Mar 18, 2008 11:28:22 GMT
well said lou
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Post by Kenilworth_Stokies on Mar 18, 2008 11:31:06 GMT
What a top man Lou is.
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Post by panini2001 on Mar 18, 2008 11:31:14 GMT
Well said Mr Macari a good article about Stoke.
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Post by 606Stokie on Mar 18, 2008 11:33:26 GMT
Toatally agree with whats been said
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Post by miltonstokie on Mar 18, 2008 11:33:48 GMT
lou lou skip to my lou skip to my lou Macari
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Post by wakefieldstokie on Mar 18, 2008 11:37:14 GMT
can we swap Lou for Rudgie? ;D
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Post by mcf on Mar 18, 2008 11:40:22 GMT
Rubbish Lou
The Pulis Hating Wankstains want entertainment.
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Bonkolina
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You Know You Want It !
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Post by Bonkolina on Mar 18, 2008 11:42:25 GMT
Well mcf, The courts of this land have certainly provided that with both Lou and Pulis
GD
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Post by potter84 on Mar 18, 2008 12:02:57 GMT
Great Article - Super Lou Macari!!!
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Post by Somebody_Told_Me on Mar 18, 2008 12:12:05 GMT
Top Man Lou,
However I don't give a toss what the media say.
Lets just do anything to get out of this league then worry about the next.
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Post by Danstoke82 on Mar 18, 2008 13:30:31 GMT
Lou will forever be a legend. Great comments.
I agree with Somebody_Told_Me though. I couldn't give to shits about what they Brazil jizzfest tossers from Fleet Street said about us, we are top of the league, so there just gonna have to like it. GOARRNNNN STOKE!!
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Post by Somebody_Told_Me on Mar 18, 2008 13:39:49 GMT
well said have karma ;D
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Post by bromleystoke on Mar 18, 2008 14:06:16 GMT
If anything these media articles are playing into our hands, hopefully getting the players backs up enough to gee them up for a good fight ot prove them all wrong. Gooaaarrrnn Stoke!
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Post by mark71 on Mar 18, 2008 14:21:01 GMT
Spot on. It makes me laugh what have these ill informed bigoted reporters ever achieved in football? where do they get there "expert" knowledge from? If they knew that much about football surly they'd have there arse's on the touch line every Saturday showing us how to produce a team playing the game the purist's way.
Just one word from Lou is worth more than 1,000 words from these "experts"
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Post by OldStokie on Mar 18, 2008 14:22:51 GMT
Wouldn't it be great if Lou was managing a team in Belgium. We could have great pissup going to watch his team. Mind you, we'd be called 'traitors' if we did. OS.
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Jimbo
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Post by Jimbo on Mar 18, 2008 14:22:54 GMT
I agree with Lou to a large extent about playing to your strengths, but let's not think that Pulis is having to play this style of football. He has chosen to bring in players who can play the way he wants. That's not a criticism, just an acknowledgement that Pulis has chosen to play a direct game.
I think it would be fair to say that very often Stoke are not pleasing on the eye. We get the ball up to Sidibe to flick onto Fuller very quickly. But whilst it may not be pretty, it's bloody effective! We (along with Watford) do it better than anyone.
Now while I'd love to see us play attractive carpet football, it's just not going to happen and Pulis has assembled a team which must be an absolute nightmare to play against.
West Brazil have led the way by playing the beautiful game, but as I've been expertly pointed out by a Brazil-supporting friend, they're incapable of playing against fit, strong sides that give them no time on the ball.
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Post by mikeyb99 on Mar 18, 2008 14:27:54 GMT
Top comments from Lou! Where was the article printed BTW?
And mcf - get back to that stone you were hiding under, you're as boring as you are childish.
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Jimbo
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Post by Jimbo on Mar 18, 2008 14:31:08 GMT
It's on the Sentinel website, Mikey!
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Post by mikeyb99 on Mar 18, 2008 14:40:08 GMT
Ah cheers Jimbo
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Post by delilah7 on Mar 18, 2008 16:04:06 GMT
Macaris' red army ;D
The man's a legend
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Post by 5ManBack4 on Mar 18, 2008 17:47:19 GMT
Brilliant stuff from lou,he knows more about football than these so called "football" journalists will ever know.
and has anyone notice the amount of prem teams starting to use the long throw option all of a sudden? but of course there's nothing said about that though in the media.
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Post by soicowboy on Mar 18, 2008 18:03:08 GMT
And Lou was in our current position with Stoke at this stage of the season when???????
Oh yes- money- Pesch sale etc etc excuse excuse
For those who know THE FACTS the 'legend' cocked up but some ie admin can't see that and still give Pulis grief. Lou had the money to strenghten and was aware of Pesch's departure long before it happened.
Ever wonder why the 'legend' is a media reporter???? And admin on here-the Daily LLama have a go at our current regime
FFS
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Post by trebor63 on Mar 18, 2008 18:09:32 GMT
Posted by Oldstokie on Today at 2:22pm Wouldn't it be great if Lou was managing a team in Belgium. We could have great pissup going to watch his team. Mind you, we'd be called 'traitors' if we did. OS. I think Lou would have been good enough to get another job in this country if he'd wanted so not much chance of him taking over some half baked Belgium team! PS I hope the trip to watch the dog n duck in the Belgian pub league goes well. Personally the game at Colchester means a bit more to me!
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Post by davejohnno1 on Mar 18, 2008 18:17:16 GMT
What a complete crock of shit Cowboy!
I take back everything I said about Saturday's efforts.
If Lou thinks all is ok and that Pulis is the man, then who I am to argue!
Tony Pulis Red & White Army eieieio, up the football league we go....Pulis is our king! ;D
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Post by soicowboy on Mar 18, 2008 18:21:25 GMT
Call Martin aka Smudge and have a love in
Lou did what exactly ? A play off we cocked up- TP is top of the league
Not a crock of shit but facts- live with it.
He's not perfect but Lou is untouchable eh?
Oh yes- he went where after his glorious reign???? Huddersfield and erm.................lost in the play offs
Crock of fact
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