HULL CITY v STOKE CITY - MATCH THREAD

[Birchesheadpotter]

Quite simply, Stoke City's fortunes under Hughes will only improve when players in key positions improve.

[Dingdangdoo]

Playing with 10 men is difficult. Arnie can't just stroll around suiting himself.

[miltonstokie]

Up the tempo second half .. show some urgency and 3 points there for the taking

[boomboom]

Dull r looking to hit us on the break and we are not giving them the satisfaction. Not a lot to get excited about. Hopefully Sparkie will inject something at half time, would have taken 0.- 0 after 45 mins at the start.

[mikelawton]

Uninspiring stuff really, where's the team that stuffed Chelsea last week? Playing for a draw isn't a great spectacle.

[Deleted]

[Discovery Stoke]

IMO arnie needs to be central. He always drifts inside and it leaves Cameron outnumbered (you will notice it now I've said it). Assaidi needs to be moved to the right as all he does is cut inside.

Also Muniesa looks poor.

Also we need a poacher up front.

[colstokie62]

Dec 14, 2013 18:19:48 GMT Stokieson said:

I think we look quite comfortable so far to be fair. Nzonzi and Arnie just need to stop being such mardarses.

Your right can't see why people are moaning nothing too bad has happened and I wouldn't moan if it ended like this and we got a point

[Clem Fandango]

if Ireland, Arnie and Assaidi showed half the bottle that Whelan has when trying to win the ball then we'd be a lot better. Theres far too much blousing around when players run at them/ past them.

[Kjones9]

Back to earth with a bump.

[Dingdangdoo]

If Nzonzi goes off then Adam might liven it up a bit.

[Deleted]

We look like we are still on a practice pitch

Give them a rocket hughesie

[ohbottom]

Lot of harsh comments, but I think this is a long way from the worst we've been this season. We're playing away, they've lost only one at home. You can see why, midfield is crowded and there's no room behind. For me, Arnie is the big disappointment; he has the step-overs and flicks but all he uses them for is slowing the game down to pass it backwards.
Ireland is getting stick on here, but he's the only one who looks capable of creating anything out of the log-jam.

Opinions, hey?

[mikelawton]

Hope Hughes is giving them a roasting, they need some passion and ambition.

[Dingdangdoo]

Ireland has the vision but no one has the movement.

[estrangedsonoffaye]

Dec 14, 2013 18:28:49 GMT ohbottom said:

Lot of harsh comments, but I think this is a long way from the worst we've been this season. We're playing away, they've lost only one at home. You can see why, midfield is crowded and there's no room behind. For me, Arnie is the big disappointment; he has the step-overs and flicks but all he uses them for is slowing the game down to pass it backwards.
Ireland is getting stick on here, but he's the only one who looks capable of creating anything out of the log-jam.

Opinions, hey?

Yet his movement and creativity created our best chance for a goal.

[takeshikovacs]

To be fair to the players the conditions look pretty difficult out there, and Hull look to have benefited from the wind.

In the second half, I can see us trying a few long range efforts to try and put their keeper under pressure.

Ireland is doing all right out there. Crouch has won most of the stuff in the air, but I think it's been too blustery. Assaidi at least loks like he's got a bit of pace and ability to beat a man, which I don't think Ethers has any more. Not seen many runs from Geoff Cameron. Hope things improve 2nd half in that respect.

[ohbottom]

Dec 14, 2013 18:24:00 GMT mikelawton said:

Uninspiring stuff really, where's the team that stuffed Chelsea last week? Playing for a draw isn't a great spectacle.

This is better than the first 41 mins last week - but it's easy to forget that . Let's hope for a similar second half!

[Clem Fandango]

Dec 14, 2013 18:28:35 GMT Dingdangdoo said:

If Nzonzi goes off then Adam might liven it up a bit.

He would indeed I'm looking forward to him conceding plenty of free kicks in stupid positions. I worry if NZonzi goes off that we'll struggle to get the ball back.

[xchpotter]

Surely we have to be better second half but this pattern about getting up for big teams and struggling against the lower ones seems to be being repeated.

[ohbottom]

Dec 14, 2013 18:31:06 GMT Clem Fandango said:

Dec 14, 2013 18:28:35 GMT Dingdangdoo said:

If Nzonzi goes off then Adam might liven it up a bit.

He would indeed I'm looking forward to him conceding plenty of free kicks in stupid positions. I worry if NZonzi goes off that we'll struggle to get the ball back.

I agree!

[takeshikovacs]

The N'Zonzi incident looked a bit innocuous, but he looked in a bit of bother at the end.

Let's hope the team gets the same half time treatment they got last weekend from Hughes.

[boskampsflaps]

Dec 14, 2013 18:28:35 GMT Dingdangdoo said:

If Nzonzi goes off then Adam might liven it up a bit.

Yeh, his perfectly timed tackles might get things racing a bit

[kingstokie]

oh, Whelan

[musik]

We're passing the ball around well.
No real chances other side.

Crouch and Assaidi are the Kings.

[Deleted]

We need the bit between us just knocking it around and then lumping it up. But, then again, its difficult to do that at Hull who have so far been excellent defensively this season. Have got to get Crouch, Arnie, Ireland and Assaidi working together more fluently as they've so far been very fractured.

[stokiesteve]

We're knocking it about well but clueless in the final third.

[mikelawton]

Booked last place on MOTD tonight......

[ohbottom]

Softest yellow card of the season award goes to.......

[stokiesteve]

Good save bego