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Post by bayernoatcake on Aug 5, 2017 17:41:45 GMT
Quoting Bayern from twitter?! Hilarious 😂😂😂 Why? I'm just showing how shit we are!
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Post by Ex-term-oat-cake on Aug 6, 2017 11:32:50 GMT
"...where we are going..."
the championship?
"...our ambitions..."
an affordable wage structure and midlands derbies with Derby, Forest, Birmingham, Villa, Wolves?
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Post by chinesedave on Aug 6, 2017 12:31:21 GMT
He will be signing this week 100%. He has booked 2 nights at The Crown hotel Longton this week. And I don't think he's going Alton Towers....gooooaaarrrrnnnn Sparky Lad.
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Post by FbrgVaStkFan on Aug 6, 2017 12:37:42 GMT
I actually think the people accepting the current state are the epitome of your average Stokie. Accepting the bare minimum when there's more that can be done. This has been the most confusing part for me since becoming a fan of the game. Not sure if it's a cultural difference between Europe/UK and the US, but what's the point in playing if there's no intent to win it all every season? I understand the reality of the "high quality" clubs and their bottomless bank accounts making the notion a bit unrealistic, but continuing to strive for only middle of the pack without even desiring anything better and still considering this acceptable is baffling at times. Guess I needed to grow up with the game to fully understand it, but I grew up with other sports teams and being satisfied with not winning it all or not even trying to win it all has never been acceptable.
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Post by Jimm on Aug 6, 2017 12:39:52 GMT
He will be signing this week 100%. He has booked 2 nights at The Crown hotel Longton this week. And I don't think he's going Alton Towers....gooooaaarrrrnnnn Sparky Lad. Why would he not just stay at his house he brought here?
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Post by Deleted on Aug 6, 2017 12:41:33 GMT
He will be signing this week 100%. He has booked 2 nights at The Crown hotel Longton this week. And I don't think he's going Alton Towers....gooooaaarrrrnnnn Sparky Lad. Why would he not just stay at his house he brought here? Think it was a piss take.
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Post by mattador78 on Aug 6, 2017 12:43:00 GMT
Why would he not just stay at his house he brought here? Think it was a piss take. Bollocks only facts get posted on here👍
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Post by chinesedave on Aug 6, 2017 12:44:53 GMT
Why would he not just stay at his house he brought here? Think it was a piss take. Because everyone needs a bit of luxury and pampering from time to time Clever Cloggs!
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Post by Lakeland Potter on Aug 6, 2017 12:52:49 GMT
I actually think the people accepting the current state are the epitome of your average Stokie. Accepting the bare minimum when there's more that can be done. This has been the most confusing part for me since becoming a fan of the game. Not sure if it's a cultural difference between Europe/UK and the US, but what's the point in playing if there's no intent to win it all every season? I understand the reality of the "high quality" clubs and their bottomless bank accounts making the notion a bit unrealistic, but continuing to strive for only middle of the pack without even desiring anything better and still considering this acceptable is baffling at times. Guess I needed to grow up with the game to fully understand it, but I grew up with other sports teams and being satisfied with not winning it all or not even trying to win it all has never been acceptable. I'm sure that if we had the draft system (which produces a much more level playing field) like you do in the USA, all fans of all clubs would start every season with the intent, hope, and reasonable confidence that their team could win the league with reasonable luck. But our system where, thanks to a combination of past history, geography and mega rich owners, the top few teams have income, transfer and wage budgets 5 or six times bigger than the rest, means that 19 times out of 20 the league winners will come from one of those top 6 teams. Surprisingly, perhaps, most fans (including me) would not want the draft system and closed leagues with no relegation in England - even if the result would be a more level playing field. I'm not sure why this is - maybe we think real life is not fair and we like sport to emulate real life - or maybe we are just bloody minded.
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Post by salopstick on Aug 6, 2017 14:22:44 GMT
I actually think the people accepting the current state are the epitome of your average Stokie. Accepting the bare minimum when there's more that can be done. This has been the most confusing part for me since becoming a fan of the game. Not sure if it's a cultural difference between Europe/UK and the US, but what's the point in playing if there's no intent to win it all every season? I understand the reality of the "high quality" clubs and their bottomless bank accounts making the notion a bit unrealistic, but continuing to strive for only middle of the pack without even desiring anything better and still considering this acceptable is baffling at times. Guess I needed to grow up with the game to fully understand it, but I grew up with other sports teams and being satisfied with not winning it all or not even trying to win it all has never been acceptable. Because you have that dream you can do a Leicester and win the league or have a cup final win Or going to the games on a Saturday is your day out with the lads/family what ever after a week in work.
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Post by chiswickpotter on Aug 6, 2017 14:27:33 GMT
This has been the most confusing part for me since becoming a fan of the game. Not sure if it's a cultural difference between Europe/UK and the US, but what's the point in playing if there's no intent to win it all every season? I understand the reality of the "high quality" clubs and their bottomless bank accounts making the notion a bit unrealistic, but continuing to strive for only middle of the pack without even desiring anything better and still considering this acceptable is baffling at times. Guess I needed to grow up with the game to fully understand it, but I grew up with other sports teams and being satisfied with not winning it all or not even trying to win it all has never been acceptable. I'm sure that if we had the draft system (which produces a much more level playing field) like you do in the USA, all fans of all clubs would start every season with the intent, hope, and reasonable confidence that their team could win the league with reasonable luck. But our system where, thanks to a combination of past history, geography and mega rich owners, the top few teams have income, transfer and wage budgets 5 or six times bigger than the rest, means that 19 times out of 20 the league winners will come from one of those top 6 teams. Surprisingly, perhaps, most fans (including me) would not want the draft system and closed leagues with no relegation in England - even if the result would be a more level playing field. I'm not sure why this is - maybe we think real life is not fair and we like sport to emulate real life - or maybe we are just bloody minded. Genuine question, do you think that is most fans. I agree to a point but think my view is also heavily influenced by two decades out of the top division, but I wonder if a lack of competitiveness could be become a bigger issue
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Post by Clem Fandango on Aug 6, 2017 14:30:45 GMT
I actually think the people accepting the current state are the epitome of your average Stokie. Accepting the bare minimum when there's more that can be done. This has been the most confusing part for me since becoming a fan of the game. Not sure if it's a cultural difference between Europe/UK and the US, but what's the point in playing if there's no intent to win it all every season? I understand the reality of the "high quality" clubs and their bottomless bank accounts making the notion a bit unrealistic, but continuing to strive for only middle of the pack without even desiring anything better and still considering this acceptable is baffling at times. Guess I needed to grow up with the game to fully understand it, but I grew up with other sports teams and being satisfied with not winning it all or not even trying to win it all has never been acceptable. Its a cultural thing I think for instance in your major sports you cant draw a game can you? I saw something on the cricket on Friday talking about Baseball and they were interviewing a former MLB player about cricket in the US and he said he couldnt understand why you'd play for 5 days and no get a winner at the end of it. Similar thing with the league really most are happy maintaining mid prem status.
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Post by chiswickpotter on Aug 6, 2017 14:38:36 GMT
We are a well run Premier League club you have no evidence to dispute this. 10 years in the division, way more than any club of similar financial potential from a city with economic and social challenges. In at least 7 of the last 9 seasons we have performs ahead of what our revenue and wage levels wpuld suggest using the accepted academic research into success in football. The club has an acknowledged leading community programme, integrated into the economic fabric of the city and ticket pricing also recognised as leading in terms of affordability and targeting. Give us some facts not just your assertions on how the club could do better We've always been about where we should be re league placing and wages. We make little money over what we get from Sky. That is poor and shows the half arsedness in that department. I mean what Premier League advertises its pitchside advertising spaces on Twitter? You'd hope they'd all be sold well in advance. The high turnover in shirt suppliers is a thing for me too. We always seems to have fuck ups with them and it's always their fault. Funny that. Just like it is when mess up transfers. The commercial side is a bit of a joke and always has been. The ticket office have got a lot better. The media dept from what I can gather are under manned and a bit hamstrung. And compared to other clubs we're way behind. But the streaming has been great this off season but that depends on if you got lucky or not. Scholes gets paid just under 1% of our turnover, he really doesn't deserve it. But fair play to him, I can't fault his work there! If you take our wage bill, which is the generally accepted factor that drives League position, we have overperformed in 7 out of 9 seasons based on best estimates, so we have not been where we should be, we have been ahead. Few clubs of our size in a city like Stoke make huge amounts beyond Sky. Leicester were an exception but were helped by the Rugby World Cup. Our commercial numbers are absolutely in the pack and our spirt/stadium sponsorships is at the high end of what we might expect, especially given how little we are on TV compare do to other clubs around us. Don't forget we also accept lower match day revenue due to our ticketing policy and our attempt to skew ticket allocations to encourage youngsters also hits match day commercial revenue. Part of the shirt sponsor issue has been takeovers and consolidation in that industry, but agin our current deal seems to be average/slightly above the going rate for our profile. Without doubt our community activities and support for the academy are top class, way ahead of our peers and miles beyond what clubs in the lower leagues do. Put it all together and you would have to conclude, as external judges do consistently when I talk to them, that the club is well managed and your assertion we are run as a League 2 club by idiots doesn't hold up in the face of the facts.
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Post by Lakeland Potter on Aug 6, 2017 15:21:38 GMT
I'm sure that if we had the draft system (which produces a much more level playing field) like you do in the USA, all fans of all clubs would start every season with the intent, hope, and reasonable confidence that their team could win the league with reasonable luck. But our system where, thanks to a combination of past history, geography and mega rich owners, the top few teams have income, transfer and wage budgets 5 or six times bigger than the rest, means that 19 times out of 20 the league winners will come from one of those top 6 teams. Surprisingly, perhaps, most fans (including me) would not want the draft system and closed leagues with no relegation in England - even if the result would be a more level playing field. I'm not sure why this is - maybe we think real life is not fair and we like sport to emulate real life - or maybe we are just bloody minded. Genuine question, do you think that is most fans. I agree to a point but think my view is also heavily influenced by two decades out of the top division, but I wonder if a lack of competitiveness could be become a bigger issue Most Stokies I speak to about it say they would hate the American system of draft and no relegation to apply in the English Leagues. And, I presume a majority of European countries feel the same as most of them have a football pyramid built on promotion and relegation and no draft just like we do. But I have never seen any surveys done on the basis of scientific sampling, so I can't say for definite that I am not talking bollox. That fact that there was such opposition to MK Dons suggests the franchise system is not welcome. However, if there were no franchise system and if promotion and relegation were retained I would not mind the draft system but we don't have the college sports system to underpin it - and it would be hated by the top six clubs. Speaking for myself I rather like it that a lower league or even non league team can, given time and luck, rise to the very top league and that almost every year a side will beat a team over 80 places above them in the pyramid in a Cup game. I also like the fact that, in England, the second tier (the Championship) is hugely competitive and that, as a result, its attendances place it 4th in the most watched European Leagues. The downside, of course, is that my club may never win the top league in my lifetime. Then again, under the American system, the lowish population and comparative poverty of our catchment would probably mean that we would never get a franchise in the top flight anyway. I doubt any MLS team has a catchment even half as small or on anything like as low an income per head as SOT.
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Post by FullerMagic on Aug 7, 2017 7:22:58 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 7, 2017 7:26:27 GMT
That would be a steal, can't be genuine, can it?
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Post by FullerMagic on Aug 7, 2017 7:29:01 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 7, 2017 7:30:49 GMT
If true that's a great deal at a bargain price.
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Post by cheekymatt71 on Aug 7, 2017 7:31:59 GMT
Good find as ever Lets hope theirs some substance in this.
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Post by GeneralFaye on Aug 7, 2017 7:42:54 GMT
So we're going to get him cheaper than the original clause price?!.. I won't expect praise for Tony Scholes even though his hard work deserves it.
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Post by FullerMagic on Aug 7, 2017 7:45:10 GMT
So we're going to get him cheaper than the original clause price?!.. I won't expect praise for Tony Scholes even though his hard work deserves it. If true, Scholesy's gambled....and won. Lot of hassle to save 2m euros when we could have had him training here in the first work of July though!
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Post by GeneralFaye on Aug 7, 2017 7:47:04 GMT
So we're going to get him cheaper than the original clause price?!.. I won't expect praise for Tony Scholes even though his hard work deserves it. If true, Scholesy's gambled....and won. Lot of hassle to save 2m euros when we could have had him training here in the first work of July though! Very true but this was the perfect opportunity to show the transfer world that Tony Scholes is a tough little cookie and won't get bullied. Well done I say.
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Post by shrewspotter on Aug 7, 2017 7:48:21 GMT
great signing, him, Zuoma and Ryan as a back 3 with Mame and another as wing backs is where it needs to be imo
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Post by Clem Fandango on Aug 7, 2017 7:49:48 GMT
Is it worth saving 2m euros given that he'll be playing catch up? I know he played with the team last season but we really could have done with a couple of warm up games where him, Shawcross and Zouma played as back 3 if that is how the manager wants to set up.
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Post by Clayton Wood on Aug 7, 2017 7:50:27 GMT
If true, Scholesy's gambled....and won. Lot of hassle to save 2m euros when we could have had him training here in the first work of July though! Very true but this was the perfect opportunity to show the transfer world that Tony Scholes is a tough little cookie and won't get bullied. Well done I say. If true then the difference I said should come out of someones pocket should be put in there. Let's see what happens but if it does I bet it'll be fee undisclosed.
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Post by GeneralFaye on Aug 7, 2017 7:51:23 GMT
Is it worth saving 2m euros given that he'll be playing catch up? I know he played with the team last season but we really could have done with a couple of warm up games where him, Shawcross and Zouma played as back 3 if that is how the manager wants to set up. He's been fully involved in Porto's pre season hasn't he? Although, he has had a virus recently but I doubt it'll take him too long to get up to speed.
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Post by george2again on Aug 7, 2017 7:52:57 GMT
If he does sign that's a very strong back 3. To make sure it works well we need two wing backs. Diouf might be a pleasant surprise but we need a someone to play on the left. Gibbs would be spot on for this role absolutely spot on with pace which we desperately need.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 7, 2017 7:55:09 GMT
Is it worth saving 2m euros given that he'll be playing catch up? I know he played with the team last season but we really could have done with a couple of warm up games where him, Shawcross and Zouma played as back 3 if that is how the manager wants to set up. He's been fully involved in Porto's pre season hasn't he? Although, he has had a virus recently but I doubt it'll take him too long to get up to speed. Is this the other player expected today?
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Post by GeneralFaye on Aug 7, 2017 8:02:52 GMT
He's been fully involved in Porto's pre season hasn't he? Although, he has had a virus recently but I doubt it'll take him too long to get up to speed. Is this the other player expected today? Bruno will be a Stoke player before the registration cut off for Saturday, I'm sure of it, no doubt. There's a load of orange balloons being put up in the canteen to welcome him as we speak.
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Post by pottarius on Aug 7, 2017 8:09:00 GMT
Is this the other player expected today? Bruno will be a Stoke player before the registration cut off for Saturday, I'm sure of it, no doubt. There's a load of orange balloons being put up in the canteen to welcome him as we speak. I read as Oranjeboom for some reason. I need a beer... Attachment Deleted
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