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Verlinden
Jun 11, 2022 17:10:44 GMT
via mobile
Post by bertiestan on Jun 11, 2022 17:10:44 GMT
Didn't we sign Hoefkens from germinal beerschot?
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Post by dirtclod on Jun 11, 2022 17:22:25 GMT
We have been garbage for what, going on 7 years now? I'm not saying Verlinden is world-class, but yes as bad as we were, he was more than good enough for us at the time. We were so bad at one stretch, I suspected us of being the source of that mysterious Potteries-odor. (Once Vale was cleared as prime suspect, of course) I think you're probably right about Doughty. Usually refrain from slagging current players unless they are doing something like throwing balls into our own net or missing penalties then moving like a lava-flow after for the rebound. But even that doesn't last long with me. Now players like Jese, Imbula and a few other wank stains from that period, that's another matter I don't want to get started on. There aren't many players at this level who would've come into the team and made us better, never mind a teenager who only managed to look half-decent at under 23 level. Look at the number of players who joined on the back of good form that suddenly deserted them. There's probably only one outfield player in the world who would have improved us during those times. Agree with your point, that "more than" could be labelled an exaggeration. Yes, we were so bad that even the leading players in the league would have struggled to come into our side and improve it. We are still struggling to change that. He was a young prospect that looked to me like he COULD continue to develop into a hell of a player. But I think we ran out of that luxury financially. (Thanks again Rowett) I understand it was time to move him on as part of the huge offload of players. But we still had no idea of how/where to use the ones we had left after that. As to the U23's, look at the job Rooster has done with that team. They always play like a team and the level of effort appears to be always there. There is also clearly a game plan. We did NOT have that in our 1st team for long stretches. (I do think it's starting to change though) I think many players go up to our 1st team and become lost, not through a lack of talent, but a total cluelessness on the club's part on how to use them. It's enough of a challenge to make that step up without having to deal with confusion of going from a team with a game-plan (U23's) to whatever that crap is we were trying in the 1st team. So I'm going to take the point that "more than good enough" is a stretch - hell that may be a reflection of just how bad we were. (And he is after all, playing in the 2nd division over there) But, given that we couldn't even evaluate our players properly at the time, I can see it being debatable either way.
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Post by middleoftheboothen on Jun 11, 2022 17:53:12 GMT
We did mate was there and their fans were less than welcoming. I was there with my brother who lived in Belgium at that time, my son and my brother's 2 mates (Big Rob, who used to post on here, being one of them). His car had local plates (luckily) and was parked near a bar where he had been pre match. After the game, when most Stoke fans were bussed into town, we remained behind the barbed wire until the local police chief could take my brother to get his car. Thing was, our kid was wearing a Stoke top, so he had to swap with his mate before he could be taken there. Stories of gangs with knives arriving at the bar, cars being stopped etc were flying around...pre-season friendly my arse We stayed in Antwerp and absolutely wasn't like a preseason friendly. We did the westerlo game aswell which had a much friendlier atmosphere.
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