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Post by Deleted on May 29, 2020 12:53:11 GMT
So it appears that the Championship will be restarting around the 20th-27th June to completion, so time to talk football and specifically The Mighty Potters again instead of/as well as Coronavirus for those that want to.
A reminder of our current squad with a number of unanswered questions:
Jack Butland
Adam Davies
Adam Federici - out of contract 30/06 what happens?
Tom Edwards
Tommy Smith
Danny Batth
James Chester - loan officially ends 31/05 what happens?
Ryan Shawcross - is he fit again?
Nathan Collins
Bruno Martins Indi
Stephen Ward - out of contract 30/06 what happens? Plus he was injured so is he fit again?
Josh Tymon - will he be part of the first team squad?
Joe Allen - out until at least September so may be available for the new season by the time it starts?
Jordan Cousins
Tashan Oakley-Booth - will he feature more with Allen being injured?
Jordan Thompson
Lasse Sorensen - will he be part of the first team squad?
James McClean - is he fit again?
Nick Powell
Thibaud Verlinden - is he fit again?
Tom Ince
Julian Ngoy - will he be part of the first team squad?
Sam Vokes
Tyrese Campbell
Mame Diouf - out of contract 30/06 what happens?
Lee Gregory
Out on loan
Badou Ndiaye - due back from loan on 30/06 what happens?
Benike Afobe - due back from loan on 31/05 what happens?
Peter Etebo - due back from loan on 30/06 what happens?
Ryan Woods - due back from loan on 31/05 what happens?
Kevin Wimmer - due back from loan from 30/06 what happens?
Mauritz Bauer - due back from loan on 31/05 and season ended will he be eligible?
Harry Souttar - due back from loan on 31/05 and season ended will he be eligible?
Fixtures remaining:
Reading (a)
Middlesbrough (h)
Wigan Athletic (a)
Barnsley (h)
Leeds Utd (a)
Birmingham City (h)
Bristol City (a)
Brentford (h)
Nottm Forest (a)
First up Reading, assuming everyone bar Allen is fit and loanees are available I would guess it will be a similar line up to the team that finished against Hull City:
Butland
Smith
Batth
Chester
Martins Indi
Clucas
Thompson
Ince
Powell
McClean
Campbell
Be interesting to see once the green light is given whether the club will have any behind closed doors friendlies, with the guidelines in place I guess it will just end up being the squad split into 2 teams of eleven to try and replicate the match day experience.
Will be very weird watching on TV, and also has the virus changed anyone's outlook on the beautiful game? Would relegation not feel as bad now or would it still piss you off?
And if we do stay up could O'Neill produce a squad capable of promotion next season. Let's hope so......
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Post by lordb on May 29, 2020 13:14:20 GMT
Ryan has reportedly been scoring great results in fitness tests in training.
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Post by Olgrligm on May 29, 2020 13:16:21 GMT
has the virus changed anyone's outlook on the beautiful game? It's difficult to put into word, but football (and Stoke in particular) just seems vacant and soulless without supporters. It feels more akin to an administrative box-ticking exercise than real sport, even if we're on the TV. Weirdly, I'm sort of looking forwards to having some semblance of test cricket this summer, even if that's behind closed doors, but then I only ever watch that on the TV quite casually. I can't imagine being so casually involved with football that watching every game on television is somehow a substitute for the real thing. |
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Post by raythesailor on May 29, 2020 13:22:26 GMT
Not sure if returning loan players are eligible to play?
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Post by Deleted on May 29, 2020 13:27:14 GMT
Not sure if returning loan players are eligible to play? Or whether we'd want them to in fairness (Souttar in great form mind) |
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Post by AlliG on May 29, 2020 13:46:19 GMT
has the virus changed anyone's outlook on the beautiful game? It's difficult to put into word, but football (and Stoke in particular) just seems vacant and soulless without supporters. It feels more akin to an administrative box-ticking exercise than real sport, even if we're on the TV. Weirdly, I'm sort of looking forwards to having some semblance of test cricket this summer, even if that's behind closed doors, but then I only ever watch that on the TV quite casually. I can't imagine being so casually involved with football that watching every game on television is somehow a substitute for the real thing. I can see Grand Prix and golf being okay to watch without crowds. (At least there won't be the gobshites yelling "get in the hole" after every bloody shot! ) Cricket without crowds will basically be like watching the County Championship, with better quality players but without those periods of play when the crowd interaction draws that extra 1% out of great players, especially the bowlers. I have watched one Bundesliga game so far and don't have any great enthusiasm to watch any more. (It just felt like watching a pre-season friendly /exhibition game) There is a reason why FIFA/UEFA penalise teams for crowd trouble by making them play behind closed doors and it is not just financial. |
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Post by Deleted on May 29, 2020 13:55:46 GMT
I think O'Neill has already confirmed Joe Allen and Verlinden are unavailable for the remainder, with all other injury concerns sorted.
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Post by cheekymatt71 on May 29, 2020 14:23:20 GMT
Can we still get promoted?  |
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Post by Deleted on May 29, 2020 14:24:20 GMT
Can we still get promoted? Mathematically yes. Aim for the stars...... |
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Post by Gods on May 29, 2020 14:33:34 GMT
Goaaaaarrrrrrnnnnn Stoke
That didn't feel right somehow!?
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Post by stokeson on May 29, 2020 15:03:54 GMT
With Ryan and Mcclean fit plus campbell and oakley-booth showing form at the end i cant wait...................gooooaarnnnn stoke
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Post by wherty on May 29, 2020 16:16:08 GMT
With Ryan and Mcclean fit plus campbell and oakley-booth showing form at the end i cant wait...................gooooaarnnnn stoke I think form goes out of the window when a 3 month break is involved. |
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Post by scfc75 on May 29, 2020 16:24:28 GMT
With Ryan and Mcclean fit plus campbell and oakley-booth showing form at the end i cant wait...................gooooaarnnnn stoke I think form goes out of the window when a 3 month break is involved. I do have this horrible niggly doubt that the break will have reset a lot of the good progress we had made, and has knocked a bit of wind out of our sails. I hope I’m wrong obviously. The sooner that first win comes the better. |
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Post by lordb on May 29, 2020 17:15:48 GMT
Going to be some strange results, for everyone, after the break
Then lots of games in quick succession.
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Post by fca47 on May 29, 2020 18:18:28 GMT
Ndaiye would be a good replacement for Allen, if able to play.
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Post by napperwainwright on May 29, 2020 18:42:10 GMT
With Ryan and Mcclean fit plus campbell and oakley-booth showing form at the end i cant wait...................gooooaarnnnn stoke Kinnell, I'd forgotten about Oakley Booth. Wish that I could forget Nathan Jones too. |
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Post by Vadiation_Ribe on May 29, 2020 19:35:21 GMT
I thought Bauer was sent back (?) before the Scottish season had ended, so maybe he'll be an option. I can't imagine any loan players playing that are not currently involved with training.
I won't believe the first match is taking place until I see it.
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Post by xchpotter on May 29, 2020 20:44:20 GMT
Going to be some strange results, for everyone, after the break Then lots of games in quick succession. That is my fear. We are notoriously slow starters with undercooked players and a poor attitude. It’s entirely within the gift of this team to completely fuck it up and get us relegated. Re starting the season is the worst thing they could have done and I think there will be some squeaky bums come the end. |
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Post by BristolMick on May 29, 2020 20:56:19 GMT
20th June is proposed first game and then until end of July to play 9 games.
BM
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Post by lordb on May 29, 2020 22:25:46 GMT
Going to be some strange results, for everyone, after the break Then lots of games in quick succession. That is my fear. We are notoriously slow starters with undercooked players and a poor attitude. It’s entirely within the gift of this team to completely fuck it up and get us relegated. Re starting the season is the worst thing they could have done and I think there will be some squeaky bums come the end. Have you been under a rock since O'Neill came in? |
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Post by raythesailor on May 30, 2020 7:40:30 GMT
My concern is if and how it is going to be televised or streamed.
Other than our game against Leeds not many people outside N Staffs are going to be very interested in watching Stoke.
I am hoping the club will stream the home games at least. Sadly though I find the official web site very poor and gave up trying to log onto it a long time ago.
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shooters
Youth Player
POTTER POWER
Posts: 474
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Post by shooters on May 30, 2020 8:12:41 GMT
Reading away 🤔 ..a kfc drive thru a short walk from ground as well. Seen fans outside in Germany, at a social distance. Desperate for a connection again. Maybe a tech bod can organise a zoom facebook live match thing where we can all have 15 min pre match beer , a we 'll be with you and a Delilah etc.?
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Post by Linx on May 30, 2020 8:27:25 GMT
It will be difficult for every team to restore whatever momentum they were developing, not just Stoke. It will really test the managers’ motivational skills. So many questions: will Hull be able to stop their slide into the relegation zone? Will Brentford’s unexpected promotion surge grind to a halt? And, most importantly, which Stoke will turn up, the incohesive bunch of wasters under Jones, or the MONster Bunch?
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Post by xchpotter on May 30, 2020 8:37:20 GMT
That is my fear. We are notoriously slow starters with undercooked players and a poor attitude. It’s entirely within the gift of this team to completely fuck it up and get us relegated. Re starting the season is the worst thing they could have done and I think there will be some squeaky bums come the end. Have you been under a rock since O'Neill came in? Not at all, just completely open minded to the fact that this same groups of players have it within them to play as badly as they do well and haven’t shaken this decline fully off for nearly three years. With a short and intense end to the season they could find themselves quickly in trouble and their heads could drop...it’s not like they’ve demonstrated resilience and the ability to triumph over adversity in recent times, save for the Sheffield Wednesday result, is it? |
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Post by raythesailor on May 30, 2020 8:38:39 GMT
There is speculation that Leeds and WBA May have to play their games at a neutral ground. Authorities fear that fans will congregate outside grounds ?
Needless to say there fans are not happy.
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Post by lordb on May 30, 2020 9:09:36 GMT
Have you been under a rock since O'Neill came in? Not at all, just completely open minded to the fact that this same groups of players have it within them to play as badly as they do well and haven’t shaken this decline fully off for nearly three years. With a short and intense end to the season they could find themselves quickly in trouble and their heads could drop...it’s not like they’ve demonstrated resilience and the ability to triumph over adversity in recent times, save for the Sheffield Wednesday result, is it? Wigan, came from behind to win Huddersfield came from behind to win |
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Post by Deleted on May 30, 2020 9:17:02 GMT
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Post by thisisouryear on May 30, 2020 11:25:08 GMT
The manager will know more about his players depending on the condition they return in. The reliable and driven players will come back as fit as the day the finished. Only the fittest will survive relegation this season, let's hope our players have taken their fitness seriously.
This is a test of mental strength in the squad it should give our manager a better view of who to keep and who to sell when the transfer window opens.
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Post by Lakeland Potter on May 30, 2020 11:39:35 GMT
The timing of the restart to the season couldn't have been much better for Ryan Shawcross. Unlike the rest, he hasn't had the rigours of a hard season and was just resuming training and playing as the lock down arrived. He always seems to train properly so, hopefully, he will now be one of the fitter players at the start of this rather strange mini preseason. If he stays fit he could be a key player in the remaining games. And a fit Ryan can only improve our defence which still looks as though it lacks the sort of organisation he has been providing for the past 12 years or more.
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Post by toppercorner on May 30, 2020 11:49:49 GMT
Until I saw the first post, I genuinely couldn't remember half the squad.
for when/if we finish the season
Adam Federici - let him go
James Chester - let him go
Stephen Ward - let him go
Bruno - sell
Tashan Oakley-Booth - What position does he play again?
Jordan Thompson - is he ours? where does he play?
Thibaud Verlinden - play on the right
Tom Ince - sell
Sam Vokes - sell
Mame Diouf - regretably I'd let him go. I feel we've messed him around, and he's been such a positive for the club. I hope he can get a fresh start somewhere
Lee Gregory - sell
Out on loan
Badou Ndiaye - sell or make him play. No more pointless loans
Benike Afobe - genuinely don't know. Can't see him happy being back here. Possibly sell.
Peter Etebo - sell or make him play. No more pointless loans
Ryan Woods - sell
Kevin Wimmer - get rid
Mauritz Bauer - sell
Harry Souttar - back in the squad if we lose chester.
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