To Boo or Not To Boo, that is the question

[BoothenenderGaz]

Do we boo Hoefkens next Saturday or not?

Personally I'm in two minds.

Hoefkens obviously had a genuine affection for the Stoke fans, but, he did engineer a move to WBA without firstly mentioning or having permission from Stoke. This went as far as talking about contract length, wages etc.

Funny how loyalties change when money is on the table.

Problem us fans have is that we think that every player should have the same passion for Stoke that we ourselves have and come to expect nothing less and why should we!

[trebor63]

I'd never boo any player who gave his all whilst at stoke and Hoef falls into that category. In my eyes Hoef was the one and only saving grace from Bozzys reign.

Whether he manufactured a move away I don't know. He may well have done but whats done is done and we are probably as good a team now as we were this time last year.

The difference is last year we went backwards after the Jan window imo but this year i think we'll step up a gear (I hope) We have moved on and improved and so has Hoef so I think things have worked out well for us and him!

[Lakeland Potter]

No boos from me because I have a lot of respect for the Hoof. Hope he and the Baggies have a nightmare though!

[LDE76]

I don't imagine he'll endure too difficult an afternoon at the hands of Stoke supporters.

At least as long as he plays within the spirit of the occasion and doesn't break tradition by trying to help his team avoid defeat.

[mensa]

I will always appreciate someone who gave his all in our colours, no matter who he plays for now.

Anyone who was at Loftus Road at the end of last season could see how devastated they all were at missing out ... and Hof was really upset.

So why boo? He's moved on ... we've moved on. If the 'Stoke curse' holds when we play the Baggies, I'll be happy, Hof probably won't, but I hope he plays well to remind us what a good player he is, then scores an own goal to gift us the game.

Steve

[Pembo]

He did give his all for Stoke but still cant help thinking hes a girlie haired cunter as a read on the old site once for going,Cant see me booing him though

[Olgrligm]

Russell was booed at one stage and in my opinion, he deserved it much less.

[markscfc72]

hoefkens should get a good reception

[mermaidsal]

I definitely won't boo him, you never know the real inside story of how/why someone's moved on and he was one of the few who genuinely played for the shirt while he was here. Also I really admired the way he handled things when TP seemed to get the knives out (and Hoof emerged as a better defender).

[twisty]

No boos from me either the guy was ace.

[Vodkab1ock]

thought he was great but like anyone one else he will get a clap/cheer before the game and after, but during the game i think booing is fair game as he aint at stoke anymore.

[bogus]

Never been a booer mesen, don't expect to start with Hoefkens either.

[crashbandicoot]

No doesnt deserve to be booed

[spitthedog]

BoothenenderGaz

if anyone engineered his move from Stoke it was the manager
he was desperate to stay at the club, but he was simply not TP's style of player.
wasn't he once dropped because the manager reckoned he must be tired from his wife having a baby in the mid week before a game. if that's not hint i don't know what is.

he always gave 100% for the club even when he was messed about by management.

[Linx]

It's boorish to boo and ex-Stoke player. Unless it's Kris Commons, of course. He's fair game.

[JoeinOz]

Dunner boo him. No need.

[sheikhmomo]

Higginbotham on the other hand deserves it entirely whenever his sorry carcass returns to the Brit.

[JoeinOz]

Higginbotham only did what stacks of players would do.

[sheikhmomo]

Lots of players do it in a more professional way, particularly Club Captains.

Don't tel me you believed the injury shit during his last two games Joe.

[JoeinOz]

No I didn't believe the injury shit. But the vast majority of players would engineer a move.

[ashibenkithe3rd]

Booing is for unhappy people. Be happy ;D and dont boo.

[RobPa]

clap at start boo throughout the game!

[banburypotter]

just ignore him and concentrate on the lads that are playing for us,thats what i do with all ex players.

[JoeinOz]

You dodn't have to boo everyone that leaves. I was amazed to hear people had booed Jimmy O'Connor.

[lancer]

As a very happy Stokie at the moment, I'm not in the mood to boo anyone. Never have booed players who've moved on, and I certainly won't boo Hoekens, who never let us down while wearing red and white.
Very few of us know all the facts about tranfers from club to club, so I just get on with supporting, and hoping.

[stokiemac]

its easy forget its still a job, i work at ASDA but if tesco offered me 3 times my wage id "engineer" a move to. hes getting a clap from me for the time he was here

[luke45]

i definately don't think he should be booed, he had alot of time for this club, and showed alot passion, and stuck by us, even when he was a bench-warmer, at one point under pulis.

Top Bloke, top player, who was let go far to easily in my opinion.

[spitthedog]

Booing ex-players is usually always counter-effective

it's usually done by idiots who don't have the brain capacity to realise that by booing them they are likely to up their peformance level to prove a point.

[sheikhmomo]

Fancy barracking an opposition player at a football match. Oh the shame of doing such a thing! You can't stand, you can't smoke, you can't swear and now you can't boo the opposition without being labelled an idiot by some git!

That's nonsense by the way, spit. When we did it to Commons 2 or 3 years back it affected him so much, he was taken off in disgrace.

[Pedropotter]

I'm not booing the Hoef. I always liked him and was gutted when he went.