Can We Win The League?

[Tom_stokiepmre89]

right, i know that sounds silly, but if results go our way we could be one point off the top this time next week, if we have a good christmas period and bring in one or two quality players then we could be in pole position come mid january ready for the big push

[mermaidsal]

Wish I thought we could but honestly no - even if TP has a fantastic January shopping spree (remember the last pre-deadline spree? So, let's not go crazy about the next one...) the new players will take time to bed in, so I reckon a secure place in the playoffs, holding onto enough of our players this time and being genuine favourites to go up in 09 is about what we're worth right now.

But maybe, just maybe...

[CrazyPotter]

Sod it, I say lets win it

[Davef]

I think West Brom will go up automatically, but the way things stand at the moment that second place is certainly up for grabs.

Watford and Charlton will certainly have the finances to strengthen their squad in January but their inconsistency during the first half of the season proves that there are no guarantees that they're going to be good enough to go straight up.

And who else is there? Bristol City and Plymouth are doing well, but we shouldn't really be that worried about them, Ipswich's away form will, I think, prove to be their undoing and Wolves are struggling to score goals at the moment.

If we can strengthen our squad in January and steer clear of injuries to key players then we've got as much chance of automatic promotion as anyone else in this league.

[batfastard]

come on you potters we can win it if we try hard enough

[banburypotter]

nothing stopping us going for it is there?
confidence is high, players are working for each other, there is an overall feeling of togetherness from the chairman to manager to players.
Other clubs would give their right nad to be in our position at the moment.
i think this is year we do it,just not sure whether it will be automatically or via the play-offs.
And do not forget we still have a 100% record in any finals we have ever been in, its the play-off semi's that would be more worrying.

[fuggers]

Of course we can.

Just as any of the other 23 clubs could.

[MrMagic]

Yes we can - recent results have more or less proved that on our day we can beat anyone.

At the risk of being branded a "pulis hating wankstain", I have to say that I'm very sceptical of whether we will. Pulis is still showing many of the irritating traits that I believe were part of our undoing last season, and whilst we are 4th now, no-one has ever been promoted in December.

I want to see how we play with the luxury of Diao protecting the back 4, and I want to see 11 fit players out there wherever possible rather than us having to carry unfit and injured men just because they have previous premiership experience.

[basingstokie]

I can't believe our team is good enough to win the league, but then I can't believe we are 4th at the moment (4 points off the top), maybe we can win it, but I think we will need a few more players in Jan, probably a right back, attacking central midfield and a left winger, to free Cressie to play upfront. Strength in depth could be an issue if we get many injuries.

Maybe, just maybe

Come on you rip roaring potters

[silversparrot]

Ask me again at easter

[JoeinOz]

Play offs would be good progress and give us a crack at the big one. Top two would be amazing but I get the feeling its a bit beyond us at the moment.

[Pembo]

Would be nice to think we could but i really cant see it happening but heres to trying

[Lakeland Potter]

Davef is probably right. The only squad that looks better than us at present are the Baggies and that remains true whether we win next weekend or not. The rest of the challengers don't look any better than we do. Charlton and Sheffield United ought to look better but they don't and Watford seem quite frail at the moment and should have lost against us last week. The three relegated teams obviously have more scope to strenghten than the rest of the division but we are probably up with the rest of the pack in terms of spending power.

I'd go as far as to say I think we have a better than 50/50 chance of the play offs and a one in three or four chance of an auto spot. If we did get players of the quality of Whelan and Routledge in January then I'll start to think we can get an automatic spot.

[OldStokie]

There are far too many reasons why we can't make a proper judgement yet which include injuries and suspensions to key players and poor refereeing decisions. A season can turn on these. We also have a lot of games to play yet. At the moment, we're doing great. I actually think the bare bones of the squad are stronger now than they were last season. We need to add a couple of signings of the quality of Cort and Pugh and then live the dream.....starting on saturday against The Baggies.

Goooaaarrrnnn Stoke!

OS.

[Deleted]

I'd love to think so BUT, the pragmatic side of me kicks in once again.

We have a relatively small squad thats done amazingly well but we also are extremely vulnerable because we have loan signings in key positons we are presently totally reliant upon i.e.
CORT
SHAWCROSS
PUGH
Zakuani TOO
All have become key players but worse case, could be easily recalled by their parent clubs.

(If I were a competing championship club, Id pull em just to slow us down a bit )

Yes we have money for signings too but we will have to secure the above lads at least until the end of the season first.

Then comes our ability to attract additional players, league position should help but, we aren't paying the best wages, (remember back to earlier this season), nobody would come, perhaps we've kept our powder dry and kept it for one big push - this remains to be seen.

There is also the matter of other greedy nasty predatory clubs, our recent good form wont have escaped the grasping attentions of the likes of Derby, Wigan, Birmingham and even teams like Leicester perhaps, even West brom themselves -they could all return in January to try and undermine us by taking our better players.

Fuller and Simonsen would be obvious attractions with Liam Lawrence ever more coming into the frame as a class act - game by game.

Depressing ? yes- pragmatic ? yes too however,- in our favour we have a very good manager now, a very good team spirit and a growing reputation - lets hope Peter Coates sees the opportunity we all see and, helps our manager secure all the players futures Ive mentioned and, allows Tony Pulis to get the couple more I happen to think we need.

(centre midfield who can pass and run beyond our strikers and a better right back.)

Can we win it ? possibly - playoffs look a more definite 'maybe' now though PROVIDING we hold onto our better players.

[Thank you from Moorlander1]

In one YES,YES,YES and bloody YES.

[canaladict]

Even though I have a positive feeling for this season at the minute,
I have a nagging feeling our depth of quality and suspensions will let us down at the end of the day.
However with the right signings in January, who knows.

[lancer]

We aren't going to have any problems that the teams around us won't have. We're in the pound seats at the moment and just as likely to win games as any team, so for my money, I reckon we have a very good chance of automatic promotion.
Goaaarn, Stoke!

[FullerMagic]

ukyestony said:

I'd love to think so BUT, the pragmatic side of me kicks in once again.

We have a relatively small squad thats done amazingly well but we also are extremely vulnerable because we have loan signings in key positons we are presently totally reliant upon i.e.
CORT
SHAWCROSS
PUGH
Zakuani TOO
All have become key players but worse case, could be easily recalled by their parent clubs.

(If I were a competing championship club, Id pull em just to slow us down a bit )

Surely the only one we stand a chance of losing this time around is Shawcross - and hopefully that'll be settled this week.

The settled nature of the squad is the major difference between this year and last year.

[Lakeland Potter]

Quite right FM. Zak CAN'T be recalled. Pugh and Cort are unlikely to be recalled as a permanenet deal has been agreed between the clubs. Shawcross is the unknown - but at least he wants to stay so that is promising!

[serpico]

I don't want to get carried away but it would seem this season there isn't going to be a team who runs away with the league so if we can stay within touching distance of the top 2 we may have a chance of slipping in, injuries/suspentions and new players in jan permitting.

[Somebody_Told_Me]

Not a fucking chance!


























But second is a CERT!

[CalgaryPotter]

Injuries and suspensions could be our downfall, don't we have more bookings than any other club?

If this squad is kept together through the January transfer window and a couple of creative players added I think most teams in this league would be scared to death of us.
Based on the above, play offs at worst.

Bookies odds have shortened big time....good sign I would say

[Deleted]

I think that the players maybe are starting to believe that they can get promotion, the overall performances going back to the Coventry defeat, and I am including the Sheff Utd game have been good and the signs are that the team are confident in each other. As stated by others injuries and suspentions aside we have a very good chance.

[canaladict]

Sidders
Hasn't Mama also been back for that period.
Coincidence?

[Deleted]

Yeah he has and the one thing Mama has done very well is hold the ball up in the evident lack of midfield, however now with Salif back in the line up Mama may be able to be rested in a few games or even if he decides to go to the ANC touney then we may just not miss him as much as we could of?

[PotterLog]

Fuck me, incredible. We have a string of good results and people think we can win the league.

How long have you been watching football? 6 weeks?

[mark71]

No but second place is defo on.... IF Coates makes funds available and Pulis brings the right players in, in January.
DaveF has hit the nail bang on.