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Post by Olgrligm on Jan 15, 2009 19:53:27 GMT
Now I know we have a reputation as being an ugly long ball team, scourge of all that's Holy etc etc, and I really don't give a toss about that. The fact is that I would far rather watch us play, with each player dying for the team cause and leaving their sweat and blood all over the pitch (Pericard excepted) than I would Middlesbrough or Wigan. Pretty much all teams in the Premiership below 5th place play a very dull, stereotyped style of play and are packed to the rafters with half-arsed mercenaries who turn up when they fancy. When something breaks their dull convention, they whine and complain (see Middlesbrough in the FA Cup last year when they conceded a goal from a long throw - you don't have long throws in the Premiership, so it must have been a foul  ) and they're not particularly adverse to rolling around on the floor, with a certain Mr Paintsil being an example of this. I'm perfectly happy watching us shake up the bigger teams with our aggressive and unconventional style, no matter what the media whitter on about. What exactly is wrong with good old fashioned defending and a hard but fair sliding tackle? Maybe if proper defending was allowed these days, we wouldn't be putting up with the likes of Ronaldo throwing themselves at the floor every five minutes and, heaven forbid, he may actually have become quite a likeable player. As it is, he's an arrogant bugger and a cheat. This brings me to the main point of this thread. I've read a few times now that we seem to dish it out quite readily but can't take it in return. That we 'roll around on the floor' and 'dive like girls', to quote two comments on a Times article. Apparently we're at it all the time. Now I may be getting a bit confused here, but I can remember that when we played Leicester at home last season, Wilkinson could have got Howard sent off in the early minutes of the game after a shocking tackle. Despite Howard having reopened an old wound and blood covering Wilkinson's sock, Wilkinson got straight up and looked to deck him. When Ronaldo lashed out at him, he just got up and kicked him 5 minutes later. I can't actually think of a player asides from Fuller who actually stays down after a challenge. Pretty much everyone gets straight up and looks for the player responsible so they can destroy them. You know what though? I actually prefer it that way. Our 'get up' attitude is far more in keeping with the Corinthian Spirit of the game than the deliberate cheating of most opposition players. It may not be beneficial in the short term, but I'm far happier being able to say that our players are hard as nails than I would be trying to defend some fairy who doesn't like being tackled. This is what I don't get though - why do we have this reputation? What have we actually done that's so bad? Is it just a stereotype that's spread as a popular myth? It's bloody irritating, because we have a lot of faults, but we don't cheat. |
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Post by thepremierbanksy on Jan 15, 2009 19:58:28 GMT
People were complaining about us time-wasting in that times article, which to be honest we are guilty of. Fuller will take a dive, but otherwise I think any accusations that we are either dirty or persistent cheats is wide of the mark.
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Post by Olgrligm on Jan 15, 2009 19:59:51 GMT
The time-wasting is a bit iffy. We do take a while on throw-ins, but then how long do some set piece specialists spend lining up free-kicks etc, along with all the messing about with moving the wall etc.
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Post by white wall boy on Jan 15, 2009 20:00:07 GMT
thats just plain rubbish, the Stoke players are shite at throwing themselves on the floor and rolling around like they've been shot. Most are just too honest and just get back up. The only player who some 'gamesmanship' skills is Kitson and he earns a few free kicks throwing himself on the deck but doesn't feign any injury or look to get players booked.
Fuller is quite possibly the worst diver in the world, I think he does himself a disservice as often he will be fouled and not get a decision because he's gone down to easily before hand.
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Post by redditchpotter on Jan 15, 2009 20:01:24 GMT
I think that people are jealous as hell that we have so much heart and passion both on the field and in the stands.
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Post by crimesy on Jan 15, 2009 20:01:47 GMT
spot on MD, greatpost, nothing i dont agree with and i was also very pissed of when a certain Shit fan said that our teams dives and cheatsmore than they do which made me want to deck the lad.
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Post by jbstokie on Jan 15, 2009 20:02:29 GMT
Why don't Hull have this though, they play the most long balls in the league but just because that Brazillian tit has scored a couple of crackers they're 'a good team'
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Post by sportsman on Jan 15, 2009 20:02:55 GMT
What i don't understand is if the ball goes out for a throw in, it's the same as a corner or free kick or any other dead ball situation.
When other clubs have a corner or free kick they make sure everyone is set and ready and whatever else, yet when we have a throw in we are expected to throw it in as quick as you possibly can!
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Post by whelan_6 on Jan 15, 2009 20:03:05 GMT
long may it continue,whilst people are talking about us like this it means were still in with a shout.
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Post by mermaidsal on Jan 15, 2009 20:10:32 GMT
Yes we've got our gamesmanship tactics, we're expert at tactical late substitutions and not bad at timewasting - and Ric's been known to fall over but no more than average imo, and Vince would more often if he was capable of keeping the ball anywhere near his feet, but no way are we divers.
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Post by pattayapotter on Jan 15, 2009 20:15:35 GMT
long may it continue,whilst people are talking about us like this it means were still in with a shout. Bingo  |
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Post by Andy H Spitfire on Jan 15, 2009 20:19:30 GMT
You can bet money on it that if we had done what ManUre did with that corner last week - instead of being creative and inventive we would have been labled cheats.
S
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Post by surreystokie on Jan 15, 2009 20:45:18 GMT
Time-wasting should be no problem, as the ref has the authority to add it on. Although we are not divers or openly dirty, I do so wish that we'd cut out the reckless tackles and the dissent. That way, we wouldn't be top of the PL card league and therefore able to defend ourselves.  |
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Post by Jamo on the wing on Jan 15, 2009 20:48:53 GMT
MD, You're bang on in what you say, we've been on about this for a while (since last season in fact.) We just aren't cute enough where fouls are concerned, I know that's not a great way to view things but the fact is what's good enough for the goose should be good enough for the gander. We get players booked all the time thanks to the theatrics of the opposition whereas we jump straight up (apart from Ric maybe) and they get away with a "quiet word." I'm not quite sure where this "Stoke always throw themselves to the floor" bollocks has come from; of all the things said about us this year, that is definitely the widest from the mark. |
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Post by LDE76 on Jan 15, 2009 20:54:10 GMT
The first time I can remember Stoke players being accused of diving (apart from after we beat Vale at the Vic in '92-93 ;D) was following the game at the Hawthorns last season. It was bollocks then and it's bollocks now.
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Post by white wall boy on Jan 15, 2009 20:58:59 GMT
I remember going to Leyton Orient after Stein had won a penalty at our place earlier in the season and their fans had printed Steino is a cheat on that really old shit printer paper, pisser it all fell apart after a few minutes
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Post by LDE76 on Jan 15, 2009 21:00:12 GMT
I remember going to Leyton Orient after Stein had won a penalty at our place earlier in the season and their fans had printed Steino is a cheat on that really old shit printer paper, pisser it all fell apart after a few minutes Yeah, I remember it well. ;D |
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Post by white wall boy on Jan 15, 2009 21:01:27 GMT
do you remember the minutes silence for Bobby Moore and it started snowing for just that minute? that was just creepy
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Post by LDE76 on Jan 15, 2009 21:03:19 GMT
I can remember the snow. We were on the open end behind the goal.
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Post by Olgrligm on Jan 15, 2009 21:12:53 GMT
Time-wasting should be no problem, as the ref has the authority to add it on. Although we are not divers or openly dirty, I do so wish that we'd cut out the reckless tackles and the dissent. That way, we wouldn't be top of the PL card league and therefore able to defend ourselves. Can't disagree about the dissent. Certain players are in the referee's face all too much. There are a number of players that seem to get away with it all the time, but that's no excuse. |
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Post by carolinastokie on Jan 15, 2009 22:19:14 GMT
The thing that really bugs me is that if Wilko had thrown himself to the ground and whined about Ronaldo stamping on his foot, the Portugeezer would probably not have been on the pitch for Wilko to foul him shortly after.
Instead he stepped back, looked outraged and then got on with the game.
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) and they're not particularly adverse to rolling around on the floor, with a certain Mr Paintsil being an example of this. I'm perfectly happy watching us shake up the bigger teams with our aggressive and unconventional style, no matter what the media whitter on about. What exactly is wrong with good old fashioned defending and a hard but fair sliding tackle? Maybe if proper defending was allowed these days, we wouldn't be putting up with the likes of Ronaldo throwing themselves at the floor every five minutes and, heaven forbid, he may actually have become quite a likeable player. As it is, he's an arrogant bugger and a cheat.
