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Post by Deleted on Apr 7, 2009 14:16:04 GMT
Say what you want about our Tone, he has his shortcomings as a manager and was untested at this level before this season but he’s rose to the challenge, as have the players and the fans.
You can be Pro-Pulis without being a rimmer. I’ve always been in support of Tone and fully appreciate the job he has done at our club and the progress we have made under his leadership. That does not mean to say I haven’t had criticisms over the past few years regarding some of his decisions on tactics, signings etc.
You have to look at the bigger picture though. Even the likes of Sir Alex and Wenger make mistakes in the transfer market and they are the best in the business. You have to judge a manager on getting more right than wrong and in my opinion Tone has definitely done that. On a smaller budget in recent years he has brought in the likes of Lawrence, Fuller, Sidibe, and Higgy who are all first team players in the Premier League. With the recent inflated transfer funds available to him he has added the likes of Whelan, Amdy, Shawcross, Abdy, Etherington, Sorensen and Beattie. He also showed a lot of nous in the loan market when required with key signings at key moments over the years (Nash, Riggot, Crossley to name but a few).
Of course, there have been the Kitsons, Sonko’s, Olifinjana’s, Soares and Tonge signings which raise question marks and Tone has to shoulder responsibility for getting these one’s (seemingly) wrong but overall his record is very good in the transfer market and we are a much stronger outfit as a result. You only have to cast your mind back a few years to the Era’s under Little, Kamara and Bates and players like Petty, Gabbiadini, Stewart, Lightbourne and alike.
We’ve made massive strides forward under Pulis and even the most ardent Pulis hater must be able to take a step back and realise and appreciate what we’ve achieved and how far we’ve progressed under Tone. A few years ago I wouldn’t have thought in a million years we’d be where we are now.
Is he perfect? Of course not. Has he done a bloody good job, damn right he has.
People called for his head last season before we got promoted and then people called for his head again stating that he’d taken us as far as he could by getting us to The Prem and that he had reached his limitations. I’m sure Tone is much like our players in his attitude, when he gets written off he becomes more determined to work ‘aaardder and prove everyone wrong.
The job isn’t done this season yet but I really believe we will stay up under Pulis and he will maintain his impressive record of never being relegated in his managerial career. As long as we have him at the helm we will have a team that will always fight, will always show passion and determination and will give 100% when they pull on the red and white top and as a Stoke fan that will make me immensely proud for years to come I’m sure.
Be loyal, be proud, be Stoke.
WD
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Post by mcf on Apr 7, 2009 14:21:43 GMT
I agree. TP is aces.
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Post by Beardy200 on Apr 7, 2009 14:34:03 GMT
"Is he perfect? Of course not. Has he done a bloody good job, damn right he has."
On top of all that he seems like a lovely bloke, who conducts himself with great diginity in front of the camera. I'm on my own here i know, as a manager he was great but as a bloke i never really liked Lou Macari but Pulis to me has class and that's the feature of him i like the best and with how level-headed he is i'm sure that rubs off on the players.
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Post by One-Two on Apr 7, 2009 14:37:07 GMT
t'rriffic post
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Post by chell_rosey on Apr 7, 2009 14:42:12 GMT
.....but as a bloke i never really liked Lou Macari Appreciate it's maybe just an opinion, but have you ever met him? I have and he's always been absolutely spot on with everyone. |
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Post by Kenilworth_Stokies on Apr 7, 2009 14:43:46 GMT
You have to look at the bigger picture though. Even the likes of Sir Alex and Wenger make mistakes in the transfer market and they are the best in the business. You have to judge a manager on getting more right than wrong and in my opinion Tone has definitely done that. I agree with that very much. There's always somebody who can point to a complete Kitson-up of a signing, or criticise our style of play. But at the end of the day TP has pulled off league positions we'd have killed for under any of the managers we've had for the last quarter of a century. Results trump artistic impression. Isn't that what we've been goading the Baggies about these last few days? |
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Post by Beardy200 on Apr 7, 2009 14:47:12 GMT
.....but as a bloke i never really liked Lou Macari Appreciate it's maybe just an opinion, but have you ever met him? I have and he's always been absolutely spot on with everyone. I got in this mess last time ;D Yes of course it's just an opinion as is my one on Pulis - I've never met Alex Ferguson or Josef Fritzl either but i have an opinion on those aswell based solely on what i see. Hope that's cleared that up before the usual mass linching starts again  |
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Post by alster on Apr 7, 2009 14:47:44 GMT
He's done a fantastic job, don't think anybody could argue with that. Having said that I have sat and watched quite a lot of matches at the Brit and thought sticking hot needles in my eyes would be more entertaining.
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Post by Ghostface on Apr 7, 2009 14:50:27 GMT
TP you opinionated **** how the **** can you make ****ing generalisations about people you've never even met?! ****ing disgrace! Admin, can we please shitbin all further posts by Mr Trumpton Potter from now on please? |
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Post by thepremierbanksy on Apr 7, 2009 14:53:19 GMT
Best thing of all with Pulis this season is that he has quite clearly been learning along the way - in the way he sets his team up, his use of substitutions and most of all his signings. Summer was very hit and miss signings-wise, but then Pulis and a lot of us didn't know quite what to expect from this season and how our players would react to the prem, so he was bound to make a few mistakes and a few panic signings. With 4 months' experience though he knew what was needed and went and got beattie and ethers and was spot on with both.
TP won't have the same excuses in summer though and the pressure is on him to improve his good/bad signings ratio next season.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 7, 2009 14:55:01 GMT
He's done a fantastic job, don't think anybody could argue with that. Having said that I have sat and watched quite a lot of matches at the Brit and thought sticking hot needles in my eyes would be more entertaining. How many Stoke managers over the last 20 years have played attractive football though? |
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Post by Rebelliousjukebox on Apr 7, 2009 15:09:03 GMT
"Is he perfect? Of course not. Has he done a bloody good job, damn right he has." On top of all that he seems like a lovely bloke, who conducts himself with great diginity in front of the camera. Pulis to me has class and that's the feature of him i like the best and with how level-headed he is i'm sure that rubs off on the players. Totally agree with you about how Pulis has conducted himself with the media. He handles himself in front of the camera with dignity, modesty, and, maybe most importantly, doesn't take himself too seriously. I have been pleasantly surprised by this aspect of Tone. |
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Post by stokietomo on Apr 7, 2009 15:25:12 GMT
I think Tone is getting better and better every week. You have to take into consideration that he has never managed in this league and he seems to be making more and more of the right decisions now. He's tried things out that have both worked and not worked and learnt from them. Add that to his obvious man management skills and as results show he starting to do a bloody good job. I think that presuming we stay up he will have a very good idea of what players will fit into his system to improve what we've got even more. Well done Tone. I for one doubted you at the start of the season but am very glad you proved me wrong!!
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Post by OldStokie on Apr 7, 2009 15:48:43 GMT
Tom, everything is relative. If we had been relegated, those would have been very big mistakes. If we stay up [as it seems very much that we might] they aren't even worth mentioning. Our income from this season and next will more than compensate for any errors in the past. What is worth mentioning is the signing of Faye, Beattie etc. There are times to look at the bigger, overall picture and if we avoid relegation, that's what everyone should do. At this time, Pulis doesn't deserve any flak. There are some who delight in saying 'I told you so'. That's understandable because if we had been relegated, there would have been even more who would have said 'I told you so.'  Me, I'm just enjoying the moment, but defending my ass out of devilment...and to stop the *Hitler Youth having a Kristallnacht. *No, you're not one of them. M. |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 7, 2009 15:56:34 GMT
I have no idea what a “Kristallnacht” is Mick but thanks for your contribution to my thread nonetheless, always appreciated. T |
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Post by scfclifer on Apr 7, 2009 16:25:48 GMT
i love tp and if he keeps us up i'll give him all the praise he can want.........but me being a fickle fucker ,if he somehow manages to fuck up the position we now find ourselves in and gets us relegated i'll lambast him with all my fury until my eyes pop out of my head ;d
;d the joys and privelage of being a footie fan ;d
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Post by barmystokie1 on Apr 7, 2009 16:36:06 GMT
I have to admit I had my doubts as to how this season was going to pan out... bt pulis has learnt from his mistakes very quickly this season and is a major reason as to why we are in a healthy position (At present!!) ..
the signings of beattie and ethers have been inspirational,, and his ability and his coaching team to improve players is for all to see ( a.k.a. wilko, ryan and whelan being stand-outs )
well done Tony , now lets near enough finish the job on saturday by turning over those geordies!!
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Post by kingdeano on Apr 7, 2009 16:54:21 GMT
barmystokie that just about sums up everything i was going put.
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Post by ruts66 on Apr 7, 2009 17:53:44 GMT
Yes, credit where credit's due.
Our league position proves his good decisions outweigh his bad ones although at times I've punched walls in frustration at the wasted opportunities, especially away from home.
Hopefully, the Cresswell fixation, the square pegs and the "too attacking" 5-3-1-1 are now consigned to history and won't ever be repeated...
What's abundantly clear is his command of the dressing room. Arguably, with this set of players, it's worth far more than tactical genius.
His conduct in front of the cameras has been exemplary. Watch and learn, Mr Brown.
Assuming we stay up (please Lord) he has to have a better stab at the transfer market second time around. We've got £12m of nothing players on our books and can't afford any more repeats. That said, it should be much easier to attract players to Stoke now the world knows what we're all about. There must be quite a few players who've experienced 'The Bearpit' thinking, I'd like some of that...
Well done, Tone, from this former PHW...
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Post by KevinWhimper on Apr 7, 2009 17:58:42 GMT
I have no idea what a “Kristallnacht” is Mick but thanks for your contribution to my thread nonetheless, always appreciated. T Hope I have helped to enlighten you today WD ;D ;D |
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Post by TheWiseMaster on Apr 7, 2009 19:36:12 GMT
I commented on TP's need for a bit of PR help on an earlier thread. I was referring to Tone's repetetive sound bites and his after match comments - triffic etc which seems to upset a few more people than they should
In terms of his interviews he has been excellent - just being himself - he has no interest in the 'look at me' agenda used by the likes of Brown
Pulis has certainly been backed by Coates but I suspect he got caught out with his transfer targets pre-season and eventually signed a number of squad players rather than quality. It is difficult for us to imagine how hard it must be for relegation favourites to attract quality players pre-season
January showed us that the picture is changing and I suspect (assuming we stay up) that Pulis will have far more quality players knocking at his door than he did last season
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Post by stokemark on Apr 7, 2009 19:42:45 GMT
Done a brilliant job and seems to have matured too - handled himself superbly in the media and dealt with and in house problems (Kitson, Fuller / Griffin) superbly.
Deserves ALL the plaudits he gets
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Post by Gunslinger on Apr 7, 2009 19:59:55 GMT
It's impossible to praise TP unless you mention Peter Coates in the same drag of breath. PC has been founding TP for some time now and there would be no Beattie if PC didn't supply the dosh. I started hating PC after the selling of Pesch and the relegation in '98. I was against PC getting control of SCFC after the Icelanders sold out of the club. After buying SCFC he has improved the club further and has been backing the manager all the way financially. The real hero (or villian turned hero) to me is PC.
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Post by headsgoup on Apr 7, 2009 20:07:35 GMT
When Burley ran away from the job at the last minute and Tony Pulis sat at the press conference knowing he was not the number one choice (Icelanders choice) he said something that made the hairs on the back of me stand up. He said he was 'Proud to be managing a PROPER football club'
I knew he was sincere and wasn't just saying it for the press. I knew he meant it and what it meant to him. That was enough for me.
It's was painful at times in the early years but the Icelanders came and went with perfect timing. We've not looked back since and finished in a higher league position EVERY year TP's been in charge. Now I call that real progress by a true professional.
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Post by lew86 on Apr 8, 2009 10:27:16 GMT
Well done Tom.
All involved at the club with Tone at the Helm have had to, learn, adapt and ultimatly survive this season, which each and everyone of those is a mountain in their own ways.
Granted he's had afew slip ups and has had us scratching our heads at times, but as the "Pulis hating wankstains" are all too quick to forget his achievements which have succeeded in things I thought I'd never see.
What he says to the players, I dont know. But seeing our lads battle out for blod sweat and tears for Stoke City fills me with pride. To see that it means everything to them as it does to us is something else.
I'd like to quote the Baggies fan that was sat behind a certain Mr Pance that hits the nail on the head;
"See, look at that fucking lot. That's the fucking difference right there. They'd run through brick fucking walls for their team, our bastards can't wait to fucking leave."
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Post by Deleted on Apr 8, 2009 10:38:40 GMT
He's done a fantastic job, don't think anybody could argue with that. Having said that I have sat and watched quite a lot of matches at the Brit and thought sticking hot needles in my eyes would be more entertaining. "Are you Mowbray in disguise?" |
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Post by maidstonestokie on Apr 8, 2009 11:00:43 GMT
i for one actually thought that we would stay up (belive it or not) i thought that TP would go back to what he does best, binary football. set up each game to draw and if we get a goal from a free kick or corner then great and then set up 11 players on the edge of our own box. but i have been plesently surprised especially in the second half of the season at how we have gone out and attacked teams (at least by TP's standards) and now TP has learn throughout the season and it looks like we are going to stay up well done TP
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Post by vestanpance on Apr 8, 2009 11:29:16 GMT
I thought we'd get absolutely fucking battered this season, turns out we haven't been.
For that, and other things, i'm genuinely grateful. I reserve the right to retain a healthy amount of scepticism, but by and large, he's done brilliantly this season.
Good post Mr Beech.
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