Is it true that the rumour that Huthy and The Real Potterjub have eloped to the Brecon Beacons, they heard that Pulis has setup a Spiritual Hideaway (like the Moonies Headquarters) where devotees and disciples, can on a 24/7 pray and meditate on the wise one's sayings. I know that there has been a recruitment drive as the numbers blindly following Pulisbuddavista (to give him his proper name) have fallen dramatically, after some 75% of the congregation have not renewed their ST's - Spiritual Transition for the next 1,000 year plan. Disbelief in the biggest mosque in Etruria is rife and a peaceful protest is planned outside all betting shops in the area. This protest will lead to a strike and David Cameron on behalf of the Government is concerned that the British population, will indulge in a wild orgy of panic betting over the next 2 weeks, thus giving banks a severe cash flow problem. Mr Coates is not available for comment
LOL! I must admit I cant believe that people dont Post on here anymore and suggest that we are purely negative TP haters! They were full on when we had a decent run and living off the back of last years FA Cup campaign and the provisional games of the Europa. No where to be seen after poor indefensible results - Thou Shall Not Debate an Indefensible Performance!!!!
To be fair, I think my days on here are numbered. No one is ever happy it seems, you lot are even more ****ing negative than Pulis. Both wingers out Vs Wigan, but you find something else to moan about and blame Pulis, despite the fact it was clear that the whole fecking team were ****. Your hate for TP runs so deep you think it is justified for players to come out on Twatter and act like children, showing a complete lack of professionalism? That's the attitude that kept him out of the team in the first place, and I wouldn't be surprised if he was dropped again. I don't want to see Pennant being frozen out, but I don't want a player that doesn't give a **** and thinks he can do or say what he wants, it's unreliable, unfair on others and causes disruption. It would be sad to see him go, but is it worth keeping one player who is going to disrupt the progress of everyone else? I hope the pair of them can sort it out, but for the record, if he does go, I think he's the only useful player that will have fallen foul of TP's wrath. And before you mention all our old favourites, have a look at these: Apps (As Sub) Goals Tuncay 22 (15) 1 Kitson 31 (9) 3 Beattie 16 (15) 0 And I'd also like to add, that our old mate Richard "Get him out" Cresswell is keeping Beattie out of the Sheff Utd team, with 7 goals in 35 games. (Not many, I know, but he's holding his place.
PotterPistol, I am just frustrated at present and by no way a TP hater. All I would like to see is us to be more positive as a team and have belief when we play away. I have thought that there is a considerable anount of discontentement on here especially after we lose. However it is the fashion we lose that riles supporters most. Lack of effort and commitment is the worst. TP also needs to communicate to supporters. For my part I am of the view that TP has done a tremendous job for this club, when he saved us in the last game of the last game of the season beating Reading to stay up when we looking certaintities in January for relegation. In 2008 we gain Premiership status! Since then we have managed to achieve a lower mid table position in EPL. One problem is that we are not positive enough, often enough. Another is that we do not have enough possession. We do not pass enough. These things we ought to be improving on in our 4th year. TP said the first 3 years was retaining our psition in the EPL. The signings in the summere were exciting but some players this year have not performed. IMO Pennant & Ethrington are just two. I looked at Wolves on MOTD and I just want us to go at them Saturday to ensure we do not let them into the game. I will be disappointed if we sit back on Saturday and allow Wolves to dictate. Do not leave the board as we need to talk and discuss. Different views we all have. Cheers Cris
So they were **** buys then! Who bought them?????????????????????????????? Why is it when we win it is TP, but when we lose or the team was poor it is the players? Yes your right, the team aginats Wigan was pretty much the team I think most Stoke supporters wanted or thought was the right balance and I have passed little comment on that game. Every team his its off day and sometimes things wont go right - thats life - but when "certain" players underperform week in week out they stay in the team but other players or a team selection get one crack and then rotated back to the original favoured selction? I gave my season ticket up after years and years at the end of last season because what I was spending for 5 of us to go to every game was thousands a year and I felt I wasnt getting value for money - thats an opinion which I am entitled to voice - like others who feel the opposite! Thats called debating and not taking my bat and ball and going home like some - and I'm not refering to you! Someone I know has just renewed their season ticket and I laughed my bollocks off! Why I hear you say? Well, I went to more game this season than they did and guess what, they have only had a season ticket since our promotion!!!! AHHHHHH, like the vast majority of current season ticket holders FACT!!!!!!!!!!!! They moaned all season about how **** it was but still renew? Is it for the love of the club, no they say! It is for the piss up before and after - thats the fukin problem! That is not an isolated view point either, that reflects a large proportion of the regular goers! They come in late (pissed), leave before the half time whistle (more pissed), come in after half time (even more pissed) and leave early (******ed)! But its all right, because they fall out with stewards, ask TP to give them a wave and fuk off! The lack of progression is woeful and I can only think of 1 club in the whole league that has operated so far below expectation - Liverpool!
Smithers Thanks for the comments. Re season ticket if you went to more games than some S/ticket holders that is poor. I would suggest if you do 12 home games it is still worthwhile getting a season ticket under the early bird scheme. Too late now but just a thought. I have only missed the Liverpool home game with my Season ticket and if I am not there will always try and find somebody else to use it. So your mates I hope might offer their ticket if they can't make it or not arsed to support the team. I am surprised you say the majority are pie eyed as nobody around me is. Or is this just slight exageration?
Its more in the Boothen End by the open end - very frustrating when you are trying to watch the game and cant see for people standing up letting peopel in and out! In relation to the social event rather than the football match, I think that is a growing trend! Its only an opinion and I will fully admit that it is probably tainted but the standard of fan is vastly different from about 6 or 7 years ago and also different from the promotion and first year prem season - judging by who sits where etc.....
Pistol Respect what you have said matie like we all respect on another on here.. MY Point was.. T.P. is the motivator, fine he did play pennant but he also subbed him for Ric Fuller? Not logical imo but I know didley squat about tactics etc. As I said my main point was the performance which, I NEVER will accept. Correct all the lads we're sheeite but WHY does T.P. take Pennant off for Fuller when he's just come back from a ban and then the final insult, he sticks Fuller out wide where he is basically of no use whatsoever. I complained becasue of the performance and will always do that if we lose and don't even try which according to some on here who we're there. We didn't do that. To be honest I was thinking of leaving the site end of the season because we've lost far too many great posters.. Old Boothen, Stokie 72 and quite a few others. Pistol it's your'e choice to stay or leave, personally the more the better I hope you change your'e mind and keep posting. We ALL support Stoke City F.C.
Pistol, OK that's your opinion, and good for you, I cannot and will not accept Pulis as the manager of Stoke. Yes he helped us win promotion and has kept us up, I also think that a £90 million + kitty helped a wee bit, I also think that there are many other managers who would have done the same, with a more pleasing brand of football, enough of this as it has been debated to death on here. I do note hate anybody or thing, its a silly schoolchild word, however I strongly dislike how we play 'football' and detest Pulis's public persona and don't blame me outpourings to the mediator. As Potts says, he is no motivator, nor man manager. Regarding the number of anti-Pulis posts on here, its probably an age thing, on Oatcake the majority of posts/threads are 100% pro Pulis and if you disagree, its " f off up the Vale. I think the average Oatcaker is 15!! So there it is
Sad state of affairs really! Is there a site that has a balanced set of posters because its seems to be one extreme to the other?
I agree I don't use the oatcake but I do come on here when I'm bored at work and read the vast majority of everything said. To be honest I'm much more likely to post on other teams forums simply because when I post here it usually starts an argument rather than a debate and though I relish arguing/debating/winding up other fans I really don't enjoy doing so with Stokies. I'd rather just lurk, even when I have to bite my lip to do so. My view, as has been widely explained before is that the number 1 target for any season is to stay up and that the ends justify the means. Pulis is not god but he is keeping us where we want to be and without him we could sink without trace.... I've also said many times that we are fighting above our weight and only PC with his millions and TPs pragmatic approach is keeping us where we are, I'd love a more tippy tappy manager but not by gambling with our league position.
The issue for me with TP is his completely negative approach to football, and then his defense of things that have not gone to plan. Just a couple of examples: we are the lowest scoring team in the league, and probably in any other season a tally of 29 goals would find us in the bottom 3.However he spent £14 m on two forwards at the start of the season, and in total they have contributed 11 of our goals - not too bad, considering one of them is left perpetually on the bench and the other has to forage on his own, with little in the way of decent crosses or suppoert from midfield.In four years we now look less likely to score than we have ever done - as manager you would expect TP to do something about it, but he does not. Like 2,800 other unfortunates, I travelled to Wigan on the back of the Man City performance, and having renewed my season ticket. The 11 on the pitch to start was probably the best (if you accept the Palcios fitness story) that we have, but it is true, Etherington and Pennant were asked to start so deep that they were indeed wing backs.In the four years we have been in the EPL we have not addressed the glaring weakness of central midfield (or we play one of the supposed talented players at left back, and as I say await the return to fitness of Palacios). Every other team we see come to Stoke have full backs who join in the attack, and midfielders who run past the forwards - teams like Norwich and Swansea have proved that their is a different template to how to survive in the EPL. Will they survive next season, who knows -will we? One thing that you can say for all of these teams is that they can score goals in open play - when your possession stats are as woeful as ours, the incidence of set plays in threatening areas also drops, further depleting our ability to score. Usually you try to fix potential problems at source, because putting them right when they become an actual event, costs a lot more money, and unfortunately can mean people's jobs. TP's performance in the EPL is worsening, and I do not see how anybody can deny that - every possible statistic points to that fact: teams like Wolves should be put to the sword as everyone else has done -bet you TP is going to tell us nothing should be taken for granted - unless of course you are a team who has only won once in 7 attempts (Liverpool), only won one home game (Wigan), had'nt won any home games (Bolton) or have scored 3 against a team every time you play them at home (Man C) - that's right send for Stoke. If TP is so damned good, why are no teams in danger ever trying to prise him away from Stoke? We might think he has done wondrous things, the wider footballing public are not so easily hoodwinked.
We have had our disagreements in the past Steve, but I do agree with your post. It should not however be beyond our resources to play a little better, a little more often, ala, Man's Utd and City, Chelsea, Spurs eh? And therein lies my problem. Plus, I cannot stand Pulis, never could and never will.
I have gone past the personal issues I have with TP (I dont give a toss anymore) and I think Steve is right in that survival is alwatys the No1 target. The furstrating thing is not that we cant play better football, but that we don't! There have been some fantatsic performances this year for whcih I ahve been one of the first on here saying what en excellent job both the team and TP have done! If we have it within us, then we can use it more, can we not?
Exactly Smithers, I agree it is most frustrating that we can play so much better than some of the performances we have seen. They do have it in them to do so and TP nust motivate them to do so on a more consistent basis. I was so pleased we got results against Swansea and Norwich as both games looked like banana skins but both of those teams I did not think turned up. Potts has suggested elsewhere we are not safe with 38 points and at present the way QPR, Bolton, Blackburn, Wigan are playing at the moment, I would not bet against 2 or 3 of them getting 12 more points. I do not follow why TP will not critise the players after such an abject performance. Perhaps he accepts that he got the tactics so wrong. Why were Ethrington and Pennant effectively playing as wing backs?. As is said above Wigan had won a single home game all season. We should go for the jugular in those instances and reallly try to dictate the game. With such a defensive attitude it does not provide the outlets to attack and also I would suggest reduces the confidence of players! Steve, I agree the first target is 40 points to more or less ensure retention of EPL football. However I believe we do have the capability of producing better results and playing better football more of the time. I think that TP must just trust his players more and allow them some freedom on the pitch!
Steve Agree with most of your'e comments but I too think we can and should be more attack minded.. is it just me? Yeah I'm older than most on here like Nicky and Cris. We've seen some great and I mean great player's if it's asking too much of Tony Pulis then for me it's just Sod it and I may even give the site up before the season ends. I love it that we're here we've made it this far but I will NEVER accept that we can not entertain a little more especially for the away Stokie's more than we've done the last four season's. I'm also sick to death of having to explain that I do not hate Pulis.. I just hate the way we perform away from home more than anything. Add to that the fact that Pulis is probably laughing at anything and everything he hears or reads that might be negative... What is the point?
Well Potts, perception is reality and does seem that TP does not give a flying fuk what any of the supporters say! He has been quoted many a time being quite critical of the Stoke faithful and Coates himself as said some derogatory things in the past - sometimes unprovoked and unnecessary! I understand that we dont know the full facts about what happens behind the scenes and I fully appreciate that TP must have his hands full with some of the egos within the sport and club, but thats what he gets paid for! For me some the manager is the role model that leads the club through he games and the press mindfield! All the managers have their moments, but for me I cant think off anyone who has habit of alienating both as much as TP. Again a personal opinion!
Cheers for your comments guys, and this is more like it! A bit more proper discussion! As long as there's something we can talk about I'll keep posting on here, but as previously stated, at times on here some of you get as negative and blinkered as the capped one himself! Anyway, there's been so many points raised on this thread since my last post, I'm getting confused trying to cover them all! One thing that does seem clear from what alot of you have said, is that Pulis needs some kind of PR management, like the Fuller incident, he just said "He did a ridiculous thing" and sounded like he didn't care at all, and the "don't care about the fans" comment. I understand it must be hard for any manager, having journos baiting them into a reaction or whatever, but sometimes TP (and many others) come across very badly.
