well to silence his critics T.P. has come up with an extension on his 3 year plan to now a ten year plan........ http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.u...remier-class/story-14288010-detail/story.html You have to hand it to T.P. he is the master of manipulating the common folk into believing that things will eventually get better. On another note, I don't know how many on here read the Evening Sentinel but in tody's there is an excellent letter written by Geoff Massey ............. http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/City-great-entertainers/story-14287918-detail/story.html I will cut and paste both links for those that cannot click through them. Happy New Year fellow Stokies and hopefully Tony will grind us out three points today but my head tells me it will be another poor game!
Geoff Massey's letter - TONY Pulis is given a whole page to expound his feelings that he is not liked by all the club's supporters and, in this assumption, he is right. Stoke City were once regarded as the entertainers of the football world. Matthews, Greenhoff, Violet, Vernon, McIlroy are but a few of the outfield players who have graced the City name, and of course Banks and Shilton, and whilst currently City are doing well, they are doing it without style. Hard to beat, look out for the long throw, they are dangerous at set pieces – these are the statements made when the club is discussed. Never is exciting football mentioned, simply because they don't do exciting. The Pulis philosophy is don't get beat, and if we can win, then that's a bonus. It is currently paying off, but the unhappiness of a growing number of supporters is coming to the forefront. We have more central defenders than attackers, we play not to get beaten, and when Stoke do take the lead, we never press on for more goals. In fact, the last time we did go for goals, the third against Fulham was scored by Sidabe, so that perhaps says it all. I, as well as thousands more, will remain faithful to City, but perhaps Tony Pulis should realise why he will never be universally popular. Until, that is, he changes his outlook to playing the game as an entertainment, and not just to gather points. I quote Tony Pulis when he said: "This is the season when we will push on," hmm, not showing through yet Tony. This is written after the Boxing Day bore. GEOFF MASSEY Trentham
Pulis's ten year prediction - TONY Pulis wants at least 10 years of Premier League football to fully establish Stoke City's long-term credentials in the top flight. And the City boss drew the curtain on a memorable 2011 by urging fans to keep their expectations for 2012 in check. Pulis, who hopes to see Stoke consolidate eighth spot with victory over Wigan at the Britannia today (3pm), is worried too many fans will let their imaginations run riot after their team's recent successes. "We have to keep reminding people where we are," he stressed, "because it's easy to get carried away. "We have only been in the Premier for three years, not 30. Bigger clubs than us have got carried away, caught a cold and fallen by the wayside. "Every season, our main objective is to stay in the Premier – that's success for this club. Having got that, we then try to move on. "People say we are established, but what are Wigan and Blackburn if we are established? "Staying in the Premier League is the bread and butter, and we need to do that for 10 years. "People say you are being negative, but it's not being negative, it's reality." The Stoke boss said the club must continue chasing realistic ambitions with the building-block policy instigated by the Coates family in recent years. "Our target is to keep pushing on," he said, "and trying to get better players in when the opportunity arises. "We know our limitations and we know what we want to be achieving year after year. "The biggest aim is to stay in the Premier, do well in the cup competitions and build up our Academy to bring through local players. "Everybody has to recognise we are not going to finish above certain clubs. We have the ability to beat teams in a one-off and win a run of games to reach the cup final. "But we can also lose in the third round of the FA Cup because you can lose games people think you should be winning. But that happens to the bigger clubs as well. "As soon as you start taking things for granted, it all falls apart. The second half of the season will be tough, but we will go again."
P.S. Stoke are the only prem side not to reach 50 shots on target this season...........???? But Pulis says we are impatient!
Mr P seems to be on a bit of a crusade at the moment, I like the end bit of this article............. http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11701/7403113/ "The biggest thing for me is that if you go around Stoke-on-Trent, you see kids playing football in Stoke shirts. "When I first came here I saw Manchester United or Liverpool mostly, not Stoke. "That's a testament to what we've done so far."
More on another thread - BUT: ENOUGH IS ENOUGH I for one, am not buying into Pulis's feeble attempt to justify his miserable existence and attitutude toward football. Mr Coates, you must have a point to prove by coming baclk and giving Pulis big millions to waste. What is the point - punishing fans for in your words "running me out of town the first time round"
Waddo Many thanks for posting those links .. But in answer to T.P. I can NOT remember the last time I saw any young lad playing football in ANY shirt. Waddo, To my mind anyone who reads that.. and is like the rest on here a LOYAL fan T.P. is basically taking the Pee? He certainly is as far as I'm concerned. I honestly would rather have ONE more season like our FIRST season promoted. At least as home... it was exciting.. we had a reet go against Utd,Arsenal any team. Now? we're just treated to back passes and Tony's respones is.. we're trying to play more football by keeping it. Yeah, keeping it our own half that, is all I saw yesterday for 45mins. PULIS you are kidding nowone, only yourself. I don't buy it and many other Stoke fans will not. now it's boring me stupid and so is Tony Pulis.
Another 10 years of boring football and long throw ins.......................= Prem survival under Pulis, so get used to it guys.
Potts I've actually come to a conclusion mate! People that think Pulis is God and that we should all be grateful don't actually go to Stoke games and sit there having the piss taken out of us by the away fans and watching the players trudge on and off the pitch looking totally dejected. Stoke's home crowd is the quietest I have known it to be in ages and our famous atmosphere is well and truly on the wane. Our home form was so great because of the atmosphere and the backing of the fans which urged the players to lift their games. It ain't there anymore mate and the team as a whole look a right miserbale lot!
Mighty Huth Yeah, cos we will stay up but if I had to suffer another TEN years of boring, backpassing to our keeper from the half way line? If THAT is what T.P. thinks is moving us forward as "football club". I guess Tony Pulis might be at Stoke City when I'm no longer here to see it. Is it ASKING too much for us to EXPECT T.P. to motivate the player's? He keeps asking the Stoke fans to get behind the team? He continues to select the wrong player's position wise? He will never say " Well that was CRAP?NOT good enough? You never hear him bollocking player's aka Neil Warnock and a few more Managers. Well, like Waddo has said. It's NO WONDER we ain't singing our heads off the last couple of seasons. Because, we have little or NOTHING to sing about. Like Waddo Huthy, I guess I am used to it. Becuase Tony Pulis himself thinks he is a ******* GENEIUS NO he isn't. We have just dropped FOUR pts because he doesn't have a clue tatically.
Mighty Huth Yeah, cos we will stay up but if I had to suffer another TEN years of boring, backpassing to our keeper from the half way line? If THAT is what T.P. thinks is moving us forward as "football club". I guess Tony Pulis might be at Stoke City when I'm no longer here to see it. Is it ASKING too much for us to EXPECT T.P. to motivate the player's? He keeps asking the Stoke fans to get behind the team? He continues to select the wrong player's position wise? He will never say " Well that was CRAP?NOT good enough? You never hear him bollocking player's aka Neil Warnock and a few more Managers. Well, like Waddo has said. It's NO WONDER we ain't singing our heads off the last couple of seasons. Because, we have little or NOTHING to sing about. Like Waddo Huthy, I guess I am used to it. Becuase Tony Pulis himself thinks he is a ******* GENEIUS NO he isn't. We have just dropped FOUR pts because he doesn't have a clue tatically.
You're 8th in the league and in Europe. I understand you do not like the brand of football being played but you are certainly making it work for you.
Qwop try sitting and watching it, it's really painful and to be honest we could be doing so much better as we have the players and the money!
QWOP Sounds ridiculous I know? But like Waddo above say's. YOU don't have to sit and watch this negative attitude? I will bet you anything that.. IF Newcastle played like that most weeks. YOUR'E fans would be telling the guy in charge they didn't like it? I will guarantee that v Blackburn we will defend, defend and WHY should we not go for the win?. We all KNOW that Tony Pulis will not do that! I am now refusing to attend ANY away games which, until the middle of last season, I hardly ever missed one. Now, we've dropped four pts v two teams who are struggling so, it isn't working IMO. A couple more defeats and we could be back in the brown stuff which, shows how tight this league is.
All three relegated sides last season we lost to and so far this season we have only beaten 2 out of the bottom 6 getting a 5-0 drubbing from the apparent worst side in the prem to boot. The reason for this is that these lower sides always look at Stoke as a winnable game where as the bigger clubs batten down the hatches. When Pulis shows me he has some bottle and takes his team away to have a go he will start to gain my respect but until then I just think he is negative and dishes up crap football as the Plymouth Argyle fans will back up on their forums! Because of Blackburns fantastic win at Old Trafford yesterday he will be in the Sentinel at some point this week telling us how we should not underestimate them. I'm sure this kind of negative approach must rub off on the players. I'm no manager but I would be saying to the lads let's go out and do these they are struggling and we have already turned them over once this season, but I doubt that will happen!
I have a season ticket. I've been to 2 away games this season so far (Wolves and Man City, so two very contrasting games) I've been to every cup and European game at home this season. I think I'm qualified to talk about this. Shut up, we're 8th and in the knockout round of a European tounament for the first time in our 148 year history. Boring football and success >>>>>>>>>> attractive football and failure. I get that you want us to be more appealing, but I don't think we should sacrifice our place in the league to do so. If we carry on as we are, we will be good to watch and be doing well, eventually. Please go and feel free to support West Brom if you want "attractive football" (You know? That team that are below us in the league right now)
Stoke RUFC everything you said above about watching Stoke with the exception of the 2 away games I have done equally and so also feel qualified. You are obviously missing the point. The point being is that with the players and money that we have we could be so much better. Just because Pulis was the person that landing the job when Coates took over it does not make him GOD. I feel a more competent manager could have bought us Silver ware now and challenging for a top 6 finish. 100 million spent and we are the lowest in the prem for shots on target. I won't harp on about this anymore because I know Pulis will have his diciples and I'm not one to change that way of thinking. One last point though, why would I want to support Westbrom when I have been a Stoke fan for over 40+ years and remember when Stoke were a revered side and not the one that we are today dishing up ****e football? Won't comment again on ****e football or Pulis's cluless team selctions and coawardly away tactics and bad signings! etc. etc. etc.
R.U.F.C. OKay I will shut up for now.. Just come back on here AFTER the Blackburn game and we'll talk more then. As for the two away games? that's only two more games than I've seen. Like I said, 8th and I'm HAPPY as Larry we all are. Wolves fine we did well and we all said so at the time. Man City? nah, we didn't even turn up. Even Nigel Johnson said we didn't and questioned as to why that was. You say you were there RUFC well explain to us WHY he said that? There a two ways to skin a cat!
