The majority of posters on The Oatcake are pro-Pulis and the majority of posters on here are anti-Pulis I wonder why?
Regarding the Oatcake nick, i do not think it is allowed to diss tp, regarding tactics formations or playing personnel, without having 100 members saying, look where we have come from, we are 8th FFS, if you don't like how we play **** off up the vale. Whereas the intelligent, reasonable posters who can have a proper debate about actually how **** we have been playing, use this site. PS : Unless your username is Ric Fuller & throw a strop because other posters agree that Ric is NOT A LEGEND.
The Oatcake's good when we've won because you can generally enjoy the feeling of winning without being reminded about various peoples' hatred for the manager, style of play, certain players etc. However I find debate on here is usually more constructive and you can get your points across without 100 people shouting you down, as Huthy says. Quite often there's disagreement but it's respectful, rather than a slanging match filled with expletives and random CapItAl leTTerS! Most of you know I try and give balanced arguments but I don't hide the fact that I'm 60/40 pro-Pulis, why there aren't more pro-Pulis posters on here I don't know but, to be honest, I don't care. We're all pro-Stoke City, and that's what counts.
Never read the Oatcake site, never have and I never will Nicky. Jose is right, reagrdless of the good or bad side of T.P. we ALL support the TEAM. How many fans didn't like Big Sam at Newcastle? but they still supported their team. Right now I would say I am 60/40 against Pulis. He's done very well no doubt about that. But, I am now thinking, in fact I'm almost certain that. Tony just can not do any better although we're doing OK for now. I'm sure that most top Managers could "get much more" out of our squad. I think it's almost 100 per cent on here believe that too? Which is why I have never liked him as a manager nor will I ever change my mind on that. For me he's more often than not smug when we lose not blaming the lads or himself for things when they go pearshaped. His interviews to me, are boring and he's the Manager of STOKE CITY not THIS CLUB. That has ALWAYS hacked me off big time. it's always OUR Chairman. NOT Mr Coates why he say's things like that is baffling me stupid. You have done fantastically well for Stoke City T.P. Respect for that. But my wish is.. why don't you lose it now and again, have a right go at a ref for a stupid decision? At least it would show us fans. That you really CARE and I would RESPECT you for that. Tell the interviewer to leave it out, give it back like Fergie does. Because you are boring as hell. Some of the games are too! Still, I guess that's only me that thinks the way I do? Do I care, not on your'e nelly. GIVE us games where I'm on edge of seat, bricking it or jumping for joy like a ten year old, get me excited before, during and after games. Win or lose then and pick a decent team I would not care so much about losing. Saturday hurt like hell because I know YOU didn't try and win that game until it was way too late. Time for my pills and a lie down guys
I think the quality of football could, and should, be a hell of a lot better considering the money we've spent. However, in terms of pure results, I don't know how much better than 8th we can realistically expect to achieve? In my opinion the top 6 is a closed shop - Liverpool, Arse, Manu, Citeh, Chelski and Spurs have monopolised that end of the table for a while and I can only think of Villa and occasionally Everton over the last few years that have bucked that trend. I'm not saying it's impossible, but in my opinion it's unrealistic to expect us to beat any of those teams in the final League table. I think 7th is the best a club like ours can hope for at this moment in time, so 2nd in "our" League isn't too shabby. However, like I said above the quality of football and the overall entertainment could be much better.
Well, I have to agree with all of those replies, thanks guys. Yup Potts, The Oatcake is not for me, there are some seriously unhinged posters on there, not that I am 100% stable myself, but, some of the abuse is completely over the top!! Surprised that Huthy has not reprised his General Chat persona over there and given the some eh!!!!
Agree there Welsh one, the results in general are what we would probably expect from our squad - its just the way we achieve it. For now, while the points are accumulating nicely I will hold fire, but if we go on a run similar to the early part of the season then my views may become more antagonistic.
I am registered on the Oatcake Nick, but because i only have about 20-30- posts, for some reason they just ignore me. seems to me there are more cliques on there, than there is in a TP dressing room.
I think the difference is that the oatcake is full mainly of younger posters that no nothing better than of the glory days the older posters on here enjoyed in the 70's etc. I also think they are too naive to realise that it's not 100% Pulis that has brought us to where we are now but a great deal also to do with Peter Coates's cheque book as well. I'm still convinced that if we had a manager with a backbone and an ounce of football knowledge we would be doing better than what we are with the players and money we have at our disposal. I have a mate and he is an oatie regular and his nickname for anti Pulis fans is P.H.W.S. apparently translated to " Pulis hating **** stains " so there you go if you are anti Pulis on the Oatie you are a "**** stain " Hence why I don't bother to post on there
Guys By doing better I didn't mean league position wise. IF we finished where we are now. THAT is when I will be one happy Stoke fan. Results, so far are fine could have been even better that's up for debate. My point was.. We don't play nearly enough decent football and IF we did we I think? would have won on Saturday imo. We've had the chance to put a gap between others and simply have NOT done that. Which, given the quality we do have narks me! All said I would be happy with 10th or above. NOTHING less. That is some improvement on previous seasons. Which is where we SHOULD finish. Not just hope we do. Hope this explains things better than my last post.
I don't post on there anymore. I used to post during the transfer windows as it was the only time the board was alive and entertaining, but even then it was infested with utter berks. The basic principle is that if you don't agree with the majority on there, you can **** off as far as they're concerned. Not thinking Ricardo Fuller is the greatest thing Stoke have had since Alan Hudson, refusing to talk about certain players without thinking they're crap, talking reasonably are all things that would make someone not welcome on the Oatcake. I still view it from afar now and then, mainly during the transfer window just to see what that Davesviews bloke is posting. However he's rarely posted in the last month, probably due to the amount of hate mail he gets sent.
My view on what I have seen on the Oatcake is that a good number are ignorant and as you say the language is awful the majority of the time. Very crude. As many know I do not want to knock a manager who has done very well for the club. However, I do want him to use the talent he has and not come up with crass excuses for not playing Palacios. Also I would like him to be more flexible in approach and also 'manage.' not continue to be stubborn and just put Pennant in the naughty corner until another club comes in for him. We really should have by now an additional 5 points if TP had played the right players in the right positions.
I totally agree, we should have picked up more home points against Wigan, Villa, QPR, Baggies and we probably would have done by being less cautious, playing both Ethers and JP from the start and having a better balance in defence/midfield. We were at home after all. We would have been much closer to the magic 40pts which is surely TPs main aim. I know Pulis is in charge, not the players, but I am concerned that his stubborness could eventually upset the upset the 'spirit' in the camp which Pulis continues to say is fantastic
We all want to play nicer football but we all know while Pulis is in charge it wont happen. I think we should have 2 managers at Stoke, Pulis for defence and set pieces and someone else who can teach the team to play nice football. Then combine them and we would be a much better side. Sadly that will never happen. I'm a 65/35 Pro Pulis, because of what he has done at Stoke, but i would like some better football to go and watch if i'm going to be spending my money.
This is exactly what I said a few months back. Pulis needs an assistant that knows the game better. I feel that when Peter Reid was number 2 we looked a better side. Dave kemp is a nobody in the football world I'm sorry to say and comes across as a bit of a yes man. We need a strong and professional number 2 with prem experience. I 100% honestly belive that Pulis really does not have a clue and I mean this in a way that he does not know what his best side is, he does not know how to line them up and he does not really know how to go out and properly win a game. We are 4 seasons on and still playing for thrown in's and set pieces in order to win games. If Pulis makes a decision and it pays off you can then guarantee he will try that same tactic for about the next half a dozen games, which to me is the mark of a man that genuinely does not know what he is doing and because it worked once he thinks it will work everytime. Not having a Pulis rant but I do think he needs someone with a football brain along side him!
To be honest let's face it.. ANY manager worth his salt must know when half of his team can not "pass" Keep the ball for more than five sec's without hoofing it. Who is it that tells Ryan and Co to just hoof it. I noticed this when Woodgate played there a while back. The guy fit or not. Still knows the "art of keeping a ball, turning with it under control and passing it" He is ONE of the few Stoke player's who does this. Ether's when he get's the right "pass" usually does very well for us. On Saturday, you could see he was totally effed off by player's who were supposed to pass to him, could not. Long and short of T.P. coaching or it's his job, of course it is. IF he can not do that, or see that something isn't right. Then sorry, he should not be here. SOMEONE, somewhere tells our lads to HOOF it, it's no accident that Crouch has a great first touch usually anyway. Think about it and T.P. is so far off the mark it's ridiculous. That, is why tactically he is IMO totally devoid of idea's when he leaves Palacious/Pennant on the bench for two player's who simply not as good technically IMO. Always thought this and it's why I say many times. The guy is etiher clueless, insane, blind or a total idiot. For me that's taking the Pee out of you, me and most other Stoke fans.
Once again Potts you are spot on. Every Stoke fan you talk to says exactly the same thing. Whether they are young, old or a Stoke fan or not they all say we cannot pass the ball or keep possession. So if everyone else can see this why can't Pulis? You have to wonder where his train of thought is at when he stands on that touch line watching us being passed off the park and we just keep hoofing it out as you rightly state. We seem to be adopting our away tactica at home now hence the run of poor home results this season so far. I would love to see our players get their foot on the ball and have a run on goal instead of down the flanks all the time and looking for the high ball in the box. For me our best side would be Sorro Wilko, Huth, Shawcross, Higgy or Upson Pennant, Palicios, Walters, Ethers Crouch, Jerome Subs Begovic, Fuller, Jones, Wilson, Shotton
Again, what can I say, I have NEVER been a Pulis fan and NEVER will be. Yes - he was the Manager when we were primoted. Yes - under his management Stoke have 'survived' in the Premier League. His management prowess or PC's cheque book? You will not be surprised at my opinion and it has nothing to do with Welsh Wizardary!!! Same tactics at home for how long!!!! Apart of course from the infrequent few games!! Hand on heart, £90 million later, can you REALLY see the difference, cos I can't. Tell you what, the FA cup semi-final seems a million years ago eh - remember us thrashing Arsenal 5 - 0 in 72, with THAT TC goal, probably be another 40 years before a similar performance and result. And in a Galaxy far far away a Spaceman Stokie will say d'you remember Super Jonny Water's goal against Bolton in 2011. Ah the good old days
