FTC in, Bloody hell, I can't believe that ANY Stoke fan would want us to get relegated? Worse still, it would be TWICE as hard to get promotion and, I think if your'e honest you know it would. Your'e questions.. Here goes 1. T.P. is not a legend more a Leg End so that's a no. 2. He isn't capable IMHO anyway. 3. I don't like it, in fact I hate it! Based on the last five or six games anyway. 4. I don't have a ******* clue to be brutally honest and what's worse is, I don't think Pulis does either. 5. I don't know but it aint half making me feel stupid as a Stoke fan when he does re West Ham remarks. 6. Because UNTIL Mr Coates loses patience with him, like we already have. At least I am slowy anyway. He will be here and we've no choice. As for him ALWAYS calling us "This football club" etc really hacks me off too! I would like to see a change in manager, maybe in the summer FTC in. But, NOT now that would almost cerainly grant your'e wish that we went down. And that is CERTAINLY NOT what I WANT TOO HAPPEN. To wish it on your'e own club is frankly insane sorry but you can not be serious FTC in? or are you! KTF for now anyway
Robbie Earle's take on our current predicament. http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.u...-survive/article-3313927-detail/article.html? DON'T give me that old chestnut about Stoke's FA Cup quarter-final against West Ham being an unwanted distraction from their Premier League survival battle. I accept that avoiding relegation is undoubtedly the priority for both Stoke and the Hammers. However, I have never felt the necessity to lose a cup match and a possible appearance at Wembley just to focus my attention on league matters. Those who say that the team who lose this cup tie have a better chance of staying up by concentrating on the league really don't understand the fundamentals of the game. I have seen many teams take this exit route and then go on to lose their next couple of league games too. You see, winning games breeds confidence within a dressing room ... and in all my years as a pro I was never in a miserable dressing room after a victory. Getting to a Wembley semi-final is a great occasion for players and fans alike, and certainly not something to be passed over lightly. Don't get me wrong, I can understand Stoke being nervous about their Premier League status. After all, half the teams in the league are still at risk of going down. From Fulham in 11th place to Wigan at the foot of the table, there is no-one who can be truly confident they will not be sucked into the dogfight. Nestled within that pack are Stoke City, and after picking up just four points from a possible 21, Tony Pulis's team have had to starting looking down rather than in the other direction. The Potters' next three league fixtures are at home to Newcastle and Chelsea, followed by a trip to Spurs, so an improvement is required sooner rather than later if the Potters are to earn a fourth successive season at football's top table. However, if I had to pick three teams to go down, Stoke wouldn't be one of them. Recalling the days when I played in the league, I know how important it is to be able to "park the bus" to dig out the odd result when things are going wrong. Few do that better than Stoke, and I think it could be the deciding factor as to who survives and who hits the slippery slope. With that in mind, West Brom made a smart move in appointing Roy Hodgson as manager. He is a master at setting his team up to be difficult to break down, and took his former club Fulham to a European final using just that very template. Despite sitting just inside the drop zone, Carling Cup winners Birmingham look like another side who have the character and organisation to dig out a couple of results. For inspiration, they only need to recall the numerous games they won 1-0 to get themselves out of trouble last term. Of the bottom pack, Aston Villa are the team who look too good to go down, and while the same has been said about numerous teams who have still dropped through the trapdoor, they surely have too much quality and firepower to be in real trouble. Elsewhere, Blackburn and West Ham posses enough know-how to gain the points to keep their heads above water. So looking at the basement of the Premier League table, I think Wigan have gone. Roberto Martinez has a wonderful philosophy and wants to play the game in the right manner, but his side are too brittle and have not put enough effort into the defensive side of the game. The fact they have conceded 30 goals at home already tells its own story and that is why I think they will be playing in the Championship next season. My second choice to go would be Wolves, despite a mini revival of late. Mick McCarthy can ask little more from his men, but I just sense they are a slightly unlucky team who draw when they should win and lose when they should draw. It must be really frustrating for Wolves fans to see their team beat the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea, but then slip-up to the lesser lights, and it is that inconsistency, their poor away form and the lack of a genuine goalscorer that will do for them in the end. My final choice is decision that comes from my head, not the heart. I'm afraid Blackpool seem to be running out of steam at just the wrong time of the season, not withstanding two great recent victories against Liverpool and Tottenham. It doesn't seem too long ago since Ian Holloway and his men were being talked about as the team of the season. Yet a dose of Premier League realism sees them sitting just three places above the relegation drop-zone. It will be a big loss to see this spirited outfit drop back into the Championship, from where they came last year, but this, the toughest league in the world, takes no prisoners.
