Lawro has predicted a 1-0 away win for us tomorrow. I am a bit surprised by that though I hope he's right of course. I wonder if TP will select a more attack-minded team because we need to pickup points quickly now and Fulham are a team we could get something from. With Huth out I suppose Woodgate is a certain starter at CB. Zamora has gone but Clint Dempsey IMO is scoring goals and could prove a handful. It will be cold this week-end so that probably rules out Palacios and means Rory is likely to start. Crouch has scored against Fulham for every club he has played for so a goal from him would do nicely. My own view, as a pessimist, is that we could lose tomorrow so a draw or win would be a bonus.
Any point/points tomorrow and I will be happy, fulham are good at home. We should play palacios and he will hopefully keep Dempsey quiet so then we have a chance.
It's another tough game, they all are. Would take pt now and move onwards. Fulham are a decent side very underated IMHO. ATTACK em Tony, would rather we did that than defend for 90 odd mins. Do that, and we have a good chance of getting something. And please play with two wingers... just for a change!
I know this sounds really hypocritical, but I would be glad for a classic TP 0-0 on most of our games between now and the end of the season! As long as we dont lose to anyone below us i would be over the moon and that should get us comfortably towards the 42 points. I f we lose to the likes of Fulham, Swanse & Norwich we are well and trully rooted in the bottom half with the likes of QPR and West Brom capable of putting a run together. The only blessing as someone said on another thread is that Wigan and Blackburn are embarrassingly poor and I think Wolves and Bolton dont have a good enough squad to really catch us! Fingers crossed and heres to a shiittyy TP away performance!
Smither''s As one Sunderland fan said on this board the other day... we won ugly re last Saturday. WHAT I would give for a dull game, no goals and we play ugly and get something. Plenty of games left yet! But we do need to start picking up pts... any way we can. I don't care. My comment about two wingers was said in jest.. Tony wouldn't would he?
Reading the Sentinel (which is how TP likes to get his bad news out), Etherington is still feeling low on energy (what a shame), and nobody seems to know how Palacios' fitness or head(?) is at the moment. Nothing like doing some in depth work on signings is there? TP also said in the week, "if we get nothing at the Weekend, then we have to try harder inthe next game, and then in the one after that." You would really feel uplifted by that would'nt you. We will try to get an ugly win, and nick it with a set play no doubt.Unfortunately that usually translates into an ugly loss. I hope that we do score today, because Fulham is like Man U, Sunderland, Liverpool,Man C, Chelsea - a place where we rarely threaten a goal. I'll go and pray, or try a voodoo dance.
Swervy I will be in our spare room with radio glued to my ears.. Would kneeling and saying a few hail Mary's help? That, is how confident I am about todays game.... And I have stopped even looking at the Sentinel on line, reading anything T.P. has to say before matches these days! Me? I would tell the player's to get their effin arses into gear and give the fantastic travelling Stoke fans something to support. Here's hoping Swervey that today we turn things around
Sorensen; Wilkinson, Shawcross (C), Upson, Wilson; Walters, Whelan, Palacios, Etherington; Jones, Crouch. Subs: Begovic, Shotton, Woodgate, Pennant, Whitehead, Jerome, Fuller. Nice to see Palacios. TP obviously thinks that we need to threaten them with height up front, but if so why leave one of our best crossers of the ball on the bench?
1-0 down already. Oh dear. ANOTHER game without a clean sheet. Sounded like an awful goal to concede. We really are ****.
And then the goal scorer tackles Palacios with a challenge that could have been a red, but wasn't even a booking. Nice to see consistent refereeing!
Looks like he got his ginger tips to it, touched it on to the bar and it ricocheted off the bar onto Sorenson. Unlucky for Tommy, but shouldn't have been allowed all that time for a shot. Interesting that Fulham are playing it on the floor while we keep humping it long and giving it away. No surprise though!
Not a good first half. I'm sure he wont change anything yet, but TP needs to bring on Pennant in place of Jones who is not even useless. We might as well go for it now. Strangely, apart from possession, the stats are just about even for the first half even though we've been played off the park!
From Stoke's ESPN correspondent on Twitter: "Pulis needs to sort himself out, his decisions are utterly baffling and a lot of people are starting to get sick of it."
No Jerome on. Yes Pulis, why play a player with pace? Who wants that when we have players who look like they're moving in treacle.
