Do you think we should start with the two big guys up front against Stoke? I would like to see Morison get a start and this may be the right game for him. Thoughts?
ILD - Quite a conundrum this one. It could work to play Holt and Morison up front together and I'm guessing drop Hoolahan with the option to bring him on if the pairing isn't working. I wonder how CH will approach this one and I'd quite like to see him 'tinkering' with his starting 11, but not making sweeping changes.
I was actually quite impressed with Morison against Villa he seemed to chase things down more. I'd keep things how they are against Stoke I know we'll need a strong physical team but I still believe that we need to have that creative pacey edge. Stokes strength is brute force height etc our strength is being tricky and cunning we do it well when we put our minds to it.
No chance, best way to beat Stoke is to pass through them. They are big, cumbersome and ugly, why try and match them with what they are designed for. Hoolahan is still our best player, I say flood the midfield, keep possesion, let them smash it long and we'll pick up the loose balls and start a fresh attack. Stoke are horrible team and I really, really want us to beat them to prove a point.
Stoke are the most physical and strongest teams in the division, they're poor brute. No point trying to do the same as we will fail, play through them, outpace them, play more slick and skillful football to them. That's the way to beat them, can't be sucked in to try and play their dirty game.
Stoke will play that way but why would we? We have played OK in midfield the last couple of games so I think we should play the same way and hope that our style dominates theirs. If it doesn't, and we will soon know, then maybe change it.
not for me. agree with others that we should combat stoke's 'style' with our own rather than match up against them - they are the best in the league playing 'their way', so what would be the point?
Remember how it went last season at the Britannia when we tried to match them. Arguably our worst performance of the season.
I'm a bit worried about Hoolahan playing in this game, he's been our shining light in the last 3 games and will almost certainly be targeted for some rough treatment!
lets 3 up front, Holt, Morrison and Tettey - a human battering ram actually, agreed with the above. lets use passing and pace to beat them
I was thinking this, maybe worth starting with Howson in a more advanced midfield role, and bringing Hoolahan on later to torment tired players?
i understand the concerns but you can't go into a game thinking that. shirking tackles is not an option and hoolahan more than coped in league one and the championship. he's seen it all before.
Have you guys been watching Stoke this year? They've started playing some actual football and going there with only defending the long balls in our heads would be dangerous. They have some tasty wingers too. I wouldn't play Hoolahan until the Stoke players are more tired, purely because he gets knocked off the ball too often.
I think Stoke are being typecast a bit here. Ok, the game last season was the worst game of football I have ever seen, but they are changing their style a bit now and it is certainly no worse then some of the stuff I have seen us play! But I don't think we should play Morison and Holt because that would need us to dispense Hoolahan who has been excellent recently. And also it would give an incentive just to smash the ball up front which would play into Stoke's hands.
stoke are the draw specialists of the league this season, so will be very tough to beat. they've made a couple of good signings in Nzonzi and Kightly also - i remember kightly looked nippy against us last season
So you don't think that Pulis has watched any of our last 3 games then? I'll bet he's already got a plan to stop Hoops!!
They haven't got anyone who can stop him, I think our team is much better than Stokes and they are my pick to go down this year. Stoke are the third biggest net spenders in the Premiership since 2007, and what has Pullis built with it? A team struggling near the bottom playing football only marginally better than the ugliest West Ham. I really hope we beat them.
