Thats right 0 shots and 0 corners and 30% posession in first 45 minutes, yeah yeah we are playing one of the best teams in the prem but for me we could have gone for it a lot more than we have. After a few very good games I am very disappointed with that 45 minutes of utter park the bus ****. I would rather lose 4 nil than go and play like this, its not like we will need the goal difference as we are not going to be in a relegation battle. Hopefully see a lot more from stoke second half and actually TRY to score a goal!!!.
Wrong starting formation in my opinion. Man City dominated it in midfiled once more. We should have been stonger there to stop the through balls.
I thought we were very poor and went there with an intention to try to hold out for a goalless draw, never going to happen, Wilkinson has a very good attitude but should be playing 2 leagues below where he is. We need full backs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I wont complain too much after the brilliant performances against liverpool and a great comeback against Southampton, but I thought we would be much better than we were today.............oh well UTpsssssssssssssssssssss
No attacking intent at all. Pulis wanted the 0-0, but that is never going to happen away at City. Last 3 seasons at the Etihad have been 3-0, next year can we just forfeit the points and save the energy? No point in turning up to be honest. I don't know what Pulis thinks about the Etihad, but whenever he goes there he craps himself and try's to defend, i don't get why he didn't play like we did away at OT. We played very well there and with better defending could of got a point. But today was awful, Only 1 decent effort i recall from Whelan. I didn't expect anything from the game but disappointed from the performance.
Agree completely. But could this have put Shawcross off their radar? However he did have a good game.
In all honesty I did not expect us to do anything at City, and yup that's exactly what we did - nothing. This is one of the reasons (Liverpool game notwithstanding) why I cannot stand Pulis. At least have some ambition, I know that Tevez and Aguerro (SP) are world class and Art Deco (see what I did there) is not far behind. But just a little bit more oomph please. Six goals in two games - Pulis out ps - thanks for the 'stream' info Waddo - appreciated, well for the thought - not the content!! Hey Jowler, to think I missed Mary Poppins for that, chim chim chim chimmeny chim chim cheree, I am a Stokie pissed off as can be and etc
Which is exactly why I no longer attend any away games. But could we have lost by more than 3 goals? Imo yes. And I did not expect anything else from T.P. 50 odd years and I'm now so used to his negative attitude.
What the problem with Pulis is that he really and 100% genuinely does not know how to win a game. He tried something new against Liverpool and it worked, so he did the same against Southampton and we were punished. I think today we should have gone 4-5-1 with Kightly and Etherington on the wings. This would have consolidated the huge gaps in midfield and also give us an outlet on both wings to be able to keep possession more. If you keep gifting the ball to Man City sooner or later they will punish you because they have the talent and numbers to do just that. Southampton a newly promoted club went to the Etihad and scored 2 goals. Ok they lost 3-2 but at least they gave a good account of themselves unlike us on our last 3 visits now, conceding 3 without response. I was looking at the players today and my thoughts were, Shotton (League One at best), Wilko (love him to bits but sadly Championship at best), Whelan (great effort on goal but again Championship at best), Jones (wouldn't pay him in washers (I know he's bagged us a couple of important goals of late, but hardly repaid that 8 million yet), Owen (no idea whatsover why we signed him and the same for Palacios), Edu (not even seen him kick a ball yet?), Ness (where is he can't he play fullback?), Upson too old now, (Begovic, I know I will get slated but I still don't rate him fellahs as I've yet to see him get anywhere near a penalty save unlike Tommy who was awesome but again too old now), Whitehead (good work horse like Walters, but always a liability around the box for me), Charlie Adam, think he is passed it as well as he is nowhere near the player he was for Blackpool and looks overweight and unfit. Etherington, (again a shadow of his former self) and of course we still have Rory and Mamma on the payroll who should be both put out to grass now. Not being over critical guys because we have lost a game as I think we have been superb this season, but I do think we need to change a few faces to freshen the squad up.
How can you honestly play a game without a natural wide man and no pace - especially with KJ on the pitch?
Brilliantly summed up Waddo, And Smither's that is what I was saying during the commentary today.. what does anyone expect Jones,Jerome or Crouch to do if they are asked to hold the ball up,then look for an outlet ball i.e. a winger when we play them as a lone striker? Clueless Pulis and I am way past having a go about him regarding away tactics etc. His interview comments before the game quote "This is a bonus game" were bad enough. What he said after the game was frankly PATHETIC, just using his own inability and negativity to hide what was in honesty a PATHETIC attempt to even gain anything. So sorry for the fans who paid good money and we're once again rewarded with ZERO. At least having a go and losing we might? gain some respect for trying. e.g. Liverpool as Waddo said he is frightened of losing and when we do he just say's. " They have spent 250 million more than we have"
" They have spent 250 million more than we have" Why does it only matter at the Etihad? When we played at the Britannia earlier in the season the teams were well matched and a draw was a fair result so what makes the short trip to Manchester create a gulf? Seems very strange that stoke is probably the hardest ground to go to but when stoke play away its one of the easiest games of the season Odd
If we had the answer to this Mr Pulis would have more fans than he actually does. He just cannot get his away tactics right. Our away form has let us down every single season we have been in the premier league. I honestly believe it is because Pulis himself gets overawed and it rubs off on to the players! His game plan every game is to get to half time 0-0 then have a go in the second half. Because the Brit is now a notoriously hard place to come to get a win it has the adverse effect on the teams coming here, and that then gives us the edge!
Paul It matters not whom we play tbh... AWAY from home Pulis's motto is " We hold what we have before a ball is kicked" espcially against the top teams. Is it nerves, is it the player's are frightened. NO it's Pulis telling the press, our player's and our fans. Just how good the opposition are. Not that we might have a chance here. In short Paul. Negative in the extreem. And I now refuse to pay to watch any away games because of this. All the best for the rest.
Pulis has fans! When did that happen!! But seriously wether it's the tactics he sets or whatever it is a mindset that needs removing.
I think we are all looking at this a bit to deeply looking for the magic formula between success and failure. The fact is that we are not doing anything differently to previous seasons, except not playing with 2 wide men week in week out! So whats the difference between our woeful run of from at the end of last season and the decent run we have had to date? Clean sheets obviously make a difference and having someone who can break up play and move the ball forward is also positive, but outside of that we are no different, infact we could be viewed as slightly weaker infront goal! Runs come and go and I view us as no different to seasons past - but no fan can moan when the results are positive. My conclusion is that the Man City game (one which has no bearing on our season) was one where we were exposed for what we are and what were are capable of, and that TP is no different to seaons past - he still has very little empathy for tactical wisdom!
