Can't dispute it to be honest. It was a standard bottom half match. No big talking points, nothing new to say. We already know both teams are decent but we need to score more.
It's a stark improvement on his pre-season do. My sides were aching when I first saw this. please log in to view this image
We've got it as a back up option. That and 4-3-3. Which is a massive difference to last season where we only had 4-4-2.
Such as? McLean, McManaman and Powell were **** when they came on. Maloney was very impressive though. How they kept hold of him I will never know.
Well obviously I didn't see them play today, but I've always thought the four you mentioned were good and is that Ryan Shotton? I'm not a fan of his style but he's been playing regularly in the PL for Stoke for a couple of years. Grant Holt would walk into our side.
That's just..... Incredible. I can't decides whether he belongs in a one direction or lady gaga music video...
Has he actually been playing up front for Blackburn then? Not just lazy journalism? And re your post above, I think shotton is quality for a team around our level, quick, strong, big and likes to get forward. Not sure how solid he is defensively though. The rest of them I'd take besides the spare goalie and James McLean, I think McLeans crap.
I have no accurate answer to that having not seen them play properly but in that game against Burnley today he seemed to be receiving it with his back to goal on the edge of the box in one clip and tracking back from a striker's position to help out defensively in the next clip so I assume he was playing up front.
Thats my point. They're big names at Championship level because they've all had good performances against good PL sides. (McManamam was MOTM in the F.A. Cup final, McLean had a devastating spell at Sunderland and Powell cost United an arm and a leg.) But they're not that great (albeit they're young). Maloney would walk into every Championship side and most lower PL sides though.
To be fair, the last time I watched stoke was when we beat them 2-1 the season we got relegated. With Tony Pulis in charge, I'd as soon just not watch football than watch that. I was basing my review on the clips I'd seen of him on MOTD. He seemed to create chaos at the enemies end of the pitch, barging his way into the box and drilling it in to the strikers etc. If 2 stoke fans are unanimous in believing he's ****, I'd probably take their word over mine any day as they'd have seen a lot more of him. The only thing I'd be wary of is what a Stoke fan would class as ****? Maybe it's because he's never broke anyone's leg or knocked someone unconscious on a football field? I'm pretty sure they'd all take Grant Holt over Van Persie for instance...
