These articles are from 2 years ago Things haven't changed much , as we all know ,but we keep buying the tickets and " this club" have spent a further 40 million quid I wonder if someone dug up some fan articles from the sentinel from when Pulis was manager in the old 1st/2nd div and when Waddington was manager in the mid 1970's we would be reading similar stuff. Don't know what the point of this post/aticle is except we're still in the premiership but with a one trick pony as manager. Perhaps it is time for him to go , just hope that when he does we get a decent replacement. I'd be interested to see what the fans were thinking of Waddington in the mid 70's because my recollections are different from some of the impressions i get from articles posted on here. Perhaps somebody better at cutting and pasting than me could put a balanced selection on here ?? Club Focus - Stoke - Stoke paying the price for tactical approach 08 March 2013 11:58 paying the price for tactical approach By Rob Doolan Monday 14 February 2011 Having escaped with a scarcely deserved victory over Sunderland last weekend at the Britannia Stadium, Stoke were forced to endure a dose of karmic payback on Saturday. They did so by slumping to an injury-time defeat against Birmingham despite having been the better side for much of the game. It was never likely to be a contest for the neutral, given the low-scoring teams involved, and Stoke were further hamstrung by the absence of their chief creative threat; the injured Matthew Etherington. Nevertheless, the Potters started brightly, causing the hosts problems down the flanks through ex-Birmingham star Jermaine Pennant and the confident Jon Walters, and the teamâs first half display showed promise. The second half saw Alex McCleishâs side wake up and start to play like the home side, but the Potteries outfit continued to provide a threat in and around the box. Beyond a Seb Larsson effort that flew just wide, the Blues gave Stoke precious little to worry about. However, with just 20 minutes remaining and the game finely balanced, Tony Pulis seemed to wave a white flag by replacing Pennant with defensive midfielder Glenn Whelan, and with a stroke of magic he removed any width from the side and robbed it of its lone outlet. This baffling change was compounded by Pulisâ decision to wait until the 80th minute to introduce Ricardo Fuller, despite yet another ineffective display from Kenwyne Jones. They appeared to settle for a draw in what was very much a winnable game, but the Pottersâ boss ensured his men went home empty handed. It was Stokeâs fourth consecutive away defeat in the Premier League, and what is worrying for Pulisâ team is that their problems of late are almost entirely self-inflicted. At a time when more creative options were needed, they now have fewer in their ranks than at this stage last season. The failure to replace Tuncay means that there is now no effective cover for Etherington, who has provided more assists than any other Stoke player this term, while reducing the number of impact players in the squad â Ricardo Fuller was the sole attacking option on the bench at St. Andrews. Of equal concern is Pulisâ return to an ultra-cautious approach. While Stoke were more creative at Birmingham than in recent away showings, Pulis again made a puzzlingly conservative change that effectively neutered Stoke as an attacking threat, just as he did at Fulham last month. Meanwhile, Wiganâs weekend point at Anfield made a mockery of Pulisâ ability to essentially write off Stokeâs opportunity for grabbing points in their recent trip to Merseyside, in which he deployed a backs-to-the-wall 4-5-1 formation. It is a far cry from earlier in the season, when the Potters seemed to treat every game as winnable. Why, then, when Stoke seemed primed for an assault on the top half of the table, have they retreated into their shell? Tony Pulis has spent much of his managerial career as the underdog â is he beginning to struggle under the weight of expectation? Pulis has always maintained that it will take three seasons for Stoke to establish themselves as a Premier League team. Those three years are nearly up, and it is still a mission that is all but accomplished. What comes next will say much about the direction of both the club and its manager. Inserted from <http://www.adifferentleague.co.uk/p6_1_6261_club-focus-stoke-stoke-paying-the-price-for-tactical-approach.html> If it wasn't for our home form, we would have been relegated, same this season unless a certain somebody drags his head out of the sand. What's the point of having a coaching staff if you are going to ignore them, but having said that, they probably are all yes men, or blind men, whatever. Yes, we have been getting the results in Europe and playing well, and long may it continue, I think the 'Stoke Style' is NOT what they are used to week in and week out, young Shotton has been playing well in Europe from what I can gather from the TV and Stream on PC. As for team selection, I give up, just does NOT make any sense at all. Yup - a good thoughtful post Huthy, yup there are definite positives, and of course negatives, it will be no surprise to anybody, that in my opinion, the biggest negative is Pulis. Yes I know he got us into the Premier League (or Mr Coates's money did), and yes I am grateful Yes I know he kept us in the Premier League for the last 3 seasons (or Mr Coates's money did), and yest I am grateful Yes I know we got to the Cup Final last year, and played probably the worst game of last season. Yes I know where we were 5 years ago, I also remember in the 60's being at Leyton Orient on a February night, standing on a railway sleeper and getting hammered. Yes I know where we were 5 years ago or longer, watching us play Millwall at the Old Den, NOT a fun experience at the game OR after. Right now I am sick to the back teeth with: Negative tactics away from home. Absolute rubbish football away from home Sit on a 1-0 lead at home or away. When leading, take off 2 forwards and replace with - take your pick Diao, Whitehead etc etc Players out of position - Huth - say no more plus the others Favouritism And more disturbingly just lately, his constant whining when decisions do not go our way. We have this year, had our share of 'lucky' decisions at both ends of the pitch, when the decisions have gone our way - not a cheep from Pulis, take Wednesday night for instance, a couple of decisions go against us, and its whine, whinge, moan and his favourite saying:- "we'll take it on the chin and move on" - like bloody hell he does, still moaning this morning, oh and yes Shawcross DID give the Liverpool keeper an almighty shove just before Jonny's header!!! Yep Crouchy was pulled over - so bloody what. Inserted from <http://www.not606.com/showthread.php/97012-The-Season-So-Far-My-Opinion-(Premier-League)>
Thanks for that mate. I think it just shows what a GROUNDHOG affect TP is having on the team and it is nice (or not so nice) to be able to look back and compare. I think sometimes some fo the more loyal fans forget how long this has been going on for.
