The key to playing stoke and my stoke fan colleague totally agrees with me, is to move the ball fast! They have a very workman like team and play to their own strengths. We have to play a midfield 3 as its not their arial threat that concerns me most but the second ball from the likes of crouch winning a header! My pal is a frequent visitor to watch stoke and stressed that the teams who do the best there play their own game rather than trying to stop stoke playing theirs. This is how i think we should go into every game as in reality we aren't going to win the league or anything so we have nothing to lose. As i see it this season and i may be wrong, we have always tried to neutralise the opposition in the first half and usually concede, only then do we seem or Hughes seems to let our players off their leash so to speak! Anyway, move the ball fast, feed Taarabt and run the channels between fullback and centre back!
I think this will be an interesting game- two very different teams. Stoke have a well established system which I'd say the players are familiar with- QPR toward the opposite end of the spectrum in that sense, but with a higher calibre of playing personnel. I think 0-0 or 1-1 a likely result, can't see it being a high scoring game.
I wonder if we've ever considered scoring MORE goals than the opposition. Now I know it sounds crazy....but it might just work.
Totally agree Bob - I posted somewhere else we seem to come life as halves progress, as the players leash to Hughes on the sidelines seems to get more and more twisted, torn and eventually chucked away, and they start playing how they see best. Hughes should show the Squad a film of how we beat Stoke up there under Colin last year, both pre- match talk and game, find good replacements for HH and Young, and give Traore's legs a real good pre-match massage. Then the players need to forget Hughes, remember Colin, play their hearts out and hope this gives the same amount of good luck as last year.
I agree with that bob. We seem way too cautious away from home when in reality we would get far more points (and the odd drubbing admitedly) than we are currently getting.
We are too cautious in all games at the moment. Coupled with our weak defence it just spells trouble. With the players we have we are more suited to attacking and need to take games to the opposition.
Why are you telling us? We all agree already. Please submit to MH's suggestion box (that will be the waste bin at the end of your desk).
Bob....you are correct in your OP of course, but we all seem to be wasting our time and energy debating these things mate. Bowen made it clear in the podcast that they can't find room for Faurlin in their system. Says it all. We are stuck with Hughes, Bowen and all that goes with them.
The long wait to return to the premier league is getting ruined by an inadequate manager and his chosen team. It is infuriating to watch this unfold and to keep hearing TF talk absolute garbage! i feel like some fans are getting alienated from their club!!
Just work on the basis of ...if they score 2 we score 3......same as last year......the negaitive side to our set up will se us relegated.....lets just go for it.
I firmly believe you are right and as I've said before we need to equalise first.....its key to the strategy.....