Saints v Stoke match thread [including League Cup tie]

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Saints v Stoke

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Saturday 25th October 3pm


Match officials:

Referee - Jonathon Moss Assts - A Garratt M Wilkes P Gibbs


Saturday brings the visit of Stoke for the first of two games against them in four days with an away cup match next Wednesday. We've got a good record against Stoke over the years but haven't beaten them since returning to the PL with all four matches ending in draws.

Stoke have made a good start to the season and came through a tough match with a win against Swansea on Sunday. Several of their players looked as if they picked up knocks but whoever starts this will be a tough physical game with I think the battle in midfield key. I'm hoping Vic plays to take out Adams and if we can cut off the supply line to Moses and Crouch then we should have a great chance of consolidating our top 3 spot.

Saints confidence should be sky high after the Sunderland rout and I can't see Ron making many changes although personally I'd start Vic instead of Cork and play Mane from the beginning.

My suggested starting 11

Fraser

Clyne Fonte Toby Bertrand

Morgan Vic Davis

Tadic Pele Mane


Subs KD Gardos Targett Cork Reed Long Mayuka


Lets hope we can bank another 3 points. I'm going 2-0 Saints.


COYR!

 

Good line up, same for me. My only concern is fitness. Stoke is always a physical encounter so playing them twice in 4 days will be murder for those we cant swap out.

I'll go 2-1 Saints with Long and Tadic (Penalty) to score.

 

Should be a Saints win as our record at home is very good...only letting in one goal and winning all games apart from one draw. Don't foresee a rout as I wouldn't expect Stoke to give up at half time....in fact they will set themselves up to keep us quiet for as long as possible and hope for a goal on the break. And we know what Crouch is like....a far better footballer than others give him credit for. Any team coming to SMS will be wary after last Saturday's result against Sunderland, so I'm expecting a tight game...perhaps even a 0-0. However, Saints may continue to surprise us and, apparently, our own manager, so you never know.

 

Ron will surprise you all with his selection for this game.

Lambayama how could you leave Jack Cork out of the starting line up?

 

I have no stats to back this up, but I am always wary after a big win (and they rarely come any bigger than that!) that a hangover might kick in. Stoke are one of those teams that you should never be over confident about beating.

Having said that, I reckon we'll win 9-0.

 

I'm not going to have a gut feeling, or funny feeling, or worry about anything. I'm just going to look into the last 6 league games form of the two teams. Saints are WWWWLW, and should have drawn at Spurs. Stoke City are WLDWLW. Although Stoke beat Swansea last time out, they lost to Sunderland, of all teams, before that.
I suspect Mark Hughes to get his side to play some sort of containing tactic for the 1st half, or perhaps even the entire game if that proves successful, and to try to catch Saints on the break by drawing us upfield. If they try to trade punches then Saints just have far too much firepower, are too inventive going forward, and it could be a one sided match. Stoke will undoubtedly be physical, that's their trademark, but they do play football these days too. Crouch is always a presence, but Saints are just too competent at the back to let him trouble them. I really only see this going one way and Stoke will be fortunate to score. 3-0, or 3-1 if I'm going to be generous.

 

Mane in for Long, that's the only change I'd make.

 

The Long -v- Mane and Cork -v- Wanyama is difficult to resolve as they all need playing time. I would start with same 11 personally. Mayuka seems to be very upbeat at the minute having at last made his EPL debut but still has a lot to prove.

You have to wonder where JWP and JRod will feature when they are fit. Its a really strong squad now.

I think we will benefit from the advers publicity dished out to Moses and Shawcross last week and secure another 3 points here but it will be a tough game. Crouch is almost bound to score against us

Prediction saints 2 Stoke 1

 

After the win on Saturday, the team were apparently already talking about the Stoke game. A couple of players have mentioned that the Sunderland game only gave us 3 points and we mustn't throw points away by being over confident. It is a real risk if the squad chase too many goals and don't concentrate on the basic hard work. Stoke aren't Sunderland...even Sunderland wouldn't be Sunderland on another day. We have to play well from the start...something we didn't do against Sunderland.

 

http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/news/article/20141022-jose-fonte-keep-feet-on-the-ground-2031582.aspx

Linked this from the OS, because Jose Fonte agrees with what I posted above about needing to move onto the next game (I guess I must talk in my sleep . I wish.) But also he mentions his experience with Portugal...he was told by his international manager that there will be other chances .

I think Fonte is a leader and the talk about the next game whilst still celebrating an 8-0 win sounds like him, but it may also have been Pelle. I have seen him talking to other players and trying to drive them on.

Just noticed...not predicting a loss, but even if we do, we can't drop a league place unless we lose by a bucket load.

 

Going to be a tough game. Stoke seem to be a team that battles for the whole game. They also have Moses etc so have a spare bit of speed. I think it will be either 2-1 or 3-1 us but it will be a tough win.

 

Think you are right, Beefy, but we thought that of Sunderland. However, we can't expect Stoke to contribute to their own demise the way they did. Our worst enemy is over confidence...have to put our trust in Koeman and the team not to allow that.

 

Think Stoke may have a few injury doubts. Several players limped out of the Swansea game Moses included.

 

You're right Fran over confidence and complacency would be deadly. All the other sides will have seen what we did against Sunderland and be straight determined not to let it happen to them. It will be a much tougher game than last week, but I still think we have enough firepower to win it. I'm going for 2-0 Saints.

Also, I know we wouldn't likely drop a place if we did lose, but we have to amass as many points as possible from these "winnable" games. We've got a very tough period coming up in Nov/Dec.

COYR

 

It's never easy playing against Stoke. I believe we have more quality, but for that to show you have to be on top of your game. If we are, then we should win. Moses is a worry, but I'm always confident that Clyne can stop any opponent no matter how tricky. Fonte and Toby are more suited to deal with the likes of Crouch than with small, pacey forwards.

A true test for Pelle, I think, to battle with those towers in Stoke's defense.

 

So after predicting 11-0 last week and being out by 3 I am going by scientific methods this week and going for 4-0 which is 3 less than my prediction

 

Tough game and I can't predict a winner. Stoke will come here to play on the counter.

 

It amazes me how Jose has come on this year. Always rated him but thought he needed an organiser alongside him. This season, he has taken to the organiser role himself like a fish to water and his playing his best football ever. Amazing!

 

Sooooo....you predict 11-0 and we win 8-0, so then you predict 4-0. Isn't that cursing us to a 1-0 win with an anxiety attack?

 

He's probably always been an organizer, but he had to be diplomatic as Adam was the captain. Lovren has admiitted that he is finding it hard as he has to lead at Liverpool...by implication he didn't have to at Southampton. And I'm sure Fonte led when partnered with Jos and Maya.