Stoke City 3-0 Brighton & Hove Albion

Full Time. Efficient stuff from the lads. Let's hope and pray for a home draw in the quarters this time. At least we can't get Chelsea this time

 

I'm pleased

 

I'll keep this stuck to the top of the board till about midnight tonight, that should give people enough time to say what they thought on the game. After that I'll start the Arsenal match thread

 

Comfortable due to a hard working, efficient first half. Dropped off the game second half but teams often do when the game is won.

Bit I struggled with was the crowd's reaction to Jones.

By the time he came on we were in second gear so he little quality ball delivered to him. May have been different had he had the crosses etc delivered as we did first half.

Appreciate he can be lazy but it does not take much to see he is lacking in confidence.

We have a dozen or so games to go and we will need him. Surely we should be supporting him not knocking his confidence further by reacting adversely to mistakes.

The end of the season is the time to decide what to do with him and between now and then we should cheer him and build him up. He plays for Stoke not the opposition.

 

Thank you! Someone! This is what I mean, its not right for a club to boo its own players - its shows lack of club spirit and poor fan-to-player recognition, if you don't like Kenwynes style of play, don't 1) publicly embarrass the lad & 2) create a negative feeling down at the brit (or any other stadium for that matter) - just don't chant good stuff about them.. My favourite player at the moment is Huth, "HUTH HUTH HUTHHHHHHHH!" - my least favourite player at the moment is Mama, but I don't boo everytime he's got the ball..

I just don't want to see Stokies belittling themselves to such 'anti-club' themes like Man United (re the gold and green scarves incident/s)

KEEP THE FAITH.

 

Jub
Whilst I agree with you I do feel that he has been playing awfully bad as of late and yes it isn't good for his confidence but people pay their money so are well within their rights. So although I don't condone it , it will happen and does more so at Stoke than anything but it all comes down to PASSION, we want the players to get every ball to feet, every ball to the correct man, we want our players to give their all and we want Stoke to perform for US in every single match.

 

Sorry boys but but I disagree. Jones is bone idle. If he had any balls he would work his socks off to show the knockers that he does have quality and is prepared to work at it. He cannot hold the ball for more than a few seconds, he cannot string a pass together and very rarely gets back to defend. Waste of 8 Mill and even he does get the Tuncay treatment it will be well deserved. I just hope we can get big John Carew's signature on a premanent basis as he is total quality !

 

Everything in that post is absolutely 100% correct Just my opinion of course, others will disagree

 

Pulis on the game:

http://www.stokecityfc.com/page/NewsDetail/0,,10310~2297481,00.html?

Pulis praises Walters:

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11701_6764619,00.html?

Manager Tony Pulis was keen to praise the performance of Jon Walters after Stoke booked a place in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup with a 3-0 win over Brighton.

Despite ambitions of an upset, the League One leaders were brushed aside in the first half in front of 21,000 at the Britannia Stadium by their Premier League hosts.

On-loan Aston Villa striker John Carew, Walters and captain Ryan Shawcross all scored with headers for Stoke as their high tempo proved too much for Gus Poyet's Brighton.

Pulis was delighted with the overall team performance, but he also singled out Walters, who he signed from Ipswich for £2.75million in the summer of 2010.

Stoke's manager told Sky Sports News of the former Chester and Wrexham man: "Walters has been exceptional today. I thought he was the best player on the pitch by a country mile.

Excellent

"It just shows that there are players in the lower leagues, if you give them an opportunity and a chance to step up, who have got that desire and that heart to impress."

Carew opened the scoring in the 14th minute before Walters doubled Stoke's lead eight minutes later at the end of a flowing move and Shawcross added the third two minutes before half-time.

The only blemish on an excellent first half for Pulis was the need to substitute winger Matthew Etherington after an apparent recurrence of the back injury which required a late fitness test before kick-off.

Pulis said with regards to his team's display: "It is as comfortable as you make it and I thought the players' attitude today, especially in the first half, was absolutely fantastic.

"We never let them (Brighton) settle. We played some smashing football and the second goal is a great goal.

History

"Really, truthfully, we were disappointed at half-time that it was only 3-0. We had more opportunities to make it bigger than that."

A quarter-final appearance for Stoke is a repeat of last season when they were eventually eliminated by tournament winners Chelsea, and Pulis is pleased to be setting records.

He said: "It is the first time in our club's history, and this football club has been going a long time, that we have managed to reach two quarter-finals in consecutive seasons, so that is great credit to the players.

"We just need a little bit of luck with the draw, fingers crossed. That's what everybody will be hoping for, that they get a good draw."

Poyet on the defeat

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11701_6764665,00.html?

Brighton manager Gus Poyet confessed that his side could not cope with Stoke's strengths in their 3-0 FA Cup fifth-round defeat at the Britannia Stadium.

The League One leaders were blitzed by three first-half headers from John Carew, Jon Walters and Ryan Shawcross as the match was essentially over as a contest inside 45 minutes.

There had been suggestions before the tie that Brighton could upset their Premier League hosts with the passing style for which Poyet has won many plaudits this season.

But the Uruguayan acknowledged that Stoke were too strong for his side as Tony Pulis' men progressed to the quarter-finals for the second time in successive seasons.

Poyet told Sky Sports News: "We couldn't cope with the power and the style of Stoke. They were very good at what they do.

"They found it quite easy sometimes and when they went up 3-0 the game was practically over by half-time."

 

I have to admit his arrogance does show more than often, but people can't 'ditch' him just yet, he is a fine, fine, player at his best, but now our strike-force is expanding Kenwyne may be pushed aside.

 

Everybody has a view and each to their own. I hope Jones proves his knockers wrong. I certainly don't think he is the bees knees, just want him to do well and contribute to Stoke staying in the PL and getting to Wembley, which is not far away if we get a home draw.

This is in my view a balanced article on Jones-the good and the not so

http://www.adifferentleague.co.uk/p...oke-–-striker-crisis-not-solved-by-jones.html

 

I don't think it's arrogance Jub, I would aim that at a player like ugly mug Rooney. Now that is REAL arrogance on display for all the world to see.

Think Praise and Grumble hit the nail on the head, Jones definitely has a confidence issue in my opinion. Plus he came on when Stoke had all but done the job. Not making excuses for him, but I agree that we have got to get behind him for the rest of the season. All too easy to groan (as I did a couple of times today) when his passes go adrift or he gives the ball away too easily.

Got to say that first half we were magnificent and Carew/Walters/Pennant and Wilson really stood out for me. The second goal was sublime. A combination of quick fire one/two overlap sweet cross and dynamite headed finish. Tut tut, thought (as reported again today) we were 'set piece specialists' only. Naughty, we should not be scoring from a free flowing move, will have to write a letter to TP ;-)

Fingers crossed for another home draw. Fantastic to get into another quarter final showdown!!

KTF and UTP!!!!!

 

KJ just needs to put more effort in and the fans will get behind him he is paid enough money .