Stoke (a) Match Thread

[Gym Beglin]

What do we do now?

Allen and Sterling back in?

 

I hope we go for the first goal early, throw everything at it, even if we're wide open and it's 5-4 in the first half.

 

Stoke will love to see us try and do the patient passing to find a way through their packed central areas, and then smack it up to Walters or Jones to bundle the defenders and get a mistake out of them.

 

Hit em hard, hit em first, rattle the cunts.

 

Not a game for Suso, perhaps...

[Guest LFD]

Allen and Sterling back in?

 

See no reason why Allen should start given we won so well without him.

 

If we want to beef up our midfield, then Henderson would be better IMO as he is bigger and not as light weight.

 

I wouldn't play either.

 

I'd assume we are going to have the majority of possession and I'd give Suso a free role behind Suarez. Would play same teamm as the last match but would have Sterling instead of Shelvey.

[bastard oot]

ive a funny feeling it will be allen and sterling in place of shelvey and suso. other than that same team that hammered fulham

 

1 1 draw

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

 

See no reason why Allen should start given we won so well without him.

 

That's as nonsensical as saying we don't need attacking players because we knocked four past Fulham.

[Guest LFD]

That's as nonsensical as saying we don't need attacking players because we knocked four past Fulham.

 

I like Allen, but I see no need to change a winning formula.

 

Gerrard looks better without Allen, so let's try it again.

[KopOut]

Allen and Stirling not playing in the Fulham game, suggests that they'll start, if a holiday rotation is in place. It will be interesting, because we were ineffective at breaking them down in our last encounter.

[DooooodekNo5]

3 at the back with Coates coming in along side Agger and Skrtel ?

 

Jones is back for playing decently for them , from the highlights ive seen everything is getting launced up to him , didn't Coates play at Anfield against them to ? , it makes sense to have him on Jones though he seems totally out of favour with Rodgers.

[DooooodekNo5]

...

[ngogswilly]

If I was Rodgers I'd be hesitant to change things too much considering how well we played yesterday, but Stoke are a different animal altogether from Fulham.

 

I'm not sure any way of playing really works against them other than

 

A) Kick the fuck out of them like they do to you

or

B) Hope somebody produces a bit of magic i.e. Suarez

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

 

I like Allen' date=' but I see no need to change a winning formula.

 

Gerrard looks better without Allen, so let's try it again.[/quote']

 

Mate, you can't base it off of one game against the worst away side in the league. Is Downing now one of the best players in the team?

[James Dean]

I'd swap Henderson for Shelvey and go with the same team.

[Rushies tash]

I reckon the odds are pretty short on Pulis talking about diving in his pre match waffle...

[ZonkoVille77]

Not expecting much against these anti-football shithouses.

Settle for a draw.

[clangers]

3 at the back with Coates coming in along side Agger and Skrtel ?

 

Jones is back for playing decently for them , from the highlights ive seen everything is getting launced up to him , didn't Coates play at Anfield against them to ? , it makes sense to have him on Jones though he seems totally out of favour with Rodgers.

 

Do we really need to be changing our formation to accommodate Stoke? It would be nice to see them be more worried about us. We've changed it around to take care of their alehouse tactics on several occasions and the best we've come away with is a draw in the Premiership.

 

I'd leave things well alone, we played well against Fulham and began to address several of the short comings in our side we've all spotted over recent weeks.

[caracaracara]

3 @ the back with Coates coming in for Suso.

[Bjornebye]

Fuck em. Fuck em in the ear.

[Original202]

Stoke will probably be delighted with 0-0, but we shouldn't be. We should be going there to win, regardless of how difficult they might be to break down.

 

This season:

 

Arsenal H 0 – 0

Manchester City H 1 – 1

Swansea City H 2 – 0

Sunderland H 0 – 0

Queens Park Rangers H 1 – 0

Fulham H 1 – 0

Newcastle United H 2 – 1

Everton H 1 – 1

 

I know it's a results business and Stoke fans probably don't care given where the club was 5 years ago, but I wouldn't fancy to paying for a season ticket to watch this stuff every week.

 

Part of the problem with going to Stoke is their reputation. Clearly they're awkward opponents and defensively they're very good, but no other team outside the top 4 or 5 has this fear factor around them like Stoke. Since they've been in the top flight they've finished 12th, 11th, 13th and 14th yet they've got this reputation as being practically unbeatable, especially at home.

 

They don't score goals (And they actually have less shots per game than any other team) and they're not the threat from set pieces/throw ins they were a few years back.

 

Let's not go there fearing a tricky game and getting sucked down to their level. They should be beatable if we stick to playing our own game.

[Red Banjo]

They have kept 9 clean sheets in 18 games, which is remarkable really. Expecting us to get more than 1 goal is wishful thinking imo.

 

I'd take an ugly 1-0, but a bore draw is more likely.

 

I detest Stoke. What a way to take the shine off xmas by going there. I feel for the players and the fans making the trip. Our thought's are with you.

[MLB]

I'd bring Sterling in for Suso but that's about it.

[Gym Beglin]

Do we really need to be changing our formation to accommodate Stoke? It would be nice to see them be more worried about us. We've changed it around to take care of their alehouse tactics on several occasions and the best we've come away with is a draw in the Premiership.

 

I'd leave things well alone, we played well against Fulham and began to address several of the short comings in our side we've all spotted over recent weeks.

 

I agree with this, I think that the key factor against shite like Stoke is how much the referee lets them get away with.

 

As usual, I suspect they'll WWF our forwards to the ground every 4 minutes before the referee finally books one for their eighth foul on 72 minutes.

 

Its such a waste of a fixture, always ruined by referees not having the bollocks to book them early.

[Preston Red]

I expect us to shit the bed as our passing game will be futile on that abomination of a pitch they have.

[Reckoner]

As an 'ale house' footballer myself I must admit to feeling slightly insulted by the insinuation that my team plays the tactics of Stoke City. We play some decent stuff we do, and never go out to intentionally injure an opponent whilst employing shit house tactics of trying to manipulate the referee and dishonestly accusing others of cheating.

Basically, we have more class than that.

Edited December 24, 2012 by Reckoner
idiocy

[Bobby Hundreds]

They play like villa did against us just all sit back soak up the pressure then long ball and panic stations for us, I hate playing stoke.

[swampyscfc]

The days when shithouses like us are afraid of playing the shite that you lot serve up is long gone

 

2-0

[MLB]

They have kept 9 clean sheets in 18 games, which is remarkable really. Expecting us to get more than 1 goal is wishful thinking imo.

 

I'd take an ugly 1-0, but a bore draw is more likely.

 

I detest Stoke. What a way to take the shine off xmas by going there. I feel for the players and the fans making the trip. Our thought's are with you.

 

 

Such a grim fixture. I would be made up with any kind of win against them.