Stoke (H) Match Thread

[shanks59]

Stoke have to be the worse footballing team ever to grace this fucking planet. I dont think the ball touched the ground. Every time they get a throw, They throw it down the line in the hope to get another throw closer to the opposition goal. Everytime their centre half gets the ball he hoofs it into the corner hoping to gain a throw. That fat fucker Beattie dived in the hope of getting a free kick everytime he went near one of our back four. I never thought someone could play worse football than Allardyces Bolton.

 

Stoke, may not be pretty to watch (like most of the premiership!), however, they will easily survive, they are very well organised, and play to their strengths .. I would not be surprised if they finish midtable

 

If only our setplays could approach the quality of their's .. :whistle:

[The 5th Benitel]

Stoke, may not be pretty to watch (like most of the premiership!), however, they will easily survive, they are very well organised, and play to their strengths .. I would not be surprised if they finish midtable

 

If only our setplays could approach the quality of their's .. :whistle:

 

Have you got asthma?

[Red Phoenix]

Have you got asthma?

 

He's definitely got an addictive case of smiley finger.

[Kevin D]

Well in Reds. Confident and composed display. You could visibly see the pressure lift off everyone's shoulders as soon as Torres scored.

 

hankfully we started with a really high positive tempo and once we scored the result was probably not going to be in doubt barring a bad bit of defending. We had a spell between 20-30 where Stoke were well on top and keeping us pinned in our own box with the long throws and they kept getting cheap set pieces. They actually looked more threatening from free kicks than the throw in actually. They targetted Ayala but without any success.

 

Then, the worrying point for me. Lucas and Mascherano aren't midfielders who can grab the game by the scruff of the neck. Alonso was and Gerrard is, but Gerrard plays much further forward. Stoke pinned us back a but because we were not getting a grip in midfield and the ball was being given away cheaply. Thankfully we got it sorted. The problem didn't manifest itself again too much in the second half.

 

 

Scoring the second goal just before half time was also extremely important. It was a terrific finish from Johnson, I thought the chance had gone but credit to him. I'm not a fan, but the worries I have aren't going to be tested at home to Stoke, it's at home to your vermin and your Chelsea and your Arsenal. He was MOM tonight and was a threat throughout.

 

In fact, even though we had all the play Stoke had us pinned in our own penalty box for the first 5 minutes of the second half with a series of corners and set pieces. No concerns with them, but Reina made a world class save from a volley outside the box. It was sailing in and it was a quality save.

 

But that was it from them really, Kuyt took his goal really well but watch the skill and turn from Gerrard. World class. And the 4th goal just put a seal on it. It was a very good performance all round, we controlled the game totally and once we scored very early on you could feel the pressure ease a bit.

 

I'd agree with all that. I hope that like Middlesborough at home last year set a tone for our season ( sluggish start, concede stupid goals before springing into life in the last half hour) that this has done likewise; unspectacular but both efficient and good to watch.

 

I thought we'd win this game because , for reasons we all know, a midweek game at Anfield tends to go in our favour and I was very pleased when we got the early goal - starting at a tempo is something I talk endlessly about. It isn't as hard as we make it out to be and it relieves pressure on the players, you could see the effects of that in Lucas' display.

 

He was assured on the ball, strong in the challenge and was always willing. The first goal as a result of his going into Stokes box, something he needs to do more often. It was a good display from him but , Johnson aside, my Motm was Kuyt. I thought he was very good . Him and Yossi seemed to be interchanging freely with Dirk popping up on the left wing on quite a few occasions, it was great to see that type of seemless variation in our attack. What really impressed me with Kuyt was that everytime he got the ball he was looking to do the right thing, whether it be sliding a ball out wide or taking the shot on, and he saw quite a bit of the ball last night which considering his periphal role on saturday was good news. The performance of Johnson freed Dirk up to go and do what he wanted really and he was everywhere.

 

One criticisim I have is that we still don't get enough men into the box. We now have two fullbacks who will hit the byline and get crosses in but that is ultimately pointless if only Nando is in there, it's something that could be a bigger problem against a more stubborn defence.

 

And I told you all that NGog should have started. He is boss.

 

" He hits like a girl, Steven Gerrard, he hits like a girl". I despise Stoke, which made the win sweeter, but that was funny as fuck.

[MLB]

I stayed off here after the Spurs game because I knew that the usual axe-grinders and hysterical ninnies would be blaming it all on Rafa and talking complete cock-water about how Xabi would have won us the game. Fact is, Spurs will be a very tough side to beat this season and we looked like we needed another week or two of pre-season short of match fitness. We'll get into the swing soon enough though, and last night was evidence of that. I think Benayoun makes a big difference for us, and I've been greatly impressed with Johnson so far (although I'm sure after his first bad game there'll be people ready to cite him as another example of Rafa's terrible transfer record, etc.)

 

Anyway, onwards and upwards. As we get sharper we will play better and better, and hopefully we'll get maximum points from the next few games to build momentum.

[Crazyhorse7778]

 

 

World class.

[James Dean]

Zidane-esque.

[Captain]

World class.

 

Not much else to be said, is there?