Home v Stoke

[xerxes]

You're a fucking mong.

I tell it how it is.

 

Your depressing abuse and inability to see what is before your eyes is an embarrassing consistent.

[swampyscfc]

You need to listen to yourselves lads. Stoke this Stoke that. Just put the fucking ball in the net if you can. No you cant and that fucking Suarez is a cheating twat.

 

guess you have forgotten the likes of Case, Smith, Lloyd...........or was that when you were good?

[xerxes]

I was fairly encouraged by today's game. We took the game to Stoke and knocked on the door pretty hard throughout the match. Granted, a draw is a frustrating result, but I choose to be positive. We have been shipping goals all season and today we tightened up very well. They barely had a sniff and they are a dangerous team, especially from set pieces. Keeping a clean sheet was a job well done... at one end of the pitch at least!

 

We all know we are short up top, but most teams will find Stoke difficult to break down. It was a good day for Suso, Sterling and Wisdom; the latter in particular looking the part today. I'm keeping the faith.

 

A balanced assessment.

 

Stoke did a job, and Pullis and his management team are wily veterans and combatting that is part of the learning curve for Rodgers. We will not be alone in being given a tough time by Stoke this season.

 

There is no point in adopting a losers mentality of blaming the ref and opposition, it is down to our team to impose themselves, and our record this year has been a consistent failure to do just that.

[Dundalis]

You're a fucking mong.

 

 

 

Correct there, Tommy lad. Rodgers was naive in wanting to ship Carroll out without giving the lad the opportunity to show if he can fit in or not. He was even more naive in finding himself in a situation of letting carroll go before it was agreed someone else was coming in.

 

That, rests soley on the owners. Ayres is just doing their bidding. I hope John henry and Tom Werner now realise the monumental cockup they have made and how this will impact the club beyond this season.

 

IMO, we will struggle to finish in the top half of the league. I dont believe we'll bring in a proven striker in january. I mean who will be available? Bent isnt getting games at Villa but they'll want in the region of £20m again off us and there's no way tom and john will fall for that.

 

No, as regards strikers this season, i think we're fucked. Hope Im wrong.

Fairly sure Demba Ba has a 7 mill release clause. He would be a great get at that price. Or even a straight swap for Carroll, hopefully with some cash coming back our way given their ages, and Carroll's purported worth.

 

Would hopefully allow Suarez to move across to the left or right of the front 3. Not sure why it hasn't even been tried with Borini up front. If Borini's movement is so good and he's a natural goalscorer (according to Rodgers), then it seems obvious to me, given how rubbish he looks out wide.

[mike23]

Stokes spoiler tactics - awful, horrible to watch, I'm imagining even worse to play against.

 

Strong ref needed - epic failure on that score.

 

That being said i am a bit fed up of football snobbery.

All the whinging, whining and crying because of how Stoke play. Its as effective as it is frustrating for the opposition and their fans. What do people expect though? they're hardly coming to compete on a level playing field.There are many ways to skin a cat,I think Pulis deserves credit for the job he does.

 

As for his comments after the game they were as predictable as they were infuriating.

 

As for us - deja vu.

What worries me is were defensively frail and making errors whilst creating no more if not less chances than before and were still missing the majority that we do create.

we seem short in numbers in both boxes at times.

All this talk of controlling games and having technicians??

Best way way to control a game is by being 2 or 3 goals up and for that you need a goalscorer.

 

Stoke are actually one of the biggest spending Premier league clubs of the last few years. Fed up of this image Pulis has of being some sort of miracle worker who works on a shoestring budget and has to resort to spolier tactics out of necessity to compete. But they are what they are and it's not our problem. At least we only have to watch them twice a season while their fans have to watch them every week - although most of them actually seem to enjoy it. Our problem is trying to find a way of beating them and sadly we've consistently failed to do so in the league since they came up.

[xerxes]

IMO, we will struggle to finish in the top half of the league. I dont believe we'll bring in a proven striker in january. I mean who will be available? Bent isnt getting games at Villa but they'll want in the region of £20m again off us and there's no way tom and john will fall for that.

 

Fall for paying for a proven goalscorer? Surely the point is that this is exactly what we have to do?

[fowler9]

Fall for paying for a proven goalscorer? Surely the point is that this is exactly what we have to do?

 

should go for Darren Bent, seems he and Lambert don't get along so would be a lot cheaper than he would've been a year ago, crap all round footballer but will score goals

[Randy Marsh]

Stoke are actually one of the biggest spending Premier league clubs of the last few years. Fed up of this image Pulis has of being some sort of miracle worker who works on a shoestring budget and has to resort to spolier tactics out of necessity to compete. But they are what they are and it's not our problem. At least we only have to watch them twice a season while their fans have to watch them every week - although most of them actually seem to enjoy it. Our problem is trying to find a way of beating them and sadly we've consistently failed to do so in the league since they came up.

 

You're right. Pulls hasn't been dealt a rough hand, he has spent considerable sums on assembling a squad of shithouse grocks. He makes Fat Sam look like Guardiola.

[Sandford]

1.

Stoke are actually one of the biggest spending Premier league clubs of the last few years.

 

2.

You're right. Pulls hasn't been dealt a rough hand, he has spent considerable sums on assembling a squad of shithouse grocks.

 

1. Really? Apart from Crouch i cant recall any big signings???? Is there a table somewhere?

 

2. I never said he had a rough hand-i said he wasn't competing on an even playing field-nobody can convince me he is.

 

This said he does choose these tactics i don't deny they're appalling and frustrating but to begrudge him credit because its not pretty and he doesn't do the way we would is footballing snobbery in my humble opinion.

[Gym Beglin]

You seem to know a fucking lot so tell me your starting line up for Reading you mischievious tedious tart. No Gerrard or Luis though as it appears you don't really rate them.

 

Apparently there's not long until Lucas returns. In such a case, then Lucas and Allen would be starters without fail, and then rotate between Sahin, Gerrard and Shelvey the attacking midfielder role, though Sahin definitely gets the nod as far as I'm concerned.

 

And then the three up top, Borini has to start as the number 9.

Then it's any of Sterling, Suso, Suarez, or Assaidi filing the wide spots, though I'd prefer Suso and Assaidi for now. Sterling's finding it hard to produce much at the moment, but some excellent all-round work rate, appreciate that.

 

I just look around our team and I see excellent players in many positions, but with us scoring fuck all, and then Gerarrd with his usual disappearing act or shots from 50 yards when a better option is on, and that's the only fault I can find with the team to be honest, and they are ongoing issues, not just one-offs.

 

Suarez is not the answer to our goalscoring nightmare.

 

I think of him a bit like Van Der Vaart when he went to Spurs and blew everyone away at first. But as time went on, and despite the odd moments of pure genius, he just wasn't THAT effective and they were happy to let him go.

 

I see two big issues with the current team, and it'll be interesting to see what Rodgers does in the coming weeks.

[Randy Marsh]

1.

Stoke are actually one of the biggest spending Premier league clubs of the last few years.

 

2.

You're right. Pulls hasn't been dealt a rough hand, he has spent considerable sums on assembling a squad of shithouse grocks.

 

1. Really? Apart from Crouch i cant recall any big signings???? Is there a table somewhere?

 

2. I never said he had a rough hand-i said he wasn't competing on an even playing field-nobody can convince me he is.

 

This said he does choose these tactics i don't deny they're appalling and frustrating but to begrudge him credit because its not pretty and he doesn't do the way we would is footballing snobbery in my humble opinion.

 

I wasn't questioning you mate, just making the general point myself.

 

Rodgers showed last year that you can play good football on a show string budget. Pulis has chosen the grock approach.

[ngogswilly]

1.

Stoke are actually one of the biggest spending Premier league clubs of the last few years.

 

2.

You're right. Pulls hasn't been dealt a rough hand, he has spent considerable sums on assembling a squad of shithouse grocks.

 

1. Really? Apart from Crouch i cant recall any big signings???? Is there a table somewhere?

 

2. I never said he had a rough hand-i said he wasn't competing on an even playing field-nobody can convince me he is.

 

This said he does choose these tactics i don't deny they're appalling and frustrating but to begrudge him credit because its not pretty and he doesn't do the way we would is footballing snobbery in my humble opinion.

 

In the past 4 seasons hes spent roughly 15-20 million a season and recouped very little of that.

 

According to this site anyway. Stoke City - Player changes, player transfers 2009/2010 - transfermarkt.co.uk

 

Whilst hes not spending like the big boys.

Hes certainly not been dealt a shit hand anyway.

 

I'd guess hes on a better playing field than some of the other mid table clubs.

[Gym Beglin]

If we could tempt someone to part with £30m for Suarez then we'd be stupid not to take it.

 

Ideally I'd keep him, but in the spirit of selling to buy, he's the one players with a hefty value but his role in the team is replaceable with £15m of that, and then we'd have £15m to consider elsewhere.

 

I want a big, rangy cunt of a striker who makes it his business to get on the end of crosses, and can beat a man. No, it;s not Carroll.

Some African powerhouse with no fear.

[Whelan]

The thing with Suarez that confuses the situation is this. He is easily our best player and probably our only world class player who is getting better, but for £40m it might be worth selling him.

 

Not necessarily because of him, but the way we play has one central forward out of three, this is Suarez and although I think he will get 20 plus this season, you can't really rely on him putting that one chance away in a game that is looking like a tight nil nil. And yesterday his tendency to drop deep is fucking up the shape leaving nobody in the middle when it does go out wide. We can't afford to spend big on a striker who will cover when he is out, so unless we can find a Robben/Walcott type of player who can get 20 goals a season we will struggle up front in tight games.

[Sandford]

 

In the past 4 seasons hes spent roughly 15-20 million a season and recouped very little of that. Not a bad spend to retain a roughly mid table prem status though and also get into europe too unless I'm mistaken? Anyway i'm getting away from what i was responding to-Stoke being among the big spenders over last few years -They're not really are they!!

 

According to this site anyway. Stoke City - Player changes, player transfers 2009/2010 - transfermarkt.co.uk

 

Whilst hes not spending like the big boys.

Hes certainly not been dealt a shit hand anyway. I have never said that he has been delt a shit hand. But i have already stated that once:wallbutt:

 

I'd guess hes on a better playing field than some of the other mid table clubs. Totally Agree

 

.

[ngogswilly]

 

.

 

Sorry missed that. You're right they're not amongst the biggest spenders for sure.

 

As you say hes probably had just about enough to play with to expect to keep a team midtable and hes done a good job with the money.

 

I hate their brand of football but you can't argue with results.

[Sandford]

 

Sorry missed that. You're right they're not amongst the biggest spenders for sure.

 

As you say hes probably had just about enough to play with to expect to keep a team midtable and hes done a good job with the money.

 

I hate their brand of football but you can't argue with results.

 

Pretty much sums up the points i was trying to put across originally albeit not clearly enough. I'm no Stoke fan or Pulis sympathiser but can see merit in what they do and achieve.

[Evil_Ways]

If we could tempt someone to part with £30m for Suarez then we'd be stupid not to take it.

 

Ideally I'd keep him, but in the spirit of selling to buy, he's the one players with a hefty value but his role in the team is replaceable with £15m of that, and then we'd have £15m to consider elsewhere.

 

I want a big, rangy cunt of a striker who makes it his business to get on the end of crosses, and can beat a man. No, it;s not Carroll.

Some African powerhouse with no fear.

 

I dont see how 30 million could replace Suarez, nevermind 15. He is so much more than goal scoring, he's a constant terror to our opposition that can open up defences at any time and score from nothing at any given time. I agree he's frustrating and should score more considering how much he creates, but surely it's better to keep him and sign players to compliment him.

We certainly need a player or two to share the burden of scoring goals and creating chances, we rely too much on him. I reckon the likes of Shelvey, Suso and Sterling will do so, once they grow into senior football more, but that is a process which will take a few years before they'll consistently be serious threats in terms of goalscoring. We will surely have a substantial amount of money to spend in january considering we didnt sign anyone towards the end of the last window and the fact that we cut the wage bill by a substantial amount.

[G Richards]

Talk of selling Suarez is wide of the mark for me. He must stay. The only reason to sell him will be if he becomes so exasperated with not getting a fair shake in the Prem that he decides to spew it. If he reaches that point then maybe. But I do not see a footballing reason to sell Suarez as he is an excellent player. However...

 

Based on the players we have now, we should see what Borini can do in the middle. Suarez can weave his magic to one side, while Sterling can occupy the other berth in the front three. I don't think this will blunt Suarez, and the overall team may get more goals if Borini is up to the job. If he is not, then the striker we need to buy in January will simply go above Borini and into the team, with the Italian becoming a back up, ready to rotate in as needed, and as he grows.

 

I feel another problem is looming with the midfield three (I'm talking about the team in terms of 4-3-3 as that's what Brendan seems to be playing to me). In the midfield three I would say Allen is the most indispensable in this Rogers team. He gets loads of tackles in by being in the right place to nip in and take the ball off an opponent. His main strength is his passing. That is key to the whole set up. Allen is not coming out of the side any time soon. What about the other two spots?

 

This is where it gets tricky. Lucas' injury last season showed us just how much we missed him. When he is at his best we just appear to be a more solid team. If Lucas is in the side then I could see that giving license to Allen to get forward a bit more. So who should the other player be? I have to say that Gerrard looks vulnerable to me. He should not be considered an automatic starter when everyone is fit. At his best he is probably the best player we have ever had, or certainly up there, but what about now?

 

I am concerned that Stevie is giving the ball away too much. I get the impression that he is trying to force it when it is not happening, and this leaves us in a vulnerable situation as the play breaks down. When Stevie and Torres were both firing there seemed to be a great understanding of where Torres was going to be, and more often than not, Stevie would find him. Stevie seems to be looking for Suarez in the same sort of way, but it is not coming off. And I sense a little frustration there. It also appears to me, from the little time we've seen it, that there is an understanding that is developing between Suso and Suarez. Suso seems to have the ability to hold on to the ball for a split second longer, play with his head up, and find Suarez.

 

The conclusion I have is not definitive, but when everyone is fit we need Allen, Lucas and one other in the middle three. The one other could easily be Suso. He needs more games to show us what he can do. It could also be Sahin in the middle three. He certainly looks the part. Then again, Shelvey is growing leaps and bounds too. What I'm saying is that Stevie is no longer a foregone conclusion in the side for me.

[ngogswilly]

I think Stevie and Suarez could form an understanding if they just played closer to each other.

 

Since Suarez has arrived at the club Stevie has primarily played as a CM. When he formed the partnership with Torres it was playing off his shoulder.

 

I'm hoping when Lucas comes back Stevie will move into the front 3. Been saying it since the start of the season but if he does I can see him scoring 5-10 easy(probably more) and setting up more than a few for Suarez.

[piscinin]

...

I feel another problem is looming with the midfield three

...

 

...

Since Suarez has arrived at the club Stevie has primarily played as a CM. When he formed the partnership with Torres it was playing off his shoulder.

 

I'm hoping when Lucas comes back Stevie will move into the front 3. Been saying it since the start of the season but if he does I can see him scoring 5-10 easy(probably more) and setting up more than a few for Suarez.

 

If Rodgers is going to stay true to his death by football mantra then the three have to be Lucas, Allen and Sahin. But I reckon he'll bottle it.

 

Gerrard said on being liverpool that Rodgers had told him he wanted him playing in the same role he had last year. Was very disappointed to hear that.

[Randy Marsh]

This was a poor game. Liverpool struck the frame of the goal four times and Stoke had six players booked.

To suggest that Liverpool were unfortunate and Stoke too physical would not be accurate, though. The home team were no more deserving of three points than the visitors, while referee Lee Mason fell into the trap of believing that every time Pulis’s team make a tackle it had to be a foul.

 

 

There is so much wrong with this paragraph from the Mail it's untrue.

 

Liverpool hit the post 4 fucking times but were no more deserving of the win than Stoke?? Some cunt gets paid a wedge to write this bollocks.

[Major Tom]

If we could tempt someone to part with £30m for Suarez then we'd be stupid not to take it.

 

Ideally I'd keep him, but in the spirit of selling to buy, he's the one players with a hefty value but his role in the team is replaceable with £15m of that, and then we'd have £15m to consider elsewhere.

 

Who could/would you replace Suarez with for £15m?

[ngogswilly]

There is so much wrong with this paragraph from the Mail it's untrue.

 

Liverpool hit the post 4 fucking times but were no more deserving of the win than Stoke?? Some cunt gets paid a wedge to write this bollocks.

 

Like many articles seen in the mail it seems written by someone with an axe to grind and too stupid to hide it.

[silverlining]

If we could tempt someone to part with £30m for Suarez then we'd be stupid not to take it.

 

Ideally I'd keep him, but in the spirit of selling to buy, he's the one players with a hefty value but his role in the team is replaceable with £15m of that, and then we'd have £15m to consider elsewhere.

 

I want a big, rangy cunt of a striker who makes it his business to get on the end of crosses, and can beat a man. No, it;s not Carroll.

Some African powerhouse with no fear.

 

You are currently the biggest mong on this entire website

 

And that includes xerxes, ardja, blertz, major mong, ginny, simon, baltar, red soul, cartman, the walsh, the dude abides and all the other cabbages.

 

Very well done!