The disgrace that is Stoke FC

[City64]

Stoke City FC have to do what they have to do to survive and maintain there Premier league status , it aint pretty but it works for them. Clubs like Stoke make the Premier league what it is and it certainly isnt all about the big clubs .... some on here need to realise this !

I don't understand this mentality that says smaller clubs who get promoted into the Premier League need to cheat, scrap and spoil their way to survival.

If Swansea can play good football why can't Stoke (who have been in the top tier a lot longer)?

This situation is the owners of Stoke City FC conumdrum isnt it ? Do they stick with Pulis and his old fashioned approach which has served the club well and maintained its premier league status ? they have even had a taste of european football and a FA cup final , or do they change / gamble and go for the pure football approach similar to Swansea ? Laudrup is a class act and huge credit must go to the Swansea FC owners .

Also the premier league refs have never ever really clamped down on Stoke,s and Pulis,s tactics , they get away with far more than any other club imho , its like the officials take the stance of well its only Stoke , they can do what they want , they arent high profile etc etc etc so they keep doing it and keep geeting away with it !

[Dameerto]

If anyone was in any doubt about Stoke's style due to Pulis' attempt to try and tell us they pass the ball around every now and then, allow me to show a graph I've just found on http://www.whoscored.com/ showing passing and accuracy for all 98 clubs in the top five European Leagues:
(STO is Stoke, WIG is Wigan - that dot almost over the horizon in the upper right is Barcalona by the way, the second best is Bayern - and I haven't been able to find which dot in CITY)

[Dameerto]

Actually I've been able to narrow CITY down to either the fourth or the fifth dot from the right in the upper right section of the graph (there's another graph on the site that allows some elimination by showing dots colour coded per league)

[zuricity]

If anyone was in any doubt about Stoke's style due to Pulis' attempt to try and tell us they pass the ball around every now and then, allow me to show a graph I've just found on http://www.whoscored.com/ showing passing and accuracy for all 98 clubs in the top five European Leagues:
(STO is Stoke, WIG is Wigan - that dot almost over the horizon in the upper right is Barcalona by the way, the second best is Bayern - and I haven't been able to find which dot in CITY)

I cannot understand why they haven't been fined for using towels sewn into their shirts. I know it has been mentioned before, but it is not acceptable.

[john68]

I cannot understand why they haven't been fined for using towels sewn into their shirts. I know it has been mentioned before, but it is not acceptable.

It was suggested that it was done to keep their balls dry.....Maybe they have them sewn in their shorts too.

City 64,
I'm not sure I agree with your phrase ..."Pullis and his old fashioned football".....The idea of passing and fine attractive football has been with us for a very long time. You do a disservice to many great players and many great teams. The long ball game as a strategy may have been used historically but it was developed post war by Charles Reep (a statistician) and further evolved by Charles Hughes.

[Slim]

I cannot understand why they haven't been fined for using towels sewn into their shirts. I know it has been mentioned before, but it is not acceptable.

It was suggested that it was done to keep their balls dry.....Maybe they have them sewn in their shorts too.

City 64,
I'm not sure I agree with your phrase ..."Pullis and his old fashioned football".....The idea of passing and fine attractive football has been with us for a very long time. You do a disservice to many great players and many great teams. The long ball game as a strategy may have been used historically but it was developed post war by Charles Reep (a statistician) and further evolved by Charles Hughes.

It's just a snood for their balls, a sbood if you will.

[Tokyo Blue]

If Stoke didn't play like Stoke, some other team would.

[john68]

Slim,
Maybe that is what is meant when they refer to footballers as being PAMPERED.

Hat, coat, zimmer....I'll go then!

[City64]

I cannot understand why they haven't been fined for using towels sewn into their shirts. I know it has been mentioned before, but it is not acceptable.

It was suggested that it was done to keep their balls dry.....Maybe they have them sewn in their shorts too.

City 64,
I'm not sure I agree with your phrase ..."Pullis and his old fashioned football".....The idea of passing and fine attractive football has been with us for a very long time. You do a disservice to many great players and many great teams. The long ball game as a strategy may have been used historically but it was developed post war by Charles Reep (a statistician) and further evolved by Charles Hughes.

Its old fashioned and crude by todays footballing standards .... nuff said !

[john68]

Why? Are today's standards any better than what went before?

[City64]

Why? Are today's standards any better than what went before?

Has there been any better team ever than todays Barcelona ?

Are players better technically and stronger and fitter ?

Is the game played much quicker ?

Are there any fat cunts playing in the premier league today ?

Any George Bests and Stanley Bowles rolling out of the pub just before a game ?

You can amuse yourself with the phrase oldfashioned as much as you like in your own tedious and padantic way ....... im totally fuckin bored with it already .

[john68]

You do seem to take my posts very personally. I think you miss the whole point of a board like this. You post an opinion, someone else posts an opinion,sometimes they agree and sometimes they don't.
It ain't personal, we don't know each other and you may be a wonderful bloke. It's your opinion I am challenging not you as a person.
Anyway lesson over...for now?

I'll happily agree that Barcelona are a great side but I'll raise you the Brazil 1970 team. Probably the best ever to grace a football pitch. Can I suggest that you won't see many better goals ever than the Carlos Alberto goal versus Italy.

Players now certainly reputed to be fitter and with the backing of so much sports science, so they should be. Though if you watch the likes of Yaya huffing and puffing after a run or two, you may on occasion doubt that. He isn't alone.

You seem to set great store in the fitness aspect of the game whilst not so much store in the skills, whether individual or team aspect of the game.

I can easily counter your Bowles and Best with the likes of Charlie Mitten, Peter Doherty, JohannCruyff, Pele, many of the Italian greats, Johnny Haynes, Mathews, Finney,...etc...ad infinitum. Every age had its players and teams.

[City64]

You do seem to take my posts very personally. I think you miss the whole point of a board like this. You post an opinion, someone else posts an opinion,sometimes they agree and sometimes they don't.
It ain't personal, we don't know each other and you may be a wonderful bloke. It's your opinion I am challenging not you as a person.
Anyway lesson over...for now?

I'll happily agree that Barcelona are a great side but I'll raise you the Brazil 1970 team. Probably the best ever to grace a football pitch. Can I suggest that you won't see many better goals ever than the Carlos Alberto goal versus Italy.

Players now certainly reputed to be fitter and with the backing of so much sports science, so they should be. Though if you watch the likes of Yaya huffing and puffing after a run or two, you may on occasion doubt that. He isn't alone.

You seem to set great store in the fitness aspect of the game whilst not so much store in the skills, whether individual or team aspect of the game.

I can easily counter your Bowles and Best with the likes of Charlie Mitten, Peter Doherty, JohannCruyff, Pele, many of the Italian greats, Johnny Haynes, Mathews, Finney,...etc...ad infinitum. Every age had its players and teams.

Nothing personel , although you and you only scrutinise almost everything i post ........ we have been here before .Anyways , yes the Brazil team was fantastic but defensively quite poor , far from a complete team imho but fantastic for there time , so were several German, Dutch and Italian national teams , plus Argentina in the Maradonna era . Bobby Moore and Colin Bell for me were the best of the English players along with Tony Currie. Todays top players are pure athletes who play far quicker and think far quicker. Lastly , yes every era has its superstars always has done always will do but the game has changed dramatically .....

If i bump into you anytime i will buy you a pint no probs ! Wembley in may hopefully ......

[zuricity]

Nothing personel , although you and you only scrutinise almost everything i post ........ we have been here before .Anyways , yes the Brazil team was fantastic but defensively quite poor , far from a complete team imho but fantastic for there time , so were several German, Dutch and Italian national teams , plus Argentina in the Maradonna era . Bobby Moore and Colin Bell for me were the best of the English players along with Tony Currie. Todays top players are pure athletes who play far quicker and think far quicker. Lastly , yes every era has its superstars always has done always will do but the game has changed dramatically .....

If i bump into you anytime i will buy you a pint no probs ! Wembley in may hopefully ......

I'll have a pint as well at Wembley ! Well make mine a double, that's what we will be celebrating !!

[Rag_hater]

You do seem to take my posts very personally. I think you miss the whole point of a board like this. You post an opinion, someone else posts an opinion,sometimes they agree and sometimes they don't.
It ain't personal, we don't know each other and you may be a wonderful bloke. It's your opinion I am challenging not you as a person.
Anyway lesson over...for now?

I'll happily agree that Barcelona are a great side but I'll raise you the Brazil 1970 team. Probably the best ever to grace a football pitch. Can I suggest that you won't see many better goals ever than the Carlos Alberto goal versus Italy.

Players now certainly reputed to be fitter and with the backing of so much sports science, so they should be. Though if you watch the likes of Yaya huffing and puffing after a run or two, you may on occasion doubt that. He isn't alone.

You seem to set great store in the fitness aspect of the game whilst not so much store in the skills, whether individual or team aspect of the game.

I can easily counter your Bowles and Best with the likes of Charlie Mitten, Peter Doherty, JohannCruyff, Pele, many of the Italian greats, Johnny Haynes, Mathews, Finney,...etc...ad infinitum. Every age had its players and teams.

For me the French team that won the WC and Euros along with the current Spanish team are better than this Barça team and, I think the current RM team are equal to Barça so the IMO that puts this Barça team about 4/5 of all time.

[Chinners]

If Stoke didn't play like Stoke, some other team would.

Good point, well made .... there's alot of 'football' snobs about lately. They don't float my boat at all but I can appreciate why they play that way ... because it works for them

[Ted Hughes]

Why? Are today's standards any better than what went before?

Are there any fat cunts playing in the premier league today ?

[City64]

Why? Are today's standards any better than what went before?

Are there any fat cunts playing in the premier league today ?

Brillaint ! LMFBO

[Swales4ever]

Why? Are today's standards any better than what went before?

Are there any fat cunts playing in the premier league today ?

MASSIVE!