***Official Stoke vs City match thread***

[Blue Since 76]

I agree with comments about our unimaginative, non scoring, football v teams like Stoke & Everton.

HOWEVER: there are no more Stokes or Evertons apart from, potentially, Wolves, who can't defend like that & will need 3 points anyway. Wolves will have to attack us.

I saw Norwich play the rags & they made no effort to be defensive, they just took them on. If they suddenly change tactics & park the bus v us, it's proof the PL is bent. There is no reason Norwich won't take us on.

Arsenal will try to batter us. Newcastle need 3 points for Europe & have to attack us.

From now on, we will be presented with teams playing exactly as they were before we beat the rags; ie actually trying to beat us rather than just trying to stop us.

This presents us with a decent opportunity to play our ticky tacky football & win. This is exactly what we want. If we can't play football in these circumstances, then it will prove that our early season form was a fluke & that we are genuinely a mid table team away from home.

I think we'll give it a fucking good go & yesterday's point means it can still be enough to win us the league.

I also think either Wigan or Blackburn will give the rags a game & they may need help from a ref again.

The bit about Norwich is bollox Ted. They will do whatever they need to to beat us. Against the rags, they knew they are dodgy at the back so went for it. If I was a PL manager now with City coming into town, my tactics would be to make nothing happen for about an hour. Just break up play, knock us out of our swagger. If you're lucky, you might get a chance from a corner, but once the hour is up you can throw a bit more at City, as they'll start to panic that plan A isn't working and push men forward leaving holes at the back. Even then, we won't play with any conviction, just overload the box and then play short passes ten yards behind it.

This season is starting to look very like Sven's. Great when we had the element of surprise and then falls away badly. The better players mean we have been able to grind out results for longer, but we're still a shadow of the team we saw pre-Xmas.

[Goaters 103]

I also think either Wigan or Blackburn will give the rags a game

Thanks Ted, that line alone gave me the best laugh of the day.

Ill have some of what your on please.

[Ted Hughes]

I also think either Wigan or Blackburn will give the rags a game

Thanks Ted, that line alone gave me the best laugh of the day.

Ill have some of what your on please.

Blackburn have already beaten them once with Vidic in the team & beating Liverpool at Anfield is harder game than beating Utd on your own ground. Both teams need the points desperately, so don't have time to be intimidated by rag shirts or Bobbeee Chaaaarlton, Duncaaan Edwaaaards thoughts, just play the 11 on the pitch.

[Ted Hughes]

I agree with comments about our unimaginative, non scoring, football v teams like Stoke & Everton.

HOWEVER: there are no more Stokes or Evertons apart from, potentially, Wolves, who can't defend like that & will need 3 points anyway. Wolves will have to attack us.

I saw Norwich play the rags & they made no effort to be defensive, they just took them on. If they suddenly change tactics & park the bus v us, it's proof the PL is bent. There is no reason Norwich won't take us on.

Arsenal will try to batter us. Newcastle need 3 points for Europe & have to attack us.

From now on, we will be presented with teams playing exactly as they were before we beat the rags; ie actually trying to beat us rather than just trying to stop us.

This presents us with a decent opportunity to play our ticky tacky football & win. This is exactly what we want. If we can't play football in these circumstances, then it will prove that our early season form was a fluke & that we are genuinely a mid table team away from home.

I think we'll give it a fucking good go & yesterday's point means it can still be enough to win us the league.

I also think either Wigan or Blackburn will give the rags a game & they may need help from a ref again.

The bit about Norwich is bollox Ted. They will do whatever they need to to beat us. Against the rags, they knew they are dodgy at the back so went for it. If I was a PL manager now with City coming into town, my tactics would be to make nothing happen for about an hour. Just break up play, knock us out of our swagger. If you're lucky, you might get a chance from a corner, but once the hour is up you can throw a bit more at City, as they'll start to panic that plan A isn't working and push men forward leaving holes at the back. Even then, we won't play with any conviction, just overload the box and then play short passes ten yards behind it.

This season is starting to look very like Sven's. Great when we had the element of surprise and then falls away badly. The better players mean we have been able to grind out results for longer, but we're still a shadow of the team we saw pre-Xmas.

We are not a shadow of that team at home. Just away. Sort that; we win the league.

Aguero had a day off yesterday & imo has been carrying an injury. Vinny & Lescott to come back releases Micah. Players like Milner are fresh as a daisy waiting for a chance to play.

It's not fucking over yet.

[PeterParker]

I also think either Wigan or Blackburn will give the rags a game

Thanks Ted, that line alone gave me the best laugh of the day.

Ill have some of what your on please.

Blackburn have already beaten them once with Vidic in the team & beating Liverpool at Anfield is harder game than beating Utd on your own ground. Both teams need the points desperately, so don't have time to be intimidated by rag shirts or Bobbeee Chaaaarlton, Duncaaan Edwaaaards thoughts, just play the 11 on the pitch.

Ted, i don't think or remember Wigan taking even a point with them, since they promoted and every season they were in the relegation zone, with problems and pressure like now.

[Ted Hughes]

I also think either Wigan or Blackburn will give the rags a game

Thanks Ted, that line alone gave me the best laugh of the day.

Ill have some of what your on please.

Blackburn have already beaten them once with Vidic in the team & beating Liverpool at Anfield is harder game than beating Utd on your own ground. Both teams need the points desperately, so don't have time to be intimidated by rag shirts or Bobbeee Chaaaarlton, Duncaaan Edwaaaards thoughts, just play the 11 on the pitch.

Ted, i don't think or remember Wigan taking even a point with them, since they promoted and every season they were in the relegation zone, with problems and pressure like now.

So it's time they did then. My usual memory of rags at Wigan is a no pressure game where Wigan play a bit, cause the rags loads of problems, miss an open net or two then throw the towel in. I can't off the top of my head recall many relegation deciders played there. And that's what this could be.

The history of football is full of situations like this where the outcome is different than expected.

[PeterParker]

I also think either Wigan or Blackburn will give the rags a game

Thanks Ted, that line alone gave me the best laugh of the day.

Ill have some of what your on please.

Blackburn have already beaten them once with Vidic in the team & beating Liverpool at Anfield is harder game than beating Utd on your own ground. Both teams need the points desperately, so don't have time to be intimidated by rag shirts or Bobbeee Chaaaarlton, Duncaaan Edwaaaards thoughts, just play the 11 on the pitch.

Ted, i don't think or remember Wigan taking even a point with them, since they promoted and every season they were in the relegation zone, with problems and pressure like now.

So it's time they did then. My usual memory of rags at Wigan is a no pressure game where Wigan play a bit, cause the rags loads of problems, miss an open net or two then throw the towel in. I can't off the top of my head recall many relegation deciders played there. And that's what this could be.

The history of football is full of situations like this where the outcome is different than expected.

Last season was one of those games, Wigan were in the danger zone, they played ok, but then Clattenburg had that moment with Shrek and then all went to pieces. They won 4-0 or 1-0, can't remember very well.

[Rag_hater]

For me a goal like crouch scored was impossible to predict and would have been scored against anyone.For a change I don't think anybody did anything wrong and we came back from that which I think is ok.

[lets all have a disco]

If we had 8 games at home id be off booking myself in for a tattoo but seeing as weve got 4 very tricky away games i think ill stay away.

[ross.mcfc]

Not one team in the league wouldnt have snapped your hand off for 4 points against a resurgent Chelsea and Stoke away. Throw in going behind in both of those games and goal of the season if not decade then I think we have done rather well in the past two games.

[carl_feedthegoat]

Not one team in the league wouldnt have snapped your hand off for 4 points against a resurgent Chelsea and Stoke away. Throw in going behind in both of those games and goal of the season if not decade then I think we have done rather well in the past two games.

We were odds on to win at home against Chelsea and also away against Stoke.

Carry on.

[DoomMerchant]

Not one team in the league wouldnt have snapped your hand off for 4 points against a resurgent Chelsea and Stoke away. Throw in going behind in both of those games and goal of the season if not decade then I think we have done rather well in the past two games.

hard to argue with the results aspect of it and you could say that's all that matters, but what did you like about our display v Stoke?

[Beefymcfc]

If we had 8 games at home id be off booking myself in for a tattoo but seeing as weve got 4 very tricky away games i think ill stay away.

What about the tricky home games? Sunderand and the Rags will be no pushover. Fuck, even Brom and Rangers may cause us problems!

[Ted Hughes]

Ratface has just shown how Stoke were set up to make us use the fullbacks in attack (as they don't rate them as dangerous as everyone else) but it could have been any of the teams we've played recently. Very very disciplined defending.

Strange then, that these teams don't seem to organise themselves to the same degree of dicipline, to stop the rags getting crosses in & mark the recipients seeing as we've only been at it for a year & they've been doing the same thing for two fucking decades.

All of these fuckers have really gone to town on stopping us playing football this season.

[Bridge'srightfoot]

Ratface has just shown how Stoke were set up to make us use the fullbacks in attack (as they don't rate them as dangerous as everyone else) but it could have been any of the teams we've played recently. Very very disciplined defending.

Strange then, that these teams don't seem to organise themselves to the same degree of dicipline, to stop the rags getting crosses in & mark the recipients seeing as we've only been at it for a year & they've been doing the same thing for two fucking decades.

All of these fuckers have really gone to town on stopping us playing football this season.

It seems like you are complaining that teams aren't rolling over for us. The reason they keep playing like that is because it's working. It's our job to find a way to win these games.

[Ted Hughes]

Ratface has just shown how Stoke were set up to make us use the fullbacks in attack (as they don't rate them as dangerous as everyone else) but it could have been any of the teams we've played recently. Very very disciplined defending.

Strange then, that these teams don't seem to organise themselves to the same degree of dicipline, to stop the rags getting crosses in & mark the recipients seeing as we've only been at it for a year & they've been doing the same thing for two fucking decades.

All of these fuckers have really gone to town on stopping us playing football this season.

It seems like you are complaining that teams aren't rolling over for us. The reason they keep playing like that is because it's working. It's our job to find a way to win these games.

No it doesn't seem like that at all does it ? I'm clearly saying that I don't think teams are showing the same discipline v those cunts & it's just happened yet again after another nondescript performance.