Back from the Game - Stoke City (H)

[Handsome Man]

Feds 1
Gunter 6
Pearce 7
Gorkss 7
Haarte 6
Guthrie 8
Lieg... 8
McAnuff 6
HRK 6
Pog 6
LeF 7
McCleary 14 million

It was fine. The defence looked solid, the midfield passed it well and probbaly outfought but certainly outlasted Stoke and the attack looked OK. McCleary was the highlight.

The kit is horrid though. Trevor Senior pale blue next year please. Hoops are a bit shit.

[Arnie_Pie]

Feds 1

[windermere_royal]

Feds 1

i stopped reading after that

[Ups and Downs]

When they brought on Kenwyne Jones it changed the shape of the midfield and McCleary did very well to exploit it. HRK didn't have the same space but it has to Be McCleary to start next game. I like the look of him. He also gave Pog his best (or only) chance.

[Royal Ginger]

Would like to see Hunt start instead of Alfie. Hunt will run round, leap like a basketball player and isn't afraid to fly in with his head, it's what he did last season. After he's knackered/pissed off the defense, throw on Le Fondre. If he gets about them like he did today with fresh legs when they've been running for an hour, he'll score goals.

Pog wasn't great today, but wait until Roberts is back. I suspect they'll make a better partnership then people think.

Gutrhrie will end up player of the season. He was ace.

P.S Is Shorey injured? Not even on the bench today.

[Mike Hunt]

When they brought on Kenwyne Jones it changed the shape of the midfield and McCleary did very well to exploit it. HRK didn't have the same space but it has to Be McCleary to start next game. I like the look of him. He also gave Pog his best (or only) chance.

Jerome bud, but I can see how you made that mistake

[plroyals]

looked solid at the back and dealt with most things well, a rare feds mistake for the goal. thought we were on top for most of the game apart from the period after the stoke goal. However in the first half the wingers were mainly ineffective. second half was an improvement and it is clear we are much better when we keep the ball on the deck. Guthrie was very neat on the ball and played well in the middle with Legs who i thought was one of our best players today. McCleary had a great impact coming on and made us a lot more dangerous going forward. should of started instead of HRK imo. Deserved a point at the very least and nearly took all three. A solid start which we can build on and overall was a pleasing display.

[Ups and Downs]

You're right, it was Jerome.

[pea]

I'm sure it would all be based on evidence and I'm sure there is none. At first he was just mouthing it and saying it very quietly to the bloke so he could lip read. Then just after half time he was practically shouting it and making slit your throat gestures, but the stewards had their backs turned. Also, at the end of the match, him and his equally moronic friend were up at the barrier shaking hands with the stewards (the black ones too) and winding the away fans up one last time.

I've seen a lot of stuff at football that you could put down to banter but this was just grim.

they'll have all that available to them on CCTV most likely,

[Dick Habbin's hairdo]

Before this game I feared we wouldn't have enough quality up front to do anything other than struggle and after today I am even more convinced. Pog looked unfit, won nothing in the air and looked slow. 35k a week doesn't get you much on that evidence. Le Fondre as usual was willing if not entirely able. And when Noel Hunt is your first-change upfront in the Premier League you know you're in trouble.

Deserved draw against a side who fouled and time-wasted their way to the brink of 3 points, a deserved murking for Stoke. McLeary and Guthrie are really good additions and I congratulate the team for their efforts if not their quality.

Pretty much this with a couple of additions:

1) Ledge was huge, especially in the first half, and kept us in it.
2) Could be a bit more effusive about Guthrie. Hard working, always available, always looking for the ball and always trying to pick out the runner. Composed.
3) McClearey clearly the game changer. If he has a bit more confidence to really attack the space in front of him he'll be a real threat.
2) I giggled as a looked down having my half time pish in the urinal in the South Stand. No, not at the size of my todger but there lay a songsheet-spazzclapper as target practice. How appropriate.
3) The Delilah in the white short and the spaztards with him. I thought the Sunshine Coaches were on an away day. Complete window-lickers. Surprised the Scorpions Wheelchair boyz didn't make a cavalry charge down the slope at full time.

[CayeneMatt]

Was dissapointed with: Gunts, gave away the ball way too often and didnt really offer anything going forward

Absolute nonsense.

He made a number of overlapping runs and got forward on numerous occasions. He's a right-back with a primary role to defend, not to be a right-winger.

Absolute nonsense? It might be your thread, but you need to be picked up for talking total bollox.

Gunter was shocking, particularly first half. If I was Cummings, I'd be particularly plssed off for getting sidelined. 2 or 3 terrible hospital balls to Guthrie and Ledge in the first half, and on the odd occasion he did overlap, they led to nothing and left Pearce exposed.

Pog is a massive concern..... fitness aside, for someone so big he got bullied off the ball far too easily. My 9 yr old could've held it up better.

McCleary and Guthrie simply brilliant and should be the first 2 on the team sheet for Chelsea, followed by Ledge. I'd also start with Hunt with Alf, but what that could do with Pog's confidence is anyones guess..

[bennno]

Don't think I saw the Pog win a competitive header or hold the ball up in the first half - on yesterdays performance we need Roberts back asap.

Think the combination of Hunt and McCleary both gave Stoke a real hard time and both deserve to start on Weds.

As per an earlier post think Le Fondre better off bench following Hunt giving the defence a hard time for 60 minutes.

Thought Gunter was sound, slight concern for me is that McAnuff and HRK both were off the boil yesterday. Would be more exciting to see Kebe on one wing and McCleary on the other.

[Snowball]

I thought we started confidently and played all the football, thought Stoke looked like a championship side without Crouch.

But they looked more likely to score when they got in sight of goal. The goal itself was dire but don't forget the player had a free shot
ten yards out and if he had caught it properly should have scored. Generally though, the defense was very very solid and gave away very few clear
chances. Federici's mistake was just one of those things but he looked a bit out of it in the game anyway (and the warm up)... wouldn't have got
near the flashed header that went just wide. What was the strapping about?

Gorks was fabulous, won dozens of challenges and one brilliant stop, Elwood had a fantastic game and has started the season miles better
than last year. Guthrie was sheer class. Started a little quietly but got more and more into the game and wanted the ball all the time. He
looks like Bargain of the Century.

Gunter looked extremely nervous at the start of the game but steadily improved except for a blip just before half-time. Much more positive
going forward and overlapped well but was never fed. (I thought McAnuff was OK but not special and should have used Gunter more.)

Only one game and stupidly hot, but I thought Pog was very disappointing, and wasn't convinced that ALF should start (TV pundits talked about him
with a lot of praise though, sounded like how they used to talk about Shane...) Personally I think he'd be better coming on at 55 minutes. Noel
was more of a threat than the Pog.

Very unfair to single out HRK. He was pretty solid while not being spectacular and in two cases where he beat his man he won free kicks
which we should have done better with. For a kid, first match in the Prem against a bunch of heavies, he did OK and much more of our
work was down his side.

McCleary looked exciting, and though a different type of player, perhaps, reminded me of Kebe's game-changing introductions. He looks more
likely to win points, but no idea if he can play like that for 90 minutes.

PS Was it Alf's lovely flick to McCleary in the 1-2 which led to the penalty? If so kudos to Alf, and great coolness for the penalty (but the keeper got VERY close)


6 Federici Keepers make mistakes. Move on

7 Gunter Started nervously but improved. Not sure how close he is with McAnuff but good prospect
8 Pearce. Saw a lot less of him than Gorkss but the pair did well
9 Gorkss. Immense, leader, brave, fantastic in the air
7 Harte Skinned once on the half-way line, not a brilliant game, but OK. Unlucky with the "saved" free-kick?

9 Elwood. BRILLIANT player, does so much for this club, looks a great partnership with Guthrie. Did more constructive work today
9 Guthrie. Took a while to get fully into the game but got better and better, a super-star start for us. Wants the ball all the time. Great!

7 HRK. Solid, often stopped cynically. Hard to run your heart out in the heat. Didn't let us down.
7 McAnuff. Felt there was a bit of wanting to be the star for TV, didn't quite gel with Gunter, but "OK"

6 Pog. Too early to judge but didn't have a great game and seemed to draw the ball to him but it was rarely sticking
7 Alf Maybe should get a bonus up to 8 for winning the point (and the 1-2 pass for the pen) but didn't look like a 90-minute man to me.


8 McCleary. If he did that for 90 minutes he'd probably get a ten. Exciting player, like his no-fear directness. But 20-something minutes as a sub is not the same as 90 in that heat. Great start.
7 Hunt. Lively and I thought we looked better when he came on for Pog



A bit like with Matejovsky, the players will have to learn to use Guthrie fully, but he looks a top-six player to me.

I fancy we may eventually start playing a 60-30 game, tight, trying to wear down the other side then playing Alf and Kebe/McCleary looking for the win.

But two-three other things. It was extremely hot, affects the play, Stoke were crude, disruptive (and not very good), and it's too early
to see much with any kind of certainty. Biggest plus for me was that the midfield pair looked awesome and it is going to be very hard
for Jem to break into that pairing. Physically, I liked the look of Pog, but I didn't think he had a good game and we played through him
too much. OTOH Stoke are a big rough side and maybe playing like that played into their hands?

[LongThrowSpecialist]

Had a good day out besides the heart breaking end to the game.

It would have been better if not for the stifling heat, never experienced such stuffy conditions in a ground before, the collective BO of 30,000 will be lingering for a good few weeks I imagine.

Ended up in a little pub in the centre, lovely little place.

The game was a bit dull in places, but that is how we play away from home and it nearly worked, I think we looked comfortable most of the game and there was a few moments of chaos in the box where we should have had a second.

The group to the rest of us were a good laugh especially the older bloke with glasses, never seen anybody get so wound up by a bit of banter, he was calling stewards to get people chucked out. A bit disappointed that other than them the atmosphere around the game consisted of clapping to songs and dancing to a song after the goal, football should be about unbridled passion and excitement when your team gets the goal, not an organised celebration.

Anyway good luck for the season, I hope you(and us) stay up, Norwich kicked off with a draw against us and stayed up comfortably in the end.

[Soul Man]

a stoke fan explaining what footballs all about

[percy_freeman]

I must of been at a different game.
Guthrie pulled out of every challenge....not impressed
The Pog won 1 header.......even less impressed
Legitwood was by far the MOTM and
Alfie gets 10/10 for effort and being the player that could keep us up this year.
McCleary changed the game, he needs to start.
We need Jem and Jason Roberts back............
I had loads of eastern Europeans sat behind me!

[RoyalBlue]

Ups and downs - as regards the racist thug in front of you. Write to the club and describe his behaviour - if the club follow the FA's guidelines on this matter he should be banned for the rest of the season. Alternatively, if there are any police around let them know and, if they do their job (and I have no reason to think they wouldn't), he should be arrested. The stewards may not have heard him but if they do they should pick up on this. No reason at all why said "fan" should be allowed to continue to come to games.

I'm sure it would all be based on evidence and I'm sure there is none. At first he was just mouthing it and saying it very quietly to the bloke so he could lip read. Then just after half time he was practically shouting it and making slit your throat gestures, but the stewards had their backs turned. Also, at the end of the match, him and his equally moronic friend were up at the barrier shaking hands with the stewards (the black ones too) and winding the away fans up one last time.

I've seen a lot of stuff at football that you could put down to banter but this was just grim.

I believe that the club have pretty good CCTV coverage of that area so definitely worth reporting the incident(s).

[winchester_royal]

I must of been at a different game.
Guthrie pulled out of every challenge....not impressed
The Pog won 1 header.......even less impressed
Legitwood was by far the MOTM and
Alfie gets 10/10 for effort and being the player that could keep us up this year.
McCleary changed the game, he needs to start.
We need Jem and Jason Roberts back............
I had loads of eastern Europeans sat behind me!

Yep, you must have been at a different game

[Blue Blood]

We weren't disgraced today, but we weren't clinical enough and our one mistake got punished.....

I wonder how many times that will find its way into a match report this season.

Overall I was happy. A lot of players today needed to prove to themselves they can play at this level (they can) and new signings all looked like they have a role to play. Not sure I agree with Gunter comments, I thought he looked pretty good (ex-right back union talking)

[winchester_royal]

Don't think I saw the Pog win a competitive header or hold the ball up in the first half.

Must have been asleep then because there were a number of times where the ball was played into his feet and he beat a couple of defenders to hold it up. He had no chance in the air against the toughest aerial defence in the league