Stoke

[Peabody]

Bearing in mind the type of players that they have brought, does anyone feel that they (Stoke) are slowly changing their style and that we will face more of a football match, rather than the usual wrestling match, that we have become used too?

[MJG]

No.

[horse1031]

i think we are one of the few teams that can deal with stoke with our back 4.  Hangeland is such a tall lad that anything in the air he can get to... plus Crouch is such a lightweight that he can just push him out of the way.  They will still play their way which is physical.  hope the weather is halfway decent and we get a result.

[Jack Fulham]

If you look at there signings, then no. In central midfield, they just have chasers in Palacios and Whitehead etc rather than passers. They signed Woodgate and Upson at he back, this could potentially mean a backline of Huth - Shawcross - Woodgate - Upson. Upfront, they've signed Crouch and Jerome who're both big strikers. The signing of Crouch just signifies there intentions this season. If we can just get them to hoof it to Hangeland again, we should be able to win.

[horse1031]

If you look at there signings, then no. In central midfield, they just have chasers in Palacios and Whitehead etc rather than passers. They signed Woodgate and Upson at he back, this could potentially mean a backline of Huth - Shawcross - Woodgate - Upson. Upfront, they've signed Crouch and Jerome who're both big strikers. The signing of Crouch just signifies there intentions this season. If we can just get them to hoof it to Hangeland again, we should be able to win.

Pretty good backline really.  Huth and Shawcross are a threat to score on set pieces.  If Andy is playing against that lot he should be able to use his pace to work the channels.  I think Dembele will have a good game, i'm always so impressed with his balance.

[White Noise]

They have got a pretty good squad on paper but I have not seen much this season to suggest that Pulis is setting them up differently. They are often a threat out wide but I think 0-0 or a win by the odd goal is the most likely result. They are still very difficult to break down at home but aren't scoring that many goals this season either.

[vagrant]

I have said it enough times on here ........

What's the point of Stoke City ????

[Burt]

Underestimate them at your peril...

Putting the emotions to one side, Pulis is no mug, they have a reasonable squad, and whilst they are quite "large 'n' physical" they are actually capable of playing quite decent football.

I would be happy with a point.

[AlFayedsChequebook]

Every year the media start to say 'look how stoke have changed' and every year, they dont change one bit.

Long ball merchants who are frustratingly good at their job. We will probably lose up there with some injuries and everyone will once again be all doom and gloom.

If we can play well/get a point/get three points, I think it will show how far we have come this season.

[Mitch]

Pennant has made more crosses than anyone else this season. Make of that what you will.

[rhyspabsolom]

How do people feel about team selection based on former glories?

For example, do you play Baird at right-back for the psychological advantage of his two goals last season?
Do you have a back-up plan for if Dembele goes into his shell remembering his bones being kicked out in the cup?

Mind you, Jol wasn't there for either of those and I'm sure everyone's professional enough to take every game as it comes.

Pointless post.

[CorkedHat]

What I find intriguing is whether the momentum we found against QPR will continue or whether the International break has done us no good at all? Are we on a high ready to take Stoke no matter what brand of football they dish out or have we lost the impetus of a week ago?

[rhyspabsolom]

What I find intriguing is whether the momentum we found against QPR will continue or whether the International break has done us no good at all? Are we on a high ready to take Stoke no matter what brand of football they dish out or have we lost the impetus of a week ago?

Of course last season we used Stoke away (infamously one of the hardest fixtures in the calendar) as the unexpected reaction to our lowest ebb (defeat at home to the atrocious Hammers).
Maybe we should have let QPR beat us so that Bairdinho could add a couple more to his tally?

[White Noise]

Jol does a very good impression of a man who does not study the recent past overly much so I am expecting a difficult, maybe fatally so, first half and a massive re-organisation at half time.

Pulis will have studied our QPR performance intently and we won't get anything like that time and space but the question is whether that was a Jol performance or a player performance. Did we prosper despite his strategy and, if so, can we as a team do so against a military side like Stoke.

[Walsh]

less of a wrestling match?? they've just bought more tall players in my eye's, gonna be the same old poo with the long throw's ect...

[finnster01]

The Potters still are not exactly looking like a collection of Umpa Lumpas are they? More of the same to me.

Also 1 more match to be played in the Int. break and an opportunity for quite a few players to get knackered/injured before playing that lot.

[White Noise]

61.3% - The ball is in play just 61% of the time during matches involving Stoke, the lowest proportion in the EPL. Touchline.

[Bigmamma]

No

[LordNelson]

Time for Bairdinho to put it to them again.

[BalDrick]

Wilkinson is their player I fear the most, which pretty well says it all. The rest, our players are plenty better at football, but we have no thugs whose sole raison d'etre is to curtail other players' careers (see also Henry, Karl).