Parker " a little disappointed"

[Carborundum]

Thought we stood up well in the final 20 minutes.  Stoke's tactics seem to have contrived, almost unbelievably, to have deteriorated since Tony Pulis.  Back then aerial balls were driven or twanged in from throw ins pretty hard and relatively flat.  Today it was moon ball after moon ball.  Really difficult to fashion decent play out of that. 

With games coming thick and fast, three points are to be treasured.  Reading will not be easy. 

[davew]

You can call it an ugly victory or whatever you wish, but is still a victory against a team that should avoid the drop. That's three precious points, and a a three game unbeaten run, and a rare clean sheet, while others are losing around us. We are nowhere near the finished article and we must accept that.
So no complaints from me, it was never going to be easy, so let's embrace this victory.

+1

[70sPimlico]

You can call it an ugly victory or whatever you wish, but is still a victory against a team that should avoid the drop. That's three precious points, and a a three game unbeaten run, and a rare clean sheet, while others are losing around us. We are nowhere near the finished article and we must accept that.
So no complaints from me, it was never going to be easy, so let's embrace this victory.

100% agree. I think if the season starts now, Stoke will be around the top 6. Their going to go back to being a team nobody will fancy playing. We'll look back on this as a very good result.....I think

[Statto]

Stoke will be around the top 6. Their going to go back to being a team nobody will fancy playing. We'll look back on this as a very good result.....I think

You sure?! They're one point off bottom. Even if they were the best team in the league for the remainder of this season, they'd probably still only finish mid-table. To make the top 6, they'd have to win almost all their remaining games.

[Sting of the North]

Stoke will be around the top 6. Their going to go back to being a team nobody will fancy playing. We'll look back on this as a very good result.....I think

You sure?! They're one point off bottom. Even if they were the best team in the league for the remainder of this season, they'd probably still only finish mid-table. To make the top 6, they'd have to win almost all their remaining games.

I think you missed the "if the season starts now" which I read as a statement referring to their theoretical future position if everybody would play only the remaining games with current points not counting(top six form for the remaining 20 or so games). The point likely being that Stoke is likely to do much better than their results so far has shown.

[70sPimlico]

Stoke will be around the top 6. Their going to go back to being a team nobody will fancy playing. We'll look back on this as a very good result.....I think

You sure?! They're one point off bottom. Even if they were the best team in the league for the remainder of this season, they'd probably still only finish mid-table. To make the top 6, they'd have to win almost all their remaining games.

I think you missed the "if the season starts now" which I read as a statement referring to their theoretical future position if everybody would play only the remaining games with current points not counting(top six form for the remaining 20 or so games). The point likely being that Stoke is likely to do much better than their results so far has shown.

Thank you

[Statto]

Stoke will be around the top 6. Their going to go back to being a team nobody will fancy playing. We'll look back on this as a very good result.....I think

You sure?! They're one point off bottom. Even if they were the best team in the league for the remainder of this season, they'd probably still only finish mid-table. To make the top 6, they'd have to win almost all their remaining games.

I think you missed the "if the season starts now" which I read as a statement referring to their theoretical future position if everybody would play only the remaining games with current points not counting(top six form for the remaining 20 or so games). The point likely being that Stoke is likely to do much better than their results so far has shown.

Fair enough, yes I did misread that. Nonetheless, I still disagree just as strongly with the general sentiment and am happy to have a tenner (with the OP) on them remaining in the bottom 4. They are absolutely crap.

[WindyCity]

While I agree with you that publicly slagging off players is unwise, this isn't the first time Parker has said something questionable.  Sometimes it's simply better to keep it buttoned up.

Should he have been completely silent? Would make for strange post game interviews.

Also, I think that everyone will seem to say questionable things if every sentence is over analyzed. In my opinion people's reactions to what is said seem to mostly correlate to their feelings in general towards the person who said it, and the games after which it is said. You'll never win whatever you say after a string of mostly poor results. People will keep dissecting and interpreting to fit their negative feelings.

I still stand by my post.  Oft times much better to just keep it zipped.  I've seen it soooo many times.  Whether a politician, a celebrity of some sort, an athlete or coach, any public figure, many times they are their own worst enemy, constantly inserting foot into mouth.  As far as Parker is concerned, I think he can do much better in his post game chinwags that don't totally destroy confidence amongst FFC supporters.
[/quote]

What would you have said?   And don't say "I don't know, I'm not the manager".
[/quote]

The thing is we don't really know what happens behind closed doors (ie the clubhouse).  Maybe Parker rants and raves?  I doubt it, he seems a pretty even keeled sort of fellow.  If the team is coming off a really poor performance, I'm sorry, but I don't want to hear from my coach that he was "slightly" disappointed.  I also don't want to hear from a coach that, in a previous game, having conceded yet another early goal in a match, that he sensed his team had 'lost confidence'.  This just does not inspire, not the supporters nor the players themselves.  As I said, keeping it zipped is sometimes the best course.  If a coach feels he has to say something, then I think a guy like Parker needs to be more diplomatic than he's been.  Nothing wrong with calling the team out for a poor show, yet not throwing anyone under the bus.  Good coaches now how to do this.

[70sPimlico]

Stoke will be around the top 6. Their going to go back to being a team nobody will fancy playing. We'll look back on this as a very good result.....I think

You sure?! They're one point off bottom. Even if they were the best team in the league for the remainder of this season, they'd probably still only finish mid-table. To make the top 6, they'd have to win almost all their remaining games.

I think you missed the "if the season starts now" which I read as a statement referring to their theoretical future position if everybody would play only the remaining games with current points not counting(top six form for the remaining 20 or so games). The point likely being that Stoke is likely to do much better than their results so far has shown.

Fair enough, yes I did misread that. Nonetheless, I still disagree just as strongly with the general sentiment and am happy to have a tenner (with the OP) on them remaining in the bottom 4. They are absolutely crap.

13 out of 15 points (not including our win against them). They're on fire.

Take that bet

[Woolly Mammoth]

Well the crap team Stoke just beat Swansea and move into 7th from bottom, so that Cock and Hen is looking a little more interesting. I think they will go up another few places by the end of the season, and I suggest that Tenner is ironed nice and crispy in preparation to hand it over. 
I am prepared to bet a Monkey they will avoid bottom 4.

[Statto]

All they have to do is sustain that form for another three months and you can say you were right

[Sting of the North]

As I read it, and it look crystal clear to me, the suggested bet (at the time) was about Stoke remaining in the bottom four. Surely they don't need to sustain top two/six form for that to happen...

[Statto]

"if the season starts now, Stoke will be around the top 6"

29 December 2019

[Sting of the North]

I see now that your comment was not related to your own suggested bet. Then you are right (kind of, since they surely don't have to keep such a points average as they have had over the last 5 games).

My mistake thinking you answered the comment (that resurrected this thread) about the bet, didn't read it properly.

[Robbie]

English and understated. That is fine. He is a novice and we are 3rd. Perhaps examine yourself?