Just Found This - Stoke fan view of the game - talk about bitter!

[AlFayedsChequebook]

FIFA Favourite – Mark Hughes – Although Danny Murphy said that managers are responsible for 'dangerous' tackles performed by their players, I'll leave it to somebody more petty to suggest that, as a man who liked to throw his elbows around but shirked a fight, Mark Hughes instructed Hangeland to try and take out the two players who he saw as Stoke's biggest threat, namely Delap and Shawcross. Everyone in football knows that Paintsil is a cheat and that Johnson is a falling down machine, but Hughes actively encourages cheating by picking them week in, week out. The conduct of Hughes' team on the pitch was an absolute disgrace and his behaviour on the touchline, which saw him spend more time swearing and gesturing at the Stoke supporters then watching the game, was an utter embarrassment. Where's the dignity in running at the touchline to scream at the referee when John Paintsil has been caught out play-acting? He looked very much like a man under pressure and I'll be surprised if he's still in a job in February.
The Fulham game was a tremendously frustrating affair so far as Stoke were concerned. Whilst most expected Fuller to be handed a start after his role in the win away at Blackburn, I had a sneaking suspicion that the manager would elect not to change his winning team. It seemed for all the world that having been rested for the Blackburn game, we would unleash a fully-fit Fuller against Fulham, but we were instead treated to another outing for the unpopular Walters and Jones partnership. A lively start saw half chances at both ends before two long ranges strikes from Chris Baird saw Stoke 2 goals down and struggling for options. Whilst Fulham offered absolutely nothing in attack again, we never really looked like breaking through, despite the half chances and some bizarre refereeing. Brede Hangeland was allowed to fly into Delap with his elbows raised and was left completely unpunished, allowing him to do exactly the same thing to Shawcross in the second half. On another occasion, Whithead managed to put in a volley as the ball bounced clear from a set piece, only to find himself pretty clearly brought down in the area.
Perhaps on another day, Begovic would have managed to deal with the two long shots, getting a firmer hand on the first and sorting out his positioning for the second. Perhaps we would have converted one of our chances and perhaps the opposition would have been down to ten men if the referee was willing to do his job properly. We would also have had the opportunity to score from the spot. However, you can't just blame the defeat on things not dropping for us and us being desperately unlucky. You don't go from losing 2-0 to a very poor Fulham side to beating an impressive Everton side 2-0 by getting a bit of extra luck. There were some big differences between the two games in terms of Stoke performance.

[finnster01]

Hangeland is a bit of a malicious thug isn't he? :005:
Couldn't harm a fly.

[BalDrick]

Just astounding how fans of different teams differ in their views of the same game. For one I'd say they're bitter because they lost (see elsewhere lots of Spurs fans saying that was the worst they'd played all season), and for another they really couldn't complain if we had gone up there looking to inflict some damage after *that tackle*.

Nasty club, nasty players, nasty fans and nasty, odious, scum-of-the-earth manager.

[The Doctor]

I could drive several buses through the holes in that logic.  But I've already wasted 2 minutes of my life reading that drivel and I don't fancy wasting any more

[ImperialWhite]

Top of the (disciplinary) table - we still got it!

http://www.premierleague.com/page/Statistics/0,,12306,00.html

[BalDrick]

Top of the (disciplinary) table - we still got it!

http://www.premierleague.com/page/Statistics/0,,12306,00.html

West Brom 6 reds? Bloody hell, perhaps Dembele won't be back tonight after all...

[LordNelson]

That's what happens when you wear striped pajamas for a kit--loss of dignity and common sense.

[HatterDon]

West Brom play on momentum and emotion. If they get slapped down they lose control.