Pulis asking for the fans support again.....................

http://www.stokecityfc.com/page/NewsDetail/0,,10310~2599407,00.html

Yes it's all down to us now. Nothing to do with a bad team selections, nothing to do with poor tactics, nothing to do with a negative style of play, nothing to do with the wind, nothing to do with TP bigging up the opposition again, nothing to do with bad referee decisions and basically nothing to do with TP whatsoever it's all down to us!

Always makes me smile when TP gets on his soapbox and urges the crowd to get behind the team whenever everyone is starting to get ticked off with his style of play and tactics. We are asked to play our part and yet i always feel he never rewards us!

Chances are it could snow tomorrow! Anyone know if Palacios can play in the snow? Probably have that muppet Diao in there as he will be excellent in the snow no doubt!

Can't see us getting anything tomorrow if the past 3 home games are anything to go by.

Wrap up warm Stokies and pack your thermos flasks it's going to be a cold miserable day tomorrow!

Don't forget to shout your loudest for TP and the lads they are probably going to need it!



TONY PULIS has today stressed that Stoke City will need the backing of their passionate supporters more than ever . . . as they begin a big month which will more than likely determine just how successful the 2011-12 season will turn out for them.

Pulis' side kick off a crucial phase of their campaign by taking on the Barclays Premier League's in-form team, Sunderland, at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday as they endeavour to maintain a strong push on three different fronts.

While the focus of attention will be on moving closer to the 40-point target in the Premier League initially, they will then be aiming to make further progress in the Europa League and the FA Cup in their ties against Valencia and Crawley Town.

Pulis points to the fact that the Sunderland match will be their 38th game of the season, the equivalent of an entire Premier League programme.

"We should really be getting ready to pack our bags and go on our holidays if you look at it in those terms, yet here we are going into another important phase of a season and the next month is a massive, massive one for us," said City's manager.

"Therefore, we need everyone to be galvanised, especially the supporters. Starting tomorrow, we need their backing like we've never had it before and that's extremely difficult because they have been magnificent over the past four or five years.

"But we're asking them to knock it up another notch again. It could make all the difference in a month that's as big as the Club has ever had. If we are still going strong on all three fronts come the end of this month, then we will be in a fantastic position."

He added: "It will be a big strain on everybody and it will be interesting to see how they handle it. We've taken on a lot more this season, a lot more than we've ever done before; it's all a new experience and I think we've done magnificently.

"It's certainly been a big learning curve for myself and it's been a big learning curve for the Football Club, as well as everyone involved in it so far."

Pulis has sized up the immediate task for his side against a Sunderland side which climbed above them in the Premier League table this week.

"This is as tough a game as we've had at the Britannia Stadium this season because they're without doubt the form team in the Premier League," he said.

"I went to watch them on Wednesday evening and Martin had really got them going. They're playing with a lot of confidence and winning matches.

"It's not the last four or five game that Martin has been good at; if you look at his career, he has been a top manager throughout that time."

Pulis will check on the fitness of winger Matthew Etherington before finalising his line-up to start the game against Martin O'Neill's buoyant side.

Etherington has missed the last couple of days of training with a virus, so City will assess his recovery shortly before the kick-off on Saturday.

If he is unavailable, Republic of Ireland international Jon Walters is likely to continue on the left hand side, leaving Cameron Jerome, Kenwyne Jones and Ricardo Fuller to contest a starting place alongside Peter Crouch in City's attack.

With Glenn Whelan expected to return in the centre of midfield, it will be a choice between Rory Delap, Dean Whitehead and Wilson Palacios to partner him, while Jermaine Pennant will be hoping to figure from the start of the match.

 

The atmosphere at the Brit has been crap in the past couple of months and that is down to the fans frustration with the deterioration of our style.

 

Waddo

I hope only light snow. I am leaving home early tomorrow to arrive hopefully by 12:45 and possibly be first in the Trentham Vale car park, and really do not want to get going back south after the game.

Yes I will be wrapped up well and do hope we have something to shaout about rather than me just losing my rag and berating TP.

 

Waddo,
Thanks matie for posting that..
If we're honest and I know we all are. NOTHING Tony has said in that interview is NOTHING he's not said a 100 times before.
The fans we need you!
This club has an inportant month ahead.


In short... cut the crap Tony, it's another game that's it. They are all BLOODY important If you happen to be a Stoke fan STOP partronising us!

We NEED something to sing about.. TWO wingers might help and I mean BOTH starting. If not, why not?

Sorry to be so blunt fella's.

 

The 1st season and half was magical and fantastic! The atmosphere was awesome, the team were brilliant and it felt like a dream come true. Ever since then the home games have failed to come anywhere near and the awy fans now have the right to as where's your famous atmosphere? TP killed it along time ago!

 

Give us something to cheer about then pulis!

 

Stokie lad
I am honestly worried this morning why?
Because, reading Waddo's quotes from wherever Waddo!

READ the last SIX lines, re Delap might, Etherington virus? Palacios might... Jerome OUR most IN FORM player goals wise is pushng/hoping for a START.

P***** me off big time when I read that. Jerome should be IN with A N Other not, the other way around IMHO.
Oatcakes eaten, off for a shower and hike it to Mecca. WRAP up WARM guy's and HANG onto your'e HAT'S.

I for one will be singing my head off, WITHOUT Tony's advice. Whisky flask will be in pocket to keep the inner and nether reagions warm.

 

Potts is of course right. Whatever our misgivings about tactics and team selection, it is after all our team.

Lets raise the roof, and who knows, -today might be the start of something big!

Come on you potters!

 

Another excellent letter in today's Sentinel complaining of Pulis's poor tactics and basically saying what I have been harping on about for the past 12 months. TP is not the messiah and he has got us to where we are through Coates's financial backing as opposed to his managerial prowse. The cracks are showing TP sort it out mate or you will lose the crowd totally!

 

Final post from me guys before the game..
STILL cleaning up the mess from that burst pipe..
CRIS! IF I don't make it for that pint mate.. really sorry about that.

LET'S all sing our freekin head off.. Sod Tony, THE TEAM needs US Today!!

I'm off too the ground now! KTF one and all.

 

To be fair, I don't think you can slate any manager too much for what he says in interviews. Pretty much all managers come out with the same crap Tone does, they've all got about 3 or 4 stock responses, "tough match/ good results last time/ bad result last time/ need help from the fans".

Let's save our breath and moan about what's important, our poor form at home recently, and general negativity.
Here's hoping he gets it right and gives the mackems a game, not that tosh we played against WBA

 

Just got in from my 4 hour drive and abandand car at the bottom of the lane! How was the atmosphere today?

 

The atmosphere started off well enough and then faded as the cold bitter weather kicked in and the poor team performance once more. I thought Pennant had a shocker and was not surprised he was sacrificed for a defender when Huth went off. Never seen so many people leave at half time during a game at the Brit. Empty seats everywhere I actually changed seats 4 times to try and get out of the snow!

 

The Brit is not the same place anymore! At the end of last season I didnt recognise anyone from the championship years or the 1st prem season in the seats around me - do you think its the rotation of the fan base or is the tide slowley turning?

 

Same where I sit mate. Apart from my mate and his lad I never have the same fans near me 2 games on the trot and it's fresh faces every single game. No singing due to not knowing the songs and more and more foreigners around us too. Reading twitter, forums and facebook people are generally ticked off now with how we are progressing or not progressing as I should say. Sunderland were aweful today as were Villa, West Brom and Wigan, yet they went home with points. I actually don't think we have been the same since Crouch has been up front. We rarely get any shots on goal now. Season ticket renewals looming and I'm actually wavering for the first time in years!

 

The game was awful mate, not just stoke or Sunderland but the conditions dictated that sort of game more than anything. Thing is, we (Sunderland) didn't even have our best 11 on show. We were missing our captain Cattermole, Brown, Vaughan and Campbell. We played a 5ft 7 forward but played the conditions better.

Pullis has a good plan A but when it doesn't work, no plan B. That's what did for Bruce in the end and he used all the excuses available to mark over his shortcomings too.

For what its worth, Huths tackle was a bad one but probably a yellow tbh. Meyler has just returned yesterday from 12 months out with 2 cruciate operations and isn't a cheat. If he hadn't jumped he could have been badly injured and he fell awkwardly on a rock hard surface. He didn't roll around at all but rather lay very still. Watching at home, we all thought he was really hurt.

The biggest disgrace was hearing Pullis call a very genuine young man coming back from a career threatening injury a cheat on MotD.

That was a shameful thing for him to say imo.

Good luck against Valencia in Europe though

 

Brilliant post..
Hard to judge either team given the conditions. Oh and Pulis is a sore loser. WE the REAL Stoke fans are not. Great goal by McClean otherwise too cold, and once down to ten men I think like me, ALL the player's looked like they didn't want to be out there. YOU are flying, well done on the win.

 

Pottermouth, we just got lucky getting Mon in when we did. We had 11 points from 14 games and looked shot. O'Neill has come in and just transformed everything overnight.

We have 22 points from the last 30 available and are the form team of the EPL over the last 10 games. Momentum is everything in sport and It's with up currently.

Will it last? Who knows but I'll enjoy it for now.

You will be fine although Valencia will be very a hard game. When they turn it on they are pretty hot.