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Stoke City v Charlton Athletic | Sat 08 Feb | 3pm KO | Post-match views

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Comments

  • Too much expectation that the injured players coming back will transform things. 

    It did not happen today.
  • We needed to do more in the transfer window. Maybe ESI didn’t have the money to force it but fact is we had a month to basically try and buy our way out of trouble as the squad we have is gonna be close to the wire.

    As I say if they didn’t have the money they didn’t have the money - but I wanted to see us get a massive injection of quality and we didn’t do enough 
    ESI/Southall needs to answer a few questions from the floor at the hopeful Bromley branch meeting in March/April.
  • Is Field actually fit? Bit of a snub to bring in Davis straight away when Field has been on the bench in recent weeks
  • cafctom
    cafctom Posts: 11,375
    Yes, Stoke have better players than us, and yes they have a very good home record.

    Neither of which are excuses for us not even having a decent spell in the game. We looked absolutely toothless.

    And that stadium is an absolute nightmare to get to and from. 
  • blackpool72
    blackpool72 Posts: 23,731
    JaShea99 said:
    10th away game of the season for me and by far the worst performance. 
    Absolutely shite. 
    That's about it. 
    Luton wasn’t one of those 10 then?
    I went to Luton. 
    For me today was far far worse 
  • Garrymanilow
    Garrymanilow Posts: 13,224
    Have we won a single game in that bastard black kit?
  • Croydon
    Croydon Posts: 12,758
    cafctom said:
    Yes, Stoke have better players than us, and yes they have a very good home record.

    Neither of which are excuses for us not even having a decent spell in the game. We looked absolutely toothless.

    And that stadium is an absolute nightmare to get to and from. 
    The worst away day in the league. No town to speak of, miles away from the station, forced to drink in 1/2 shit bars and shepherded and bussed everywhere you went.
  • At least our next game will be easy.
  • Croydon said:
    cafctom said:
    Yes, Stoke have better players than us, and yes they have a very good home record.

    Neither of which are excuses for us not even having a decent spell in the game. We looked absolutely toothless.

    And that stadium is an absolute nightmare to get to and from. 
    The worst away day in the league. No town to speak of, miles away from the station, forced to drink in 1/2 shit bars and shepherded and bussed everywhere you went.
    Should have googled, then taxi to a pub from there.
  • Talal
    Talal Posts: 11,517
    Have we won a single game in that bastard black kit?
    Nope. Might as well go with the blue against Forest, brighter colour might bring a brighter result.





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  • Players looked knackered and and lacking in energy, it was a really flat performance, almost as if we’d already played the forest game already, how Lee changes it around to get something out of the forest game I don’t know, the team looked like they hadn’t played together before, and we got rinsed down the flanks time and time again, I really wish we had a strong defence!
  • BigRedEvil
    BigRedEvil Posts: 11,086
    Sounds like we were poor, personally would have Sarr starting as he is a goal threat, we haven't seen McGeady yet and Bonne hopefully isn't too far away (we miss him)

    Forest will be tough but not impossible, we need to start picking up points away from home, next few weeks are going to be important, need to draw other teams into the scrap 
  • mendonca
    mendonca Posts: 9,423
    3 points for me:

    - How many goals have we conceded with a through ball played inside the LB/LCB position and shot across Dills.

    - The number of goals conceded within the early stages of the 2nd half and injury time could to our (league based) downfall. 

    - Starting 3/4 players back from mid term injury is not working.
  • Ref had a shocker, players had a shocker.
    Don't forget the lino at our end.
  • Bilko
    Bilko Posts: 769
    Was at the game, after making it 1-1 just before HT I thought we would come out at the start of the 2nd half all guns blazing, but that 2nd half was a disgrace and we can’t just rely on our home form, I must admit I’m starting to get worried now after watching this performance and lets me honest last weeks wasn’t good either.
  • ForeverAddickted
    ForeverAddickted Posts: 94,882
    edited February 2020
    Is Field actually fit? Bit of a snub to bring in Davis straight away when Field has been on the bench in recent weeks
    Davis has been playing weekly for Birmingham

    Field hasnt played since October

    For what its worth I think we'll see Field start in place of Pratley on Tuesday
  • up_the_valley
    up_the_valley Posts: 4,238
    edited February 2020
    Men against boys . Stoke looked like they had two or three more players on the pitch and they didn’t even get out of 2nd gear . 
    I wish Williams would attempt to go past players instead of looking for the free kick nearly every single time . 
    We’ll get nothing on Tuesday either . If we’re going to stay up it’s all about what we do at home . 
    Surely it's about time William's got a goal for us. I know what he provides attacking wise, but he's had 33 games now and not scored.
  • BR3red
    BR3red Posts: 1,715
    Cannot remember him being in their final third?
  • BR3red said:
    Cannot remember him being in their final third?
    For such an attacking player you'd expect some goal return. It's odds on surely?
  • clb74
    clb74 Posts: 10,830
    Forget the result.
    Worst away day in years.
    Stoke as a club need to have a look at themselves.
    First time I can say a ground i will never visit again , was like going back 30 years.
    More to follow when sobered up

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  • BR3red
    BR3red Posts: 1,715
    BR3red said:
    Cannot remember him being in their final third?
    For such an attacking player you'd expect some goal return. It's odds on surely?
    Er no....

    His stats for the last 10 years.....

    3 goals 🤣

    Surprisingly he is 26????

    He looks knackered in the warm up...
  • Really enjoyed the noise we made on the train and tube coming home. Suspect Dillon was secretly cringing as we serenaded him on the tube, Our shake it up baby in Euston station was like a scene from Fame. Oh the stuff that happened this afternoon?...Nah
  • swords_alive
    swords_alive Posts: 4,307
    edited February 2020
    Some interesting facts and thoughts on the large police presence today from the home fans perspective -
    http://oatcakefanzine.proboards.com/thread/293630/police-presence
  • Blucher
    Blucher Posts: 4,150

    A very disappointing performance in which we were second best from start to finish. 

    We struggled to put more than a couple of passes together (save for sideways along the back) and we were, in truth, outclassed by a Stoke side whose players looked a cut above ours. Michael O’Neill has got them well organised and, when in possession, we ended up playing in front of them and creating next to nothing, other than Purrington’s very nice goal just before half time. A shot on the turn by Lyle Taylor, which went narrowly wide near the end, was our only other effort of note.

    We looked vulnerable defensively, especially down the flanks, and Joe Allen and his colleagues totally dominated the game in midfield. They had far too much space to operate in and we didn’t seem able to get near them. Taylor and Green were left to feed on scraps and a diet of aimless long balls, which Stoke dealt with comfortably.

    No Charlton player emerged with any real credit and we looked jaded. Chasing the ball around against able opponents is pretty draining and I suspect that Bowyer may try to introduce Field on Tuesday if he thinks he’s fit enough to start.

    Stoke did play well and it’s a puzzle as to how they find themselves messing about at the wrong end of the table.

    To compound a fairly miserable performance, the match seemed to be ridiculously over-policed, with a very large number of officers on duty. Attempts to herd Charlton supporters to the designated ‘away’ pub were a bit over the top and the message about remaining in the coach park wasn’t helpful for those who had come on the normal bus service. The Stoke stewards were, to be fair, very good - at least the ones near us.

    Maybe the number of Old Bill reflect the fact that some of the locals can be a bit unpleasant but most of them seemed ok. The first pub we went to, The White Star, wasn’t too welcoming but the second, The Glebe, certainly was and it served up a mean ham, egg and chips - sadly, that and a couple of pints were to prove the highlight of the day.

    After Forest’s win against Leeds tonight, let’s hope that our visit on Tuesday proves to be a case of ‘after the Lord Mayor’s Show’ from their perspective.

  • RC_CAFC
    RC_CAFC Posts: 1,763
    PWR

    Don’t get too high from the victories and again don’t get too low from the defeats. With players coming back and new players to bed in, Bow is still trying to sort things out. 

    He will know that our midfield trio of Cullen, Pratley and Davis didn’t work today, but he won’t be panicking about it. 

    I would expect to see a different team and performance. We did well against Forest by attacking them so I expect that to be the case again. 

    3 points from our last two games is ok. And 3 points from our next two will be too. 

    I think today, the key player on the pitch was Joe Allen. He was a class apart and completely stopped us from creating attacks through the middle of the pitch.
  • IR94
    IR94 Posts: 787
    Why do we constantly concede after half time, wtf is happening in that dressing room at half time
  • Some interesting facts and thoughts on the large police presence today from the home fans perspective -
    http://oatcakefanzine.proboards.com/thread/293630/police-presence
    We heard the story today about the pub being attacked when they played us earlier in the season - first I've heard. the comments on the Stoke thread very ironic. If the fan who thinks waving us off at the station is amusing I suspect his dinner repartee will be very dry. as for the thing that called us beige, that was the colour of the jumper one of the Stoke teletubbies at the station was wearing..beige. their support truly shite. Only Barnsley worse. They only know two songs, and can only manage em when they score.
  • Lyle didn’t track his man for the first goal. Matthews played Ince onside for their second. Lockyer let Powell get across him for their third. 
    Shit defending throughout the team.

  • Stoke pay us back with a 3-1 whipping in their favour but we won’t have the possession or shots that they had back in August .
    a big wake up call that this season is gonna go to the wire 


    As predicted and sadly the relegation battle I foresaw a long time ago even when sitting upper  “mid table” 
    has become a reality and I’m not sure we are equipped to deal with it.
    McGeady can be the key , someone who offers different from the norm .
    We are the worse team in the league over the last 18 games and there isn’t a sign of turning this sinking ship back just yet .


    65%   13th-21st ..........................35%   Relegation 
  • PWR.

    Great journey there, nice meal & drinks with our lot, great journey home. 

    It's the bit in between that was so disappointing.

    We travelled more in hope than expectation....as we've done since Reading back in August. And I can accept defeat if the lads give their all, but any positives from today's performance were hard to find.

    I'm not the best person to comment on the way Bow set them up today - I just say what I see & no-one looked comfortable out there this afternoon. 

    Whether it was due to the combination of players that started or whether they failed to carry out the gaffer's plan to counteract the strengths that the Potters seemed to have in spades - I can't honestly say. 

    But it wasn't working & it  was crystal clear to me that changes should have been made earlier, maybe even at half time as the score at that point flattered our boys.

    Now that we have a 90% fit squad of players, I wonder whether it's a case of having too many options at this moment in time, especially in midfield.....something we could never have imagined saying a matter of weeks ago.

    A new challenge now faces Bow : perhaps a new mindset. What is his strongest starting eleven when facing  specific opposition, taking into consideration their strengths & weaknesses ? And then, which players should make a difference in either attack or defence if required from the bench. 

    Simples ? Clearly not today.

    Sadly, this is not a problem facing a manager with the whole season in front of him & time to "get it right". 

    It has to happen now. 

    Bow has faced & overcome numerous challenges since he took the reins at our club & there is no reason to doubt his ability to deal with this latest conundrum. 

    When we travel to Robin Hood territory on Tuesday, we'll hope that he will once again step up to the plate as we know he can by choosing a team to give our opponents a run for their money, and send the faithful home in a happier frame of mind.

    And just as importantly, a sense of pride in those wearing the shirt.