2012/13 Premier League discussion thread part 4

[Guest]

First topic message reminder :

We are now entering the business end of the season!

Now Utd more or less have the title sewn up it's all about the relegation scrap and the race for the Champions League spots.

Game on.

[Dave.]

Maybe the Stoke fans just can't take any more?

[GSC]

Thats all well and good, but does that mean Stoke fans should be content with lower midtable for the next 20 years based on where they were 10 years ago.

Pulis has done an admirable job, but Stoke should be in the position where they can push on and challenge the Europa League spots in the coming years, and I think Pulis has taken them as far as he can.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Spot on GSC. Pulis has done a brilliant job, nobody is disputing that.

But now they have established themselves, they should be pushing on for Europa League places. Look at West Brom for example. That should have been Stoke over the past couple seasons.

You can't live off your past achievements forever as Mr Wenger is finding out

[GSC]

Quite frankly, Stoke have gone nowhere since their first season.

And the kind of dire football they play is fine when they win. When you lose 1-0 or draw 0-0 most weeks it drains

[Guest]

How many Europa League places are there though? One via the league, one via the League Cup and One via the FA Cup.

They ain't never finishing 5th, ever. Nobody is going to take them any further, not for my money anyway.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11701/8571162/Tony-Pulis-says-survival-would-be-great-for-Stoke-after-West-Brom-draw

Purely surviving doesn't represent a great season for Stoke Tony. It's the norm now, you've established yourselves in the league.

With the money they've spent (and mostly wasted on crap) they should be looking to finish Top 10 every season. They've had much much more money to spend than Everton have over recent seasons.

[Guest]

Olly I've just stuck a fiver on Graham scoring anytime tomorrow. I'm riding your wave.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Olly I've just stuck a fiver on Graham scoring anytime tomorrow. I'm riding your wave.

You won't regret it Freek haha!

[Guest]

Olly I've just stuck a fiver on Graham scoring anytime tomorrow. I'm riding your wave.

You won't regret it Freek haha!

Hope not, I regretted NOT backing that penalty tip last week.

[The Special Juan]

What about my tip earlier today?

I wonder how many Utd will put past Reading tonight. I'll say 1.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

What about my tip earlier today?

I wonder how many Utd will put past Reading tonight. I'll say 1.

I was just about to say something about that! Looking good at the moment, doesn't sound like an inspiring match tho

[The Special Juan]

Oh it was really dire. I think that was more to do with the rain than anything else as it was really, really heavy and cutting up the pitch. Then again, you'd think they'd be used to that in Manchester.

[Dave.]

Did no one get my joke?

[The Special Juan]

I didn't even notice it Very good.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Sure I read somewhere that QPR are now further off safety than they were when Harry took over.

Obviously they've had an improvement of results, but a lot of draws means they haven't really been able to push on.

Gonna take a monumental man sausage up from Villa/Saints/Sunderland/Norwich to see them safe now

[Guest]

Watching the Villa/QPR game on Football First now. Really good game.

[The Special Juan]

Out of those 4 Olly, if they don't win tomorrow then Sunderland may just about do it. They've been really average all season and very unlike a normal MON team. They'll be fine next season though as I think he'll bring in a few new players.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

To be fair TSJ he's spunked a fair bit of cash already.

I'm not confident about tomorrow. It's got a Sunderland win written all over it

[The Special Juan]

Fletcher was a good signing, Johnson maybe if he comes (no pun intended ) good then he might be worth the money. You're right, the £20m or so is a lot of money but they got half of that back by selling Gyan, Richardson and a couple of others.

[GSC]

Disappointing performance from United, expected them to come out and hammer Reading after City opened the door. Reading rightly aggrieved for no pen.

Worthy champions, but disappointing year overall for the PL.

[Guest]

Agree G. The title race has been a non event.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Rickie Lambert should be in the England squad. It pains me to say it but he offers so much more in his all round game than Holt does and I thought he should have been in a squad for a friendly at least.

#lambertforengland

[GSC]

Eh, at his age hes really got to make himself the cast iron #1/2. Rio did that. Lambert hasnt really

[GSC]

More on the Stoke thing. Swansea parted with Rodgers, in a much weaker position than Stoke, and the new manager has made them a better outfit than Stoke, taken them to Europe and Wembley, and has them playing attractive football. On less than Pulis spends. Must be somewhat galling to Stoke fans.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Well I'd argue he should be in there ahead of Defoe on current form. He'd offer us a different option. I'd give him a go in a friendly game, no harm just seeing what he's got

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

More on the Stoke thing. Swansea parted with Rodgers, in a much weaker position than Stoke, and the new manager has made them a better outfit than Stoke, taken them to Europe and Wembley, and has them playing attractive football. On less than Pulis spends. Must be somewhat galling to Stoke fans.

West Brom have dwarfed them as well in terms of the league position and performance.

[GSC]

Don't get why everyone views friendlies as a throw away game. Hodgson gets to work with his team like 7-8 times a year. Useful for implementing ideas and formations. We seemingly do this every year with some hotshot Championship striker. Everybody seems to have realised Holts a lazy, fat **** now though.

I don't dislike Stoke, and they've obviously done fantastically. But fans want to see growth and progression, and theres been none for a few years now. Pulis has taken them as far as he can, and if Stoke have designs on challenging the top half, then a change has to be considered

[Ent]

Tbf to pulis crouch and Owen have not hottest the goals expected to take them on a level and he had gone back to basics due to a poor run.

I'd expect another attempt on advancing things next season.

[GSC]

I think its a bigger indictment of Pulis if he expected/banked on something from Owen.

[Guest]

More on the Stoke thing. Swansea parted with Rodgers, in a much weaker position than Stoke, and the new manager has made them a better outfit than Stoke, taken them to Europe and Wembley, and has them playing attractive football. On less than Pulis spends. Must be somewhat galling to Stoke fans.

No Rodgers parted with Swansea. And Pulis took Stoke into Europe also. Swansea finished a massive two points behind Stoke last season.

Swansea are a better outfit than Stoke agreed.

[Ent]

I think its a bigger indictment of Pulis if he expected/banked on something from Owen.

I don't think it's unrealistic to expect 10 goals for modern from the bench I a season.

Instead Cameron jerome has out scored him.

[Guest]

I think its a bigger indictment of Pulis if he expected/banked on something from Owen.

I don't think it's unrealistic to expect 10 goals for modern from the bench I a season.

Instead Cameron jerome has out scored him.

You expecet/ed Owen to score 10 from the bench?

[GSC]

I'm more surprised he expected Owen to make the bench 10 times

[Guest]

I'm more surprised he expected Owen to make the bench 10 times

If Owen had done Ent would have picked a hole in that.

[GSC]

I think hes made more appearances for Match of the Day than Stoke this season

[Guest]

Did you see the Football Focus show a few weeks back where Piers Morgan ripped into Owen? I wasn't a Morgan admirer until then.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Pulis has spent £22 million on Jerome, Crouch and Jones up top. Shrewd moves Tony, they must have scored, what about 5/6 goals between them this year?

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Oh and come on the Toon and the Yellows today!!!

Wigan lose today, then there is huge daylight between the bottom 3 and 17th. And with there game in hand after that being Man City away, well, you would think it would be a 6 point gap tbh

[westisbest]

Our mate Westy will be buzzing.

I think Newcastle are more than capable of getting a result tomorrow and tiredness is no excuse should they not.

Ha, I was certainly dancing around o'neills at 5 o'clock yesterday.

Great result.

I read it wrong at one stage, thought we were 3-1 up, to many pints of guinness at that stage.
Hope we have a good easter, by beating Liverpool(which i see is your team my good man).

Wooooooooooo.
Cheers.

[The Special Juan]

Pulis has spent £22 million on Jerome, Crouch and Jones up top. Shrewd moves Tony, they must have scored, what about 5/6 goals between them this year?

Jerome and Jones were dreadful signings but Crouchy was a great signing. If you were to make a player for Stoke, it'd be either him or Shawcross. He needs to sign Zigic.... or Dost.

[GSC]

Crouch isn't that good in the air. People just assume so because he tall

[Guest]

Crouch isn't that good in the air. People just assume so because he tall

He's crap in the air.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Think Stoke have failed to score in 13/14 of there 30 games this season. You can really understand the fans frustrations

[The Special Juan]

I think it's because his back muscles never developed well or something. He doesn't really need to jump though

[GSC]

Aye, he just isn't good at heading though. Tbh I never saw all the hype about Crouch. Distinctly average player

[The Special Juan]

I think he's just more of a cult hero than anything else. Not the best player ever but has scored some brilliant goals, is a giant and did the robot once.

[The Special Juan]

Oh, and has a strangely good record at international level.

[GSC]

Holt dropped

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Not surprising really had his worst game all season last week. Need to go back to the 4-4-1-1 the 4-4-2 hasnt worked performance wise. This way we get the best out of Hoolahan and hopefully Kamara and Bennett can take there chance to impress

[GSC]

Why is this game on SKY.

Good god at the form table, 14th vs 20th

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