Stoke - the tipping point

[borassic]

If you don't mind me saying so, this is quite a big game for you. After our game against you two seasons ago, in short a display of your team not really fancying it and being all too happy to sit on the halfway-line play tippy-tappy before giving the ball to Robinho to smack over the bar from 40 yards in case somebody went near him, there wasn't really any fear factor last year. It felt like you would just be another Arsenal who would just be pushovers, so long as the game was played in the freezing cold and we played good, direct, hard-but-fair football. Another team of tippy-tappy mercenaries who wouldn't have the stomach for a hostile crowd, a team played football like a contact sport or the cold weather. Sorry if that offends, but it's just the way it was. Of course, we never really had much hope against you at your place, never really expected much more than a defeat there, but at the Brit we really fancied our chances. We outplayed you in the cup and got an easy win, while we outbattled you in the league and were only denied a win by some bizarre refereeing at the end.

For those reasons, a win for you would mark a big turning point. It would show that you'd from being also-rans like Arsenal to being real title contenders like Chelsea, a team with real steel and grit, capable of playing through teams but also more than capable of roughing it. I'm really quite apprehensive this year, you'll be no pushovers and we'll have a tough time no matter what. Interestingly, Manchester United beat us by soaking up pressure and smacking long balls at us (along with the run-of-the-mill referee remote controlled by Gary Neville). How are you likely to set up? Are we going to be treated to an Italian Football Special or are you going to unleash your attacking potential on us? I fear the worst.

Hi mate. Very refreshing to have opposing fans here for some sort of intellectual debate. Funny how it's the United, Arsenal, Chelsea fans who resort to the sniping...

This game is huge for us, a real must-win game.

I've slowly being turned by Pulis and Stoke and see that it's good to have teams like yourself in the league. It's what it's all about, not that i'm saying you're as direct as you have been but you're a fucking tough side.

I see a good game, a good atmosphere(as usual) and hopefully some good football. I'd happily take a draw but think we should be going for the win with the way we've played away from home this year. I'd imagine a 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 with Balotelli coming in to replace Jo and Richards or Boateng at RB. So hopefully that attacking sting that we saw yesterday. Cheers again mate, enjoy the board.

 

[Shafter]

As much as i want to hate our 5 fingered cousins at Stoke , i find the posters on here ad very refreshing and knowledgeable , this is what this form us meant for !!

5 fingered cousins????

I'm offended you've missed one out ha ;-)

 

[BangkokDangermouse]

Another Stoke fan


Nice to read a forum where knowledgeable football fans post. You always get the ..........we'll score 5, we'll take em apart keyboard warriors so will ignore them , nobody has taken us apart at the Brit since promotion. Man Utd last season won too comfortably 2-0 and the Chelsea the same the year before but they alone have been the only times we've well and truly been second best at home. For the record no visiting side has scored more than two apart from Arsenal after the Shawcross incident when we were down to 10 men and scored twice late on .

Really a tough one to call I feel, I appreciate you were tremendous against Fulham but it would be typical of Man City and indeed most teams this season to not turn up the following week. Really is a bizarrre division this year. I don't think I can remember a season where teams in the top 4 drop so many points but are seriously still in contention for the title. Looking at the Wolves and Birmingham performances, you must be kicking yourselves. To be fair I think it would be foolish to expect the Fulham type performance week in week out. To seriously have a chance at the title, Saturday is the kind of game you should look to win. Personally I think we won't lose, someone mentioned the Spurs win at the Brit above but that far from tells the story. In fact second half we penned Spurs back for 45 mins and outplayed them and only the 'goal' that never was in the 94th minute that was clearly over the line denied us a well deserved point at least.


I think some of you are still looking at us as the long throw , long ball team which we still use but not in the same way as the last two seasons. We have played some real nice stuff this term and our points return isn't a fair justification IMHO

Really looking forward to this, Tevez is a nightmare to handle and we have to keep him quiet but do fancy us to cause you fellas real problems as well.

1-1 I think...........good luck in your title push (after Saturday of course)

 

[wayne71]

I'll go 1-1 too, if anyone thinks Stoke will stand off us like Fulham did in the first half they need to give their head a wobble. It will be a very close match.

 

[kippaxcarlos]

I think Saturday will be a tough game and if we get 3 points it WILL send a big message to the rest of our contenders. I think 'belief' has always been an issue for us. It doesn't matter who we have playing for us it just seems that we stumble right at that vital stage. Too many to list but games such as Spurs 1/4 final 93, Blackburn 1/4 final 2007, Rags semi last year, Hamburg 1/4 (away leg after going 1 up) all come to mind. I'd like to think the difference is that our current crop of players don't buy into this typical City theory. Most of them don't understand our perenial under-achievers tag and don't care if we've won very little since '76 (i believe we won League Championship in 01/02 so they can stick that banner up their arse- rag twats) they just want to win things in the future. Anyway back to the Stoke thing, Tony Pullis has got a well oiled unit working there and they play to their strengths but i believe if we play to our strengths we'll be too classy for them. A draw wouldn't be a bad result in reality but a win would keep the momentum going for us. If we did lose however, what we have to remember is that it is NOT THE END OF THE WORLD!! I'm confident though we'll get a positive result....KEEP THE FAITH!!

 

[Wheelsy]

With such giants as Kolo, Yaya, Kolarov, Boateng, Kompany, and Balotelli in the side, this should no longer be a problem.

But, in Gudjohnsen, Pennant, Jones, and Tuncay, they also have some very technically brilliant footballers — so it won't all be Route One.

Stoke are an awkward team, and definitely could (and should) finish top half.

 

[ruts66]

I think someone earlier made a very good point about the media negativity towards MCFC instilling a siege mentality.

Boy, if there's one team that knows all about that it's 'dirty' Stoke. When they started saying nice things about us the whole atmosphere and momentum changed for the worse. Thankfully, that French tw*t in North London has continued to keep the fires burning despite his little angels being bottom of the Fair Play table.

So, don't get upset by the media clique, use it to your advantage.

After all, the sniping and bitching about your finances is pure jealousy and utter hypocrisy. They conveniently forget how very average Chelsea were before the Russian's arrival in 2003.

Is the level of finance at MCFC good for the game? No, probably not, but it's no different to the advantage gained previously by your near neighbours and the aforementioned.

Never had a problem with Manchester City. Perennial underdogs yet fantastically supported throughout all the years of mediocrity. After Saturday, I hope you (and Tottenham) go on to finish above the media's favourite whores...

 

[BangkokDangermouse]

With such giants as Kolo, Yaya, Kolarov, Boateng, Kompany, and Balotelli in the side, this should no longer be a problem.

But, in Gudjohnsen, Pennant, Jones, and Tuncay, they also have some very technically brilliant footballers — so it won't all be Route One.

Stoke are an awkward team, and definitely could (and should) finish top half.

Bit surprised you included Kolo Toure in that list as caused a bit of amusement with Stoke fans re the throw in.

Our first season up we scored via Fuller v Arsenal from an early throw and rather than challenge Fuller, Toure stood appealing for offside!!!!Not sure how that works.

Similarly if you look at our equaliser in the FA Cup last season, he does the same again for you lot.

Take your point though you are better equipped. As for the myth we only score from throw ins- IF you include Liverpool which was a scramble as a result of a throw, it's 1 goal in 23 games . Lazy journalism etc

 

[wearestoke]

well we have a lot of stoke fans on here! I'm another one and even though you turned fulham over sunday, it won't happen at the Brit. I'm not saying you can't win cause you can but a draw will probably be the outcome (which i think both teams will settle for). I think city will finish 4th this season cause for whatever reason you've yet to sign some of the best players in the world (messi, kaka, iniesta, xavi, drogba, ronaldo, fabregas etc) i think the world class players you have got are silva and tevez, but i really rate johnson he should be starting every week in my opinion. I know your defence has improved this season but i think there is room for improvement, never rated lescott for example. also don't rate barry, you've got de jong to do that job. I think this season is too early still for the title but maybe next season.

 

[Wheelsy]

Can I say that the visiting Stokies (Shafter inparticular) are amongst the best opposition fans we have had on BM?

The invaders from Grand Old Team could learn a lesson in humility...