Stoke v Argyle MatchDay Thread - Sponsored by Home Flooring LTD

[Guiri Green]

But it is a hellavu lot easier when your opponents set up exactly as you expected and wanted.

Bitterly disappointed with the performance and the result today but really disappointed with Dewsnip in particular.

To go into a game we couldn't afford to lose and set up in such a predictable way against the Manager who knows our players and tactics better than we do was unbelievably naive.

Last week we got a fantastic result but lets not kid ourselves, Leicester had enough chances to win 2 games. But we worked really hard and rode our luck and for once it went our way.

But to go up there today with same team and tactics was ridiculous, especially as Schumacher would have based most of his tactical planning on Argyle doing exactly that.

I'm not saying we should have parked the bus but we couldn't afford the luxury of 2 wide players in Whittaker and Bundu offering very little whilst our 2 slow and not very athletic central midfielders were being overun. It was crying out for a 3rd player in midfield and to be narrower with our shape to deny them the space to play.

Today doesn't show that Schumacher is a tactical genius it just highlighed that Dewsnip is not really a Manager. He certainly has no Plan B when we need to get a result.

It's very like Ryan Lowe who would always play the same way, whether it was against the top of the League or the bottom of the League.

A proper Manager would have put a team out to not lose today and if we snatched a win, great.

Think we started with just about every player being one Schumacher played a part in recruiting or he had 4 years of working with them.

Squad depth and tactics problem contributed to today.

 

[oldage]

Yeah it’s handy the league gave us all those free points last season otherwise we would’ve never won the title by winning important games, bottle jobs we are.

Sometimes we are, fact. Going into today’s game today and playing like that. Think they forgot they are meant to be playing against Schumacher not for him. We need a major overhaul. Last season is now history.

 

[Don't Panic]

Sometimes we are, fact. Going into today’s game today and playing like that. Think they forgot they are meant to be playing against Schumacher not for him. We need a major overhaul. Last season is now history.

It is but then you brought up results from last season & the one before to make a point so……yeah.

 

[oldage]

So, were Houghton and Randell useless and not good enough for this league v Leicester?
I don't recall seeing that anywhere then.

They are so inconsistent. Seeing other midfielders perform at HP over the season the difference in quality is plain to see . We make up some of our deficiencies sometimes with graft.

 

[Monster Green]

So, were Houghton and Randell useless and not good enough for this league v Leicester?
I don't recall seeing that anywhere then.

Agree to an extent, but Forshaw payed the majority of the game. Randell was ineffective today, Houghton much the same. But that can be said about everyone, except for Bundu, Devine, Gibson and Cooper who I think leave SoT with some credit

 

[oldage]

It is but then you brought up results from last season & the one before to make a point so……yeah.

Bristol city was this season, anyhow you know what I mean.For some unfathomable reason the whole team seem to lose interest all at once.

 

[Monster Green]

Think we started with just about every player being one Schumacher played a part in recruiting or he had 4 years of working with them.

Squad depth and tactics problem contributed to today.

Tactics and motivation. Sadly

 

[Lobster]

Is it simply a lack of quality?

I think this is the main problem. But that is of course driven by lack of budget. We just can't afford enough good players at this level. Until we can, we'll be around the lower reaches unless we have a top manager.

 

[Don't Panic]

Bristol city was this season, anyhow you know what I mean.For some unfathomable reason the whole team seem to lose interest all at once.

I guess we just see & deal with football results differently, that’s not a dig by the way, just the way it is, opinions huh.

 

[Argonut]

Abysmal performance . When the going gets tough our players have a tendency to bottle it.

I'd like to bottle you. Stout is it? or something hallucinatory. 😵‍💫

 

[demportdave]

So, were Houghton and Randell useless and not good enough for this league v Leicester?
I don't recall seeing that anywhere then.

Nobody has suggested Houghton and Randell are useless, apart from you. However, at best they are pretty average by Championship standard.

As such, do you seriously believe that we can play week in/ week out in the Championship with just these 2 in midfield.

Meanwhile, we have 2 players who are not really wingers but not really No 10s either but who are mostly peripheral figures watching us get overun and outplayed in Central midfield.

 

[Balham Green]

Agree to an extent, but Forshaw payed the majority of the game. Randell was ineffective today, Houghton much the same. But that can be said about everyone, except for Bundu, Devine, Gibson and Cooper who I think leave SoT with some credit

Really? What did Bundo do?

 

[up the line]

Whitaker has given up right? Just so we know for the next two games that (like Leicester) he isn't going to bother then at least we know....

 

[Goody]

Whitaker has given up right? Just so we know for the next two games that (like Leicester) he isn't going to bother then at least we know....

Has Whittaker played a full season before? I wonder if he's just exhausted.

Bad day today, lads need to quickly forget it and get a massive point v Millwall.

 

[Monster Green]

Really? What did Bundo do?

First half I thought he was the main man. Broken the lines, on the front foot and if Hardy had timed his runs better we'd have been better poised. He faded in the second half but only because they trebbled up on him