Away at Stoke

[mona]

The Stokies have at least come up with a good new name for NSC : North Stand CanuteReceptacle.

My only problem with Stoke City is that the pubs are better in Burslem around Port Vale's ground.

Oh well, it's not as cold up there as it is where I live.

NSC gets worse.

 

[Super Steve Earle]

Hove based Stoke fan here.

Wow guys, I am shocked by some of the comments on here, totally shocked to be fair. I think some of you are getting a little above yourselves aren't you! Don't forget you have been slumming it at the Withdean for god knows how many years and it has hardly been an attractive away day ground trip for other clubs to come to has it?

The guy who says it will be the usual score of 1-1 or 0 -0 when you play Stoke, well If you have a look at the records the last result between the teams was a 5-2 victory to Stoke, at the Withdean Running track. Also someone makes reference to the Pompey side you beat. Don't forget Laurence and Kitson are players we off loaded to them last season as they weren't good enough.

I have been routing for you all season but some of the insults towards my team on here are quite astonishing particularly when you guys have been to hell and are not even half way back yet over the last decade or so.

Gus Poyet is doing a fine job but do you really think when he gets you promoted, and therefore suddenly puts himself on the radar of the bigger clubs that he is going to turn down a job at any of the Prem teams that are likely to tempt him away? Then your back to square one again aren't you. You got lucky with Poyet but the next one will more than likely still be some journeyman hasbeen like Slade or McGee.

Slag off our style as much as you like. It is not a hoofball as you perhaps think and many a premierside have fallen into the trap. Come and play your tippy tappy football with pleasure. You will find we will defend it effortlessly all afternoon, you will rarely penetrate us, and we will bombard you both directly and most often along the floor and wings with the odd Delap missile for good measure. Interestingly enough I can't remember the last time we scored from a Delap throw yet the uneducated amongst you think that is the only way we score!

So maybe a bit more respect please guys. No were not Man U, Arsenal or Chelsea but we do deserve our place comfortably in mid table of the Premiership for the last 3 seasons and still heading upwards in quality rather than fading away ala Hull, Burnley, WBA etc who have come and gone since we have been there. We fully own our ground ( paid for). We have no debt and are therefore far better placed than some of our Premier League rivals for the future.

Enjoy your trip. Stoke certainly isn't Beverley Hills by any means but it's certainly no worse than Portslade, Hangleton, Coldean, Whitehawk, Moulscombe and London Road.

Ignore the young minority on this site. Most thinking fans realise Stoke have done a great job consolidating in the Premier League. Stoke may not be a marquee name, but will provide a massive test of our credentials. We certainly will play our tippy, tappy football because that's our game and it's not as easy to defend as you might at first think. You will be surprised how effective it is. And don't be offended if we don't play our full first team. We have a strong squad and Gus doesn't really care if we stay in or go out. I think it will be a good test for us and an interesting game for Stoke fans to watch, especially when we start our serious passing with the Ole chorus. By the way, Gus isn't going to be tempted anywhere for a while yet. He's had our new stadium pitch designed to his own specifications and has transformed the club from top to bottom a la Wenger/Emirates.

 

[Seagull_Wes]

I'm actually pretty happy with the draw! It's going to be a tough game, but we have much more chance of winning than against Man Utd (poor Crawley). Would be great to see us get into the next round, and don't forget, they're still a pretty big team comparatively speaking!

With our performance against Watford, i'd say we have a fairly good chance of taking them!

 

[timbha]

we'd love to be where Stoke are (in terms of football status, not geography).

 

[mona]

I'd rather have a day out in Stoke than at Chelsea or Manchester United.

Fair enough. But you must explain why.
Are you eager to visit the Wedgwood Museum or Trentham Gardens? Or do you think we might get a result there?

 

[8ace]

Oooh it's a bit cold, not very pretty, full of big noisy passionate supporters who call us nasty names, I'm going to go shopping with my girlfriend instead.

What a f***ing embarrassment this board is sometimes.

Bollocks, all most people have said is they would have preferred someone else.
I've been there before and it's not one of my favourite away trips mainly because it is a bastard trying to get back to the station after the game much like Reading or Coventry. I'll still be going anyway

 

[Franks Wild Years]

A lot of arrogant, horrible ***** on here these days.
Look, it isn't a winnable home game or Man U away but so f***ing what? It's a Premiership team in round 5 and a decent ground with a slight chance of an upset. I'd take that.
And this idea that Stoke players are all neanderthals who'll try to break our 'flair players' legs is just plain wrong.
Frankly, this kind of reaction makes us look like a bunch of pricks.

Aint that the truth.

 

[Barry Izbak]

Appalling draw, could not have been worse

Absolutely true. Of the 14 possible alternatives, there is not one that would have been worse than this.
Bollocks

 

[Lewes' best seagull]

I don't mind the draw. It's a new ground to go to for me, and it is a real test for us. Sure, they play a more direct style - but that doesn't mean they play worse football. I'd have liked an easier tie, but it'll be a good day out. Some of the comments on here are pathetic and some are just plain stupid.

 

[PotterDonkey]

Hi, Stoke fan here and I'd just like to say how happy I am to have drawn Barcelona in the next round of the cup. We'll try not to cripple your little darlings and dampen your beautiful free flowing football with our thuggish long ball nonsense.

Look forward to seeing you guys.

 

[clapham_gull]

I'm more than happy with Stoke, particularly because of their physical strength and set pieces.

We seem to be a bit lacking when playing against teams like that, so what better a test for the players ?

It won't happen on the training ground.

I'd imagine Poyet is VERY happy with the draw.

Looking forward to it.

 

[mona]

Hi, Stoke fan here and I'd just like to say how happy I am to have drawn Barcelona in the next round of the cup. We'll try not to cripple your little darlings and dampen your beautiful free flowing football with our thuggish long ball nonsense.

Look forward to seeing you guys.

Was this really necessary when some of us are trying to deal with the pillock element on our site?

As for Stoke, many of the players are familiar to us like Etherington from Peterboro and Delap Carlisle.

Anyway, as I've travelled beyond Sussex I think of Stoke as being in the Midlands and not the North. Your lot clearly have issues about the way you play and Arsenal. The Gooners can't defend and try to con penalties - no way would Poyet want a team to play like that.

So our game against the Limoges of England should be a nail-biter!

 

[Blackadder]

Hove based Stoke fan here.


Also someone makes reference to the Pompey side you beat. Don't forget Laurence and Kitson are players we off loaded to them last season as they weren't good enough.

That does put things into perspective. Still think we will give you a good game Joe (and we are not bad guys really)


Cheers

 

[mona]

Hi, Stoke fan here and I'd just like to say how happy I am to have drawn Barcelona in the next round of the cup. We'll try not to cripple your little darlings and dampen your beautiful free flowing football with our thuggish long ball nonsense.

Look forward to seeing you guys.

Britannia Wanderer, I presume.

 

[West Hoathly Seagull]

If i can afford this one i'm quite looking forward to it. Never been to the Brit so its another stadium off my 92 & i was chatting with a chelsea mate who was saying its always a relatively good day out.

Win or not if it turns out to be even half the craic Watford was i'll be very 'appy

Same here; new ground for me and a passionate group of home fans; they are far more likely to take it seriously than some of the "glamour" clubs. In case any of you didn't notice, the top tier of the Emirates was half empty - do you really think the Arsenal fans who couldn't be bothered to turn out for Huddersfield (even though there is usually a waiting list for tickets for most games) would be any more bothered with us? Yes, I'd rather we continued to play our flair football, but I think you have to admire what Stoke have achieved: isn't that what we want? A few years ago, we were playing at the same level as them. As Silverhatch says, Watford was freezing, and this game will be a further three weeks on. I'll be going, so long as it isn't on a Monday night.

 

[Garry Nelson's Left Foot]

Have many people watched Stoke play? They're a decent, solid premier league side. They do go long sometimes but they also play it on the floor a blt and have some very decent players. I suspect they'll play a near full strength team as it's a fantastic opportunity for them to make the later stages of the cup. It's going to be very, very tough for us.

I have two reservations about it, however. First, I'm concerned about the effect it'll have on our game against Plymouth on the 21st. I imagine the game against stoke will take a lot out of our players and leave them jaded for the league match. Secondly, from a selfish point of view I would have loved a game against one of the big boys as that would have had a great chance of being on t.v and thus enabled me having a rare chance of watching us play. I'm not convinced that stoke vs brighton is a game thats going to get the t.v execs and neutrals salivating.

If we can move the date of the plymouth game and it gets on t.v then I'll be pretty pleased with the draw. It is, after all, an F.A cup fifth round game, and we don't get many of them do we?

 

[saltash seagull]

i will be amazed if the plymouth game is still on the monday night now