How can it be right ?

[onestepatatime]

I am absolutely happy with supporting Vale in the lower Divisions. If I lived elsewhere I would NOT support a Premier Team for many reasons, some of which were highlighted in the OP's post.

 

Prima donnas being paid obscene money has ruined the lovely game.

 

I may be one of the older generation but I still get more pleasure watching inexperienced and not so blessed talent-wise players in their quest to better themselves and their Clubs. That satisfaction far outweighs viewing so called talented footballers writhe around, feigning injury, protecting their flashy hair styles and smoothing their cosmetics on their faces.

 

I admit I may be in the minority but keep your Premier League and it's associated stuck up their own backsides personnel. I will always follow the lower Divisions and get my fill of what I call football.

 

Always been a pleasure supporting Vale outside the top Division even though I suppose I do still dream that my heroes one day(but not in my life time, alas)make it there. Would be a very interesting scenario for me then to decided if I wished to attend matches. Tongue in cheek perhaps but I know that will not happen.

 

Basically I agree with the OP and will continue my campaign to disregard whatever shenanigans centre around the pretend "best" players/Clubs in our world.

[ginginator]

ut the Belgian's set-pieces were off colour - only one of six deliveries was dangerous, and his passing accuracy (80%) was less than any other starting City player.

 

Now Guardiola may have to cope without him after that late withdrawal, although he appeared able to walk alongside club physios after being carried off.

 

Leroy Sane could step up to fill the gap in the coming weeks, but he struggled too. The 21-year-old won only half of his 14 duels, and was often second best to Palace defender Timothy Fosu-Mensah.

 

He was meekly dispossessed by the on-loan Manchester United man in the first half, and berated by De Bruyne over the timing of another run. Then he was booked for kicking the ball away in frustration.

 

It remains to be seen if Guardiola moves to bolster his attack by prising Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal in January, however the City boss said in his post-match news conference that he expects the forward to stay with the Gunners.

 

Qoute from BBC, and there are more, money talks, we get a full back injured and yes it needs a player to step up, they have , so thats what Football is about. With a bench costing £millions then its a hard ask, we all agree i presume on wages, but if its offered then who would turn it down. Simple fact to me on watching PL is there are only a few teams that have a good style/able to win. The rest just pay money to players who pretend to be part of the club. I may be harsh but that is what it is, sometimes the player may get ditched, but in the main its all about club egos hence the manager changes. Back on track to Vale which isnt in my post. Vale made a shrewd change, needed yes, the honeymoon is over also. But results show it was the way to go. I am waffling on but I do see a better situation than 1/1/17, keep supporting and hoping ( a prayer may not go amiss). HNY ging

[yoblet]

At best Hughes is looking for 3points out of 6 so good luck with that one.On a weekend when Southampton,west brom and palace al get a point against top six teams his timing could have been better.

[Erniemossrules]

Mark Hughes is a loser who has given up trying to trying to win against top teams.Surely this attitude must drop down to his players.

He should have been aware last season that Stoke struggled to finish 13th in the Premier league.What did he do sold his top scorer to West Ham and failed to buy better players to improve the team.He has wasted millions signing players like Imbula,Berinho and Wimmer.His signings of Choupo Moting and Fletcher were free transfers and Jesé on loan.If you were Coates would you trust him to buy wisely in the January window.Think his days are numbered especially if they lose to Newcastle today.

[toyahw]

There was a caller on 606 who made a good point. Surrender monkey Hughes sends Stoke's kids out as cannon fodder. There's youth development for you.

 

The higher reaches of football stink, I'm actually glad to be a Vale fan. I'm a bloody sight happier at us being 11 points above the drop out of the league than any supporter of the ****, West Brom, Newcastle, Southampton etc.

 

It's all relative.

 

Hope they get stuffed today (and we get a draw, that will do).

[PVTony]

If Hughes played his full strength team and they still lost as expected, to Chelsea. If the players became very weary and perhaps one/some got injured, then get hammered by Newcastle, Joke fans would moan even more.

 

Best to support a team in the lower leagues, because although money is still needed, it doesn't play nearly as big a neccessity, the teams play on a more level playing field.

 

The greedy club gathering of money is the ruination of football for working class fans.

[bycars rob]

Sending out a deliberately weakened side used to lead to a possible points deduction and in my opinion should still do so.

If for example one of the teams at the top lose out on a champions league spot because of this surrender then they should sue Stoke City for loss of earnings.

[Bea Smith]

I am not particularly defending Mark Hughes, as I don't care much about Stoke, but looking at it in a more balanced way - is he just getting all this stick for being too open and honest and admitting his (flawed?) tactic of putting out a weakened team at Chelsea ?

 

The reason I ask is that there is not nearly as much, not even 10 per cent of the criticism when all the other slimy big teams put out weakened siudes in the FA Cup, League Cup, even the Europa League - that seesm to be ok because they use the word 'rotation' which Hughes maybe does not know.

 

Then a lot smaller teams right down the ladder 'save' their players and weaken their teams for the FA Cup early rounds, the Crappytrade trophy and so on.

 

Is it all about the way it is packaged ?

 

The saddest thing is that the losers in this situation are not the highly paid prima donna players, the overpaid but vulnerable managers who are still rich beyond our dreams, but the genuine fans who the horrible people that own football clubs know will be loyal and pay, pay, and pay again. One day, they just might not though....