Stoke Relegation Thread

[Andyregs]

A number seem to be questioning O’Neill already, as he’s dropped their two best players for some reason, and making some strange team selections. They need to do something in the January window, and have a manager who has never actually been in that position. 

[Playa Amodores]

Scholes is the man operating well behind enemy lines and is responsible for all the destruction (they’re just a small club in Blurton). Now he’s saying FFP isn’t fair. Well it’s there for a reason and all clubs agreed to it. It’s supposed to be there to stop clubs being irresponsible and not trying to buy their way out of the league (however they might this season into League one). An example of overspending being Bury FC, so it’s supposedly there also to protect the club.I think in this case it’s to protect the pockets of the Coates family.If they’ve breached it then punish them, with a points deduction. Scholes is a complete success as all the managers they’ve had can’t have been completely horrendous. I salute you Mr Scholes, keep up the good work, you’ll be in the PVFC hall of honours list. Quite ironic how they and another of the richest clubs in that league Barnsley find themselves propping up the other teams

[blackdog]

2 hours ago, Playa Amodores said:

Scholes is the man operating well behind enemy lines and is responsible for all the destruction (they’re just a small club in Blurton). Now he’s saying FFP isn’t fair. Well it’s there for a reason and all clubs agreed to it. It’s supposed to be there to stop clubs being irresponsible and not trying to buy their way out of the league (however they might this season into League one). An example of overspending being Bury FC, so it’s supposedly there also to protect the club.I think in this case it’s to protect the pockets of the Coates family.If they’ve breached it then punish them, with a points deduction. Scholes is a complete success as all the managers they’ve had can’t have been completely horrendous. I salute you Mr Scholes, keep up the good work, you’ll be in the PVFC hall of honours list. Quite ironic how they and another of the richest clubs in that league Barnsley find themselves propping up the other teams

Seems like it takes a lot of money to get a side to the bottom of the Championship........

[Santa]

I too commend Scholes for his incompetence but I can't help but feel that the real lack of brains of the operation is John Coates. His main qualification for the job is that he's related to some successful business people. Clearly Denise was the intelligent one which is why she's well out of it.

I love that YouTube clip of the fans' forum when JC talks about how they ended up employing Nathan Jones after because his mate bumped into him in a pub.

[TheSage]

For many weeks I was sure that Stoke would get out of the mess they're in. Self evidently they have spent a fortune and amassed a squad of maybe 30 players (not just 18) who, on paper, are all capable of doing well at that level. So it's hard to fathom what's gone wrong and why 2-3 mangers on the bounce can't get them going. Not that I'm complaining!

There must be something rotten among the group that is preventing them from collectively performing. With their millions they should be at the top of that league, easily. But it's not happening. How come? Too big a squad and too many unhappy players not getting a game? Several foreign players angling for a transfer overseas? A few big time charlies who think they are too good for the Championship and want a move asap? Swapping and changing the team every week? 

But once you start losing it becomes a habit and it's hard to break the sequence. There are some poor teams down there with them so they still might survive but blimey all is not right at the moment and the fans are not a happy bunch at all. January will no doubt bring even more new players and more changes and I'm doubtful as to how sensible that will be. Continuity and consistency are the means to success, not a revolving door of 30 plus professionals every year. How many players have they signed in the last 18 months?

We can but hope. 😉

[Wrex]

6 hours ago, Andyregs said:

A number seem to be questioning O’Neill already, as he’s dropped their two best players for some reason, and making some strange team selections. They need to do something in the January window, and have a manager who has never actually been in that position. 

Can't imagine he'd do any worse than Jones but here's hoping

[Old fort]

Those donkeys were phoning in to P&G saying how MO'N had stopped playing round pegs in square holes and that's the obvious difference that agent Jones never did. Their strange OTT jubilation in beating the two teams nearly as bad as them shows that they'll never change, but also made me wonder how they'd have been if MO'N had done what agent Jones only weeks earlier, when he oversaw them beating  Fulham and Swansea. 

I'm still not convinced that they won't get out of the bottom three, but I'm also not convinced that the Coates's will want to splash too much  cash in January,  because apart from better quality players costing  big money,  they'd also demand contracts to match and so if the gamble didn't pay off, they would be shafted in.League 1 with FFP biting in to them further. 

Strange how we have some fans who think we're unravelling if we lose a game and they've got loads who believe that Europe beckons for them if they win a game. Total knoobs.

Fingers crossed, that what we as Vale fans expect,  M'ON to live up to his billing,  by completing his mission,  so gallantly undertaken by agent Jones, so that we can enjoy endless hours of tuning in to P&G for the unmissable entertainment, courtesy of the comedy kings. Jimmy is my particular favourite,  hope he gets his own show at the New Vic soon. 

[Wrex]

Three consecutive defeats and things looks grim for them lot down the road

[Paul6754]

Can't understand the Michael O'Neill appointment, his managerial resume is weak at best.

[Joe B]

Absolutely shocking that a manager whose entire reputation is built upon one win against Ukraine at the expanded Euro 2016 has transpired to be a big fraud.

5 games in and fans are stumbling over each other to lambast him on the airwaves.

Their club is rotten and they can keep lobbing managers at the problem until they've gone bust.

[Santa]

I keep expecting them to turn it round at some point so fair play for keeping on at being rubbish. Big six pointer against Luton next up. 

[Guitar Ray]

On 01/12/2019 at 20:49, Santa said:

I too commend Scholes for his incompetence but I can't help but feel that the real lack of brains of the operation is John Coates. His main qualification for the job is that he's related to some successful business people. Clearly Denise was the intelligent one which is why she's well out of it.

I love that YouTube clip of the fans' forum when JC talks about how they ended up employing Nathan Jones after because his mate bumped into him in a pub.

Both Scholes and Coates Jr sound like clueless serial wafflers when you hear either of them speak. Tip of the hat to Scholes from me as he’s probably more involved than Coates Jr, who I guess will just be rubber-stamping whatever’s put in front of his nose.

Listen to either of this pair and compare to Carol and you realise just how lucky we are. 👍 

[Wrex]

10 hours ago, Joe B said:

Absolutely shocking that a manager whose entire reputation is built upon one win against Ukraine at the expanded Euro 2016 has transpired to be a big fraud.

5 games in and fans are stumbling over each other to lambast him on the airwaves.

Their club is rotten and they can keep lobbing managers at the problem until they've gone bust.

To be fair on O'Neill he can't really be blamed for relegation. Jones is more responsible on the managerial front as he was getting the same results and also signed 12 or so players. No manager with any kind of reputation were willing to risk it on such a basket case and O'Neill probably figured if he failed he'd be gone at the end of the season and could simply carry on with Northern Ireland.

On the one hand credit to Stoke for their policy of ensuring their manager is British but then you have to say when your number one, two and three choice turn you down then why not get a foreigner in? It's like they looked at what has gone wrong for them and said "well Tony was British and had mostly British players, our mistake was letting Hughes sign a load of foreigners!" I don't know, why bother trying to understand the thinking process behind idiots like Coates Jnr? Seems irresponsible of Saint Peter to allow his son to run the club when he can barely tie his own shoelaces.

[Santa]

Watch the video from about 52 minutes in.

[Barrierleaner]

Coates Jnr sounds amiable...in fact he reminds me forcibly of the pleasant but naive bloke in the pub who always falls for a scam. Every pub has at least one of those.  Of course being successful at business isn't always handed down to offspring. Lots of businessmen who've grown a business have found that their heirs lack the bite needed...probably because life has been too easy.