SPECULATION: Raiding Stoke

[Ian Royal]

Obviously have to wait until the summer and pure speculation based on seeing their game against Newcastle BUT:

I was impressed by their full backs, fairly attacking, fit and full of desire and strong in the tackle. Pretty much what we tend to like in fullbacks I'd say. Both also young at about 20. Dickinson and Wilkinson?

Centreback: Shawcross, on loan from United, bit inexperienced right now, but looked fairly handy, strong and no nonsense. He didn't do too bad against Viduka and Owen. Could be worth a punt at a season loan in the summer. United could be interested in that too. One to keep an eye on at about 20, 21 too.

Other than that didn't see anything very promising, which is also good news in a way as Stoke would need to strengthern massively to be a threat to us should they win promotion.

Strikers: Fuller is Championship at best, over excitable, prone to mistakes and making the wrong decisions. fairly pacey but not enough quality to make it in th eprem.
Sidibe - not bad, big strong, but made some poor decisions and doesn't score much in the champ, possibly a useful big reserve striker.
Presswell - certainly not a winger. Could be a decent striker, but I can't see him being prem class or he'd be in the middle with Fuller on the wing.
Parkin - looked a bit fat and missed a gilt edge chance, allthough the block was pretty good. Doesn't look prem class but could be a decent 2nd championship striker IMO

SO basicly nothing even as good as we have in Kitson, Doyle, Lita and argueably Long & Cox potentially better too.

Midfield looked pretty standard champiosnhip fair as well. Cort a decent Championship centreback and Simondson at GK nothing special.

[PEARCEY]

Obviously have to wait until the summer and pure speculation based on seeing their game against Newcastle BUT:

I was impressed by their full backs, fairly attacking, fit and full of desire and strong in the tackle. Pretty much what we tend to like in fullbacks I'd say. Both also young at about 20. Dickinson and Wilkinson?

Centreback: Shawcross, on loan from United, bit inexperienced right now, but looked fairly handy, strong and no nonsense. He didn't do too bad against Viduka and Owen. Could be worth a punt at a season loan in the summer. United could be interested in that too. One to keep an eye on at about 20, 21 too.

Other than that didn't see anything very promising, which is also good news in a way as Stoke would need to strengthern massively to be a threat to us should they win promotion.

Strikers: Fuller is Championship at best, over excitable, prone to mistakes and making the wrong decisions. fairly pacey but not enough quality to make it in th eprem.
Sidibe - not bad, big strong, but made some poor decisions and doesn't score much in the champ, possibly a useful big reserve striker.
Presswell - certainly not a winger. Could be a decent striker, but I can't see him being prem class or he'd be in the middle with Fuller on the wing.
Parkin - looked a bit fat and missed a gilt edge chance, allthough the block was pretty good. Doesn't look prem class but could be a decent 2nd championship striker IMO

SO basicly nothing even as good as we have in Kitson, Doyle, Lita and argueably Long & Cox potentially better too.

Midfield looked pretty standard champiosnhip fair as well. Cort a decent Championship centreback and Simondson at GK nothing special.

Like the comment that Parkin looked a bit fat.....he was a right porker

[Ian Royal]

I like the way he tried to hide the chins with a beaROFLd

[Platypuss]

I also thought Wilkinson looked good.

[Norfolk Royal]

Never mind Stoke, what about Burnley. Thought they were good against Arsenal, but on reflection only Gray would probably be any good for us, and he's not as good as Kitson, so I'm wrong.

[Victor Meldrew]

Never mind Stoke, what about Burnley. Thought they were good against Arsenal, but on reflection only Gray would probably be any good for us, and he's not as good as Kitson, so I'm wrong.

Remember Wade Elliott?
Thought he looked o.k. yesterday and he is a right-winger and he grew up in the South and ,like Kitson,he did once work in a Supermarket and he wouldn't cost very much.

I agree with the comments about the two Stoke full-backs,what a pleasure to see players really takling hard and determined to make the ball theirs.

[Chillitsphil]

I disagree about their midfield, I thought Danny Pugh looked a decent player. Also Liam Lawrence is an interesting one, flitted in and out of the game, but his set piece distribution was top class. Put in better corners than the likes of Shorey and most other Premiership corner takers. Agree on Shawcross - looked pretty tough and liked the way each time he moved out of the backline to make a tackle further up the field he made sure he won the ball.

[Ian Royal]

Lawrence would probably walk onto our right flank, but thats because we don't have aright winger. I'd be concerned if we were to be satisifed with someone of his ok quality to answer our problems there.

Pugh to me looked like a good quality Championship midfielder, but not good enough to make it in the prem, especially not in a new team where he doesn't already fit in well and know his colleagues games.

For me Stoke are a left winger, genuine goalscorer and either a central midfielder, or a central midfielder and a right winger(depending on whether Lawrence was on the wing or in the middle) short of making the prem with a bit of promise for staying up.

Obviously no idea about their strength in depth.

[AndyRFC]

I liked the look of Kyle Lafferty, before he got sent off

[readingbedding]

He's a good player that Kyle Lafferty.

[Royalwaster]

They used to have a really good RB Stoke did a few years back .... but someone signed him ... and he's disappeared since then. Anyone remember his name?

[Mr Brightside]

They used to have a really good RB Stoke did a few years back .... but someone signed him ... and he's disappeared since then. Anyone remember his name?

[rotherwick_royal]

They used to have a really good RB Stoke did a few years back .... but someone signed him ... and he's disappeared since then. Anyone remember his name?

I was thinking exactly the same thing

[juanpablo]

sidibe is absolutely terrible really really bad, fuller ten times the player he is.....


we dont want any of them

seen stoke play a lot

parkin is nick named the beast in his first appearence for stoke when he was on loan i honestly couldnt breathe through laughter. He was a lot bigger than he is now!!

[Barry the bird boggler]

Shawcross is the only player I'd consider

[Smoking Kills Dancing Doe]

Shawcross is signing permanent for them this week.

Fuller is Utter class. Didn't play too well against Newcastle but is the best striker outside the Prem bye a country mile. Massive, massive attidude though.

Wilko and Dicko (my God I'm turning into a Stokie) are brutal. Not first choice though, are pretty shit on the ball in general.

Danny Pugh's good too, left back, centre mid, left wing. Reminds me a lot of Shorey at left back, bit more pace, not quite the defensive quality.

Sidibe makes Rougier looking fcukin lethal in front of goal.

[Chillitsphil]

Shawcross is signing permanent for them this week.

Fuller is Utter class. Didn't play too well against Newcastle but is the best striker outside the Prem bye a country mile. Massive, massive attidude though.

Wilko and Dicko (my God I'm turning into a Stokie) are brutal. Not first choice though, are pretty shit on the ball in general.

Danny Pugh's good too, left back, centre mid, left wing. Reminds me a lot of Shorey at left back, bit more pace, not quite the defensive quality.

Sidibe makes Rougier looking fcukin lethal in front of goal.

That was my impression of the full backs. Battled well and made a few tackles but coming forward didn't look Premiership class.

[juanpablo]

Shawcross is signing permanent for them this week.

Fuller is Utter class. Didn't play too well against Newcastle but is the best striker outside the Prem bye a country mile. Massive, massive attidude though.

Wilko and Dicko (my God I'm turning into a Stokie) are brutal. Not first choice though, are pretty shit on the ball in general.

Danny Pugh's good too, left back, centre mid, left wing. Reminds me a lot of Shorey at left back, bit more pace, not quite the defensive quality.

Sidibe makes Rougier looking fcukin lethal in front of goal.

oxf*rd off

(duck)

[Ian Royal]

Fuller looked like at times he could give Owusu a run for his money on poor first touch stakes.

Best striker outside the prem my arse.

[juanpablo]

Fuller looked like at times he could give Owusu a run for his money on poor first touch stakes.

Best striker outside the prem my arse.

his hatrick the other week was sublime... he is an up and down type of player