Saint86

No way Krasnador make a final decision today, doesn't mean we won't walk away.

Think we need to stay the hell clear of russian clubs going forward. Absolutely taking the piss out of saints at this point.

His long white socks routine is a bit unusual in fairness 😅

Stoke fans have always been some of the most disparaging about other teams. Its genuinely amazing that they've consistently held these views having been so shit for so long and consistently losing each week... they must spend their sundays (etc) very depressed if every week they predict a win against shit opposition and then lose 😬 We've had one reasonably tricky opener, and then got a deserved draw against the basically unanimous pick for best team in the league - and we're shit apparently. From their forum they act like they're in the title 😄

Also, for all our mistakes at the back - Ipswich only had one shot on target.

I suspect last season (and at the start of Martin's championship season) we don't get this point and we don't win that Wrexham game. This is the best team in the league (on paper), away from home, and we're a squad in transition coming off of one of the worst ever season's in English football's top flight. We evidently are now resilient - and hopefully we continue to get better and better. A good point today, hopefully we can sort out the squad ASAP and get a wins out of stoke and Watford. Would be great to go into the derby unbeaten.

Not convinced he had an angle to get that in in fairness. Quarshie pushed him wide and baz got down to cover most, if not all, of the goal - will have to see on replays whether baz would have got it had it been a bit further in and on target.

Don't know how anyone can watch that game and say Stephens was motm firstly, or come out having a go at baz for not sweeper keeping / commanding his area enough... If not for baz being quick out of his box, we'd have lost that to another spectacular Stephens calamity.

Hard to be pace setters when they'll be behind us all season 😏😏

Decent point all in all. Last time in the champ we'd have lost this and he chasing them all season. As it is we've been to our main rivals away and taken a point... They now need to go to St Mary's and do the same or win, depending on how the table looks.

This formation doesn't work. We have wing backs pushing up and 3cbs marking one CF. Everytime they hit a long cross field diagonal and are in behind. And I know a lot of that is squad related. But I still don't get why we play the little man up front alone and largely isolated. Arma did okay, but wasn't really threatening... Archer the same seemingly.

Well played bazunu. Quick reactions and very brave, and if he doesn't get that it's a pen or a red etc. Stephens 🤦🤦🤦

Insane again from wellington. He is the last man, he shouldn't be there. But if he is there he has to hit it, crike alive. He is isn't a defender 🤣. Fantastic recovery run though to his credit.

Quarshie, bless him, really doesn't like being pressed 🫣

Robert madley has always been a crap ref for this with us. Hate when we get him.

Lovely team goal there. Well played Fernandes, Fraser, and Robinson. Fernandes' quality all over that move. Brave touch to Fraser, composure and hold up 🙌

Only silver lining I can see here is that Ipswich will tire playing at this tempo. Maybe it's our turn to get an injury time goal at the end.

This formation doesn't work. We are out numbered in midfield, we can't get out of the press, and their high line and wingers are pinning our wing backs. Needs changing asap.

I am beginning to wonder how still had the defensive record he did in France. Do we just have really shit defenders? 🫣

Yeah, as through balls to the striker go, that was decent.

Wellington is a liability defensively. Shocking. What the fuck was that through ball pass back. Just clear it FFS. Also, Stephens has already done one 2 armed push on the back of a striker off the ball in the box. Penalty waiting to happen.

Agree with on BBD. He's best played through the middle - all his best highlights from his earlier career are where he is played like that. He is not a wide player.

Can't-shoot-itis?

Are we playing Fraser as right wing back in a 5? Or is someone like Stephens / Quarshie playing RB in a 4? I am confused. If we wanted a proper right back or right wing back we'd use bree or suga?

Can only assume the club expected Fernandes and Dibling to leave, and therefore be flush with cash to go shopping. I was more concerned a few weeks ago when that seemed to be likely and there was limited rumours in the press. In fairness to Spors as well, if anyone thought we were going to get relegated (losing the prem related revenue streams) and be flush with cash to go on a shopping spree without some major sales, then i don't think its fair to blame Spors/Solak for fans' lack of critical thinking skills... 😅 As it is, we've shifted Ramsdales, Sulemana, Onuachu, Bednarek, SAA out for a combination of a transfer fee and removal of their wages. Simialrly, KWP, Lumley, Lallana, Ugochukwu, Gronbaek are all off the wage bill compared to last season. There is potential for Edozie, Smallbone, and Aribo to also be heading for the exits. Not to mention to infamous ABK... (dare we dream?) Against that, we've gained Charles (superb little player at this level), Edwards (promising young CB and competent at this level), Downs (promising squad player), and Quarshie (looks decent imo - and crucially lets us play a high line) so far. Crucially - we've kept what i would say is an important spine of the team in THB, Downes, and seemingly Fernandes. If we stopped here for "transfers" then frankly i would be delighted with the summer - we would have a very strong championship squad, will have kept our best players for a push on the prem, and will likely still dip into the loan market. Siting here now, it doesn't seem as unlikely that we somehow keep both Dibling and Fernandes. But if we do sell either of them, we can at least now see that we are being linked with some good calibre replacements. Equally though, its possible that the funds raised from selling the squad players (purple above) will be the sales that release the funds to sign the likes of Spertsyan (although unlikely) and we keep dibling and fernandes and strengthen. And even if we don't keep, who won't actually be happy if we do sell dibling and go out and buy Spertsyan and someone else like Rudoni and Scienza for example? And again - we still have the loan market to dip into. As it stands - i think we're on the cusp of a very good window. A lot of deadwood cleared out (a few more to go mind), a strong squad for the champ with a good core of young players that can develop and hopefully get us promoted and go on to mount a successful relegation defence next season.