Stoke v Everton 1st Jan 2014 @ 15:00

[Fuleco]

No need to apologize lad, each to their own like, and we weren't great in possession by any means, just though for large parts stoke reverted to type with hoof balls and giving possession straight back is all

Stoke's kick offs were taken straight from Rugby Union, I love it when someone adheres to a stereotype.

They did defend well though, Deulefeou would have been useful to come of the bench in yesterday's game.

 

[Big Fat Sam]

Stoke's next league game is home against the RS. Interesting.

Why is that interesting lid? Suarez will beat them about six nil.

 

[Whatson]

I would have kept Lukaku on at the end. Surely a shattered Romelu having a terrible game is a better option than Jelavic at the moment.

Jela did ok coming off the bench against Stoke and S'land i thought. Do need a better back up striker like

 

[TomDixie]

All in all it's a decent point. We have to forget the Sunderland match as an anomaly and stop using it to provide context to our other results.

 

[Chang Elephant]

I'm only giving my view. Everton didn't batter Stoke mate. Stoke looked more comfortable on the ball than Everton did.

What a pile of ****e

 

[edge]

What a pile of ****e

kopite humour , changy we will never understand it.

 

[royalblue66]

Why is that interesting lid? Suarez will beat them about six nil.

Could also get broke in half, like.

 

[mrb85]

Nothing as blatant as that - him to be booked, certain number of bookings etc

Getting the booking for a foul in his own penalty area was a bit OTT though wasn't it.........

 

[mrb85]

Stoke's next league game is home against the RS. Interesting.

Not really. Stoke are crap and have had a lot of luck in going 7 home games unbeaten. That run will break soon. 3 pts for the RS I'm afraid.

 

[Lien]

All in all it's a decent point. We have to forget the Sunderland match as an anomaly and stop using it to provide context to our other results.

Completely agree.

That Sunderland result is the very definition of an anomaly.

If people want to criticise yesterday, then they have more grounds to do so but even then, I thought there were plenty of positives.

Stoke are clearly an awful footballing team, but the fact is they are hard to beat at home. Given how often we came close it's unfair to write our performance off as poor. In poor conditions, against a tough, very resilient side, we battered them and kept going to the last. On another day we would've won 3-1 but sometimes you can say both teams had their part to play - Stoke were at times brilliant defensively. Some great last-ditch stuff.

We can equally look back at the Southampton game and say we were hardly that superior, it was an even game where a draw, realistically, was fair. We nicked it thanks to a good finish. Yesterday, we couldn't get the goals to match our superiority (at times).

I'm unsure why a lot of people are so unwilling to accept things are rarely black or white.

 

[Chang Elephant]

kopite humour , changy we will never understand it.

Tarby, Boardman, Bishop, W Hunt, Aldridge

 

[mrb85]

Tarby, Boardman, Bishop, W Hunt, Aldridge

Mention of which, does anyone find Bishop to be at all funny?

 

[Bluerover]

Mention of which, does anyone find Bishop to be at all funny?

Generally he is only fair, but I had a pain from laughing at his description of going for the 'intimate' male waxing before
His charity challenge.

 

[mrb85]

I can remember the truly great Liverpool comics of the past, the best of which didn't even make it to tv. Bishop seems to have come from nowhere (bit like McIntyre), with no comic's apprenticeship, to become one of the best paid in the business. Can't understand why.

 

[evilwebby]

Like most of them Osman gets stick on here when its deserved! Yesterday was proof (again) that he is best these days coming off the bench when teams are tiring and he has a bit more time and space, but sorry he's no longer a starter!

I agree, actually.
I've been one of Osman's biggest supporters but he doesn't have the mobility or engine today to play a quick, high tempo game from the start.. not sure that he ever had it tbh, but definitely not nowadays. Still very decent option to have on the bench as an impact player. Martinez obviously rates him, but he shouldn't be starting more than a dozen games a season now.