Stoke City v Blackpool Official Matchday Thread 06.08.22

That want very good was it.

Disappointing across the board, other than Dougall who holds the midfield together whenever he plays.

I'm all for giving manager's a bit of time to get the players sorted, but we beat Reading by fewer than last season, and lost to Stoke who we beat - it's not a great start in straight comparison.
 
i think leaving dougal out at the start against a team who were going to be very physical was a mistake. Marv looked a bit nervous early on, but all in all didnt think he had a bad game. The stoke front players are decent, but i think we made them look better than they actually are.

we were better second half, in parts, but not enough players getting forward and into the box. when stoke went forward they had seven players up there - always an option.

Fiorini isnt a holding midfielder, jerry needs to be getting up the middle. The whole team at the moment looks a bit square peg going into a round hole.
 
Virtue and Carey not good enough for this level, Fiorini had a stinker, Marv was awful, Corbeanu was just out there without actually doing or contributing anything and when the opposition put 4 players on Bowler, it says everything about the what they think of our threat from any other attackers we have. I agree with them too.
 
Admirable trying to win by being positive, but need to earn the right to play. I think Dougall needs to start if it’s with two from Carey/patino/Fiorini. Especially away and especially against big physical teams like Stoke. Also losing Madine not ideal. Hey ho on to the next.

Felt Corbeanu did pretty well in a difficult game and did like the look of Patino in his cameo.
 
Never get too high, never get too low. We got exactly what we deserved from that game. We are missing a couple of key players through injury and still need to bring a couple in. Hopefully Appleton learns a lot from that performance and realises he has to adjust his formations and tactics as that really didn't work for the entire game.
 
Reminiscent of early displays from last year - looked defensively shakey with Connolly at RB (not his position) and being physically dominated by a massive team. Very similar to the 2-0 loss to Cardiff early on.

Bowler looked dangerous and once he has a proper right back playing with him we’ll be even better attacking down the right.

Thompson is a bright spark on the left and Williams hasn’t put a foot wrong since joining - it’s Big Marv that hasn’t been good enough. Theo also looked decent today and I’m sure we’ll see more to come.

Fiorini, what people hype about I haven’t seen (he did look okay for 20 mins last week when Reading gave him the keys to midfield). Can’t handle being closed down and can’t tackle. Patino was on for a fraction of the time and it’s clear to see he’s the player Fiorini wishes he was.

I wouldn’t get too upset or negative after two games. We’re a better team than last year and we’ll be just fine.
 
Virtue and Carey not good enough for this level, Fiorini had a stinker, Marv was awful, Corbeanu was just out there without actually doing or contributing anything and when the opposition put 4 players on Bowler, it says everything about the what they think of our threat from any other attackers we have. I agree with them too.
Don't know what's up with Marv he seems to be off his game. Midfield too lightweight and a major problem.
 
Not the best away trip I've ever had. We were on the back foot from the start. A very poor first half, giving away the ball far too easily and allowing them far too much space in the wide areas. Better 2nd half but not good enough. Didn't help that the ref allowed the crowd to referee much of the 2nd half.

Positives for me

Thompson looked good when he decided to run forwards, and Dougall was also very good down our left when he came on.

I like Carey but that's the 2nd game that's passed him by. I think we'll look a lot better and balanced in midfield when Gabriel returns and releases Connolly into DM. Should allow Patino and/ or Fiorini to create chances.

Oh and Patino looked good for the short time he was on.
 
We shouldn't abandon what we want to do, when we passed it better 2nd half we has them pegged back.

Its just we've not had a complete performance all season, in each friendly there's been a stinker half pretty much.

It's not good enough.

If we started like we did in the 2nd we would have done better.

Still far too weak in allowing them to put good balls in on Connollys side.

Who would have thought we might need a RB 😡
 
Bowler shouldve scored today that driving run on his left foot.I thought he should have scored the similar chance last week against Reading aswell.He's done all the hard work just put it in the bottom corner.
 
MA learning a fair bit about his squad.

Said before the game, we’d given it up with that starting midfield.

Virtue should be nowhere near the match day squad. Totally out of his depth in every element of the game.

Fiorini, needs to apply himself, far too Hollywood for my liking. You’ve got to earn the right to play.

Carey, played well, deserves his place in the team.

Kenny, has to start. Patino will start next game.

Missing Gabriel so much. Missing Keshi and his class.

Our strikers have little to work with, so can’t really judge them.

Not a time to be down as fans, this was all expected, it will take some time for the pieces to fit together.
 
Very poor, but we looked better when Dougall came on.

We had good spells with the ball and just seemed to lack that cutting edge. I've been impressed with the positions we get into in front of goal and there seems to be more intent, but we just lacked that edge in front of goal. Hope that will come with more time in Appleton's system.

Main takeaways are that we

1) Desperately need Gabriel to get healthy or bring in a RB, because both of their goals came from Connolly's side.
2) Need to to play Dougall/Connolly in that holding role to help win the physical battle, don't think Virtue is cut out for that role.
3) Need more cutting edge in front of goal.

Still positive about the direction we're going in.

Positives are that Corbenau looked good and I thought Yates did a decent job filling in for Madine.
 
Not the end of the world, wasn't great but a better second half and Stoke deserved all 3 points. It has raised some questions which were already being asked by Appleton about where he needs to strengthen.

Positives for me were: Williams and Thompson looked assured in defence and Thompson really gets involved. I thought Madine was doing well until he got injured and that's a big blow for me. Yates did well up top but got barely anything to feed from, Bowler is our best player by a country mile and I thought Corbeneau was tidy and clever.

Negatives; I thought Marv had a poor game, didn't defend brilliantly and his distribution was awful, it may be because Connolly had as bad a game as he had a good one last week and he looks far from being a right back probably not helped by Bowler's lack of defending ability, although I think Conno;;y\s best position is defensive midfield.

I thought the midfield was poor for 90 minutes, the starting 3 were too lightweight, Fiorini isn't a holding midfielder and he lost confidence after the first half. Virtue shouldn't be near the subs bench never mind the starting XI and Carey had no protection or help in the first half. We improved when Dougall came on for Virtue and I thought Carey had a decent second half. It was too late to see what Patino can offer and hopefully he will start against Barrow. Even though we improved with Dougall on, he didn't make enough difference and if Stewart was fit or Connolly wasn't right back he's be 3rd choice, 4th if you think Apper's prefers Fiorini over him.

So, my thoughts are that we have too many mediocre players from the Quitchley reign, Virtue, Lavery (he looked terrible again), CJ, Dougall (decent league 1 player), Dale, Garbutt & Luballa. That's 7 players who we just wouldn't miss. I think we have to get another right back and a really decent commanding holding midfielder who can control the game and give confidence to the defence and the 2 in front, other than Stewart we don't have anyone who can do that to Championship standard. If we lose Bowler, then we will really see us struggle as the opposition are scared to death of him.

It's going to be an up and down start to the season, we will win some and lose some until the players gel and we have the right players in the team. It's going to change and it will be fine, we just need a bit of patience.
 
if we are going to play a three then the strikers need to be very mobile we cant do that really with Madine, but with a front three of jerry, bowler plus one other there is no reason why not.
Echo this. A modern front 3 with Madine with his back to goal is an oxymoron. Problem is where do you find a nimble footed striker at this time of year that fancies a move to us?
 
Just left the ground, we had 20 mins second half, Bowler should have levelled. Bowler and Corbenou
creative but nothing up front to capitalise.
Virtue and Carey not good enough and not sure 433 is the way forward.
 
Don’t like digging at our players but said at the start of the season if Matty Virtue’s the answer then we’re in big trouble.
 
I'm not a fan of statistics, which can be, and often are manipulated in all directions. But nil and no shots on target are pretty much black and white.

And as I've said before, I don't like people talking positives when we've been beaten and not scored, let along having no shots on target. I hope Appleton doesn't start that game. If he does then I hope the fans let him know in words of one syllable that he's not fooling us at all.

Players might look assured in defence or anywhere else but obviously didn't when Stoke scored. Twice.

As far as I'm concerned it's three points lost. It doesn't matter about it only being two matches in; there's three points for the taking, or losing, every game right until Norwich on 6th May. And there are another 15 available this month alone, against some very tough opposition. Appleton needs to get his and the teams act together PDQ or we could find ourselves struggling to try and play catchup for eight months.
 
Championship experience.

That's what our signings lack. Strength and can keep the ball is what helps in the championship.
 
Just left the ground, we had 20 mins second half, Bowler should have levelled. Bowler and Corbenou
creative but nothing up front to capitalise.
Virtue and Carey not good enough and not sure 433 is the way forward.
Corbenou looks decent but seems to be another who tries to do one thing too many, and runs himself into problems. might be early games trying to impress. I think Fiorini is similar in that he seems often to want to do that one additional thing, and bowler is definitely that type of player. That single mindedness will be good at times but sometimes we just need to do the simple stuff, get it- pass it - move.

when we go forward get players in and around the box, which we just dont do. The stoke defence looked vulnerable to pace, either through them or around them.

Dont agree about Virtue or Carey, would agree about 4-3-3 the way we are playing it. it doesnt look either defensively particularly solid, and we are allowing attackers to get to our back four too quickly, and going forward we are a bit one dimensional so far.

putit to one side, learn the lessons, and go again
 
Question for those in attendance.
I'm on holiday in sunny Pembrokeshire, doing seaside walks and walled gardens with wife and friends. I've kept in touch via AVFTT and the 'line by line' commentary on the BFC App (taken from the BBC site). Posters on here got to the point quicker than the app but, obviously, as time went by, with increasing desperation. Some things sounded great, others were frustrating and some, (Marv was crap?!) seemed bizarre.

So, a trouncing? They were lucky? We flattered to deceive? Too early to tell, or the writing's on the wall for this season.
 
Stoke didn't even look like a top 6 side. First half we never got going, despite Carey's chance.
Much better first part of second half, Bowler created a great opening for himself, but can't remember their keeper being tested once.
Sorry but Virtue isn't our holding midfielder and on the last two starts, Carey should be on the bench.
 
Would like to see Appleton give Bowler a bit more licence to roam in order to get on the ball in more dangerous areas.
 
Wouldn’t rely on Gabriel, another sicknote more concerned with off field than on field stuff. Same with Stewart
I’m sure the club would be having words if they thought his off-field business was affecting his footballing? Not a dig at you, ‘cos I’ve heard others say it, just find it hard to believe unless anyone’s got any actual evidence of it being an issue?
 
As has been said and I said last week 4-3-3 doesn't suit us. Critchley found that out soon enough and changed shape pretty quickly.

Critchley knew how to tweak the team for every opponent and he did it week in week out. To be fair to Appleton he changed it and brought Dougall on as it was obvious we were getting mullered in midfield. Even with the changes I never felt confident of any sort of come back even though we did have a decent spell 2nd half.

We were well beaten and on the back foot from the start. Disappointing but not surprised. The Reading result was good but todays game was like a continuation of the Reading 2nd half but much worse!
 
Question for those in attendance.
I'm on holiday in sunny Pembrokeshire, doing seaside walks and walled gardens with wife and friends. I've kept in touch via AVFTT and the 'line by line' commentary on the BFC App (taken from the BBC site). Posters on here got to the point quicker than the app but, obviously, as time went by, with increasing desperation. Some things sounded great, others were frustrating and some, (Marv was crap?!) seemed bizarre.

So, a trouncing? They were lucky? We flattered to deceive? Too early to tell, or the writing's on the wall for this season.
dont think Marv was crap, made some key interceptions, but his distribution was not of the best quality.

Williams looks like the real deal, but he can be caught out positionally occasionally, as can Thompson.

i think whoever plays at right back is going to have issues if bowler is the one providing defensive doubling up. I parsonally would say to bowler i dont want to see you more than three yards inside our half for any reason. or one of teh midfielders needs to cover the right side defensively. thought connoly had a decent game, to be honest.

We had chances but squandered them, we were bullied into submission in the first half, and never really got going, but we occasionally look good. when we started passing the ball and playing with a bit of intensity we had stoke backing up, but the whole team seems to have a fit of the vapours and starts sitting back again. Personally im nervous about the way MA wants to play, but its really too early to be so negative, so im going to wait to make judgement, and then ill probably wait again if we arent doing very well.
 
Would like to see Appleton give Bowler a bit more licence to roam in order to get on the ball in more dangerous areas.
I agree, I’d like to see both of our wide forwards switch positions regularly during games , but it will take time to get used to doing it .
 
Missed the game, sounds like we were shit.
Got delayed in bar - glad I missed it.
Marv sounds a worry ... Keogh & Williams?
 
Marv’s distribution has always been cack.
Losing Madine a blow as we needed his physicality.
Virtue in midfield is a poor alternative to Connolly in midfield. We need a ruddy right back.
Why do all managers seem to want to play 433 yet it never works???? What is is about that system that’s supposed to be so ace???
If Appleton picks the same midfield he started with for the last two games again, questions need to be asked as to why.
 
Marv’s distribution has always been cack.
Losing Madine a blow as we needed his physicality.
Virtue in midfield is a poor alternative to Connolly in midfield. We need a ruddy right back.
Why do all managers seem to want to play 433 yet it never works???? What is is about that system that’s supposed to be so ace???
If Appleton picks the same midfield he started with for the last two games again, questions need to be asked as to why.
It once got us to the EPL !
 
433 or 442 is just semantics really.
Usually with a BFC 442 - Bowler is part of the mid 4 - so bollocks really.
For me a 442 would be Yates & Bowler up front.
4 across the middle to dominate possession ... Fiorini, Patino, Dougal, Stewart or Carey.
433 leaves us short in midfield and out marked upfront at there's generally a back 4.
It's why overlapping full backs are vital.
 
No shots on target. Featherweight in midfield. Toothless up front. More injuries than an A+E Dept.
Simms scoring a brace, a poke in the eye for everyone involved in not getting that deal over the line.
 
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