Awful game but I'll take a point. Capoue, Prodl, Cleverley, Richarlison and Deeney all hopeless. Karnezis was very good though, although not overly busy. Hope he keeps the number 1 spot when Gomes returns. Mariappa also better than Janmaat at RB and Deulofeu very promising. I have no idea why we haven't invested in a striker, full back or CB this window. Cleverley's injury just sums this January up.
Not a pretty point and was pretty painful watching that ball get hoofed to Deeney, to then watch it get headed straight back! But a point is a point I suppose. Other results have gone against us as well!
Stoke really are a horrible niggly spiteful snidey team, I actually hate them, worse thing ever happened in football them getting to the prem
Potential hamstrings for Cleverley and Kabasele... Just couldn't make it up. As with every game against Stoke, the worst fixtures on the calendar. Lowered to their level every time. Whilst I thought the decisions from the ref were mostly right tonight, John Moss never lets the game flow, and misses some clear moments when he takes his eye off the game. Doucoure's reaction to Crouch was foolish at the end and rightly a booking, but I think if he sees Crouch shove Doucs with two hands in the back of his head, then he looks at it a little differently.
Hideous game that looked like a championship match for the most part. The amount of aimless hoofing, misplaced passes and miscontroling of simple balls was hardly a great advert for the best league in the world. Delefelou must be wondering what the **** has happened to his career. Positives: We suddenly look like we are capable of basic defending. And there seemed to be no lack of effort on show.
That was much better, plenty of commitment and heart in a tense atmosphere. Shame about the Cleverley injury, that'll be another few weeks we're forced to field a weakened midfield, although that was one of Capoue's better games. Defence looked so much better as a unit with Mariappa than Janmaat apart from the few times Prodl switched off, even though he did make some crucial blocks as the game went on. We caught them offside more times than I can remember us doing in other games this season so presume that's come from some coaching from Javi. Finally, Jon Moss is obviously great mates with Peter Crouch - he let him body check Mariappa so they could attack down the wing, pick up Capoue when he was injured, and smash into the back of Doucoure without even a word about any of them.
Well that was a battle. I suppose the good news is the players looked up for it from the off. None of the problems are surprising - Capoue too lazy, Prodl being replaced by a defective clone, Deeney completely ineffective and luck not working in our favour either. The point is important though and we can approach Chelsea as almost a free hit.
Capoue does not deserve a place on the bench after that performance. Turned at every challenge, not tracking his runners! Can’t believe anybody didn’t take him off our hands this window..........
Very happy with a point. Another game towards getting more players back fit again. I thought Mapps was absolutely brilliant - loved it when he outjumped Crouch to win a header towards the end. And Prodl looked much improved too. And Capoue did some great defensive work. Kabasele this time looked our weak link. Deulofeu has real class. Some lovely dribbles and crosses. Silky smooth. Just need someone to get on the bloody end of them! Stoke were terribly dirty all game. Horrible game to ref I would say, but he got most decisions right apart from that shove on Cleverly as he was about to fire in should have been a fk to us. Hope Cleverley's hamstring is OK, otherwise we might be needing Ndong quicker than we thought. My heart was pounding with about 15 mins to go and that series of free kicks and throws they had. Fortunately they were utter shyte. Similarly with two horrible short back passes. Prodl did really well to mop one up. Much more confidence in Karnezis now after that brilliant double save. Good lad!
A clean sheet. Players actually busting a gut to get back and defend. How we could have done woth that in some of oir games. May be a couple of points better off. Deulofeu looked absolute class. On a different level to the rest of these 2 teams. Amazing signing. Good fitst point for Gracia. No free hit v Chelsea. Must go out to get at least a draw. Push for the win. COYH
Definitely an improvement. Deulofeu looked very good. Doucoure was the worst player on the pitch in my opinion and has been for some time. It feels like every single time he gets the ball he gives it away. The same can be applied to Capoue. It’s staggering how we can turn a promising position on the edge of the box into nearly conceding. The ref was absolutely appalling. Dishing out yellows left right and centre, giving free kicks for the slightest touch, yet didn’t give Ryan Shawcross’s blatent impedement on Gray when he was about to close down and then at the end when Crouch shoved Doucouré in the back and then gave Stoke a free kick and booked Doucouré!!! The standard of officiating in this league is unbearable and it’s having an effect on football in this country because it’s very quickly turning into a non contact sport.
We could have played for another 90 and still not scored. I think Deeney won one header all game, and in general looked woefully lethargic, unfit even for him - really what's the point?! And how have we not signed another striker?? Karnezis was very good, as was Kabasele (hopefully his hobbling at the end was nothing serious). Mariappa relatively solid defensively. Holebas put in some decent crosses to nobody and I still trust him more the Zeegelaar. Prodl was alright other than a horrendous brain-fart which gifted Stoke their biggest chance of the game! Cleverley looked dead on his feet five minutes before his injury, so that wasn't a surprise. I actually thought Capoue looked better than him anyway and made some decent long range passes. Doucoure was poor by his standards and also looked dead on his feet at the end. Deulofeu looked a bright spark, and despite his 'one lung' reputation looked probably our sharpest player, even when he was surprisingly subbed. Richie shouldn't have been subbed, but he really has gone off the boil. The board are taking a huge gamble.
He went in for a challenge on the sprint down the wing as Stoke were threatening to break and committed an upper body tactical foul. Immediately gestured to the bench that he was injured and was subbed before play resumed. The Stoke neanderthals booed him because they don't understand sport.
Disagree. He made on fantastic tackle to stop a Stoke player getting through but apart from that he was awful in my opinion. The attempted back header that gave Stoke their best chance summed it up. Constantly hoofing it away and miscontrolling it too.
Take that. I've no doubt that we'd have lost that under Silva. Clean sheets are what we need. Our last one was on November 25th, so it's certainly welcome. We wouldn't stay up if we carried on conceding the way we were. Build on that.
I think most of us would have taken a point before the game. It will take Gravy a while to implement his ideas but I'm glad to hear of more resilience and fortitude. We can only surmise that our walking or hobbling wounded are close to return? Conti sacked before Monday anyone?
Oh what an awful point!!! How terrible A point away against a rubbish defensive team that we couldnt ******* buy for the last 4 months. Fact is draw 40 games and you stay up. See every consistent non-top six team in the prem. This is a very important point and I feel the rot is at least starting to be stopped.
Positive performance, though our finishing was horrendous. I feel the Capoue experiment kind of worked, however despite being more involved than he usually is, his touch was appalling at times Pr*dl is well out of sorts, and can thank the very impressive Karnezis for bailing him out. Rich continues to look like an imposter. Think he needs a spell on the sidelines Losing Cleverley is absolutely gutting, and really you have to wonder the wisdom of rushing him back. Very poor management
I thought that was actually a half decent performance from Gray, his involvement in Doucoure's chance was excellent. Happy with a point, but felt at full time that we'd made enough chances to nick it.
We’ve sacrificed some nice tippy tappy passing in midfields under Silva for increased work rate and some defensive solidity under Javi, which is what we need to stay up.
Was there with the boys in the Shoutbox again tonight - so thanks all for the banter and it really did sound like an improved performance. Something to build on and the boys have nothing to be disappointed about, perhaps maybe getting the killer goal. Stoke seem like relegation fodder than we do but our attack is just so lacklustre. It did improve a bit when Grey came on and perhaps we can play 2 up front from now on? Thanks to all fans who travelled tonight and have a safe journey and abet a much happier one home than usual. One swallow doesn't make a summer, but its a point to survival and still lots of games to play. Head's up guys, we are not done yet with Gracia in charge. COYH
That's just not true though. His passing accuracy is very high and he's excellent at recycling the ball. I suspect where he's giving the ball away more is the percentage passes where he's trying to force something. We need him to carry on trying those as if he stops for fear of giving the ball away we'll grind to even more of a halt. That was a very difficult game for a referee. Whatever happened at the end of the home match literally began from the first minute tonight, as if nearly three months hadn't gone by. There were countless examples of players getting physical off the ball or over nothing balls where in most games it never happens. I don't think any of the yellow cards were wrong except maybe Doucoure at the end and Moss had a good game.
It was a mixed bag, I'll give you and the header back was horrific, but there were plenty of good defensive headers and ball winning as well as that tremendous run and tackle to stop their break away. I didn't know he had that much speed!
We did to stoke what they did to us we did the horrible stuff we failed to do under Silva broke the game up wasted time and could have pinched it. Good point
Did you notice that break we had with about 10 mins to go when Gray had acres of space right down the middle and was on the move just waiting for Pererya to slide it through to him, but he made the wrong decision and went the other side. I've got some sympathy for Gray, because sometimes it's the service that's lacking. Hopefully that'll change with Gerry D though...
I think we beat them for stand out chances. Shawcross' block from Doucoure was top class and Pereyra just never got hold of that ball when any other day a clean hit slams into the back of the net.
