[Archived] Stoke City Preview 18th April

[Exiled in Toronto]

On live here; Centenary shirt on; wife making me a cuppa - game on!

[jonv]

cold beer. come on rovers!

[Amo]

ROBINSON

OOIJER - SAMBA - NELSEN - GIVET

DIOUF - ANDREWS - MOKOENA - WARNOCK - PEDERSEN

MCCARTHY

According to Yahoo! Eurosport.

[MarkBRFC71]

Why the feck is that dolloper Mokoena in AGAIN??!? Just how bad does he have to play before Allardyce sees he is nothing but a liability?

We'll do nothing until he goes off - by which time I hope it isn't too late to recover the game.

[Dan]

Mokoena is ###### ###### it's unbelieable :'(

[Tom]

Is this a bad time to say I actually quite rate Mokoena?

[Dan]

Is this a bad time to say I actually quite rate Mokoena?

Yes, he can't pass it, he can't run, he can't tackle, he doesn't find space. Already today he has ###### up 2 or 3 times when it could have cost us.

[MarkBRFC71]

Is this a bad time to say I actually quite rate Mokoena?

Is this a bad time to say you might need sectioning?

Or maybe you're on drugs?

[Tom]

I still say without Mokoena we may well have gone down in Hughe's first season, we does a job well in front of the back 4

[Plastic Head]

Middlesbrough piling on the pressure against Fulham......

[dulwich]

Bruising encounter so far as expected.

[mhead]

Half way thru first half and no score?

Still waiting for the dreaded clank from my Vodafone message service. Think I'll go out for walk to escape tension.

Back home for Citeh and Pompey......

[Mr. E]

We're playing worse than a League 2 team so far, but with Andrews and Mokoena that's exactly what we can expect.

[Iceman]

Why does Grooby have us playing at Ewood, in his min by min update on the official website?

[dulwich]

Good to hear our fans in good voice too.

[Plastic Head]

According to BBC text only 1 thing has happened in 17 minutes...

[beerwins]

Fans doing a great job outsinging stoke at home isnt an easy task to acomplish, as for the game very even , not exactly heartstopping stuff, like to see moko go off and dunn come on or carlos.

[Exiled in Toronto]

Being out-footballed by a team of cloggers so far.

I was worried from 10 minutes in: not matching their effort or commitment. Apart from the back 4, only the Axe and Spit are showing the right attitude for me. Warnock has been absolute cack so far.

Still, 0-0 and all to play for

[mattyc2422]

Need Dunny to come on at some stage. Missing some creativity.

Sunderland just put one in.

[philipl]

Well 47 minutes and just one shot on target (from Rovers) in the match so far!

[Guest Kamy100]

Done ok in the first half. Stoke have piled on the pressure from set pieces but we have defended them quite well. Not had too much going forward, although MGP looks the most likely to do something, with Benni playing up front it is no use launching long balls as that is not his game.

Funnily I think that Carlos should be used in the second half, he has the ability to open up Stoke and do "something different", could come on for Andrews with Diouf being switched to the right.

Special mention for the Axe, he has working very hard, closing down Stoke and helping out at set pieces.

[MarkBRFC71]

Done ok in the first half. Stoke have piled on the pressure from set pieces but we have defended them quite well. Not had too much going forward, although MGP looks the most likely to do something, with Benni playing up front it is no use launching long balls as that is not his game.

Funnily I think that Carlos should be used in the second half, he has the ability to open up Stoke and do "something different", could come on for Andrews with Diouf being switched to the right.

Special mention for the Axe, he has working very hard, closing down Stoke and helping out at set pieces.

Moko off, Carlos on. It's the only way we'll get anything from this.

[mattyc2422]

I'd keep the Axe on and take Andrews off for Dunn if anything. Might be worth bringing Carlos on for Moko later on in the game.

[Presty On Tour]

It's tense action out there man, the game isn't pretty but I can't take my eyes off it.

The volume of tunes coming from our end are massive, the Jack Walker stand firm are doing us proud.

My footy accum is doing alright too, 6 out of 7 winning and 1 draw at half time. I think Pedersen is going to rattle one in the second half, it's going to be his day.

C'mon Rovers!

[G Somerset Rover]

We'll find out in this second half what Allardyce really wants out of the match. He's obviously aiming to keep it tight right now - but if it's still 0-0 with twenty minutes left will he take a risk and throw on Dunn and Villa or look to hold out for the point?

I'd take the risk - I've just got a sneaky feeling that Carlos could come on and make something special happen.