Tony's answer ( because he knows what's wrong he's told us ) will be to get on the phone to India and ask for more drones and operators and more performance analysists Throw in a couple more tvs and lads to watch them for the scouting network as well. That'll placate the bosses, oh and tell them their 5 million pound investment styriker is now well on the way to becoming a ten million pound winger.

Doesn't matter who manages Stoke they still remain the most boring shithouse team in the league. Have been for decades !

Finally gets a tune out of Trybull then takes him off for running around too much !

Steadinho - rather him than Gallagher any day.

Doesn't have too, he cost 5 million so the numpty who wasted that on him will keep throwing him in.

Only Rovers could sign a worse left back than one of the worst we've ever had.

That separates the ambitious from the cautious although we didn't even sign a defender the season we went down. I know it isn't easy in Jan and the budget is probably swallowed up with adding Downing. If he went to the owners though and said look i need another good player or 2 for a genuine promotion push they'd find the money. Might have to send Trybull back and loan out some more but so be it. Not the type of thing this manager will push for though i don't think.

Most gaffers will turn a blind eye to some it but to be fair i reckon Mowbray would reel them in quicker than Bowyer. He had no control just a nice guy trying his best who the players liked but obviously knew they could take the piss. No wonder we went nowhere, i'd love to know how sober Hanley was in some of his appearances because he didn't look it at times.

Stokes, Watt, Marshall just 3 straight of the top of my head all similar good talent but happy to waste it. Makes me sick to be honest but it's the manager that employ these guys and then have no control over them. Clubs throw the money at them then get little back and round and round we go. Sickening. When i was listening to that it reminded me of a place i worked at briefly one summer when i needed some cash. Some real nutters, people ducking days turning up late etc. Big Super Sunday sesh's that went into Monday morning, mid week night benders, total choas really. That was for a demolition firm run by a local bloke who just took anybody and everybody on when he needed labourers. Mostly young guys from the pub and dole dossers earning cash on the side. NOT a professional football club or players on ten grand a week ! Having a laugh and pushing boundaries is one thing but taking the piss and disrespecting the game, club and fans is another. Should be booted straight down the road with 2 weeks pay and black listed on references like any other young bloke would be in a normal job.

The best thing for our youngsters imo is going and staying on loan for a season or two. It was obvious it had done Wharton a world of good. Otherwise staying here just filling in now and again then struggling, getting dropped when playing well or making clangers. That's not doing much good for us or them other than increasing book value with a few championship appearances. If we are serious about top 6 tilts we need to cover the injuries with some oven ready loans. If we are just in it to plod on and hope for the best then carry on as we are and carry on having a decent side being let down by a decimated shallow defensive pool.

Football breeds what Marshall comes across as sadly. They really see no fault in earning all that money and not giving a toss. Glad this has come out as he pretty much confirms what was said about him on here at the time. A piss artist waster in football terms but there was deffo a drinking culture under Bowyer. He's just one of many not taking it seriously enough back then. Got to give him credit for being brutally honest. He's no doubt a funny guy and he's at least been sensible with his money. The football industry that allows this kind of thing is the real issue here.

Another reason we'll never really get anywhere. Can't help injuries but you can cover them short term when a window comes up. We never do but maybe actually doing a bit of business in January is whats been missing all along. Could have a real bearing on final places. Towels probably gone in on that already though in favour of more plod and player development.

More than ever to me it just points to nice guy Tony trying to get everyone involved when there's a chance. His tactical masterstroke attempts are just flimsy cover half the time for keeping everyone happy. Impossible to dislike the guy as a bloke even though he's frustrating. As manager though I'm convinced if he had 20 quality players and 5 million per window we'd still see him operate the same way and we'd still not hit the heights.

There's been a reluctance all along to invest properly in defense and there is no defense for it. The keeper situ was similar and in the end they've had to buy a decent one. Same thing with center defense if you want decent you'll have to find in and buy it.

Neither is pinning all their problems on one player 🙄

We either have a Hoilett situation with Nyambe where he'd have to be offered a lot to resign or another similar to Raya but with the contract ticking down. One or the other for me i think it's been clear for over a year.

Agree on Wharton i'm no expert but he's one i saw years ago and thought he'd do ok. Main reason is he's always looked like a center defender he just looked comfortable in his position. Darragh never looked that way although he's grown into it to be fair. Despite some criticism i think they've done the right thing with Wharton letting him learn the hard yards for a few years elsewhere. Not sure TM actually rates him that much his hand may have been forced a bit this season, credit to him though he does give them a chance regardless. The sheer amount of injuries in this position now though are getting crazy. Center backs used to be the hardest barstewards on the pitch and considering the game is less physical than it was even 10 years ago ! I can't understand why they are all so prone to breaking down every few weeks nowadays.

Lost count at the number of times we've needed decent center halves when the window approaches. Don't remember anytime they've actually done something about it despite often admitting to having something in the pot left from summer. As mentioned having fragile Williams as back up to Ayala and Lenihen - both injury prone themselves - and a few young lads just isn't a strong enough platform to launch a top 6 bid. Shame for Wharton of course, one who's actually had a tough grounding elsewhere to prepare.

As opposed to your hard evidence of course.

Defenders should be coming, decent ones at that. Where is the real ambition ? Room could be made on the wagebill for a good first choice center defensive loan i'm sure.

We can carry a player of quality hoping he gets that one chance, carry a galloper who offers nowt on the right wing is a bigger issue.

I haven't seen his payslip and i don't read the bible but it was said up there he'd signed a million pound one year deal. So roughly 20 grand a week maybe or maybe not including bonuses. No idea about now but i'd bet it's more near ten grand than five all in. He did enough last season to be offered something respectable this time. Personally i would have put that money elsewhere but he's here now so best of luck to him. Also it says as much about us as well as him that he still looks head and shoulders better than most of what we have.

The most alarming thing is he said it was mainly tactical. Rotating center defenders at midtable championship level according to opposition. Absolute nonsense of the highest order then he cries about consistency.

He was weighing up other offers home and abroad allegedly and i would not be in the least bit surprised if he got a very good short term deal here.

First off it does piss down virtually all the time these days so that won't help. For me though it started when we dropped out the Prem because i seem to recall there was a rule in place the pitch had to be completely re done every few years. Turf, foundations and the lot. Obviously that cost several hundred grand but Prem income covered it and maybe there was a grant towards it as well or something. Since we came down and the idiotic penny pinching began at ground level (literally) started by Shagnew i think virtually every season it just gets reseeded in the summer. That would mostly be just the top layers scraped off cultivated, reseeded then the rest when it's growing. Somebody else will probably know better i'm just going off bits in the local rag years ago. Looks like it needs a complete overhaul by now with drains done and proper new turf.