Post by Mooney on Aug 29, 2023 10:14:05 GMT
The game away at Stoke really takes on some significance, with the sheer volume of links between the club. It doesn't take a genius to know that Alex Neil, Paul Gallagher, Daniel Johnson and Ben Pearson will have mixed emotions on Saturday (with the possible exception of Pearo. Not sure he has any emotions other than 'angry'). We know that the other guys have collectively spent a lot of time at our club and I am sure they have some affection for us and the players. That said, they have a job to do and I expect that both DJ and Pearson will be very fired up for this occasion.
Stoke currently lie in mid-table following two wins and two draws, but to be fair to Alex Neil, despite his spending, it will take a while for the squad to get to know each other and to gel. I expect they will be Top 6 this season, so a difficult challenge lies ahead. Josh Laurent is for me the key man and if we can stop him, should be able to get at least a point.
Ryan Lowe's team has really come out of the blocks this season, which is fantastic, especially given the threadbare squad. Keane has proven to be an excellent signing thus far, as has Frokjaer, who has some class on the ball and a big future ahead.
For this thread, I thought it would be interesting to look at a 'they played for both clubs', as it seems to me there will be a long list of players who have played for us and Stoke. Here's a few, and I'll leave you to add to the list!
Ricardo Fuller - an icon at both clubs
Danny Pugh - In my eyes, he wasn't great for us, but some people really liked him
Sammy McIlroy - I was so excited when we signed him, but he didn't do that well in a pretty poor team
Graham Shaw - Weak centre forward in the late 80s/early 90s I would guess. Another who divided opinion
Darel Russel - looked a great signing on paper and just what we needed. From his perspective, the manager at the time wasn't very good (Phil Brown)
Anyway, we have a few days to go until deadline day, so who knows? There may be new signings in both camps, so I will update the thread later in the week.
One more thing - I Follow coverage will have Antony Waring commentating on Saturday (ShineOn) - he messaged me the other day to let me know. If he can get back in with the club, I'll have better gossip. I've closer links with Stoke than PNE these days.
Stoke currently lie in mid-table following two wins and two draws, but to be fair to Alex Neil, despite his spending, it will take a while for the squad to get to know each other and to gel. I expect they will be Top 6 this season, so a difficult challenge lies ahead. Josh Laurent is for me the key man and if we can stop him, should be able to get at least a point.
Ryan Lowe's team has really come out of the blocks this season, which is fantastic, especially given the threadbare squad. Keane has proven to be an excellent signing thus far, as has Frokjaer, who has some class on the ball and a big future ahead.
For this thread, I thought it would be interesting to look at a 'they played for both clubs', as it seems to me there will be a long list of players who have played for us and Stoke. Here's a few, and I'll leave you to add to the list!
Ricardo Fuller - an icon at both clubs
Danny Pugh - In my eyes, he wasn't great for us, but some people really liked him
Sammy McIlroy - I was so excited when we signed him, but he didn't do that well in a pretty poor team
Graham Shaw - Weak centre forward in the late 80s/early 90s I would guess. Another who divided opinion
Darel Russel - looked a great signing on paper and just what we needed. From his perspective, the manager at the time wasn't very good (Phil Brown)
Anyway, we have a few days to go until deadline day, so who knows? There may be new signings in both camps, so I will update the thread later in the week.
One more thing - I Follow coverage will have Antony Waring commentating on Saturday (ShineOn) - he messaged me the other day to let me know. If he can get back in with the club, I'll have better gossip. I've closer links with Stoke than PNE these days.
