A Thursday Morning (Realistic) Moan

So that’s it for another year. My dream of watching us in a major cup final now rests with FA and Europa Cups and, really, if we are being honest, we were second best last night.

Liverpool were much the better side last night and going in at half-time a goal up was flattering to us in the extreme.

Too many of our players just didn’t (and aren’t) playing very well.

And then I get home to read TP comments that somehow the referee cost us! Personally from my vantage point in Block 22 I didn’t see a lot wrong with the goal Walters had disallowed and I had no chance of seeing whether Crouch was fouled or not just before the end.

But I did see too many of our players getting the basics wrong. Our defending for both goals was shambolic. Our passing was sloppy, and we – as far as I can recall – barely threatened the goal apart from Jones’ header and the Walters “goal.”

And that, I am afraid, has been the way of recent games. We beat a really poor (on the day) Fulham team, were seemingly devoid of ideas at Arsenal and the malaise continued last night.

We continue – despite all the money we have spent – to operate the “square pegs in round holes” philosophy, we have two wingers in the squad, we have barely any cover on the left side and little pace anywhere.

All of which leads me to ask this question: I have already tweeted on this today, but still its worthy of further discussion on the blog.

Is our European form masking what is now an average start to the season?

We have won three games (two, if we are being honest, largely undeserved) drawn three and lost three. All three defeats have seen us give really poor displays and we have only scored seven goals in the league, of which, off the top of my head just two were from open play – one of those even was lucky.

Is that good enough for a strike force that cost over £25m? With the first quarter of the season complete we have mustered just one goal from a player that wasn’t playing up front at the time (Delap’s against Fulham) and that, for a team that relies on goals from defenders as much as we do – is a really worrying trend.

And if final confirmation were needed as to the unsatisfactory nature of things were needed try this: For all the euphoria of the Europa Cup and transfer deadline day “coups” (and having Wilson Palacios back will be like a new signing) we are below Norwich in the table.

And yes, this blog may be bleak today – but I believe it a realistic. Our next four games are winnable. And if we do win at least two then we have at least 18 points, which probably we would settle for.

I do though, honestly believe that things have moved on and that we as a club, as fans, have a right to expect Stoke City to finish somewhere in the top half of the table with the players we have available.

We will need to improve dramatically on the last two weeks domestic showing if we are to do that.

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