Tielemans63 Posted 25 June 2015 Share Posted 25 June 2015 (edited) Stoke are a better proposition than us. stop thinking we're better than we are. I agree Haydos. I think in the medium term we could be a more successful club but right now Stoke are a model of what we want to achieve. I can't stand Stoke as a club but you can't knock what they've achieved and we haven't come close...yet. Edited 25 June 2015 by Paddy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haydos Posted 25 June 2015 Share Posted 25 June 2015 I agree Haydos. I think in the medium term we could be a more successful club but right now Stoke are a model of what we want to achieve. I can't stand Stoke as a club but you can't knock what they've achieved and we haven't come close...yet. Exactly, as of right now they're objectively better. They finished 13 points above us in the league, are a decent sized club, have some good players and have been established in the Prem for a while now. No idea how anyone can say we would be a step up or even sideways. We have potential, that's it right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fox92 Posted 25 June 2015 Share Posted 25 June 2015 I agree with Haydos there as well. A team can't fluke a season either. Stoke are a solid Premier League side nowadays and in recent times have played in Europe and an FA Cup final. There's no doubt they are more attractive than us for a footballer at the minute. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finn Claw II Posted 25 June 2015 Share Posted 25 June 2015 Love the use of 'officially' and 'most people'. I'd say Watford and Bournemouth are the most risky Prem teams to join, then Norwich, West Brom, us, with perhaps Sunderland, Villa and Newcastle. The last three are 'big clubs' but are all undergoing a big transition. What we do have is an ambitious owner so a lot depends on whether potential recruits buy into his and the manager's vision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingcarr21 Posted 25 June 2015 Share Posted 25 June 2015 Wake up people. Come on. Nzonzi leaving Stoke to come to us is most certainly a downward step. Dont get me wrong i hate Stoke. Dull City and Dull team but at the end of the day they are an established Prem team that have always been steady. I dont recall them ever being in a relegation battle in the prem. We are nowhere near an established prem team and wont be for at least another season imo. Hughes is slowly changing the way they play and i wouldnt be surprised to see Stoke push on and maybe get top 8 next season. Forget history, forget who has won more trophies. Its all about the here and now and quite simply Stoke are better prepared to push on for a European spot than we are. Fact. Therefore Nzonzi moving to us is a downward step. Maybe only a small step but a downward step all the same. People seriously need to take off there blue tinted specs. The only teams that are comparable to us and would be considered a sideways step would be the teams in the relegation battle as that is where we will still be regarded. A team in the relegation scrap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davieG Posted 25 June 2015 Share Posted 25 June 2015 You're only as big as your current/last league position. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKCJ Posted 25 June 2015 Share Posted 25 June 2015 Stoke may well be ahead of us now but signing players like N'Zonzi would soon put us above them. There's really little between the sides that finished between about 8th and 17th. We're not quite at their level yet but signing players like Fuchs and Huth is a very good step in the right direction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haydos Posted 25 June 2015 Share Posted 25 June 2015 Stoke may well be ahead of us now but signing players like N'Zonzi would soon put us above them. There's really little between the sides that finished between about 8th and 17th. We're not quite at their level yet but signing players like Fuchs and Huth is a very good step in the right direction. Yeah, only 20 odd points 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxymcoxy Posted 25 June 2015 Share Posted 25 June 2015 Stoke are a nothing team but for now someone like Nzonzi wouldnt risk coming to a less established side like us. Nothing to do with whether it's a downward step or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerard Posted 25 June 2015 Share Posted 25 June 2015 It would be a step down for Nzonzi, no question. He's 26 and POTY for a club that finished 9th. He wants Champions League football and to break into the France team for the 2016 Euros. Why would he sign a 4 year deal at Leicester and give his best years to a team that will probably do no better in that time than what Stoke are doing now? In The Sun today Stoke want to sign Shaqiri. He's 23 a Swiss international and played 52 games for Bayern Munich. We would have no chance of signing someone like him so why would Nzonzi leave to go to a lesser team? Nzonzi's level is probably a first team player for Liverpool or Spurs. He'll either get the move he wants or run his contract down and move on a free in a year. The only way he'd come here is if we threw a ridiculous amount of money at him and that's not going to happen. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevosevic Posted 25 June 2015 Share Posted 25 June 2015 It would be a step down for Nzonzi, no question. He's 26 and POTY for a club that finished 9th. He wants Champions League football and to break into the France team for the 2016 Euros. Why would he sign a 4 year deal at Leicester and give his best years to a team that will probably do no better in that time than what Stoke are doing now? In The Sun today Stoke want to sign Shaqiri. He's 23 a Swiss international and played 52 games for Bayern Munich. We would have no chance of signing someone like him so why would Nzonzi leave to go to a lesser team? Nzonzi's level is probably a first team player for Liverpool or Spurs. He'll either get the move he wants or run his contract down and move on a free in a year. The only way he'd come here is if we threw a ridiculous amount of money at him and that's not going to happen. Is he though? £7m is small change for clubs like those, if he was good enough surely they would snap him up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sol thewall Bamba Posted 25 June 2015 Share Posted 25 June 2015 Is he though? £7m is small change for clubs like those, if he was good enough surely they would snap him up? Would do a job for them, but clubs like that need to be seen spending big money on 'big' players, to keep their deluded fan bases happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerard Posted 25 June 2015 Share Posted 25 June 2015 Is he though? £7m is small change for clubs like those, if he was good enough surely they would snap him up? I'm just making the general point that the best player for the 9th best team will probably be good enough to get in the 5th and 6th best team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danno Posted 25 June 2015 Share Posted 25 June 2015 Yeah, only 20 odd points lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKCJ Posted 25 June 2015 Share Posted 25 June 2015 Yeah, only 20 odd points The difference between Swansea and Villa was 18 points. That's 6 games. It's hardly a massive gap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingcarr21 Posted 25 June 2015 Share Posted 25 June 2015 The difference between Swansea and Villa was 18 points. That's 6 games. It's hardly a massive gap. Having to convert 6 defeats into 6 wins is a pretty big ask so i would say it is a massive gap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corky Posted 25 June 2015 Share Posted 25 June 2015 It's a huge gap, we were nowhere near Swansea, Stoke, even Everton last season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKCJ Posted 25 June 2015 Share Posted 25 June 2015 Having to convert 6 defeats into 6 wins is a pretty big ask so i would say it is a massive gap. It's a huge gap, we were nowhere near Swansea, Stoke, even Everton last season. I wouldn't say so. We're probably 3/4 good signings shy of being where they are. 18 points could quite easily have been made up by; Beating West Brom, Palace, Stoke, Sunderland and Burnley at home (13 points), beating QPR away (3 points) and drawing with Newcastle and Villa away (2 points). I wouldn't say that that's overly optimistic. I imagine that every Leicester fan would have expected those results last season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EnglishOxide Posted 25 June 2015 Share Posted 25 June 2015 When you say most people... Who would they be? We'll see what people think when the predictions come out, but most will still have us bang in trouble. Most (fans and pundits) considered us to be unlucky to be bottom for so long. If we had a fair rub of the green in terms of refereeing decisions and unlucky own goals we may have been 4-8 points better off. With Fuchs, Kramaric, Cambiasso and Huth in from the start with a full pre-season under their belts and the rest of the squad with a seasons experience we are in a much stronger position. You are absolutely deluded to think that we are classed in the same bracket as West Ham, Swansea, Everton etc...we're in our second season. 8 weeks from the end of last season we were all but gone and now we're supposedly of the same level as Everton who have been an ever present in the PL and regularly pushing for Europe. Lost. The. Plot. vs Stoke we won one and lost one vs West Ham we won one and lost one. vs Swansea we won one (destroyed them whilst they were aiming for Europe) and lost one vs Everton we got two draws But we are not in the same bracket, yeah? Alright mate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freesolo Posted 25 June 2015 Share Posted 25 June 2015 vs Stoke we won one and lost one vs West Ham we won one and lost one. vs Swansea we won one (destroyed them whilst they were aiming for Europe) and lost one vs Everton we got two draws But we are not in the same bracket, yeah? Alright mate. Dont forget we beat United 5-3 at home that must mean we are on the road to Champs league football next season? Basing how good you are relative to other teams over 2 games and 1 season makes zero sense Burnley beat Man city Away and got relegated, get the point? 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Shep Posted 25 June 2015 Share Posted 25 June 2015 Stoke and Leicester are both top flight teams who aren't playing European football next season so therefore any movement of players between our clubs would in my eyes be a sideways step. As for teams being more established in the top flight, well weren't we established before we were relegated, just like teams such as Charlton, Boro, Blackburn, Wigan etc even Forest! Eventually Stoke and Leicester will be relegated, I just hope it's them long before us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DANGEROUS TIGER Posted 25 June 2015 Share Posted 25 June 2015 (edited) Exactly, as of right now they're objectively better. They finished 13 points above us in the league, are a decent sized club, have some good players and have been established in the Prem for a while now. No idea how anyone can say we would be a step up or even sideways. We have potential, that's it right now. That just about sums the situation up. Establishing and stabilizing ourselves is the priority. Edited 25 June 2015 by DANGEROUS TIGER Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
city187 Posted 25 June 2015 Share Posted 25 June 2015 Stoke may well be ahead of us now but signing players like N'Zonzi would soon put us above them. There's really little between the sides that finished between about 8th and 17th. We're not quite at their level yet but signing players like Fuchs and Huth is a very good step in the right direction. No not much between 8-18th lol heads gone. Id be happy just to stay up again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deep blue Posted 25 June 2015 Share Posted 25 June 2015 It's a huge gap, we were nowhere near Swansea, Stoke, even Everton last season. We were very close to all 3 when we played them, we just lacked the consistency and Prem knowhow to take points off the lesser teams. There's every reasonable to think that we can go a long way to bridging that gap next season (and every possibility that one or more of those 3 might slip down; it happens). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain... Posted 25 June 2015 Share Posted 25 June 2015 FFS, Stoke have finished above us for over a decade, have been a league above for the majority of that. Regardless of what may happen in the future the facts are the facts Stoke are a better club than us at the moment, and that is when Nzonzi or anyone else has to make a decision, right now, would he rather be at an established club or the worst team in the league for over half the season. History and potential mean nothing players objectively looking at who to play for next season will favour Stoke over us every time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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