Martin Smith: Cup defeat was hard to take, but it's still a thrill to be performing on the big stage
IT WAS so disappointing to see The Potters go out of the FA Cup, although not entirely unexpected I suppose.
I was born just over three years after the last time we won at Anfield in 1959, and I am starting to think that I'll make it through my lifetime without ever seeing us record a victory there.
That's not to blame the current players and management, mind you.
Lots of other Stoke sides, under managers such as Tony Waddington, Alan Durban and Richie Barker, have also failed to accomplish the feat. It appears to be a hurdle we just can't get over.
Business Cards From Only £10.95 Delivered www.myprint-247.co.uk
View detailsOur heavyweight cards have FREE UV silk coating, FREE next day delivery & VAT included. Choose from 1000's of pre-designed templates or upload your own artwork. Orders dispatched within 24hrs.
Terms: Visit our site for more products: Business Cards, Compliment Slips, Letterheads, Leaflets, Postcards, Posters & much more. All items are free next day delivery. www.myprint-247.co.uk
Contact: 01858 468192
Valid until: Friday, May 31 2013
For the first 45 minutes on Sunday I thought we were the better team. We actually held on to the ball well at times, which is unusual for us, passed it along the ground well, which is even more unusual, and did not deserve to go a goal behind.
That we came storming back so quickly, and then crafted the opening which should have seen us go 2-1 ahead, bears witness to how well we competed in those opening 45 minutes.
Alas, we are often guilty of not being able to put together two good halves in a game, and this was one such occasion.
No matter how loudly the magnificent 6,000 away following of Stokies tried to roar their team on – and they certainly gave the home fans in a lesson in how it's done – we just never got going in the second 45 minutes, so can have few qualms that Liverpool went on to win the game.
I can't recall us creating a single goalscoring chance worthy of the name after the break, and even our throw-ins from both Rory Delap and Ryan Shotton were dealt with all too easily by the Liverpool defence.
The home side, driven on by Steven Gerrard, stepped it up a gear and we couldn't match them once they started knocking the ball about and moving into space.
The glory of knocking Liverpool out of a cup competition for the first time ever and making a return trip to Wembley were not to be ours, so we're now left to see out our final few Premier League games of the season with the target of finally cracking a top-half finish.
That's not to moan too much about going out at Anfield. I always keep my eye on the bigger picture, and I'd always rather be a part of these games and lose them than bow out in the early stages to lower league opposition, as we've done so many times in our history.
Reaching the quarter-finals three years in a row shows how much the club are getting there in the great scheme of things, and I haven't lost sight of that.
It's just that you build your hopes up and you dare to dream, so it's always disappointing when you lose this kind of match.
Our focus now needs to be on providing a good end to this season, and in doing so hopefully iron the issues which continue to dog us.
If there's one thing which has held us back this season it has been goalscoring and creating chances. We don't do enough of either.
We remain the second lowest scorers in the division behind Wigan Athletic and we're bottom of just about every single attacking stat there is in the Premier League – fewest chances, fewest on-target, attempts, etc.
Of course, Tony Pulis is a manager who likes to keep it tight in games, so we're never going to be heavy scorers while we're grinding out results.
That's our manager's approach and it has worked for him so far.
We'll be starting a fifth successive season of top flight football next August, and it would be interesting to recall what odds we could have got for betting on that back in 2008.
I do worry though, that we seem to have become increasingly reliant on set-pieces for our goals, and it's not at all surprising that our goal at Anfield came from a corner.
Matthew Etherington's recent winner against Norwich was our first from open play since the win at Blackburn on January 2.
It doesn't matter where you get your goals from, but when you become so reliant on set-pieces it's perhaps understandable why we weren't able to sufficiently trouble Liverpool in the closing 15 to 20 minutes of Sunday's match.
It may also help explain why Jon Walters, pictured left, one of the heroes of last season, has found scoring to be such a difficult task this term.
In all competitions, he has now made more than 40 appearances, but he has just four goals to his name from open play.
It's certainly not a lack of effort that's to blame, as he remains one of the most committed and wholehearted players I've seen in a Stoke shirt, but both he and Peter Crouch are often left to feed on scraps.
With any luck, we'll use the remaining games of the campaign not only to get ourselves as high as possible in the Premier League table, but also to look at ways in which we can address the problems which have held us back at times.
In the meantime, here's to a rousing display against Manchester City this weekend.
The title contenders have look far less convincing of late than they did earlier in the campaign when they appeared to be unstoppable.
If we are on top of our game, then there's no reason why we can't go out and gain some revenge for the FA Cup final defeat we suffered against them last May.
They have only scored four goals in their last eight Premier League away games, so we have everything to play for in front of what will hopefully be a full Britannia Stadium which can replicate the pride, passion and noise we witnessed at Anfield.
Comments
by soccerfoot11
Thursday, March 22 2012, 3:16AM
“boz stokie, good post, but as we try and go forward its not just about new players being brought in is it? look at the 3 brought in this season Crouch, Palacios and Jerome, its whether the manager knows how to use them, if he doesnt, well doesnt matter who we bring in does it??”
by AMOODY_72
Wednesday, March 21 2012, 5:38PM
“Boz_Stokie. Brilliant article. Really have to agree with you with regards to Pulis been one dimensional, he has to start to evolve his tactics and also regarding the sentiment issue. Why are we thinking of giving the likes of Delap and Sidibe new contracts, yes they have done very well for us and Sidibe has had terrible luck with injuries but they are simply not good enough anymore for the premiership, we need midfielders with pace and strikers who can score goals. Also it's not like they have been playing for nothing these last five years or so.”
by jimmyd23
Wednesday, March 21 2012, 5:10PM
“Going out was not the most disappointing thing but seeing what Pulis regards as his best first eleven.”
by Boz_Stokie
Wednesday, March 21 2012, 3:44PM
“I always enjoy reading your articles Martin, you bring a balanced view whilst getting over what a lot of Stoke fans are thinking.
You mention keeping an eye on the bigger picture, and then comment on how we should approach the final games of the season. Do you not think that is a contradiction, the bigger picture is our manager, and how he manages. We all know, that the remaining fixtures will be treated the same as all previous ones. Grit and determination, working hard and preventing the opposition from playing wherever possible. The same players, in the same positions with the same tactics.
Unfortunately our manager has one set of tactics, no plan B and certainly no intent to experiment to identify if there is an alternative to long ball, cage football. I fully agree this has been successful for him, and I am delighted in relation to what he has achieved for our football club, we wouldn't be in the Premier League without him. However, is he capable of taking the next step? Having spent tens of millions, more money that any team outside of the top 6, we simply should be higher in the league. He needs to stop with the excuses, he needs to cease with his countless "little club / lucky to be here / look where we were" comments and start to drive us to a consistent top 10 / 8 finish.
I don't want to hit 40 points and then treat the rest of the season as a bonus, I don't want to look below us the league, our squad is too good for that approach. With the money we have spent, we should be a top 8 team, we should be reaching quarter and semifinals. These should no longer be exceptions, especially when you have a bench worth 20 million+.
This summer is a very important one for our club. We are now established in the Premier League and need to move on to the next level. It's clear that we have a number of key weaknesses in the squad that need to be addressed; left back, cover for wingers, pace and creativity. There is also a need to remove the players who are simply no longer good enough; Delap, Sidebe, Fuller, Collins, Higgingbottom, Soares etc… There is no room for sentiment, the club has to come first. Let's hope Pulis and his management team have already drawn up targets and we are making progress in these areas, not the usual tactic of waiting to the last minute.
If we get this summer right, next season could be really exciting for Stoke fans, if we don't, we will continue to live looking over our shoulder, until eventual failure.”
by grahamegreen
Wednesday, March 21 2012, 2:29PM
“I'm with you there Hadis, different tactics and players... You can have a turn in the 'darkened room' after me! Liverpool have no divine right to win at Anfield and they are a shadow of their former 'good selves.'
Had the knackered, ever present Walters taken his very good chance, Liverpool players and supporters would have got the 'jitters' and Dalgleish's future would be up for debate.
Alas, the iffy Reina was not even tested. No 'jinx'... Merely inept finishing.”
by AMOODY_72
Wednesday, March 21 2012, 2:27PM
“Another good and honest article. It is now getting to the stage where I am constantly repeating myself on here but I find it one of the most baffling decisons I have witnessed in years at Stoke, in how Walters plays upfront every week, especially when you look at your stats. Four goals in open play, that's one every ten games for a premiership striker and yet he seems to be undroppable. I am honestly baffled how Pulis keeps getting away with it. I dont care if he runs around all day, (someone described him like a dog with a balloon), first and foremost he is in the team to score goals for which he fails miserably. I see Jerome is now growing impatient with his lack of opportunities and rightly so. When he has come on he has looked far more of a threat than Walters, he has pace to burn and yet he has only started four premier league matches. To keep playing someone who is clearly not up to it, is mind boggling and it is really poor management in my opinion, especially when we are struggling to score goals. Do us all a favour Pulis, put Walters on the bench for the rest of the season and give Jerome is well overdue opportunity.”
by Hadis53
Wednesday, March 21 2012, 1:55PM
“Well said Martin, especially the part about using the remaining games of the season. They should be seen as an opportunity to try out different tactics, different players - even if it costs us a few points this season, it will be worth it if it helps us perform better in the next one when, without the demands of European football, we can realistically target a place in the top 10.”
by soccerfoot11
Wednesday, March 21 2012, 12:16PM
“So I suppose since nobody else has beaten Liverpool at their place before just makes up for us not doing it either eh ?? Isnt that excusing bad performances with another bad performance ?? I suppose if you dont ask for anything you dont get anything !!”
by seths
Wednesday, March 21 2012, 12:06PM
“Sadly I missed the first half. The second half display however was embarrassing. I can't think that we mustered a single shot on target (or too many off target for that matter). We just didn't seem to have a clue how to break Liverpool down, and struggled to hold on to the ball for more than a few seconds - making life pretty easy for Liverpool.
The lack of any creativity in midfield - which to be fair has been pretty clear to all for most of the season - is really hurting us now.
Swansea are currently above us and looking likely to finish there - now that will be embarrassing for a club with a smaller budget than us playing their first season - however they are clearly playing much better football than us - and its getting results.
I know it's unlikely to change under TP but to show at least a bit of ambition away from home would be nice.”