Stoke City: It's no go on Michael Owen ... for now

“Fair enough on answering Wale's questions, your comment makes more sense to me now anyway!

So you're on the side that Spurs were right to sack Redknapp? They were like us at the end of last season, they couldn't buy a result. Nevertheless both Redknapp and Pulis are good managers in their own rights and the former certainly didn't deserve to lose his job based on results. Sacking a credible manager in Redknapp is the fuel that was needed to give Modric and Bale a reason to ask for a move away. If we sacked Pulis, do you think Huth would have signed a contract extension? Do you think Shawcross would stay? With both Spurs and Stoke, the players have played for their manager.

With the England situation, both the Spurs players and manager took their eye off the ball at the wrong time of the season; yet they still finished fourth. Our good run ended around the time we finished our cup runs, but looking back on the games we played after we exited the FA Cup, only Wigan and Newcastle away did we really let ourselves down. In the others we had chances and the QPR away game in particular we definitely did not deserve to lose by all accounts. Spurs were similar up to a point. The Man City away game, Balotelli should have seen a red card but didn't and ended up scoring a penalty to win the game. Supposing he had seen red and the game had finished 2-2, Spurs would have finished third and got Champions League football despite a poor run at the end of the season. I know fine margins define football at times, but to sack Redknapp when he was that close to a top 3 finish, despite a poor run is something that I couldn't defend.”

“flint, if you go on results and performance alone Pulis should have been sacked before Redknapp ever was. I suppose Pulis has done a good job convincing Coates. like he seems to have convinced everybody else, we are not a very good team and we shouldnt expect much at all. So we dont and he keeps his job.Maybe he is right. but actually, i was answering Wales' questions”

“Think you're a bit rusty after not posting for a few weeks soccerfoot as I have no clue what you're on about there. Are you saying that other clubs are right in sacking their managers because of a bad season? Using Redknapp as an example of a owner doing the right thing?”

“did Swansea get relegated for playing Swansea type football ?? hmmm. I would assume that a full house at the Brit means they came to watch their team play, not necessarily support the owner or manager. Personally as long as some desperate things arent happening and you have to blame the manager, I could not give a damn less who the manager or owner is . I watch the team. BUT, when things start going south, like the last 2 seasons, someone has to be blamed right ? Isnt that why its always the managers that get fired not any players ??? Just look at the amount of managers that have been fired and sometimes for no apparent reason. Harry Redknapp comes to mind”

“FYI, I picked Maradona as he was the first legendary player I thought of who became a manager... I'm guessing Guardiola was a similar thing with you but as hasn't had a job where he has had to build a team yet (most of the Barca team were already there) it will be interesting to see how he copes in his next job. I found it an interesting point that you were making on legendary players becoming managers anyway!”

“Maradona's a bad example, Flint, because he's a proven disaster as manager. If instead Guardiola became manager here I would be very surprised if Stoke continued to play hoofball. I'd expect us to have a lot more possession, be able to kick the ball to a team mate for more than three passes and 40 shots on target every game, and 5-8 goals scored, every game . And then I'd be flying in from Denmark every other week. Not that Guardiola's gonna want to come and do it every wet and windy day and night at the Brit, of course ...

But less will do. If say Luis Milla (the Olympic/U-23 manager, who's a former assistant to Laudrup) came here, I'd expect just the same. Or if even Tomas came, my expectations would be similar.

As for what's ahead six months down the line,no f way am I going to worry about that. My name's not Mel Stone after all.

Just for the record, I'm not suggesting our current manager has to go ...I continue to support Pulis as Stoke's main man even yet.”

“Pottedrengen, gotta say that if, for example, Diego Maradona became the next Stoke manager it wouldn't make me more eager to go to watch my team just because a great player, now manager, is at the club.... It may inspire the players a little bit but surely that'll only be a short-term effect. 6 months in, sitting above the relegation zone, the players aren't going to look at him as the great player he was but as a sub-standard manager, surely?”

“Very nice of 2000baby to consider me as a potential manager at Stoke. There would definitely be a place for a man with his knowledge of football in my set up, I mean those bogs don't clean themselves.”

“Even if Laudrup's results as manager has been inconsistent, he's succeeded in making average teams play extraordinarily well (and he did win a couple of championships along the way). Even if he doesnt have much of a name in management, he's probably got one of the top five best names in football. He's associated with everything that's good in football: fair play, brilliant touch, excessive skill, outrageousl wickedy use of wixardry of dribbles the lot, complete unselfishness (probably has a higher assist ratio than goals scored), and great looks, even at 48. In a recent tv show he related how the kids on mallorca came up to him and wanted his autograph, and that these were kids who were younger than his retirement date. Obviously the Swansea players and fans will have seen footage of him too, and for them just having a coach like that is going to be major inspiration. Whether or not it works out time can only tell but if I were a Swans fan I would rush out and buy a season ticket and save up to go to all theaway games. On top of that I'd kick my job in order to see him perform during training sessions where he will outshine all of his own players.”

“Just to offer an initial opinion on Swansea and Laudrup, if a club brings in a manager that hasn't had a good record at previous clubs then it can always affect players' mentalities. Win % of 28 and 30% do not bode well for Swansea. However as Tony Pulis's Stoke win percentage is only 38%, statistics do not tell the full story! At the moment, my opinion is that Swansea have gambled Premier League survival at the cost of playing the same brand of football as what they did last season. Maybe by 29/9/12 I'll have a different opinion if Swansea are playing well and have made good signings in the summer. Soon see!”