Stoke City were unacceptable pushovers in mid-week but...

Over the course of the last week, we have witnessed both the positive and the negative aspects of Stoke City.I was

excited when I left the Hawthorns last Sunday, but I had to sit back and watch the Portsmouth game.

We witnessed a well-organized Stoke squad at West Brom that played well in possession, recovery, and

defense. Players at Fratton Park lacked a competitive edge and were pushed off the ball far too readily. The

strength of the individual players was insufficient. They appeared frail.

First and foremost you’ve got to be able to compete before you consider anything else like possession and

creativity. They did it at West Brom. In the first half we looked a decent outfit and in good hands while in the

second we were ready to defend. Players were up for it.

Then you go to Portsmouth with the record they’ve got at home recently and they’re third from bottom, only two

points behind you. The first thing in your mind has to be to make sure you’re switched on for 90 minutes, ready to

play with an urgency that shows you understand the importance of the fixture. Do your jobs early, give them no

space, press the ball.

They were such soft goals. We didn’t deal with a long ball over the top for Portsmouth’s second and conceded a

header at the far post without marking or defending correctly for the third. We were pushovers. It was weak and

poor and, if I was Mark Robins, I would be a little worried.

I’d hoped we had seen a base for what was to come, to show at least the same in mid-week or even build on it. “Roll

your sleeves up and get cracking. I know there are injuries but let’s see what we’ve got.” Instead it will have been a

long coach ride home thinking about it.

He was severely disappointed. Off the ball, you have to work hard, and if they make progress, it’s about recovery

and last-ditch obstacles. It all comes down to having a never-say-die mentality to keep believing and moving

forward. Priority one need all of those ingredients.

He is correct that there is no simple solution. You resolve it by putting in a lot of effort on the training field and

establishing your expectations for each practice and game. You point out specific areas where mistakes were made

and emphasize that they should never occur. that they are unacceptable.

It must be compact so that another player is prepared to take over and ensure the opponent doesn’t advance if one

player removes the brush.

Stoke City were unacceptable pushovers in mid-week but I’ve seen something great in Nathan Lowe