Steven Fletcher to Stoke City

[Jonestown83]

Fletcher will always be massively underrated by many on here mainly because he wasn’t all fancy flicks and tricks

 

I’ve actually seen some criticism on here blaming him for our goalkeepers choosing to aim goal kicks at him with him being one of the best headers of the ball in the league strange tactic that rather then letting Tom lees try and play out from the back

 

he’s been one of the few that hasn’t gone missing over the last few seasons there’s been a lot of talk about the mentality of the squad been weak but people will slate the guy who’d quite happily get his face kicked off if there was half a chance it’d end up in a goal he picked up a lot of niggling injuries mainly due to this and spent a lot of the time on the floor because he’d gone for a ball he had zero right to win got there and often ended up winning a free kick after being cleaned out by the defender who didn’t expect him to be there 

fletcher should be the blueprint for any younger player we’re looking to try and sign to try get us out of the mess we’re currently in he played like he was a winner and never shirked anything 

 

think back to his debut can you imagine forestieri kicking off about needing to be substituted because he had blood weeing out of his face then played a week or so later with a gaping hole in his head if that was semedo or hutchinson the fans would be wanting a statue erecting 

[Lincowl]

Our two most consistent performers this season. Good business for them.

[billyblack]

1 hour ago, OrlandoUnTrustful said:

He came on and faked an injury to avoid having to play for us. Nothing comes close to that level of treachery in my opinion.

The fans hated him anyway so what difference does it make?

[Penfold]

Fletcher And Fox may do alright at Stoke but the truth of it is if I was a Stoke fan I would be feeling underwhelmed as neither were a cut above last season. I can’t see either of them getting in any side that is challenging near the top of the table. They were steady players in quite a poor team.
 

I’m feeling more optimistic with the signings we have made and the change around in coaching staff. Good luck to both of them though. 

[TrickyTrev]

As a club, given our financial position we cannot justify giving a player with Steven Fletchers injury record the wage we’ve been paying him for the last 4 years.

 

Clearly Celtic didn’t fancy it either, Stoke have gambled on him but given the fact that he’s now 33, regardless of how good he is when fit it is a gamble.

[Devonstrix]

Fletcher in conversation with his agent in an office somewhere in London. 
 

FLETCHER: Thing is I feel a bit guilty cos Wednesday have paid me an absolute fortune over the years and have stood by me through all my injuries. 
 

AGENT: Come in here dear boy, have a cigar, you’re gonna go far. You’re gonna fly high, you’re never gonna die. 
 

And did we tell you the name of the game

BOY

 

We call it riding the gravy train!

[Kopparberg]

Wrong section 

[SallyCinnamon]

Also if Fletcher had played in the remaining games he would have broken his personal record of goals scored in a season. But he didn’t. 

[gurujuan]

Just now, SallyCinnamon said:

Also if Fletcher had played in the remaining games he would have broken his personal record of goals scored in a season. But he didn’t. 

Not the way we were playing he wouldn’t 

[Joe Sunburn]

5 hours ago, s6 owl said:

Hutchinson

Take the whole side while you’re at it.

[sexpistol]

1 hour ago, OrlandoUnTrustful said:

He came on and faked an injury to avoid having to play for us. Nothing comes close to that level of treachery in my opinion.

Where is the evidence to suggest what you have put is true?

[brando]

32 minutes ago, Penfold said:

Fletcher And Fox may do alright at Stoke but the truth of it is if I was a Stoke fan I would be feeling underwhelmed as neither were a cut above last season. I can’t see either of them getting in any side that is challenging near the top of the table. They were steady players in quite a poor team.
 

I’m feeling more optimistic with the signings we have made and the change around in coaching staff. Good luck to both of them though. 

Tell you someat bud without Fletcher dont think we would have won more than 6 or 7 games..carried us quite a few games..streets in front of any of our other strikers..

[Penfold]

14 minutes ago, brando said:

Tell you someat bud without Fletcher dont think we would have won more than 6 or 7 games..carried us quite a few games..streets in front of any of our other strikers..

I agree he was definitely our best striker last season but 12 -13 goals a season from you’re best striker isn’t good enough if the club wants to progress.  Let’s hope Monk has got someone in the pipeline to replace and improve us. 

[WAWAWUTO17]

6 hours ago, PriceAPP said:

I think I’d weep like a child ‘if’ he scores against us.

 

really thought he’d want to go back to Scotland - can’t need the money that bad?

Probably be injured or subbed after 2 minutes

[parajack]

7 hours ago, @owlstalk said:

 

Looks set to be announced by Stoke today as their new striker

They are welcome to him....

 

[Emerson Thome]

They will be getting one of the best target men in the league, our best player last season (until January at least) and for 18k a week I don't think that's too bad a deal. Although we had him in his prime (29-33) and he missed about 30% of each season. So there's a calculated gamble.

 

I doubt we'll replace him with better though - how many better forwards have we had than Fletcher since Di Canio shoved the ref over? Hooper? (Although he was injured even more often), Kenwyne Jones (for 7 games?)

Edited August 14, 2020 by Emerson Thome

[Ronio]

Fletcher won't play more than half the available games for Stoke.  In that respect, Stoke are paying double for him.  

 

 

[Guest gizowl]

Good player good attitude good professional, unfortunately injury problems have plagued his career and I don't see it getting better at the twilight of his playing days. Stoke must have given him a signing on fee plus about 20k a week, if he plays 30 games it will be one of his better seasons and that will work out at over 40k per game. 

[DJMortimer]

51 minutes ago, Penfold said:

I agree he was definitely our best striker last season but 12 -13 goals a season from you’re best striker isn’t good enough if the club wants to progress.  

 

Isn't it? Last time we had someone score 20 in a season we finished 15th in League One. In our two recent play-off seasons our top scorers managed 15 and 12. It should also be noted that Fletcher managed that 'not good enough' total in only 27 appearances, so was on course to do significantly better anyway.

 

Games are won because your team scores more than the opponent. The league table doesn't care whether one bloke gets the majority or if they are spread around the team. You reckon West Brom fans care that they had no one who registered more than 11 in all competitions last season? Such obsession with individual statistics is a bit schoolboy for my liking. No one counts who is making the tackles or clearances at the other end - it's a combined effort.

[Ronio]

2 minutes ago, gizowl said:

Good player good attitude good professional, unfortunately injury problems have plagued his career and I don't see it getting better at the twilight of his playing days. Stoke must have given him a signing on fee plus about 20k a week, if he plays 30 games it will be one of his better seasons and that will work out at over 40k per game. 

Good player yes,  good attitude and good professional? I have question marks over that.  

 

If he was a good professional, he would have played for us after the restart.  That is what good professionals like Lee and Nuhiu did.

 

He's just another mercenary footballer looking for the next big pay cheque.  I'm glad he's gone.  We need less players with that attitude at the club.