If Battipiedi isn't good enough for league one how was he going to compete today?

[Giraffe]

Not good for player, fans or the club in my view.

Would rather have seen Caskey for the whole 90 minutes.

 

[Peterrhodes]

Agreed

 

[Billy the Fish]

I didn't think he had a bad game. Didn't look out of place.

 

[Dave the OAP]

he was shocking

 

[trancing]

shocking

 

[clippedgull]

Watching on the live stream, Bennett and Dicker were poor first half, Bennett got better in the second half and Dicker was still poor. Battiepiedi has probably played his last game for us along with Baz. Brez had a nightmare, Good job Stoke backed off in the second half.

 

[JGaleBHA]

I second this thread.

 

[GT49er]

"If Battipiedi isn't good enough for league one how was he going to compete today?"

He isn't. He wasn't. He didn't.

 

[16bha]

I didn't think he had a bad game. Didn't look out of place.

He had a a bit of a shocker I'm afraid. Although he wasn't the only one in the first half, which is why he probably didn't seem out of place

 

[Lord Bamber]

"If Battipiedi isn't good enough for league one how was he going to compete today?"

He isn't. He wasn't. He didn't.

Post of the day!

 

[BASINGSTOKESEAGULL]

Every game I have seen him play he has been awful. Woking away, Saints away (especially this) he is utterly crap. I am all for giving players a chance, but I can't see where he is going to improve, he has nothing going for him, Caskey was a class above him when he came on.

 

[JBizzle]

Malouda and Drogba were both shite in their first seasons and they were in their mid-twenties when they came to England.

Thats not to say that I don't think Batti and Baz are good enough, but some players take time to adapt. Lets not forget they came from another continent and are both very young.

Sure, they don't look superb now but they need time to bed in.

Personally, I think today was the right time to plat Batti. I think he will benefit hugely from playing a team of Stoke's stature.

He may not come good but he's only been in the UK for 8 months, so lets see what Gus thinks at the end of the season. He's given us little reason to doubt his choices so far...

 

[JBizzle]

PS. Caskey looked excellent.

 

[Giraffe]

My point is really if Poyet sees something in him that none of us do then fair enough, blood him for the last thirty minutes of various league games, give him a half here and there or a start against lesser opposition, don't chuck him in against premiership opposition in which he is always going to be outclassed against.

 

[Deano's Invisible Pants]

Batti won't be with us beyond the end of the season. He's not as bad as some make out, but he's not a good enough defensive midfielder / ball-winner to compensate for his evident lack of creativity. As at Southampton, the game largely passed him by today - simply not at the races. Let's hope either Kish or Sparrow or both are back in the frame for Tuesday.

 

[Ⓩ-Ⓐ-Ⓜ-Ⓞ-Ⓡ-Ⓐ]

My point is really if Poyet sees something in him that none of us do then fair enough, blood him for the last thirty minutes of various league games, give him a half here and there or a start against lesser opposition, don't chuck him in against premiership opposition in which he is always going to be outclassed against.

But who else could have played the third CM today? Nav, Kish, Smith and Spaz all out. Only leaves Batti or Caskey to play there. Bit of a big ask to just throw Caskey into the starting line up. Reckon Gus did the best with what he had on the day.

 

[Lord Bamber]

But who else could have played the third CM today? Nav, Kish, Smith and Spaz all out. Only leaves Batti or Caskey to play there. Bit of a big ask to just throw Caskey into the starting line up. Reckon Gus did the best with what he had on the day.

Or is it if your good enough, your good enough.

 

[GT49er]

Please Gus, lend out Baz and Batti to a league 2 or conference side for the rest of the season. By all means, keep 'em together (young men in a strange land) - after all, that worked out well enough for Ardiles and Villa, didn't it?
But benchwarming and reserve team football aren't doing the trick - let 'em loose somewhere else, even though it will be a kill or cure treatment for their careers in English Football

 

[Giraffe]

But who else could have played the third CM today? Nav, Kish, Smith and Spaz all out. Only leaves Batti or Caskey to play there. Bit of a big ask to just throw Caskey into the starting line up. Reckon Gus did the best with what he had on the day.

Anyone else to be honest. Personally I would have gone with Sandaza and played Barnes wide. But I'm unsure why Batti has had more chances than Jake this season based on what I've seen of both Caskey should now be the getting twenty minutes here and there.

 

[Barrel of Fun]

Malouda and Drogba were both shite in their first seasons and they were in their mid-twenties when they came to England.

Thats not to say that I don't think Batti and Baz are good enough, but some players take time to adapt. Lets not forget they came from another continent and are both very young.

Sure, they don't look superb now but they need time to bed in.

Personally, I think today was the right time to plat Batti. I think he will benefit hugely from playing a team of Stoke's stature.

He may not come good but he's only been in the UK for 8 months, so lets see what Gus thinks at the end of the season. He's given us little reason to doubt his choices so far...

I agree with this wholeheartedly.

It is not as if their presence has adversely affected the team.

I think the situation is not perfect as we have very few reserve matches and most seem to be postponed