So an important game for us, and we haven’t really turned up, it has been a very mundane game. It seems the players just want to be on holiday already, when what they need to be doing is showing some passion for the club.

So not much could be taken down before they were already 1-0 up. Not much can be said but we need to practice set-pieces, especially for next season. Parker was idle, should have been tracking, and we paid for it.

This probably set the tune up until our (lucky) goal. We were scared, disinterested, nervy, and trying to force everything. Meant our passing was horrendous, our positioning was horrendous, and our ideas were horrendous. We seemed to be running around like headless chickens, while, something I’ve said a lot it were trying to force something, meaning we kept losing the ball. Had to just calm down, and take some time. In saying that, however, patient play does not in, anyway, mean slow play. Need to pick the ball speed up.

Something for the most part I’ve noticed as well was there is a huge hole between our forward 4 and our 2 holding midfielders. At least one of the holding midfielders needs to join the attack and start pressing the Stoke defence. Would be beneficial to play someone more attacking in that role at the moment, most likely Dembele as his physicality would be useful against Stoke. But any of Carroll, Holtby or Gylfi could do the same job.

Huddlestone has been one of our worst players. He’s just not involved and when he is is play has been sloppy. Especially his passing and distribution, something he is famed for.

Said it earlier, need to start pressing the Stoke defence, and putting them under pressure. We’re allowing them to sit 8 or so players back, as they look to just hit on the counter. Start putting them up against numbers, they either will not be able to handle our technical play or they’ll start giving away free-kicks. A lot of them already have to be careful as they are on yellows. Defensively we should be sound against them on the counter, even if we only leave 3 at the back.

On Dempseys goal, was just pure luck. Brilliant pass by Parker, and just luck the keeper made the wrong call, and how he got that much power just sticking his leg out I do not know. But he has that knack of being on his toes in the right position.

A quick change in personal, and a change in some mental and tactically things and we take control. Just need to stay calm, as things are getting heated, keep our heads, while they’ll lose theres, and just take advantage of that.