Could have been worse, could have been loads better!!

Cup draws are rarely kind to Pools are they?

I suppose it's a candidate to be on the box.

I mean they'll be lost now Leeds are out

its a match we could win at least! if we were up against a better premiership team we may not have had much of a chance if any at all

Aye we've already beaten West Brom this season so you never know.

not a bad draw as its a weaker prem side at home and we have already beat west brom this season so why not claim another scalp?

That's a great draw that is, very respectable, against a Premiership side who got promoted with West Brom from the Championship.

That should get sold out or even put on the TV.

Where else would they have got promoted from Forest, the Blue Square???

it aint too bad

a sell out guaranteed i would imagine

A team like Stoke are more likely to put out a full squad too. It'll be great to see Delap throw like Sharpe at the Vic - just a shame it's not away

Not with our defence it wouldn't!

Haha, too true... although you say that as if we have one >:)

I think so, though I've heard Staley Matthews is going to pack it in at Christmas.

Is than Stan's grandson?

Enough of this enless nitpicking!

Good job it's at ours like. Has anyone tried to find Stoke by car?? It's a fookin' nightmare...

Is it shite! Easy to find unless you're a bit on the dense side.

Does he mean he thinks it's easier to find Stoke by bike?

Let's just say that when they announced Stoke ... my heart didn't beat faster at the prospect, a bit like getting the chocolate out ant Xmas and finding out your lass has saved money by buying the cheap stuff off a market stall ... it's still chocolate, but it's crap chocolate.

An excellent draw. Any home tie is a good draw. Iv seen stoke on match of the day and they play some pretty good football and they will sell all their allocation. To compare them to wimbledon is silly. I cant remember anyone complaining when we got palace in the 90s.

[/quote]Enough of this enless nitpicking![/quote]

Enless?

for most of the 90's... 80's 70's 60's etc, we were on our arses and grateful for anything ..... I'll be there ... i won't have trouble sleeping the night before .. that's it.

Very true but the team we had the day we played palace is similar to todays team. Lets just be happy we are in the 3rd round against a premiership team at home. Sort the defence out and we might have a chance. I think its going to be a cracker !

I'd prefer a non-league team at home.

Stoke are in the Premier League Snowy.

............ and.......?

Draw's been made. We're stuck with it.

That's why I used the word 'prefer'.... you mean it can't be changed, even if I threaten to hold my breath if they don't, when did they bring that rule out...?

I'm sure Histon or Eastwood would swap us tomorrow. If anyone has a right to feel agrieved its them.
Its a winnable game against premiership opposition. I'd rather have this than man utd or liverpool home or away and watch us get whopped. Plus having too see half the town come out in their premiership shirts at the vic.
We'lll be more rmembered for beating Stoke than getting whopped off the so called premiership big boys.
You can be sure there'll be no Stoke ones in the town end.

No shirts but I've already had two calls for tickets from Stoke fans.

Aye they'll sell their allocation no problem. Stoke are their on merit as West Brom are, they have a good fan base and have done brilliant to hold their own in the premiership.
I cant wait.

ha, ha, and you think hartlepool away is inspiring to us

last time i was on the east coast for an FA cup match was away in Grimsby in about 86, I nearly froze to death in the Findus stand.
We will probably play our second 11, the ones that are in the 1/4 final of tghe league cup and the majority from the promotion side last season

delusions of granduer eh fella

Well said, don't believe all this hype from lazy arsed media who write a match report before they go to a game or based on somebody else's pre season thoughts, we do play it early sometimes, but so do Liverpool, only difference is when gerrard does it, it's a great 70 yard pass, when other teams do it, it's long ball
We've missed Liam lawrence the best part of 2 months, last season's joint top scorer and a more creative player, he could be back for this match,

Great news

Im with Mr Lightning Tree on this.
Its a premiership side at home & a tie that we can fancy our chances with.
Why would we want Man U,Arsenal etc ?All that would do is create a clamour for tickets by people who couldnt care less about Pools.
We should get a full house for this,maybe a lot of part time Pools supporters,but at least it will be Pools supporters & not 'sky sports' supporters.

Wasn't that impressed with the draw until I found this posted by a Stoke fan on another message board-

1) Stoke haven't beaten a top flight club in the FA Cup since they put Man City out of R4 in 1976.
2) Since then, Stoke have played 47 FA Cup ties, winning only 14.
3) This includes 8 ties against non-league opposition. Of which, Stoke only won 5.
4) The five wins over non-league opposition includes a replay victory on penalties against Tamworth in 2005/06, and an away replay victory at Bath City in 1993/94
5) The non-league sides to beat Stoke were Nuneaton Borough (2000/01), Telford United (1992/93) and Blyth Spartans (1977/78)
6) Between beating Crystal Palace in R3 in 1988/89 and Lewes in R1 in 2001/02, Stoke only won two ties against anybody. Telford United in 1990/91 and Bath in 93/94. And both of those non-leaguers earned a replay before being summrarily dispatched.
7) In the 32 seasons since last beating a top flight club, Stoke have been beaten by opponents from a lower league than themselves eight times.
8) But it's not just the top flight. The only teams from the top two divisions that Stoke have beaten since 1976 were Grimsby Town in 1986/87 and Palace in 88/89.
9) Teams at the third level (which admittedly included Stoke themselves for 7 of these 32 seasons), have also had a decent time of it. Stoke's win-loss record against sides from this level is 4-5.
10) There is always the League Cup of course; Stoke are preparing to play a quarter-final of that. However, this represents a bit of a turn around in form. Prior to this season, Stoke had won one of their previous eight League Cup ties (against Rochdale in R1 in 2003/04).
11) The last seven teams to knock Stoke out of the League Cup were all from the bottom two divisions of the Football League. The victorious include Mansfield Town, Rochdale, and Darlington in 1st rounds of 2005/06, 2006/07 & 2007/08, and another bottom division club in Bury, who accounted for Stoke in 2002/03.
12) Prior to this season, Stoke's last decent run came in 2000/01, when they reached R4 of the League Cup. This included a win at Charlton, the last time top-flight team Stoke have beaten in a cup game (the highest ranked side Stoke have knocked out in reaching this seasons League Cup quarter-final is Reading (reserves)). However, it came to a pretty sorry end, being beaten 8-0 at home by Liverpool.
13) Stoke are very bad at cup football.

Pools are hardly renowned for our Cup exploits either, like

I'd much rather have Stoke at home than Charlton, Southampton or the likes away. It should be a good game I reckon

Some people may think this is going to be a walk in the park for Stoke, but as mentioned above until this season we haven't done anything in the cups until this season.

I'll be back nearer the game to get 'opposition view' in the meantime, enjoy your christmas

Delilahs forum... http://www.delilahs.co.uk

damn we've been found out, over the last 30 years I think it's only Rochdale who have a worst record than us in the FA Cup

It's not like Stokes a proper Premiership team even, they're just Premiership day trippers, rather like a load of old dears on a bus trip there for the day, see the sights, then go back where they belong, so it is with Stoke...one season visitors, see the sights, then back on the bus to the Championship, hoping the brakes work and they don't shoot through to our division....a sort of Premiership role play.

Am I the only one thinking it will be nowhere near a sell out?

'Stoke'.... the word hardly gets the blood pumping does it...?

Howay Mr Snowy, you must have a had a few Stokers on them long trips at sea?? The smell of the sweat, the pheromones pulsing......

I won't even mention Benzole.........

Least said soonest mended.

Stoke are currently in the division on merit, their unorthodox style put Arsene Wenger when they took maximum points off Arsenal, they've also beat Spurs and Sunderland. They were expecting to drop straight back down but instead it looks more likely that Sunderland or Newcastle will.

I like em!