Stoke fan here in peace...

[Blue Mist]

Good evening one and all.

Cheers to Ric for letting a guest user post early doors.

I work on the Stoke fanzine, 'Duck' (it's better than it sounds) and I'm planning a new series of articles 'Us and Them.' I ask fans other clubs 5 generic questions and I pool the most interesting responses (however nice/ nasty/ naughty) to from an overview.

Ideally it would be nice to avoid any cliche stuff (long ball thugs, Brexit capital, Stoke is a s***hole) but each to their own. No doubt a certain game in May 2011 might crop up. By all means gloat and take the p*** but some quirky/ honest/ original answers would be much appreciated... if you can be arsed of course. Another game in May 98 might also feature for obvious reasons! The more unusual the anecdotes the better - whether serious or ridiculous.

1. Generally as a club - how do you perceive Stoke City? Through the years? Any rivalry or a complete non-entity? Any reasons for admiration or contempt? Is/ was it a fixture of any interest?
2. Which Stoke vs Man City games do you remember personally (good/ bad/ indifferent) over the years and why?
3. Which Stoke teams/ managers/ players have made impressions on you over the years... good or bad?
4. The Stoke support: home and away - any thoughts? are we typical? Is there anything that makes us distinctive from other clubs?
5. Our grounds old and new - any particular memories/ opinions on the The Victoria Ground or the new Soulless version?

Thanks to anyone who can be bothered. For what its worth, I have lots of time for you lads - back in the third tier you really stuck it out. I have 2 stand out memories visits favourite visits to Maine Road:
1. A third tier clash which I think you won - Dickov was always a pest for us and he scored the winner. I was in that temporary stand and some of your lot kindly donated some house bricks to aid the Stoke-on-Trent regeneration programme!
2. We won midweek at your place - a Ray Wallace winner. I sat next to Nick Hancock and it was proper moody outside afterwards. I was keen on buying the Kippax(?) fanzine but thought better of it.
I try to for get the Mays of 1998 and 2011. The atmosphere for your visit to our place back in January 2009 was something else though. And I think it was boxing Day 87/ 88? when you brought down 12k fans to the Vic and nearly as many inflatables - what a sight! I was 10 and in awe of the the spectacle you created that day.

Anyway, thanks in advance. Stay safe. All the best,

Lee Hawthorne
@ORFYDUCKMAG

1) Despite what others might say I do have time for Stoke. It is far better to play Stoke, 35 mins by train than half the London clubs and that gives us the rivalry which in turn brings out the passion and atmosphere. Far better to play Stoke than some of the others that take 3 days to reach. Gordon Banks, Jimmy Greenhoff (why the fuck did you sell him to the Rags !) some cracking players over the years.
2) The game I remember was Trevor Francis's debut at Stoke. I was on a 7am 3pm shift and desperate to go. My boss was a Rag and he refused me time off until 2pm when he said OK. I raced there from north Manchester and just made it. As an young un then, to see Francis in all his glory was everything.
3) The obvious one, no not the relegation match, the Peter Crouch 'worldy' goal, fuck me, he could not score a good goal in a brothel but we turn up and bang, what a goal. Bastard.
4) I have to admit the Stoke support is good, having quite a large section alongside the away fans does generate an atmosphere and in most games I have been to they have been loud. so fair play to them.
5) We can all play that game, your old ground was far better but so was ours. The thing is they would not survive in modern football. Sadly, corporate brings in the money and I am not we should stay in the past, far better to get standing in the new grounds, decent transport from the town centres etc.

 

[Tim of the Oak]

OK Orfyduckmag

1. I don’t mind Stoke as a Club although I do recall me and a few mates being chased by a gang of 100 Stokies in the early 90s. I was in the Stoke End / Club Wembley lower tier for the 2011 Cup final and peole were friendly, even though they may have realised that when I said I was neutral (when asked) I was probably telling fibs. Stoke always brought plenty of fans and a noisy following until the last couple of years in the Prem.

2. My most memorable game was when we beat Stoke 2-1 at Christmas in 1998. We were 1 nil down at half time and it looked like our season was over. We pulled off a 2-1 win Gareth Taylor scoring IIRC. If we had lost that day our last decade of success might never have happened. Tue 7-2 win at the Etihad was Very enjoyable and I took some down from Scotland to the game who had a great time.

3. Rather than repeating other games mentioned, I recall Stoke’s outstanding defence in the non nil drawn in the midweek game at the Etihad 3 or 4 years ago. This sticks in my mind because Danny Highinbottom and Peterson were outstanding but Ray Shawcross was given all the credit by the media even though on the night he didn’t play as well as your other defenders. Higgingbottom sticks in my mind as a player who alway raised his game again us. You did best us 2 nil at your place in 2015 and it is most we’ve been outplayed by any domestic side for several years IMHO, with Bojan, Shapiro and Arnautovic unplayable on the day.

4. I answered the part about your fans earlier on but it’s a shame some of the atmosphere seems to have gone with your following home and away. The home support was very good but like virtually all sides it suffered maybe through establishing yourselves in the Prem and losing some of your better players.

5. I’m least keen on your manager who bought the Club shop, Tont Pulis. He disliked us from beating his Gillingham side in the play off final with the miraculous comeback. it was his outburst against Shaun Wright-Phillips on match of the day that led to Shaun’s suspension (who had only tapped after receiving a bad challenge). Nobody likes a grass, especially one who plays on his working class routes.

 

[blue b4 the moon]

The fancy dress game, the Friday night game when you lost your roof and we gave Shilton shit all game, the cup final which was a pleasure I think for all fans.

But from recent times the 7-2 game, it seemed that the Stoke gameplan to try and keep the score down was for Kasper to boot the ball as far as possible into touch. That's produced a 'Stoke Stoke Stoke' chant around us similar to the Leeds Leeds Leeds one and is known as doing a Stoke.

 

[Blue Mist]

The fancy dress game, the Friday night game when you lost your roof and we gave Shilton shit all game, the cup final which was a pleasure I think for all fans.

Hell I forgot that one, I nearly got arrested when a coach load of us got off at the ground, Blues Bothers, Invisible Man the lot but I walked up to a motorbike cop and declared him the winner, he was not amused. fortunately I could move faster than he could get off his bike.

 

[Ardwick Green Blue]

Trevor Francis double in a 3-1 win at the Victoria ground will always be a standout.

Gloriously hot & sunny day. Was a brilliant away day.

 

[Shaelumstash]

My first ever away game was the 87/88 fancy dress. I was only a kid, it was a bit of an eye opener!

I was there when we went down and you did too and it kicked off, never really liked Stoke after that.

My favourite ever City chant was in a home game against Stoke under Pulis when we beat you and I don’t think you recorded a single shot at goal...

“You’ve had your throw-in, now fuck off home.” (Sorry)

 

[manclad]

I have no particular axe to grind with Stoke City and as already mentioned the 2011 FA Cup Final was a friendly affair with no aggro as far as I am aware(in complete contrast to the semi-final vs The rags).
As previously indicated it is easy to get to Stoke via the M6 so it is much more preferable to play in The Potteries rather than going to London or the South Coast.
I went to The Victoria Ground twice,once when we were going for the 1st Division Title in 1977 and which City won 2-0. And second time for the Boxing Day 1988 fancy dress game,although I did not wear fancy dress.
The only other thing to add is that Tony Pullis got and then kept them in the PL by using a player whose main asset was that he could throw a ball much further and faster than most others.
I always agree that a team should play to it's strengths but to be trying to win throw ins,purely so that Rory Delap could launch the ball into the opposition penalty area was ridiculous. Says a lot about Pullis and his tactics really.

 

[Ardwick Green Blue]

One thing that always makes me smile is when I'm driving along the A500 towards Stoke and I see signs for the Cultural Quarter :)

 

[Stoned Rose]

Always thought of the club, the town and the supporters as about as bog standard as it gets.

 

[jimharri]

1)....That said, things seemed fairly cordial between the two sets of fans at the cup final in 2011 so I think the hostility has died down a bit now...

Not sure about that gaffer. I was in the Club Wembley seats that day, but at the Stoke End (don't ask!). After the game, and the trophy presentation, I was standing at the barrier at the front of the tier, with my scarf on. The Stoke fans underneath could see me, and let's just say they weren't shouting up their congratulations at me!