Stoke fan here in peace...

1.passionate fans that turned the britannia stad to a bit of a fortress for a tad. sad we had to meet in final, would have supported them if we weren t in that final.
2. crouch wonder goal, cost us..... few tough games.
3. i liked Pulis and he did well, a few squads/players were tasty at the heights. no other manager spring to mind, name -wise.
4./5. : n/a for both.
 
1. My perception is that of a club that should aim higher than Pulis and the like. It has a good catchment area and could do better. Definitely should be regular PL.

2. The Last game of the season when we had to win to stay in Div 2 and other results go our way. Of course we won and scored 5 but other results did not happen. Think I’m right with this. Did you go down same day? My memory is selective...

3. Gordon Banks legend.

4. so 2011. We got off the train at Euston. Huge group of Stoke fans there stopped us as we were a bit blue and white. Asked to get in a group photo. After the game a minibus drove past us in Stanmore in a quiet street and slowed down, sounding horn. Thought the worst and everyone was hanging out thumbs up congratulating us. My admiration for Stoke fans went up that day.

5. Can’t remember VG. Britannia as you say soulless. Identikit ground.
 
JASR said:
Careful. You’ll be saying they have no history soon...

their lack of trophies, is A worse record than City’s was prior to 2011, But they still have history.
Apparently Stoke City and Accrington Stanley are the only 2 founder members of The Football League who have never won the FA Cup.
That's a little bit of history for you.

we don’t ever want to become a member of the red shirt gang with how we perceive others and the distorted concept of ‘history’
Click to expand...
 
Always enjoyed Stoke away as nice & local to where I currently live.
I never wear colours for away games so avoided getting herded around by the Staffordshire Police. Always enjoyed a pint before & after games in The Glebe, and avoided the shuttle buses, instead taking in the pleasant towpath walk to and from the ground. Never experienced any trouble & always had good banter with the Stoke fans.
 
Hello orfyduckmag and good of you to come on here . I live just off the a500 in Audley. I’ve made a lot of friends who support Stoke since I’ve lived here and also through plying my trade as a cricketer in the North Staffs South Cheshire League.

1. I like Stoke and don’t have any problem with the club or it’s owners. I have a friend who works on the hospitality side. The club do a lot of work in the community and do a lot of coaching in schools, which from my point of view is brilliant, as my eldest daughter was picked up through one of the school schemes. Stoke in the 80s had some quality players, like Heath, Bracewell, Berry, Mills.

2. I remember the game at Maine Road when the fire broke out and Dalian Atkinson scored on his debut. I was at the game when Ray Wallace scores, it was a turgid affair.

3. Pulis was a dick with his shit football and bleating on about our money.

4. As I said at the top. I’ve got a lot of friends who are Stoke fans and they never have a bad word to say about us and I’ve been to a few Stoke matches over the years, when we weren’t playing. They all hate the rags and dippers too.

5. The Brit is a cold and windy place and a pain to get out of. Loved the Victoria ground and in many ways was similar to Maine Road.

Cheers mate and good luck.
 
No real opinion of Stoke but I got absolutely leathered a few times with some Stokies on holiday in Greece. Good natured and well humoured lads, they knew how to drink and were passionate about the club. When thinking of Stoke supporters I think of those lads.
 
1. My overall perception of Stoke is a traditional club (Stanley Matthews etc) which has been starved of success. I don't regard them as a particular local rival despite it being a short away trip. I have always though of their teams as physical and, despite his relative success, don't think Tony Pulis did any favours for your footballing image.
2.I have been to the Vic Ground and Britannia 20 plus times. The stand-out memories are Trevor Francis debut, the Christmas Fancy Dress day and a League Cup tie which went to a ridiculous number of penalties.
3.My favourite Stoke player was Alan Hudson. He was superb and, had he played for a bigger club, would have been much more recognised.
4.Stoke fans used to have a reputation for violence but they were brilliant at the 2011 Wembley final. I spent most of the day drinking with them and they were fantastic. One stand-out moment in one bar was the City fans singing their song Delilah and then the Stokies doing a rendition of Bluemoon. I actually remember dancing with a Stoke fan on a Tube train after the match. It was a stark contrast to the ugly atmosphere last month with the arrogant Villa fans.
5.I don't mind the Britannia Stadium as I had no fondness for the Vic Ground.
 
ORFYDUCKMAG said:
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
Click to expand...

Hello Lee

Best wishes to you and yours mate

I won't repeat what a lot have already said. With regard to 2011 it was a good experience, in complete contrast to what happened when we played them in the semi final.

I thoroughly enjoyed Marvellous, Neil Baldwin's story, and thought Lou Macari, despite his past!!, came out of that very well. A heartwarming and moving movie.

One of my all time favourites was Alan Hudson and that midfield constructed by Tony Waddington, Salmon, Mahoney and the great man was something. I actually went down on the train with my then girlfriend in September 1974 to watch them play against the wondeful Ajax team in the UEFA Cup. Watching Ajax warm up was a revelation, incredible technique, and when the game kicked off Ajax dominated completely in the first half with the imperious Ruud Krol smashing one in from distance. Stoke eventually got going in the 2nd half and scrambled in an equaliser. Didn't give the Stokies much of a chance in Amsterdam on the basis of what I saw but to their credit they reversed what had happened at the Victoria, dominated play but just could not score so went out on the away goals. Probably on Youtube somewhere

Just mentioned the fact that I was writing this to my missus and she said do you remember that pre season friendly we went to see at Stoke when Keegan was our manager. To cut a long story short we were running late and ended up pulling into Official probably restricted car park next to the main stand. There was a steward on the car park who very evidently was someone with Downs syndrome, he came around to my wife's side of the car smiled and said "who do you support," my wife honestly said "City" he waved us in!! It was almost a Marvellous film moment.

Take care
 
Stoke like us are steeped in history via one way or another, it’s just a shame the blinkered and ignorant, only see history in the amount of trophies that have been won.

I played cricket for a while with Tony Waddingtons’ son.

My mates dad told me that in 1934, his dad and his mates, walked from Talke Pits to Maine Road to watch the FA Cup game.
 
One definite memory. The 5-2. But for slightly different reasons. Although I could have easily got a ticket in the City end I had a load of Stoke mates who persuaded me to sit with them in the posh seats. Before the game I ended up in the Stoke supporters club pub (can’t recall if it was official) but I was def the only blue in and everyone knew but they were fine. When City scored it kicked off and my mates joined in - one of my mates turned to me and said “you are alright you are safe as you are one of us”. My abiding memory though was one of the chief instigators was Nick Hancock. If I had a phone with video that day his career would be ended as he was probably the first one to start the fighting. Eventually a City fan lamped him and by then the coppers had appeared. Most of the City fans were kicked out. For the rest of the game I was allowed to still cheer when City scored cos I had about 20 Stoke fans (7 or 8 who knew me and the rest who knew me by default from the 7 or 8) “protecting me”. It made it surreal. After the game it was back to the supporters club where all the Stoke fans and me were equally gutted
 
Hated Stoke for the 5-2 game as their fans were twats attacking kids etc.

Also is the only place I have ever personally got in mither at a game,èarly 80s, smacked one who started on me as I went under the bridge near the station.Unfortunately for me the police only saw my punch.

That said my opinion changed at the Cup Final, their fans were fine and in the League game a few days later both sets of fans applauded each other at the end which was great from them considering both results.
 
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Best thing about Stoke, definitely oatcakes. I worked there for 18 months, and got totally hooked on them with cheese and bacon. Cannot believe they have not caught on elsewhere. Possibly the calories.
Don’t mind the fans generally, but There were a lot of scumbags at the 5-2 attacking families, and that puts them on a par with Utd for that particular behaviour. Good lads at Wembley to balance that.
As for the team I kind of admired Pulis’s cynicism. Shrink the pitch, play 4 centre backs etc. It was really difficult to go there and the number of times we would just run the ball straight out because we couldn’t get used to it. I remember SWP doing 5/6 times in one game.
There are certainly clubs I dislike a lot more.
 
Whether or not said:
Best thing about Stoke, definitely oatcakes. I worked there for 18 months, and got totally hooked on them with cheese and bacon. Cannot believe they have not caught on elsewhere. Possibly the calories.
Don’t mind the fans generally, but There were a lot of scumbags at the 5-2 attacking families, and that puts them on a par with Utd for that particular behaviour. Good lads at Wembley to balance that.
As for the team I kind of admired Pulis’s cynicism. Shrink the pitch, play 4 centre backs etc. It was really difficult to go there and the number of times we would just run the ball straight out because we couldn’t get used to it. I remember SWP doing 5/6 times in one game.
There are certainly clubs I dislike a lot more.
Click to expand...

I love oatcakes (had a bacon & cheese one for breakfast yesterday), but the best thing about Stoke, unless you are a fan of ceramics, is the Titanic brewery, named after Captain John Smith who originated from Stoke. Plum Porter is the beer of the gods!
 
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