Stoke fan here in peace...

Remember Gordon Banks playing a blinder at Maine Rd in circa 1972 they beat us 2-1 IIRC and effectively stopped us winning the title.Also a great 3rd round cup tie in 1973 finished with a 3-2 City win at Maine Rd.Went to Victoria ground in 1974/5 for a 4-0 drubbing by Alan Hudson’s team,stood on an open terrace I think.
Boxing Day fancy dress was amazing turnout by Blues and remember Bamber scoring for Stoke that day.
Wembley 2011 and Stoke 1998 couldn’t have been more high and low if you tried.
 
staffsblue said:
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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There’s a brilliant naan bread bakery, a few minutes walk away from the brewery, on waterloo road.
 
I had family in Stoke-on-Trent although they were probably in Port Vale territory.

I never thought of Stoke City in a negative light although Tony Pulis does create a lot of negative images. That is regardless of which team he is managing.

I have not been to the current stadium but went to the Victoria Grounds on many occasions. I did go to Old Trafford
once to see Stoke play. Or rather to see a 50-year-old Stanley Matthews play! In the Tony Waddington era I did quite like Stoke City.
 
I cannot quite remember the match against Stoke at Maine Road very clearly as it was in the early 70's and i was only very young, but what i do remember was the Platt Lane where i was sat being filled by Stoke fans in the top right hand corner who only let themselves be known when Jimmy Greenhoff scored. They were the days when many away fans used to get into the Platt Lane in large numbers and then start creating havoc!!!!!
 
jimharri said:
"East Midlands"? Do you mind me asking where you get that from?
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Diane Abbott gave me directions.

In fairness, I had no idea where it was as I’ve never been. I got the Euston to Piccadilly train for a decade which went through Stoke but I never took interest. I thought it was nearer to Derby. I also don’t drive.

Some inbreds before the 1-0 home defeat wouldn’t take their eyes of me on the train up. Absolute cowards singling out one lone scarfer.
 
1.
First memory of Stoke was the Boxing Day game at the Victoria Ground circa 1988. We were given over 10000 tickets and many turned up in fancy dress. Top day although we lost 3-1 after taking an early lead! Never saw any rivalry until late 90s as we fell down the leagues. Got a bit tasty at Maine Rd when we won and our fans goaded the away support! Was at the Britannia for the 5-2 game when we went down. Was like a war zone lol! Always had respect for what Pulis did at Stoke and cup final was a totally different occasion. Expected it to be tasty but there was tons of mutual respect between fans.
2. Relegation game (5-2) and the cup final are the obvious ones but the game we won 2-1 at Maine Rd turned out season round and we went up via the playoffs.
3. Thought Pulis did a great job at Stoke. Made you hard to beat and you cut your cloth accordingly.
4. Always thought your support was lively particularly as we fell down the leagues. Always remember the rendition of Delilah at Maine Rd. Proper fans.
5. Went to the Victoria ground. Like many old grounds it was tired and either needed upgrading or a new stadium. Don’t dislike the Britannia - been a few times and always liked the atmosphere there. Always a decent occasion when we both play.
 
I was at the 88 Boxing Day game that was one of my all time favorite away memories (along with beating Villa 2-1 to end that really long away games without a win in the early 90s under Kendell). However, the strangest game I think I have ever been to was Alan Ball's last game in-charge(Paul Dickov's debut as I recall), when there was a uniting of the fans in out hatred for Alan Ball all four ends singing for 90mins that they wanted him sacked it was serial experience
 
WEMBLEY76 said:
Remember Gordon Banks playing a blinder at Maine Rd in circa 1972 they beat us 2-1 IIRC and effectively stopped us winning the title.Also a great 3rd round cup tie in 1973 finished with a 3-2 City win at Maine Rd.Went to Victoria ground in 1974/5 for a 4-0 drubbing by Alan Hudson’s team,stood on an open terrace I think.
Boxing Day fancy dress was amazing turnout by Blues and remember Bamber scoring for Stoke that day.
Wembley 2011 and Stoke 1998 couldn’t have been more high and low if you tried.
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You have an excellent memory W76!
I remember that late 80s boxing day match when Big Dave Bamber scored.for Stoke proper old school centre forward.I also remember him playing for Swindon,when City visited the County grpund under Machin.Swindon had a corner,ball landed in 6yard box at Paul Lakes feet.. Big Dave Bamber immediately homed in...quick as a flash,the youthful Lake nutmegged Bamber,.ran past him..,and surged the length of the right side of the County ground pitch, crossed for White who blazed over...There were times,under Machin,that our youth team graduates were sublime,and made us Blues proud,and that scintillating counter attack was one of em!
 
I think my first visit was a 2-0 win in 1977 when there were 13,000 blues on the ground.
Stoke used to be one of the best aways in the late 70's and through the 80's. We used to be on the train into Stoke at 10:30 and knocking on the door of The Talbot. It was invariably lively - especially remember one match that was postponed before kick off and we stayed in Stoke until we got thrown out of the pub. Most blues had already left & the Stokies were on the lookout for stragglers.
I think what ruined the fixture wasn't necessarily the new ground but more that the police made it impossible to go anywhere other than that shit student bar.
I think our first visit to the Britannia was the 5-2 relegation game followed by a Friday night game (Weikens 1-0) the following season.
It was another 10 years before we were back in Stoke by which time the police had decided to make the town centre a no-go area for visiting fans.
After that we always drank in Macc & got a late train in followed by a taxi or a walk down the towpath.
Regarding your fans, I think unsurprisingly you were loud in the seasons when things were going well but fell away alarmingly during the last couple of seasons in the Prem. Whilst the atmosphere at the Etihad is quite rightly criticized, I don't think our support would fall away as quickly as yours did if results started going against us.
 
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?

Stoke? Average club but a reputation for trouble. Not far away so a good away trip.


2. Which Stoke vs Man City games do you remember personally (good/ bad/ indifferent) over the years and why?

Cup final 2011, obviously. Plus the 5 – 2. Then the banana/fancy dress game.

Round of applause a few days later after cup final at The Etihad (on youtube too)


3. Which Stoke teams/ managers/ players have made impressions on you over the years... good or bad?

Pulis….hahahahaha Club shop.

4. The Stoke support: home and away - any thoughts? are we typical? Is there anything that makes us distinctive from other clubs?

Used to be ****s. Like most clubs they’ve mellowed with age and CCTV etc.

Stoke fans were ok at Wembley but ****s at most other games home and away. Fighting with stewards at Maine Road and had the cheek to chase us out of the Boothen End once back into our open end. (1977?) Gobby Stoke I always thought.

5. Our grounds old and new - any particular memories/ opinions on the The Victoria Ground or the new Soulless version?

Chased out of The Boothen end. Funny as fuck. Then bottled outside. Lovely fans. New ground is shyte but had a laugh with the snowball fight once in the coach park.

Love singing this:

Have you got an inside toilet? Got an inside toilet? Got an inside toilet?
Have you fuck!
Have you got a colour telly? Have you fuck!
Have you got central heating? Have you fuck!
Have you got double glazing? Have you fuck!
 
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1) Never had a problem with Stoke, one of the 'sticker album' clubs I remember from the early 70's (see 3)

2) Missed out on the best league games, the Dickov/Taylor 'turn-around' game particularly annoying as I went to the vast majority that season but was at the 5-2 (not pleasant !) and obviously the Cup Final. Stoke's fans were brilliant that day and spoke to a fair few including identical twins who hated the rags with a passion !!

3) (See 1) Tony Waddington (manager) and players such as Banks, Bloor, Smith, Pejic, Marsh, Mahoney, Skeels, Elder, Conroy, Ritchie etc., from that magical era when you're just starting to learn more about football and other teams players. Have to be honest, didn't take much notice in the mid-late 70's and early 80's but always thought Alan Dodd looked a sound defender and 'knew' about Greenhoff, Chamberlain, Heath, Crooks etc. Obviously Pulis as he did a top job there

4) In Prem years 'loud and proud' especially at home but a bit 70's in their angst against opposing players

5) Victoria was typical old style and Britannia just another of the neat new ones which, like most or all others in this category can generate a tremendous atmosphere if the supporters are 'up for it' but a bit sterile if not
 
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?

Personally, always been fairly indifferent to Stoke. Just see them as a fairly local club so used to enjoy going to Stoke for games as it was easy to get to and from. You hate United so you must have your heads’ screwed on.

2. Which Stoke vs Man City games do you remember personally (good/ bad/ indifferent) over the years and why?

I don’t personally remember this but City v Stoke from the FA Cup in 1934 is the biggest attendance in English football history outside Wembley. This should always be remembered by both clubs and mentioned when we play each other. Could you imagine if United and Liverpool held that record, it’d be mentioned every time they faced each other.
1998 relegation game at your place was a very sad day for both clubs but for us it was a new sad because we’d never been down to that level before.
2011 FA Cup final was class all day there and back between both sets of fans. Didn’t see one bit of trouble and spoke to loads of Stokies pre-and-post-game and there was nothing but respect both ways.

3. Which Stoke teams/ managers/ players have made impressions on you over the years... good or bad?
I never saw them play but Matthews and Banks are proper legends of the game and should always be icons on your club.
Always liked Glen Whelan but always hated Shawcross (dirty Rag!)

Got a good story you might like: my Dad is mates with Danny Higginbotham’s Dad and he told my Dad about when Stoke played Arsenal in the Cup once and Danny was captain. Fabregas was captain for Arsenal and when the captains both went to the Ref’s changing room for the pre-March talk, at the end of it Danny stood up to leave and put his hand out to shake Fabregas’ hand but Fabregas looked him up and down and walked off. Stoke won and at the end of the game Danny went up to Fabregas and told him what he thought of him!

4. The Stoke support: home and away - any thoughts? are we typical? Is there anything that makes us distinctive from other clubs?

There was loads of trouble when we were both relegated in 1998 but that was from both sets of fans who were highly charged because we’d both gone down.
Hated the way you lot boo’d Aaron Ramsey.
But as I said above Stoke fans were class at the 2011 FA Cup final. Hope you appreciated the applause your lot got at the midweek game immediately after that final?
And a couple of years later at Stoke, a massive snowball fight broke out between both sets of fans. It went on for about twenty minutes and even the Police got a few thrown at them. All in good spirits and it was a good laugh.

5. Our grounds old and new - any particular memories/ opinions on the The Victoria Ground or the new Soulless version?

I never went to the Vic but went to the Brit all but one time when you were in the Prem. Always liked going there really good ground to make good noise at.
 
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1. Generally as a club - how do you perceive Stoke City? Through the years?
Always a game when away you knew it would be a battle. Remember Chris Kamara kicking anything that moved.

2. Which Stoke vs Man City games do you remember personally (good/ bad/ indifferent) over the years and why?
The cup final. It was great to see so many fans travelling to Wembley, really looking forward to it from both sides.
Remember also going to Wembley and Mark Stein scored the winner versus Stockport. Stoke were well supported that day.

3. Which Stoke teams/ managers/ players have made impressions on you over the years... good or bad?

Alan Ball - Only time the whole ground sang ‘your getting sacked in the morning’.


4. The Stoke support: home and away - any thoughts? are we typical? Is there anything that makes us distinctive from other clubs?

Away Stoke seem to travel in lower numbers usually just having the minimal block of tickets. Never understood why being local.

5. Our grounds old and new - any particular memories/ opinions on the The Victoria Ground or the new Soulless version?

The inflatable craze late 80s and 12,000 away fans at the Victoria.
The new ground I remember the strong winds from the stadium design.
 
Gordon Banks was from my hometown of Chesterfield...Stanley Mathews was my dads favourite ever player...the FA cup final was a great day in our history and the Stoke fans i met where class...KDBs pass to Leroy was sublime....Crouchies volleyed goal as good if not better , although not quite as enjoyable..
 
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?
Never liked you since the day's we were in old second division together. You always thought you were a bigger club than you actually were due mostly to hooligan element of the club. You had fair crowds but nothing to say you were classed as a big club. I put you in the same bracket as Leeds and Middlesbrough with regards to dislike. Only hate 1 club but heavily dislike a Red and Blue Dippers so your not in my top 3.
2. Which Stoke vs Man City games do you remember personally (good/ bad/ indifferent) over the years and why?
Obviously the two games that come to mind are the 98 game and the final but also the boxing day game in 88/89 when we took thousands and most in fancy dress and I think it was the game we had the bananas and you had the inflatable pink panthers for some reason.
3. Which Stoke teams/ managers/ players have made impressions on you over the years... good or bad?
Tony Pullis was the anti-football full kit wanker of a manager who I disliked with a passion
4. The Stoke support: home and away - any thoughts? are we typical? Is there anything that makes us distinctive from other clubs?
Even though my dislike for you still stands I do recognise decent support and you were loud every time we played you which created a lot of our rivalry. You were good at Wembley which surprised me as I thought there would be more Rag like behaviour from you.
5. Our grounds old and new - any particular memories/ opinions on the The Victoria Ground or the new Soulless version?
Went to both and unlike preferring Maine Rd to Etihad I prefer the new ground.

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
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My memorable game was away in Div 1 under Alan Ball, all around the ground everyone singing “your getting sacked in the morning”. My mate said fck they still hate him more than us.

I can’t be arsed answering your questions do I’ll answer my own, good traditional club & I think of Mark Chamberlain as a player when I first watched them.
 
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