Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Heroes Discussion => Topic started by: ORFYDUCKMAG on April 10, 2020, 04:07:44 PM
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Hello folks – Stoke fan here in peace.
I work on the ‘Duck’ fanzine and I’m planning a different type of article for our next issue – out whenever something approaching normal matchdays return to our lives once more.
I aim to ask supporters of several clubs 5 questions about their perceptions of Stoke City in order a to create a big feature article “Us and Them.” For the following questions, feel free to answer in varied depth/ brevity but a couple of sentences at least for each is ideal:
1. Generally how do you see Stoke City the club – a rival? Non-entity? Certain type of club? Disdain? Admiration? Pity?! As a fixture – is it of general appeal?
2. Are there any Stoke players/ teams that have made an impression on you over the years?
3. Are there matches between your team and Stoke you recall hating/ loving?
4. In home / away matches, what have you made of the Stoke support? Any particular memories?
5. The Victoria Ground/ The New One – what did/ do you make our of our home ground(s)’ the grounds? Any particular experiences or impressions?
Given our reputation over the years, this could be a risk but then again, it would be great if I could glean a diverse range of honest/ diverse/ cutting/ funny/ serious or even complimentary views.
If you can be arsed, thanks for your time.
Take care of yourselves,
Lee Hawthorne @ORFYDUCKMAG
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1 Always a hard-working nuisance of a side. Can never predict results against them. Never a fixture of general appeal just two to get out of the way.
2 Tony Pullis the manager and George Eastham the player only because he used to play for Ards over here. Can't name a single Stoke player off the top of my head. Were the Greenhoff brothers once Stoke? Mark Chamberlain?
3.Hated two matches - remember being one up against you lot away until Pullis made an appearance at half-time and inspired a victory. But the one that stands out is the one we were two-up and heading towards the Champions League under O'Neill, and then you equalised, the wheels came off and we've been in free fall ever since. Ever since that day.
4 No views at all on the Stoke support.
5. The Victoria Ground was a proper old football ground and since moving to the new identikit soulless one, you've lost some of your character.
Grew up in a sea of Celtic here in Belfast but had a mate who was Stoke. Remember Coventry City fans giving him a hard time when we were in Majorca mid-nineties. Previous history? Hope this helps.
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Adrian Heath
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1. A midlands rival. Always a tough fixture and one I sincerely hope that we don't rekindle next season.
2. Tiny Penis. Horrible tactics, long ball crap. That said, when you got rid, you collapsed. You have a good Manager now though.
3. Honestly? Not really, except I suppose the 1-1 draw last season as this seemed to be the 'kick-start' that we needed to push the eventual play off promotion.
4. No particular memories, except you are a loud lot.
5. Is it ever not windy up there? The old ground was better as it was a football ground.
I think you will be a play off contender next season. O'Neill is a shrewd appointment. Good luck.
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1. Always a hard-working, physical side whose natural level should be mid-upper reaches of the Championship.
2. For some reason Alan Hudson.
3. N/A
4. The only Stoke fan I know is in his 60s and regales me me with stories of Matthews and Banks over a few rums so favourable. My general impression is that your support is "passionate" having read "Naughty(Forty)" and that having passed through it, Stoke is not a place I'd like to live.
5. Never been.
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Never seen you as a rival. But playing you in recent years as difficul and not enjoyable. Hated the Pullis era, don’t know how you could applaud the deliberate time wasting and anti football spectacle. I was embarrassed for you.
The Victoria Ground was a proper football ground, now you playin a soul less identikit place with no charm.
I allways think the atmosphere in those grounds feels manufactured.
Famous players John Richie Gordon Banks Alan Hudson Jimmy Greenhoff Stanley Matthews Peter Crouch.
Stoke is a bit of a dump though. A few Stokies were on here for a while and seemed like decent fellas.
You are a Founding Member of the football league and yet your list of Honours rivals Birmingham City, which is sad.
Anyway, all the best.
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1. A club/team that have played to their strengths for years.
2. Not really - Generally a team who worked hard for each other.
3. As others have mentioned, the 2-2 when we were going for Champions League sticks out (you scored 2 in injury time when we were coasting to a 2-0). Your first game back up you scored late to beat us 3-2. Houliers first game in charge when Houlier didn't bother going yet Pulis made it at half time despite his mother dying earlier in the day - We were 1-0 up at half time but lost 2-1. You seemed to always get late goals against us to snatch draws or victories. My favourite memory is the 1-1 at yours in 1981 when we got to within touching distance of the title on Easter Monday. We had 1000s there.
4. Support was always better than average.
5. I much preferred the old Victoria Ground and loved the walk to and from the station. For some reason it reminded me of the walk from Bolton station to Burnden - I always used to like walking through old, industrial type areas as opposed to retail parks we often find ourselves in these days.
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1. Generally how do you see Stoke City the club – a rival? Non-entity? Certain type of club? Disdain? Admiration? Pity?! As a fixture – is it of general appeal?
Didn't really have a huge amount of knowledge other than Stanley Matthews/Gordon Banks/Nick Hancock prior to your promotion. Was pleased when you went up as generally like to see Midlands teams do well, except for a few of the local obsessives. Still don't really have any feeling of rivalry with Stoke. Would rather see a new team get promoted, if we stay up, but always want you to do well against Birmingham, West Brom, Leeds and Millwall.
2. Are there any Stoke players/ teams that have made an impression on you over the years?
Ricardo Fuller. Always seemed to have everything you could ask of a striker, but didn't seem like Pulis liked him for whatever reason. Also noticed that diving twat Pennant.
3. Are there matches between your team and Stoke you recall hating/ loving?
The main one I hated was the one where Glen Fucking Whelan scored an equaliser from about eighty yards in a game we had dominated. We would have gone miles clear of Arsenal and put ourselves in a great position for the Champions League Gravy Train had we held on. One of those "Sliding Doors" moments that all clubs have. Loved the late win at Stoke when Lowton scored from Vale Park.
4. In home / away matches, what have you made of the Stoke support? Any particular memories?
Always make a decent noise when they come to Villa Park. Surprisingly quiet when I have been to Stoke, although both games were turgid affairs with one nil-nil and a one-nil win for us, so you weren't given much to shout about.
5. The Victoria Ground/ The New One – what did/ do you make our of our home ground(s)’ the grounds? Any particular experiences or impressions?
Never went to the old one. Can't say I like the new one. It could be Southampton or Middlesbrough or any of a myriad of boring identikit stadia. Also, it somehow manages to be fucking freezing even when it's warm outside. Given the amount of money I donate to your owners each year, they could at least give me a heated seat... to stand next to.
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1. Generally how do you see Stoke City the club – a rival? Non-entity? Certain type of club? Disdain? Admiration? Pity?! As a fixture – is it of general appeal?
Reasonable-sized local-ish club. No particularly strong feelings, but Stoke were always quite generous as a club to my primary school with things like match tickets and signed footballs. Seemed odd as I don't recall any Stoke fans at my school, just the one Port Vale fan in the year below mine.
Peter Coates is a credit to your club, city, & football as a whole. Got a lot of time for him.
2. Are there any Stoke players/ teams that have made an impression on you over the years?
Well, Stanley Matthews is the obvious one. Bought a Stoke shirt the season he died. He didn't do too well at us, but I always liked Peter Crouch, especially after he'd left Liverpool.
3. Are there matches between your team and Stoke you recall hating/ loving?
I had a season ticket up until a couple of seasons before your lot got in to the Premier League, and it's never been a fixture I've bothered with when buying tickets as it's slightly too inconvenient to get to games in Stoke, and you seem the sort of side who we'd end up losing to at home.
4. In home / away matches, what have you made of the Stoke support? Any particular memories?
I've not ever seen Villa play Stoke, but ...
5. The Victoria Ground/ The New One – what did/ do you make our of our home ground(s)’ the grounds? Any particular experiences or impressions?
I went to the Victoria Ground in the mid 90s to watch Stoke Vs Oxford. My dad's mate is a massive Oxford fan so I go to watch them from time to time. We sat with the home fans along the side of the pitch, but up with the away fans to our left. Thought it was a nice old ground. Probably be seen as a bit of a dive now, but went to far worse grounds in that era. Loved the stand we were in, full of character and had a great & friendly atmosphere. Know Stoke fans don't have the best reputation, but the few I've met have been alright.
Best of luck for whenever we get going again.
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1. A secondary local rival without the same passion in the fixtures we have with Birmingham, West Brom and Wolves. More in the bracket of games we have against Coventry, Leicester, Derby and Forest.
2. The first Stoke side I remember would be the likes of Peter Fox, George Berry, Paul Bracewell, Adrian Heath, Sammy McIlroy, Mickey Thomas and Mark Chamberlain.
3. I hated my first visit to The Victoria Ground in the second division in 1987/1988. We were stood at the side below pitch level and it was honestly the worst view I have ever had at any game. It finished 0-0 (unless I missed any goals due to the restricted view ;))
4. I always thought Stoke brought relatively few away fans to Villa Park considering the relatively short distance
5. I always thought under Pulis Stoke were a very solid and stable team and club and tough to beat even if they did struggle in the league on occasions. Post Pulis the stability seemed to go and you struggled.
As for the future you had a terrible start and looked doomed to me but you made a good managerial appointment in O'Neil and turned things around.
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1. As a club Stoke have never meant a fat lot to me
2. The Pulis team. I'd have genuinely stopped going to games rather than watch a side built on throw-ins and being snide.
3. The 3-1 when first Lowton scored and then we had a 5 on 1 and the 1 was your keeper.
4. Shit away support for such a short journey.
5. Victoria Ground was ok, the new one is just another bland new build.
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1. As a club Stoke have never meant a fat lot to me
2. The Pulis team. I'd have genuinely stopped going to games rather than watch a side built on throw-ins and being snide.
3. The 3-1 when first Lowton scored and then we had a 5 on 1 and the 1 was your keeper.
4. Shit away support for such a short journey.
5. Victoria Ground was ok, the new one is just another bland new build.
This.
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That police escort from the station to the Victoria Ground was like a scene from a Western. I’ve never known so many sidestreet snipers.
And oatcakes are vile.
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1 Never really bothered me as a team
2 Gordon Banks
3 The only time I went to Stoke was in the Mid 70,s have no recollection of the match, only of my answer below
4 As we were coming out, someone punched me in the side of the head and disappeared into the crowd
5 Never been to new ground, my memory of the Victoria Ground from that visit was that it was a bit of a run down Relic.
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1. I always like to see promoted teams do well (this last season more than ever) so when you first came up I liked the fact you made a decent job of it and gave a few "bigger" clubs a bloody nose. Beyond those first few years and your cup final appearance you became a bit of a mid table non entity, this at a time when we were perennial strugglers, so while that sounds like a criticism it would have been nice to be there ourselves in hindsight. Prior to that I remember you featuring on Central Sport a fair bit in the 90s under Macari and the Port Vale rivalry seeming to be rather heated.
2. See above re 90s team although can't remember any specific players from that era. As a few have alluded to, Pulis was a large part of your identity when you came up, more so than particular players really. Of course everyone remembers Delap for the long throws. I know Hughes was there for a while and had you comfortably mid table. At this stage you seemed to become somewhere players would move to from "bigger" clubs but do a job for you eg Allen, Crouch.
3. I think the memorable recent games have already been covered. 2-2 at our place 08/09, 3-1 win at yours in 12/13 and 1-1 draw last season which was the catalyst for our winning run.
4. Never had much of a view as Stoke fans as a collective. No particular thoughts of being better/worse than any other set of fans from my experience. I know one Stoke fan through work and he seems a level headed chap. Wasn't particularly fussed about most recent relegation as he remembers 3rd division days. Although he was a bit concerned his lads raised on the Prem days might lose interest.
5. Been to new ground twice. I much prefer grounds you can walk to from a train station or decent pub. Neither of which seems to be the case for yours.
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1. Generally how do you see Stoke City the club – a rival? Non-entity? Certain type of club? Disdain? Admiration? Pity?! As a fixture – is it of general appeal?
On the whole, a bit of a nothing club. Situated in a sort of no man's land between the North West and the Midlands, I expect it's only really Port Vale fans who have any strong feelings about you. I've generally disliked the fixture because on the whole we've done pretty badly against you when we were both in the Premier League.
2. Are there any Stoke players/ teams that have made an impression on you over the years?
The obvious answer would be Rory Delap. A great weapon to have in your team, and obviously one that anti-football legend Tony Pulis exploited to the max.
3. Are there matches between your team and Stoke you recall hating/ loving?
Too bloody right there is. 1 March 2009, the day it all started to go wrong for Aston Villa. 2-0 up at home with ten minutes left to play. We started the day in 4th place, 5 points clear of Arsenal, with a game in hand. Two goals in the last two minutes from your lot knocked the stuffing out of us, and we lost four and draw three of the next 7 games, before finishing a disappointing 6th.
4. In home / away matches, what have you made of the Stoke support? Any particular memories?
When you first came back up, the atmosphere always seemed to be brilliant, which to me shows that successful football will always trump stylish football for some fans.
5. The Victoria Ground/ The New One – what did/ do you make our of our home ground(s)’ the grounds? Any particular experiences or impressions?
I don't have much experience of the old one, but the new one is just your typical identikit fairly soulless new stadium on an industrial estate/retail park. For some reason it always seems pretty cold there.
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I do remember the Lou Macari days. He had a short spell at Birmingham where he won the football league trophy and then quit and won it again at Stoke. The Birmingham fans were not happy as they had really taken to Macari. I think the season after Stoke won the football league trophy they won promotion to the first division. Mainly due to Mark Stein scoring loads of goals if my memory is correct.
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I can’t contribute much to this as I have lived abroad for a long time and rarely get to go but I have to admit Stoke were off my radar apart from a distant memory of them being very good in 1974/75 with players like Hudson and Salmons. They seem to have had a fair few massive names like Banks, Matthews, Shilton, then later on good players often seemed to start there (Crooks, Chapman, Dixon). Anyway, this changed in 2005 when I started a teaching job in Versailles and one of my colleagues was a massive Stokie, so now I look out for their results and wish them well. His name is David Gould and used to write pieces for the Oatcake, so guessing you’ll probably know him, mate? Top man, one of my best mates and very respectful of the Villa, to boot!
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Also worth mentioning that Stoke are now the oldest football league team. Founded 11 years before Villa which is pretty amazing given there are now only 4 including Reading which always strikes me as slightly anomalous.
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I can't think of anything good or bad to say about Stoke City to be honest. Just another club to me
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Forest are the oldest, really.
https://www.wsc.co.uk/stories/14245-birth-certificate-stoke-city-and-nottingham-forest-locked-in-oldest-club-debate
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I was aware that there was a dispute but for ease just went off the 1863 date on the badge.
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Badges can be deceiving. Birmingham City have a football on theirs.
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Badges can be deceiving. Birmingham City have a football on theirs.
:) I was going to say similar i.e. theirs says football club.
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Badges can be deceiving. Birmingham City have a football on theirs.
Birmingham City have two balls on their badge.
Most tellingly and rather appropriately neither of them are in the back of a football net.
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1. I can’t see how Stoke are a ‘nothing, club. They are a one of the original 12 like ourselves and for that alone, deserve respect.
As clubs, we were going up and Stoke were going the other way in the 70s and 80s, so obviously it wasn't until the last decade or so that our paths crossed again.
2. Garth Crooks, Mike Pejic, Arnautovic.
Inevitably, think of Stoke and Tony Pulis comes to mind. However, he did a good job for the club although he’s not everyone’s cup of tea. He also did well at Gillingham, Palace and Albion to a degree.
3. The aforementioned 2-2 🙁
4. Solid support home and away. I remember my brother getting kicked outside the ground in the 80s and my head got cut open by a flying seat after a defeat in 1982...but then that was from a Villa ‘fan’.
5. The Victoria Ground was a typical old style stadium. The new one is similar to other new grounds although notably not closed in at the corners. It has good and easy access though even if it’s situated in the standard industrial estate setting.
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Stoke as a club another West brom or thereabouts
Remember you as, a, collection of has beens, although I did like George Eastham one or two like Doyle who I hated
1976 we were doing well and were really looking to make an impression on the top three. We had in excess of 12,000 at the Victoria ground. However gray was injured, little up front by himself. We missed a penalty (graydon) Shilton was in goal for you and we lost 1-0
Stoke's support - I'm not one bit impressed. Sorry Lee.
Grounds victoria ground far better than what looks like an unfinished newer ground.
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I think of Stoke for their exploits in both domestic cups in the 1970s, when they had some damn fine players.
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I remember going to their old ground in 1987, what I don’t remember is seeing the ball. It was that packed all I saw were people’s backs and shoes. I think I saw Warren Aspniall st one stage taking a throw in. I think it was 0-0. Probably
I think that about sums up any rivalry with Stoke.
Punched well above their weight for many years, also vaguely remember a few of them trying to bully a couple of us on a train back from Manchester.
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I remember going to their old ground in 1987, what I don’t remember is seeing the ball. It was that packed all I saw were people’s backs and shoes. I think I saw Warren Aspniall st one stage taking a throw in. I think it was 0-0. Probably
I think that about sums up any rivalry with Stoke.
Punched well above their weight for many years, also vaguely remember a few of them trying to bully a couple of us on a train back from Manchester.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who remembers the game at Stoke in our '87-'88 promotion season. Or to be accurate someone else who remembers being there but has next to no recollection of the game due to the crap view we had alongside the pitch in what appeared to be an attempt to recreate the World War one trenches. If I remember correctly it was one of Gary Shaw's last games for us.
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Gary Shaw? Really?
Don’t remember that either, which is rather apt I suppose.
I feel pretty bad about our responses, he’s been polite and nearly all replies have a vague recollection of something that might have happened when playing his team
Don’t mind Stoke, had a great dance club back in the 90s but I can’t remember what it was called.
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Played his last game for us at the end of the 87/88 season. His last goal was at the start of the 85/86 season. Bloody injuries 😕
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1. Generally how do you see Stoke City the club – a rival? Non-entity? Certain type of club? Disdain? Admiration? Pity?! As a fixture – is it of general appeal? Being see Stoke as a rival in any regard. It certainly had admiration for a team that had all the big boys managers complaining. My grandmother was a Stoke city can being a Trentham lass. She used to regale us with stories of her and her brother jumping the turnstile at the Victoria Ground.
2. Are there any Stoke players/ teams that have made an impression on you over the years? As above. The ones who upset the big boys. Must have been doing something right.
3. Are there matches between your team and Stoke you recall hating/ loving?
The 2-2. Carews obscene goal and the sickened from Whelan. We knew we'd fucked it all at that moment.
4. In home / away matches, what have you made of the Stoke support? Any particular memories? At Stoke. Geezers after some agro but a decent atmosphere overall. At VP, can't comment as nothing stands out.
5. The Victoria Ground/ The New One – what did/ do you make our of our home ground(s)’ the grounds? Any particular experiences or impressions? No idea but hate most new stadiums for multiple reasons so can only assume the old one was something special for your fans.
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1. Generally how do you see Stoke City the club – a rival? Non-entity? Certain type of club? Disdain? Admiration? Pity?! As a fixture – is it of general appeal?
Definitely not a rival. A second tier club and a bit of non event really. A club that has not contributed in any constructive way to the football history.
2. Are there any Stoke players/ teams that have made an impression on you over the years?
No non whatsoever however I did like George Eastham.
3. Are there matches between your team and Stoke you recall hating/ loving?
Just hating. Two that come to mind are your 3-2 win at your place early in your first season and the 2-2 draw at Villa Park when we blew a 2-0 lead and along with it champions league qualification.
4. In home / away matches, what have you made of the Stoke support? Any particular memories?
Nothing. All I remember is getting load of racist abuse at your place and you lot singing POTM at Villa Park.
5. The Victoria Ground/ The New One – what did/ do you make our of our home ground(s)’ the grounds? Any particular experiences or impressions?
Never went to VG and the new one is a shithole.
Thanks Lee.
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1, Never thought of Stoke as a rival,since Coates took over seemed to
be a fairly well run middle of the road club.
2, Tiny Penis sides = yawn
3, One of my 1st away matches, 1976....think a roof had blown off one of
side stands a few days before. We had @ 10,000 in the open end at
Victoria Ground ...Balloons everywhere.
4, A few idiots,like all clubs, but remember a few ambushes at VG,
5, I worked on the same estate as The Brittania for 10 years, but only
went to 1 game , England u21 v Portugal, when Platt was in charge,
early August & it was freezing. Been to a few works functions in the
main stand, always got the impression they,d run out of cash when
fitting it out.
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1.
I just view it as another fixture against a middle of the road club
2.
Jermaine Pennant the cheating barstool, faking a foul to earn a free kick from which Stoke earned a last minute winner. That was the season Pulis got a rousing reception from the Villa fans, when he turned up at Stoke's home fixture vs Villa despite his mother being very ill. Pity he always showed himself to be a bitter tw-t towards the Villa since, instead of showing at least some respect towards us.
3.
The year Villa won the league (1981). I loved attending the 1-1 draw at the Victoria ground with my dad. Villa fans were everywhere and the place was rammed. An important point that season at a difficult place to earn them.
4.
Nothing standout though I know you sing Delilah.
5.
The Victoria Ground was the better venue (see 3 above)
All the best Orfyduckmag
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I remember going to their old ground in 1987, what I don’t remember is seeing the ball. It was that packed all I saw were people’s backs and shoes. I think I saw Warren Aspniall st one stage taking a throw in. I think it was 0-0. Probably
I think that about sums up any rivalry with Stoke.
Punched well above their weight for many years, also vaguely remember a few of them trying to bully a couple of us on a train back from Manchester.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who remembers the game at Stoke in our '87-'88 promotion season. Or to be accurate someone else who remembers being there but has next to no recollection of the game due to the crap view we had alongside the pitch in what appeared to be an attempt to recreate the World War one trenches. If I remember correctly it was one of Gary Shaw's last games for us.
I was there, he played as a number 10, he was sublime when he got the ball but it was obvious that he was struggling with fitness,
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I was also there that day and saw the corner flag a few times, but hardly a thing otherwise.
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1, Never thought of Stoke as a rival,since Coates took over seemed to
be a fairly well run middle of the road club.
2, Tiny Penis sides = yawn
3, One of my 1st away matches, 1976....think a roof had blown off one of
side stands a few days before. We had @ 10,000 in the open end at
Victoria Ground ...Balloons everywhere.
4, A few idiots,like all clubs, but remember a few ambushes at VG,
5, I worked on the same estate as The Brittania for 10 years, but only
went to 1 game , England u21 v Portugal, when Platt was in charge,
early August & it was freezing. Been to a few works functions in the
main stand, always got the impression they,d run out of cash when
fitting it out.
I might be wrong but I am sure I read somewhere that Stoke had to sell Peter Shilton to Forest to pay for the repairs to the roof of the stand you referred to. I think they were also struggling to pay his notoriously high wages.
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I used to loathe the Pulis brand of football and feel sorry for anyone watching that shit week after week BUT at the same time, it used to amuse me a lot to see how much Arsene Wenger would get his knickers in a twist over it.
I've been to matches at which we've been relegated or lost cup finals but that 2-2 match in the MON era which many have mentions was the worst i have felt. Walking out of the match, we knew we had blown it and looking at the faces of the other fans, you could tell they did too. It was very very strange.
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Arsene Wenger getting on his high horse and throwing a strop was always entertaining. Stoke and Bolton seemed to be his favourite targets but I also remember Small Heath causing him to spit out his dummy a couple of times.
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1) I’ve never really seen Stoke as a rival , despite being relatively close. I don’t even really see it as a local Midlands Derby. I’d compare it to when we play Burnley/Norwich/ Hull.
2) The Pullis team when you first came up. Full of admiration as I recall.
3)The 2-2 everyone else has mentioned. I wasn’t they’re, I was in Vegas, and getting updates on my phone. Going from adulation, thiinking Martin O’Neil has done the right thing with Europe, to slating him 15 minutes later.
4+5) I genuinely don’t recall any home games. I just have been to some.
But I worked doing pre match entertainment at your new ground. I was very impressed. We got directed to parking right outside the door and I remember how friendly all the staff were. I worked the large lounge where the Corprate supporters were ( home and away) , and the Stoke fans were again very lovely. Very polite and down to earth. Unlike the Arsenal Fans in the same room.
Randomly my dad was Santa Claus for one if your Xmas home games a couple of years ago, and also commented how everyone was very friendly.
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I was going to say Didier Six scored his only goal in a Villa shirt against Stoke (in a very dull game against a very poor Stoke side with not many fans inside Villa Park to the best of my recollection). But apparently he scored twice in his Villa career. I have no recollection of his other goal.
11v11.com tells me Six did indeed score and the other Villa goal was a Stoke own goal. Attendance inside Villa Park that night - 10,874
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Gary Shaw? Really?
Don’t remember that either, which is rather apt I suppose.
I feel pretty bad about our responses, he’s been polite and nearly all replies have a vague recollection of something that might have happened when playing his team
Don’t mind Stoke, had a great dance club back in the 90s but I can’t remember what it was called.
That will be The Void in Hanley. They used to do a night called Golden. Superb memories....well sort off...
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I once had a client in Stoke. I know its probably wrong to say so but it was the biggest shithole i've ever been to. It was like an English version of Beirut.
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Hello folks – Stoke fan here in peace.
I work on the ‘Duck’ fanzine and I’m planning a different type of article for our next issue – out whenever something approaching normal matchdays return to our lives once more.
I aim to ask supporters of several clubs 5 questions about their perceptions of Stoke City in order a to create a big feature article “Us and Them.” For the following questions, feel free to answer in varied depth/ brevity but a couple of sentences at least for each is ideal:
1. Generally how do you see Stoke City the club – a rival? Non-entity? Certain type of club? Disdain? Admiration? Pity?! As a fixture – is it of general appeal?
2. Are there any Stoke players/ teams that have made an impression on you over the years?
3. Are there matches between your team and Stoke you recall hating/ loving?
4. In home / away matches, what have you made of the Stoke support? Any particular memories?
5. The Victoria Ground/ The New One – what did/ do you make our of our home ground(s)’ the grounds? Any particular experiences or impressions?
Given our reputation over the years, this could be a risk but then again, it would be great if I could glean a diverse range of honest/ diverse/ cutting/ funny/ serious or even complimentary views.
If you can be arsed, thanks for your time.
Take care of yourselves,
Lee Hawthorne @ORFYDUCKMAG
1) Never had a problem other than 1988 nearly pissing up our promotion. Decent size club - put with Leicester Blues Albion in terms of size. Behind Wolves Forest and Debyb in terms of Midlands, in turn they are behind Villa. Admiration for prior decade. Pity you hired Lamberk.
2) Heath and Chapman in my youth. Both underrated. Obviously Banks historically. Glen Whelan played a pivotal role in 2 key moments in Villa history - stop the Top4 charge and helping get Bruce sacked.
3) Not fond the last one 0.1 in Sept 2015. The one where Pullis came back after his Mom's death. I remember a glory hunting Liverpool fan telling me had Etherington in his team. I was Really pleased for him.
4) Always made a decent noise
5) Not nice places to visit.
That said I am happy to see Stoke as a city undergoing (current climate aside) a bit of resurgence. Went to the china warehouse factories and got some really good clobber for overseas friends and relatives in recent years.
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I once had a client in Stoke. I know its probably wrong to say so but it was the biggest shithole i've ever been to. It was like an English version of Beirut.
So Stoke it’s full of beautiful architecture And is situated on the Mediterranean coast is it?
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not sure what point you are trying to superciliously make but when i visited regularly it looked war torn. My opinion no more no less.
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He's saying Beirut is nice.
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It must be hard to support a team that is constantly under the shadow of the footballing mega-giant that is Port Vale.
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Hello folks – Stoke fan here in peace.
I work on the ‘Duck’ fanzine and I’m planning a different type of article for our next issue – out whenever something approaching normal matchdays return to our lives once more.
I aim to ask supporters of several clubs 5 questions about their perceptions of Stoke City in order a to create a big feature article “Us and Them.” For the following questions, feel free to answer in varied depth/ brevity but a couple of sentences at least for each is ideal:
1. Generally how do you see Stoke City the club – a rival? Non-entity? Certain type of club? Disdain? Admiration? Pity?! As a fixture – is it of general appeal?
2. Are there any Stoke players/ teams that have made an impression on you over the years?
3. Are there matches between your team and Stoke you recall hating/ loving?
4. In home / away matches, what have you made of the Stoke support? Any particular memories?
5. The Victoria Ground/ The New One – what did/ do you make our of our home ground(s)’ the grounds? Any particular experiences or impressions?
Given our reputation over the years, this could be a risk but then again, it would be great if I could glean a diverse range of honest/ diverse/ cutting/ funny/ serious or even complimentary views.
If you can be arsed, thanks for your time.
Take care of yourselves,
Lee Hawthorne @ORFYDUCKMAG
1) Never had a problem other than 1988 nearly pissing up our promotion. Decent size club - put with Leicester Blues Albion in terms of size. Behind Wolves Forest and Debyb in terms of Midlands, in turn they are behind Villa. Admiration for prior decade. Pity you hired Lamberk.
2) Heath and Chapman in my youth. Both underrated. Obviously Banks historically. Glen Whelan played a pivotal role in 2 key moments in Villa history - stop the Top4 charge and helping get Bruce sacked.
3) Not fond the last one 0.1 in Sept 2015. The one where Pullis came back after his Mom's death. I remember a glory hunting Liverpool fan telling me had Etherington in his team. I was Really pleased for him.
4) Always made a decent noise
5) Not nice places to visit.
That said I am happy to see Stoke as a city undergoing (current climate aside) a bit of resurgence. Went to the china warehouse factories and got some really good clobber for overseas friends and relatives in recent years.
A lot of clubs nearly derailed our 1988 promotion. If I remember right we were hit and miss up until November. We then had a very good November, December, January and February and then wobbled in March and April until the last knockings of the season where we got ourselves over the line to promotion (on goals scored if I remember correctly).
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Badges can be deceiving. Birmingham City have a football on theirs.
Birmingham City have two balls on their badge.
Most tellingly and rather appropriately neither of them are in the back of a football net.
I can totally understand you not being too familiar with the Small Heath badge but their badge actually has a globe and a ball. I think it's to represent their worldwide influence on the game of football.
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1. Nice easy away trip. Went to Uni at Keele so went to a few Stoke games in your promotion season. 10k v Sheffield United in November 2007, 25k 12 months later! In those early prem days it always amused me how many premier league clubs with many international players couldn't deal with a long throw, us included.
2. Ryan Shawcross. My mum supports Arsenal.....
3. Stoke were bogey club in your early seasons up in prem. We at least started winning a few in later seasons. Lowton wonder goal game obviously sticks out although can also remember us going 1 up at VP and then being battered rest of the game. Final score was 1-4 so sobering afternoon seeing how far we were falling behind even Stoke in those times.
4. Support was fantastic in those early prem seasons. As I've said I could feel it building up in the promotion season. As you got settled and complacent in the prem it became similar to so many premier league grounds, silence for long periods and impatience if you weren't a goal or two up by half time.
Too young for the Vic. Brit/Bet 365 is ridiculously cold of course, some decent pubs nearby in Heron Cross over the A50.
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Interesting reading the responses.
I think Stoke see the whole Delap thing as part of their identity at the time. A jobbing journeyman midfield player suddenly becoming a ridiculous source of goals (he's played on and off in the premier league since 1998) with international defenders and keepers seemingly scrared of defending throw ins.
Of course with the flat pace it was hard to defend but they should never have scored so many from it in their first season, they certainly didn't score anywhere near that amount in the championship the previous year.
It's certainly true their away followings to VP weren't that great even when they were doing well in premier league. From reading Oatcake at the time it seems they were put out by us charging 40 quid given it was a local fixture while at the time I think we were paying 25 quid for trips there. Imagine with the 30 quid cap they'd sell out no problem next time we meet in premier league.
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I do remember the Lou Macari days. He had a short spell at Birmingham where he won the football league trophy and then quit and won it again at Stoke. The Birmingham fans were not happy as they had really taken to Macari. I think the season after Stoke won the football league trophy they won promotion to the first division. Mainly due to Mark Stein scoring loads of goals if my memory is correct.
Someone on first page mentioned Peter Coates being a hero in Stoke, Macari is reaching deity status now.
https://www.stoke.gov.uk/news/article/533/new_five-year_lease_being_finalised_for_homeless_shelter
Lou also played his part in the Neil Baldwin story which became a feature film on the BBC a few years back. Didn't Nello have his testimonial against us?
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Gary Shaw? Really?
Don’t remember that either, which is rather apt I suppose.
I feel pretty bad about our responses, he’s been polite and nearly all replies have a vague recollection of something that might have happened when playing his team
Don’t mind Stoke, had a great dance club back in the 90s but I can’t remember what it was called.
Used to date a girl from Longton when at Uni (Longton makes Erdington seen like a twin borough of Kensington). Was talking to her Mum one day and she was on about a laserdome rave club in the early 80s so that might've been the one you're thinking of, it closed in early 90s.
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not sure what point you are trying to superciliously make but when i visited regularly it looked war torn. My opinion no more no less.
I had to live in Meir, Stoke On Trent for a few years. Horrible place as is most of The Potteries. I tend to agree with you Mr U
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I do remember the Lou Macari days. He had a short spell at Birmingham where he won the football league trophy and then quit and won it again at Stoke. The Birmingham fans were not happy as they had really taken to Macari. I think the season after Stoke won the football league trophy they won promotion to the first division. Mainly due to Mark Stein scoring loads of goals if my memory is correct.
Someone on first page mentioned Peter Coates being a hero in Stoke, Macari is reaching deity status now.
https://www.stoke.gov.uk/news/article/533/new_five-year_lease_being_finalised_for_homeless_shelter
Lou also played his part in the Neil Baldwin story which became a feature film on the BBC a few years back. Didn't Nello have his testimonial against us?
He came on in Sid's at Villa Park.
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Gary Shaw? Really?
Don’t remember that either, which is rather apt I suppose.
I feel pretty bad about our responses, he’s been polite and nearly all replies have a vague recollection of something that might have happened when playing his team
Don’t mind Stoke, had a great dance club back in the 90s but I can’t remember what it was called.
Used to date a girl from Longton when at Uni (Longton makes Erdington seen like a twin borough of Kensington). Was talking to her Mum one day and she was on about a laserdome rave club in the early 80s so that might've been the one you're thinking of, it closed in early 90s.
Yeah that was it, Shelleys. It came back to me eventually. The disco biscuits played havoc with your memory.
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Yes Shelley’s. My sisters boyfriend at the time, got 12 months for
dealing pills there.
We didn’t mention it to mum
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Evening one and all
Thanks so much for taking the time to respond to my trespassing on your territory.
It was obviously a bit of a stupid/ brave risk venturing on here asking about your perceptions of all things Stoke City.
I’ve seen the whole range of tones/ comments haven’t I?!
Nothing has really surprised me in terms of positives or negatives. Given the Pulis years/ our recent political trends/ the caper of a section of our support over the years... I knew what was coming. We are divisive club in the sense that folk seem either charmed by us (plenty of begrudgingly respect) or else we are downright despised! Believe me, we are as divided in house – getting our fanbase to reach a consensus on anything from Brexit to Pulis is impossible. There are plenty of lefty football purists who buy our mag at least!
As with any city/ club though, there’s more to it than meets the eye: generalisations were always going to crop up. That's the nature of what we do isn't it?
I also expected a lot of love for our old ground compared to our new place. What I would give to go back and stand once more on that old Boothen End terrace at The Victoria Ground.
What was heartwarming was the depth of knowledge and rich memories that football fans hold onto. I love the obscure links we have between our cities/ towns/ clubs through mates/ family jobs etc.
I sent out these 5 questions to fans of over 20 clubs. So far, it seems that fans of Wolves/ Everton/ Sunderland/ Liverpool/ West Ham/ PNE/ Oldham and Man City have responded in enough detail to warrant an individual article in the fanzine. I didn’t bother with Crewe, Vale or Arsenal for obvious reasons. One foaming Gooner did hijack the Liverpool to forum to have a pop though – him doing that made me feel like less of a sad b****** for what I was doing on there!
Whenever matchdays return to our lives, I will get cracking on some of these, publish them and then post them onto the respective forums.
I will have one more check in a few days in case any late contributions have surfaced. Cheers to moderators for allowing this as well.
Whether you were dismissive/ funny/ bitter/ knowledgeable/ brutal or complimentary – thanks very much for your time. Some wonderful stories emerged out of this – it made me realise how much we all have in common (every club seems to have a similar cross-section of folk).
Best wishes
@ORFYDUCKMAG
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👍🏿
Good luck with the article.
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Now answer our questions:
Were you a raver at Shelleys laserdome?
Have you ever had tea in Keele SU with Neil Baldwin?
Do you know the African car reverser?
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I’ll give it a go 1 No to far away in North Staffs 2 plenty of players Alan Hudson Terry Conroy Sir Stan Gordon Banks Rory Delap and lastly the Most Memorable Harry Burrows.3 The only game I really hated was 6 0 drubbing in the 1960s a lot will mention the 2: 2 at Villa but that’s with hindsight. 4 The support always been very vocal and used to see plenty of shirts North Wales where I used to live. could create a good atmosphere at the Vic. 5 Haven't been to the Brit, stood on the Bootham a couple of times lively, great time against Everton ,after our Game had been Postponed ,due to fog against Man City and our coach dropped in on our way back from Maine road. Could see that happening today.
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Yes Cheers ORFY
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That 2-2 match, I remember at the time I'd been going through a lot of issues with my now ex-, and I was listening to it back in the box room at my folks wondering if life would ever get better.
Well, eventually I did meet somebody else and Villa did get promoted, but I think at that time it was the most bereft I've ever felt.