Stoke fan in peace...

[Risso]

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.

[Damo70]

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.

[RichardBatchelor]

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!

[Brazilian Villain]

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.

[sirlordbaltimore]

I can't think of anything good or bad to say about Stoke City to be honest. Just another club to me

[cdbearsfan]

Forest are the oldest, really.

https://www.wsc.co.uk/stories/14245-birth-certificate-stoke-city-and-nottingham-forest-locked-in-oldest-club-debate

[Brazilian Villain]

I was aware that there was a dispute but for ease just went off the 1863 date on the badge.

[cdbearsfan]

Badges can be deceiving. Birmingham City have a football on theirs.

[Brazilian Villain]

Badges can be deceiving. Birmingham City have a football on theirs.

I was going to say similar i.e. theirs says football club.

[Damo70]

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.

[rougegorge]

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.

[wittonwarrior]

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.

[Flamingo Lane]

I think of Stoke for their exploits in both domestic cups in the 1970s, when they had some damn fine players.

[PeterWithe]

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. 

[Damo70]

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.