Stoke fan in peace...

[PeterWithe]

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.

[cdbearsfan]

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 😕

[itbrvilla]

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.

[olaftab]

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.

[big 1st serve]

    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.
 

[Abbeyfealeavfc]

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

[ChicagoLion]

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,

[Des Little]

I was also there that day and saw the corner flag a few times, but hardly a thing otherwise.

[Damo70]

    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.

[pauliewalnuts]

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.

[Damo70]

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.

[aldridgeboy]

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.

[Damo70]

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

[leylandalbion]

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...

[mr underhill]

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.