Stoke get a mention in Thailand

[tuum]

This was an article in the Bangkok Post on Saturday. Nothing too exciting but it all helps to raise the profile. The Thais love their footy so I expect to see the whole of Sukhumvit awash with replica Stoke tops next August when we step out into the Premier League.

Potters push for the top flight [/font][/color]
NOBBY PILES
With the Premiership building up to what promises to be one of the best finishes for years, both at the top and bottom, we should not forget the teams in the league below who are doing their bit in what could also be a nail-biting climax to the Championship.
What makes it a bit tasty is that unlike the previous two seasons, when Reading and then Sunderland ran away with the title, there is no outstanding team in the Championship this year. Half a dozen sides have enjoyed a spell at the top, but none have been able to string together enough wins to pull away from the pack.
Currently sharing top place are Stoke City and Bristol City who, with all due respect, are rather unlikely candidates for promotion. You only have to look at their statistics to see why many fans are yet to be convinced these two will make the giant leap to the Premiership.
Despite their position, both Stoke and Bristol City have lost eight games this season and drawn 13, making it 21 games out of 39 they haven't won, which is not exactly convincing promotion form.


The four clubs in the play-off spots at the moment include two teams you would expect to be there, Watford and West Bromwich Albion - and two you wouldn't, Hull City and Plymouth Argyle.
Things are so tight that only nine points separate Watford in third place from Burnley in 11th, which means Crystal Palace, Wolves, Ipswich and Charlton also believe promotion is within their grasp. It looks like it's going to be a great scrap.
Close followers of the Championship say that West Brom are playing the best football in the division and they have certainly looked impressive in the FA Cup. You get the impression that Portsmouth are not too thrilled at meeting them in the semi-finals.
With two games in hand of the front-runners, the Baggies, who were playing away to Charlton last night, appear to be best placed, but like all the other teams they are horribly inconsistent. This was only too evident last Saturday when they lost 1-4 at home to relegation-threatened Leicester City.
While West Brom and Watford have both experienced life in the Premiership, albeit in the wrong half of it, Stoke and Bristol City have not enjoyed that pleasure, although both have tasted life in the top flight back in the days of the old Division 1.
In their recent history, Stoke enjoyed a lengthy stretch in the top league from 1963 through to 1977. During this period they won their only major trophy, defeating Chelsea in the 1972 League Cup final. They got there thanks to semi-final heroics against West Ham from their England goalkeeper Gordon Banks who saved a Geoff Hurst penalty.
Stoke never exactly set the league alight, but had two relatively successful seasons finishing in fifth place in 1974 and 1975. During the 1975 season they even briefly topped the league.
Stoke won promotion back to Division 1 in 1979 but 1984-5 was a season they would like to forget, finishing bottom with just 17 points, a massive 23 points behind the next team Sunderland who were also relegated despite having 40 points. Stoke also suffered the ignominy of only scoring 24 goals in 42 matches that season, a record that still stands.
Despite their modest success, Stoke do enjoy a rich history, being one of the founder members of the Football League. The Potters have also fielded some notable players including England custodians Banks and Peter Shilton, and George Eastham who went on to star with Arsenal. Of course, their most famous player was the great Stanley Matthews who began and ended his career with them and played a key role at the age of 48 in Stoke winning promotion in 1963.
The charisma that Matthews evoked is best illustrated by his move from Blackpool back to Stoke in 1961 at the ripe old age of 46. This was no publicity stunt, but it had the same effect. At the previous home game Stoke had attracted just over 8,000 spectators. At Matthews' first match the attendance was 35,288.
The other players didn't mind all the fuss over Matthews. For every gate over 12,000, they were paid 1 per 1,000 spectators, and in those days it was a very handy bonus.
The club was making a fortune. And what were they paying the great man? Just 50 a week. "Some people said I should have asked for 100 but that doesn't make you play any better," Matthews said later. Ashley Cole and company, please take note.
Even the most fervent Bristol City supporter would admit their club has a fairly undistinguished history, apart from a four-year flirtation in the top flight from 1976-80, their best position being 13th place in 1979.
The Robins' fall from grace was quite dramatic, however, being relegated in three successive seasons as they plunged into Division 4.
Who will finally win promotion to the Premiership this year is frankly anyone's guess. It would be nice to see some teams who have never been in the top flight make it - Hull City and Plymouth anyone?

[lordb]

a couple of minor errors but a well presented piece

[Mr_DaftBurger]

'Despite their position, both Stoke and Bristol City have lost eight games this season and drawn 13, making it 21 games out of 39 they haven't won, which is not exactly convincing promotion form. '

And the teams below then have done even worse 'which is not exactly promotion form'!

[Deleted]

nice find - have some karma

[y_oh_y_delilah]

Every time I go to Thailand, Stoke always gets a mention - in response to the girl's questions - 'Wot your name?', 'how old are you?' and 'where you from?'