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Post by cousindupree on Jul 29, 2011 9:36:36 GMT
For many posters on here last night will have been your first experience of Stoke in Europe. I made the long trip from Atlanta and it was worth every penny...a really special and different night. I will choose a euro night over a a prem match against the likes of Bolton, Norwich QPR and a few others. The club got the pricing right...well done to them. The atmosphere was great, I was at the ground unusually for me one hour before to soak up the atmosphere. Credit to the Split fans, they helped to make it memorable and ensure it was nothing like a prem game. For the tiny few on here who thinks Europe is a distraction we dont need, I hope you are now converted. The manager embraced the experience and played his best team and the Potteries public filled the stadium to witness a truly historic night. Great pic in the mail by the way........... www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2019962/Stoke-1-Hajduk-Split-0-Walters-gives-Potters-dream-start-European-adventure.html
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Post by Deleted on Jul 29, 2011 9:37:00 GMT
Hajduk Split can fuck off.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 29, 2011 9:43:40 GMT
It was bloody amazing, anyone whoo wasn't too fussed isnt a realist, this is as good as it gets, after all what is the real prize for domestic cups, the prize money or the fact you then go to europe the year after?
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Post by offthewall on Jul 29, 2011 9:47:09 GMT
The only thing I thought was odd was not knowing if we had won at the end of the game !
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Post by sheikhmomo on Jul 29, 2011 9:48:53 GMT
The drinking exclusion zone is fucking pathetic. I hate European football.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 29, 2011 9:49:50 GMT
I said afterwards it' given us a taste and that if we do get knocked out before the group stages I'll be much more gutted than losing I'm the early stages of the fa cup or league cup.
If we had been fitter i think yesterday would have been a walk over, hope we can do a job there, they aren't very hood but they'll have their fans spurring them on.
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Post by swampySCFC on Jul 29, 2011 9:54:21 GMT
It was Ok but Id trade losing last night for a win against Chelsea. I reckon that answers the question for me
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Post by bettyswallox on Jul 29, 2011 9:57:37 GMT
The drinking exclusion zone is fucking pathetic. I hate European football. They really should've set up an emergency AA clinic outside for all the alchies to console themselves.
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Post by sheikhmomo on Jul 29, 2011 9:59:28 GMT
The drinking exclusion zone is fucking pathetic. I hate European football. They really should've set up an emergency AA clinic outside for all the alchies to console themselves. The half time break felt like about 6 hours. I had to make converstaion and stuff for fucks sake.
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Post by bettyswallox on Jul 29, 2011 10:01:57 GMT
They really should've set up an emergency AA clinic outside for all the alchies to console themselves. The half time break felt like about 6 hours. I had to make converstaion and stuff for fucks sake. ;D I even went out for a fag break to ease the boredom. I don't even smoke.
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Post by Lakeland Potter on Jul 29, 2011 10:03:45 GMT
I enjoyed it and I would love to "do a Fulham" and get to the later stages of the competition. It did feel rather different to when we played in Europe in the 1970s though. Maybe because I was much younger then, it seemed more of an adventure than it does now. Still loving what my club has achieved in the past 4 years though. Those years in the third tier seem a long way away - let's hope they are!
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Post by JetBlack on Jul 29, 2011 10:44:47 GMT
I enjoyed every bit of it.
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Post by okeydokeystokie2 on Jul 29, 2011 11:07:04 GMT
A bit of a trip from Atlanta, so fair play to you and glad you enjoyed it.
Lakeland, I didn't go to Kaiserslauten, but I did go to the Ajax game. Would have been 9, and to me it seemed a massive adventure too. I always enjoy the atmosphere at night matches, and I'm convinced it's from going as a kid.
Can't remember too much about it, and it's only as I've got older that I realised what a fantastic team that Ajax side of the early/mid seventies was, even after Cruyff's departure.
Think this game came too early for us, and I hope we can score over there and go through.
Would love a run like Fulham had in this competition. The thought of a Roma or Juve, somebody like that in the later stages at the Brit is fantastic.
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Post by toddyssilkyskills on Jul 29, 2011 11:16:30 GMT
It was historical to see delkim throw rattle European opposition, he could be a key player for us in this comp, not many will be able to deal with it.
The drinking ban is a joke
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Post by OldStokie on Jul 29, 2011 11:30:15 GMT
It was Ok but Id trade losing last night for a win against Chelsea. I reckon that answers the question for me Same here, and with double knobs on, but I enjoyed it tremendously. A full house; a great atmosphere... and a win. Europe: bring it on! OS.
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Post by firkthefox on Jul 29, 2011 11:39:36 GMT
"It was historical to see delkim throw rattle European opposition" ?? Do we have a player called Delkim Throw I have to say i thought it was an awful night, we played poorly and I sense we will rue not getting at least 3 and putting them out of the tie. Add the alcohol ban and the lack of betting..... As for "atmosphere"........what atmosphere ? Due to only being able to go a few days ago i had to sit in Block 11 ( usually 21/22 since we moved to the Brit ) and that was a miserable experience, permanently distracted by the morons in B10 thinking they were hard winding up the Split fans, and no co-ordinated singing of any sort at all. So, to me it was more like a pre-season friendly against Grimsby than a "european experience" and those big red squares with the numbers, and the "lower case" shirt names, WTF ? and finally, and I know it's posted elsewhere but the twats with the Serbian flag really have risked it for the safety of RAF etc when they go next week and that is out of order And - the other debate - about whether they were "Serbs" or "locals" - who cares ? they should have been ejected for being utter morons, their background doesn't matter
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Post by Binndy on Jul 29, 2011 14:06:43 GMT
enjoyed ever min.cant stand the diving , can huth at 89mins next week give their 28 lima something to fall over for ?
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Post by ihaveadream on Jul 29, 2011 14:18:41 GMT
Sad though this sounds, last night i enjoyed having announcements in a different language, it felt as if we had finally arrived.
Back in the day, my first ever night game was the Kaiserslaten game
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Post by stokiejoeofalsager on Jul 29, 2011 15:02:02 GMT
loved it when huth took out 3 of their players at once!! huuuuuutttthhhhh ;D
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Post by Vadiation_Ribe on Jul 29, 2011 15:10:08 GMT
I really enjoyed it. It was fun watching the Split fans. It was funny how "let's show Europe" excited everyone got when we won our first Delap territory throw-in. People seemed to get too excited with Delilah too, it was even faster than usual.
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Post by cousindupree on Jul 29, 2011 17:07:31 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 29, 2011 17:20:40 GMT
Those Guardian comments are great...last night was brilliant- felt very frustrated that we didnt bury them and Im a bit fearful about the return leg given our away form
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Post by cousindupree on Jul 29, 2011 19:42:12 GMT
I just love the comment of one poster who replied to a negative comment about Stoke in Europe.... 'Oh come on, aren't you even mildly amused by the spectre of a Rory Delap throw-in extragavanza in Europe? Didn't see the match myself, but the thought of it and the havoc I imagine it caused tickles me senseless'
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Post by id on Jul 29, 2011 19:54:33 GMT
Was like watching the Anglo-Italian games with a better crowd, they even play acted as much as Fiorentina
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Post by rorymscfc on Jul 29, 2011 20:25:59 GMT
Last night definitely felt different... july... no booze... no betting... a ref with no history of utterly shafting us...
I loved it. Far better than any preseason friendly we could have had.
Can't wait for next Thursday - Packed already ;D
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Post by numpty40 on Jul 29, 2011 20:34:14 GMT
It was Ok but Id trade losing last night for a win against Chelsea. I reckon that answers the question for me Bollox, European night games are special and we have an outside chance of winning the Europa cup. We have no chance of winning the Premier League. I'd take a win in the Euro cup every time against a win against a top 4 side.
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Post by cousindupree on Jul 29, 2011 20:38:50 GMT
Baffled at why anyone would trade a prem victory against Chelsea instead of a win in the Europa cup!! Some people have really swallowed the Prem hype. A defeat or draw against Chelsea is unlikely to be a defining moment in our Prem season whereas a defeat at home to Split would have been curtains for our Euro adventure......Jeesus wept!
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Post by numpty40 on Jul 29, 2011 20:55:55 GMT
I remember some on this board talking down the FA Cup last season even up to the West Ham game! We have no chance of winning the league in the near future but we can make make a mark in cup competitions. Reaching the final last season raised this club's profile remarkably. Beating Chelsea in the Premiership will raise the club's profile until the next Monday afternoon, beating a top European club raises our profile across a continent.
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Post by rorymscfc on Jul 29, 2011 21:05:44 GMT
I would take 17th in the league, a good Europa run and a decent run in one of the domestic cups this season. Last year was our lowest finish in the prem so far but arguably our best season... The money in the prem has distorted everything sadly. It's all about fun really
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Post by Gunslinger on Jul 29, 2011 21:15:26 GMT
A very special day as a Stokie. Playing European football shows how far we have progressed the last few years. It's much better than playing against Rochdale, Lincoln or York and praying for a win. It could be worth a lot of money for the club if we mange to progress (difficult, though) and stay focused in the league.
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