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Post by dwr17477 on Apr 25, 2014 21:07:55 GMT
We are coming to the end of our sixth season back in the top flight and are on course for our best finish having played probably our most entertaining football - do you,like me,sometimes find yourself wondering how the hell we managed to get to this point? I genuinely believed that we might never get to the Premier League in my lifetime and I am only in my mid forties now - shows how much confidence I had in the club! I sometimes think I'll wake up and it's all been a dream - the likes of FA Cup Finals, beating all the so called top 5/6, being able to watch/record Football First every week, actually being talked about, etc, etc.
Or do you take it all for granted, never once casting your mind back to the dark days of, say, the Alan Ball era, making your way home having just lost 1 - 3 to Shrewsbury, the farce of the 1997/98 season, regular humiliation in the FA Cup, really shit players, etc,etc?
I hope we all appreciate where we are now - I know I do.
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Post by stokiejoe on Apr 25, 2014 21:13:11 GMT
As always, it depends at what point you start. For me from the late 1950's we are back where we belong.
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Post by roylandstoke on Apr 25, 2014 21:20:06 GMT
I started following Stoke 43 years ago.
I definitely do not take top flight football for granted.
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Post by y2j on Apr 25, 2014 21:23:15 GMT
I probably take it for granted. I'm 34 and I didn't expect us to be in the Prem, never mind stay there. I went Gillingham (a) in that important game yrs ago and if you told me then that we'd make it to the top flight and sign Michael Owen, I would have thought it was a wind up.
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Post by Matthews dad on Apr 25, 2014 21:37:20 GMT
Peter and tone, we are forever grateful.
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Post by foxysgloves on Apr 25, 2014 21:39:39 GMT
I guess the longer we stay in the Prem the easier it is to grow complacent.
A quick glance at the likes of Leeds, Coventry, Shef Utd, Shef Wed etc etc normally does the job for me.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 25, 2014 21:41:18 GMT
When Pulis took over at Plymouth and beat us ...and then went St Peter bought us off the Icelandicks and had a word in Tones ear ,then I knew they would take us to the promised land.
Do I take all this for granted ....Yes I do.
When St Peter hangs up his boots ....Then this is the time to worry.
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stodge
Youth Player
Posts: 333
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Post by stodge on Apr 25, 2014 21:44:09 GMT
Having supported since i was 10 in 1984 i far from take this for granted, one bad year and it will be gone....but the longer we stay and build the more it is the norm stoke are a top flight club......anyone looked at Pompey or Wolves how fast it can all go pete tong
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Post by SidibeGod on Apr 25, 2014 22:05:03 GMT
NEVER
Sent from my GT-I9195 using proboards
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Post by march4 on Apr 25, 2014 22:24:03 GMT
I took it for granted in the 70's.
Never again.
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Post by stokie23 on Apr 25, 2014 22:24:20 GMT
I went on a stadium tour about 12 years ago. The guy was talking about how we could expand the stadium and spoke about the options in relation to success. He built it up to ' and if we ever got to europe we could add a second tier' which was met by laughter, and I remember thinking it's sad that we will never get into Europe. I was that adamant it would not happen. And the premiership as well seemed unrealistic without a huge billionaire owner.
To think less than 10 years after this we were playin Valencia in the Europa league .
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Post by Deleted on Apr 25, 2014 22:31:12 GMT
I took it for granted in the 70's. Never again. I think the last time I was taken advantage of was in the 1970's too...In Blurton  |
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Post by carruthers1on1 on Apr 25, 2014 22:34:30 GMT
I started going to games in '88/89. I never believed in my wildest dreams (even during the Leicester game) that we'd compete at the same level with Man Utd, Chelsea etc. I love every minute of this journey. I think back to days away at Mansfield, Bury... And thank my lucky stars. Thanks to everyone who has made this possible. And when it comes to an end we'll be with you
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Post by kitkatkev on Apr 25, 2014 22:36:14 GMT
Never take it for granted seen things I never thought I ever see FA cup final Europa to name two seemed a million miles away 15 years ago thats why I will always be grateful to Mr Pulis and St Peter
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Post by JoeinOz on Apr 25, 2014 22:41:01 GMT
I never take it for granted. Top flight is the only place I've ever wanted to be.
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Post by Bagwash on Apr 25, 2014 22:41:53 GMT
I will never take our present position for granted as I have always held the belief that since we got promoted to the Prem we have been over achieving.
I can remember when we were in a similar postion in the past but back then I believe there was a leveller playing field and to compete with the so called
'big guns' was easier than it is now.
I've been living the dream these past few years and even more so these past few months.
Lovin it.
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Post by likelyladgalizmo on Apr 25, 2014 22:53:31 GMT
No enjoying every minute. Gooarn Stoke
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Post by BuzzB on Apr 25, 2014 23:01:56 GMT
Never take it for granted, I was brought up with Stoke being one of the top sides alongside the "big (insert number here)" teams of today.
We were equals, I first went in '69, a regular home and away fan throughout the 70's and 80's etc. To me, we are here on merit, keep enjoying it people because it can turn. Having said that, we are such a well run and managed club off the field that the rest seems to be taking care of itself.
Long live St Peter eh!
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Post by carruthers1on1 on Apr 25, 2014 23:10:27 GMT
I should add as well that the hardest thing as a young Stokie in the early 90s was my school was full of Man U and Liverpool fans and being a Stoke fan was a cause for great hilarity. I knew we were shit but constantly hearing from older stoke fans how things used to be great in the glory days of the 70s was a double kick in the bollocks. Now, young Stoke City fans can hold their heads up proud.
When Mama's goal went in against Villa tears poured down my face. All the heart ache, piss taking from glory hunters, and late night arrivals home from mid week away matches didn't matter any more, it'd all been worth it.
Back then I learnt to enjoy the highs and to never get too down with the lows- it was a lesson for life. I hope the younger ones understand that sentiment. It probably will come to an end at some point, but remembering these highs will make the lows so much easier to cope with.
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Post by Lakeland Potter on Apr 26, 2014 5:43:29 GMT
I took it for granted in the 70's. Never again. I'm close to that point of view. We were (old) second division when I started supporting Stoke. We got promoted fairly soon after I started going regularly and spent much of my teens and early 20s as a top flight club winning the League Cup, reaching two FA Cup semi finals and going agonisingly close to the league title in my mid 20s. I was certainly starting to feel that Stoke were part of the elite and were becoming fixtures in the top flight. Then the Butler Street roof blew off and I still find it quite difficult to believe how quickly that side of the mid 70s was dismembered with relelgation soon following. Then we had a bit of a yo yo existence before the wilderness years. The years between the stand roof blowing off and our arrival in the Prem 6 years ago, have meant that I will never ever take being in the Premier League for granted. I accept that there is a group of ten or twelve clubs who are, in truth, "bigger" than us even if some of them are not currently in the Premier League. We belong to the next group of 20 or so clubs whose natural position falls partly in the top flight and partly in the division below. Some, like the baggies get promoted and relegated at regular intervals. Hopefully, we are in the group whose foothold in the top flight lasts longer. But, short of a miracle, we will remain outside that group of clubs who can take Premier league football for granted. The good thing is that, if you don't take top flight football for granted, you'll enjoy it much more when it does happen. A few years back when we played Man Utd in the last game of the season and took the piss out of them as Chelsea deprived them of the title on that last day, as I left OT I got knocked down by Man Utd fans angry at losing the title. I'd hate us to ever get that angry at not winning the title - in fact I think I'd stop going if ever I got that divorced from what life is all about. |
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Post by Linx on Apr 26, 2014 6:44:45 GMT
i am still bemused at the idea that some people stopped going to games on aesthetic (ie PHW) grounds and some still don't go, even though they were regulars during the wilderness years.
It is nice to be at Top Table when you chat with other fans at work, etc about the weekend's fixtures. I actually stopped myself from sounding too casual yesterday and had to privately say to myself: "We're playing Spurs FFS and we actually have more than an outside chance of beating them. What on earth is going on here?' If ever I start to take this stuff for granted, I just listen to mates who support Wolves and the Sheffield clubs to bring me down to earth.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 26, 2014 7:08:45 GMT
I took it for granted in the 70's. Never again. This GD |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 26, 2014 7:11:35 GMT
I took it for granted in the 70's. Never again. I think the last time I was taken advantage of was in the 1970's too...In Blurton Explains a lot that does  GD |
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Post by swipers on Apr 26, 2014 7:45:20 GMT
Don't take it for granted, but after following since the haulocaust season in 84/85, I'd barely seen regular top flight footy before... The Prem was a dream which has become a reality. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to see my team in playing in Europe - just gutted we lost the Cup Final.
Now I know we can do a major final again at some point and get back into Europe.
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Post by robwahlmann on Apr 26, 2014 7:53:24 GMT
In October 2005 I was sitting in a train on my way to Plymouth to watch Stoke play. Next to us sat some Stoke supporters and one of the lads had a hope that he once in his life would experience to see Stoke reach a final in the FA cup. My wish was that we one day would return to the top flight, something that seemed so unbelievable at that time. None of us had to wait long before our wishes came true! What I have experienced with Stoke the last eight seasons is probably my best time as a Stoke fan (since -75), and I certainly don't take it for granted! But I really enjoy it, and the last part of this season has just been amazing the way I see it! Could take this every season from now on to be honest!  |
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Post by Scrotnig on Apr 26, 2014 8:20:22 GMT
I never take it for granted, obviously, nobody who went to any games in the holocaust season could ever do that.
However I don't think "small time", "punching above our weight" and any of that crap either. The club is where it is entirely on merit, long may it continue, sometimes as fans we are guilty of small time "wow isn't it exciting to be in the Prem" talk. That belongs at the likes of Burnley (and no disrespect to Burnley, I like the club and I'm delighted they have won promotion).
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Post by dan55 on Apr 26, 2014 11:38:11 GMT
I certainly don't take it for granted. An yes we are back where we belong!! I do think there are alot of fans that expect too much though, remember we haven't been back in the top flight long. As long as we keep Improving as we are we'll get there! But it wont happen over night.
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Post by nononsense on Apr 26, 2014 13:56:14 GMT
We are coming to the end of our sixth season back in the top flight and are on course for our best finish having played probably our most entertaining football - do you,like me,sometimes find yourself wondering how the hell we managed to get to this point? I genuinely believed that we might never get to the Premier League in my lifetime and I am only in my mid forties now - shows how much confidence I had in the club! I sometimes think I'll wake up and it's all been a dream - the likes of FA Cup Finals, beating all the so called top 5/6, being able to watch/record Football First every week, actually being talked about, etc, etc. Or do you take it all for granted, never once casting your mind back to the dark days of, say, the Alan Ball era, making your way home having just lost 1 - 3 to Shrewsbury, the farce of the 1997/98 season, regular humiliation in the FA Cup, really shit players, etc,etc? I hope we all appreciate where we are now - I know I do. Not sure what there is to take for granted. If we start winning more than we lose, scoring more than we concede, staying out of the relegation zone all season, etc etc that might bring on such a feeling, but I doubt that too as winning is the best thing there is ! |
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