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Post by duckling on Mar 30, 2017 20:11:57 GMT
Hello!
I've decided to increase my familiarity with English football by following one or two different clubs every season as a neutral.
Last season I started by following Chelsea. I joined a message board, watched their games, read news stories about them, etc. While I started as a neutral, I ended up liking the people, the team, and the fans I interacted with, as soon as Mourinho left. I had heard some things about their fans but found the people on that forum to be classy for the most part. I even fell into the habit of referring to the team as "we".
This season I started following Tottenham. I had enjoyed watching their games last season and was looking forward to learning more about the club. Big mistake. I joined one message board but rarely posted as it became clear that the members were insufferable. I switched to another forum, and they were even worse. They're my least favorite team now.
So I stopped following them and began to lurk on this and a few other message boards and have decided to follow Stoke next season and perhaps one other club.
Through lurking here, reading old threads, reading some articles, and watching some games I've come to learn a bit about the club, and I look forward to learning more.
I'm also looking forward to learning more about the Stoke-on-Trent area. I'm a hobbyist potter and already knew about the pottery history. Truth be told, much of what I've read about the city in present times has been unflattering. But they were written by people not from the area.
Perhaps you can also recommend an English club outside the Premier League to follow and recommend how to best do it. I read about Burton's dramatic rise to the Championship and tried to follow them, but it's so hard to do from overseas because the Premier League gets all the attention. I switched to following Newcastle because I figured they would be easy to follow, but it's still been more challenging than I anticipated.
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Post by werrington on Mar 30, 2017 20:13:35 GMT
Oh dear this thread isn't gonna go well ( smiley )
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Post by duckling on Mar 30, 2017 20:15:27 GMT
Oh dear this thread isn't gonna go well ( smiley ) Why is that? Are neutrals not welcome on this board? |
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SCFC12
Academy Starlet
Posts: 192 
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Post by SCFC12 on Mar 30, 2017 20:17:33 GMT
Rule number one in football: your only allowed to support one club so either only support stoke or don't follow us at all
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Post by StokieNath on Mar 30, 2017 20:18:27 GMT
Oh dear this thread isn't gonna go well ( smiley ) Why is that? Are neutrals not welcome on this board? Yes but like other forums you'll get your fair share of twats  however, the majority on here are fantastic. |
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Post by Sfance on Mar 30, 2017 20:20:34 GMT
Because most threads don't. And it probably won't help if I suggest following Stoke's other club, Port Vale, as your second club for next year. But it would make your football-watching life more interesting.
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Post by harryburrows on Mar 30, 2017 20:27:39 GMT
Don't use the terms .... Soccer or EPL you may be ok
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Post by jezzascfc on Mar 30, 2017 20:28:12 GMT
*orders popcorn, finds a comfy seat and waits for the fun to start*
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Post by xchpotter on Mar 30, 2017 20:30:52 GMT
Well, I wish you a warm welcome. It is now the mission of all Stoke fans to convert you and stop your yearly change to other clubs.....once you get hooked that's it for you. Out of interest what made you choose Stoke this year?
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Post by tijuanabrass on Mar 30, 2017 20:38:45 GMT
I think if people welcome duckling as a mildly biased observer instead of a glory hunting JCL this doesn't have to go badly for him/her. @duclkling. I suspect this opening thread will give you a good gauge of the cross section of people and viewpoints you will find on the board overall. The Oatcake has some very clever, informed, and funny folk of various ages. It also has some unbelievably ignorant, confrontational and quite frankly intolerable trolls. Your mission if you chose to accept it, is to find entertainment in the former, the latter and all else in between. By the way , in all societies in Merry Old England it is traditional for the people to elect a court jester whose role is to provoke merriement and incredulity. If Benjaminbuscuit appears in front of you shaking his bells and doing a silly dance,give him a peanut, pat him on the head, wish him a hey-nonny- nonny and politely back off  Welcome aboard for the ride. I hope you'll find something here that kindles a spark. |
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Post by maninasuitcase on Mar 30, 2017 20:42:29 GMT
Franchise fans ?? |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 30, 2017 20:42:38 GMT
Welcome aboard but you need to understand the basic rules of following Stoke City FC - you support Stoke City FC only, and for life.
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Post by PotteringThrough on Mar 30, 2017 20:46:08 GMT
Do you enjoy moaning?
If yes you'll be fine on here.
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Post by bojanwonder on Mar 30, 2017 20:56:08 GMT
Welcome.... I guarantee that if you start following Stoke regularly and frequently visiting this message board then you'll never leave us.
Why? Because it'll be the biggest roller coaster ride you'll ever experience. Watching our team play isn't for the faint hearted that's for sure, but hopefully it'll soon be in your blood! 😆
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Post by cheeesfreeex on Mar 30, 2017 20:59:56 GMT
He deserves a thorough shagging from a hippo to test his loyalty.
:-?
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Post by duckling on Mar 30, 2017 21:00:31 GMT
Don't use the terms .... Soccer or EPL you may be ok Got it. My other half is Irish, and they refer to it as soccer over there too. I agree it's ridiculous for American football, Aussie rules football, Gaelic football, etc to use the term "football" as they use the hands more than feet. Or in the case of the so-called best defender for Ireland, the nose. The double nutmeg is brilliant. What's wrong with the EPL out of curiosity? By the way, according to an acquaintance who works in sports media, when Barclay's sponsored the Premier League, the channels that broadcast the games in Canada and the US were contractually required to refer to it as the BPL. The official Premier League Twitter account was also required to use the hashtag #BPL. Well, I wish you a warm welcome. It is now the mission of all Stoke fans to convert you and stop your yearly change to other clubs.....once you get hooked that's it for you. Out of interest what made you choose Stoke this year? I had followed Chelsea last season, and I wanted the perspective of a less rich and famous club this season. In addition, due to Geoff Cameron and the several Irish Stoke players, it made sense from a nationality perspective. I lurked on a bunch of forums and found myself naturally returning to reading this forum as well as the Sunderland one. I had become personally involved with helping a young Sunderland fan with terminal cancer, Bradley Lowery, and was really impressed by how their fans came together to try to make his final few months the best months a boy could ever have. Unfortunately, Sunderland look like they will be relegated, and my experience trying to follow Burton and Newcastle suggests that it'll be challenging to follow them in the Championship. I will of course continue to be involved with trying to help the little guy. If by miracle Sunderland stay up, I'll follow them alongside Stoke. |
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Post by Lakeland Potter on Mar 30, 2017 21:15:25 GMT
Don't use the terms .... Soccer or EPL you may be ok Got it. My other half is Irish, and they refer to it as soccer over there too. I agree it's ridiculous for American football, Aussie rules football, Gaelic football, etc to use the term "football" as they use the hands more than feet. Or in the case of the so-called best defender for Ireland, the nose. The double nutmeg is brilliant. What's wrong with the EPL out of curiosity? By the way, according to an acquaintance who works in sports media, when Barclay's sponsored the Premier League, the channels that broadcast the games in Canada and the US were contractually required to refer to it as the BPL. The official Premier League Twitter account was also required to use the hashtag #BPL. Well, I wish you a warm welcome. It is now the mission of all Stoke fans to convert you and stop your yearly change to other clubs.....once you get hooked that's it for you. Out of interest what made you choose Stoke this year? I had followed Chelsea last season, and I wanted the perspective of a less rich and famous club this season. In addition, due to Geoff Cameron and the several Irish Stoke players, it made sense from a nationality perspective. I lurked on a bunch of forums and found myself naturally returning to reading this forum as well as the Sunderland one. I had become personally involved with helping a young Sunderland fan with terminal cancer, Bradley Lowery, and was really impressed by how their fans came together to try to make his final few months the best months a boy could ever have. Unfortunately, Sunderland look like they will be relegated, and my experience trying to follow Burton and Newcastle suggests that it'll be challenging to follow them in the Championship. I will of course continue to be involved with trying to help the little guy. If by miracle Sunderland stay up, I'll follow them alongside Stoke. I think the problem with EPL is that when the Premier League was rebranded (before we were in it) it was the only Premier League in football and, naturally, we English always called it the Premier League. Just because much of the rest of football decided to call its top divison Premier League we see no reason why ours should now be called the EPL. It would be like the World Series of baseball, daft name though it is, being called by us the AWS just because we decided to have a World series as well. |
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Post by duckling on Mar 30, 2017 21:15:57 GMT
I think if people welcome duckling as a mildly biased observer instead of a glory hunting JCL this doesn't have to go badly for him/her. @duclkling. I suspect this opening thread will give you a good gauge of the cross section of people and viewpoints you will find on the board overall. The Oatcake has some very clever, informed, and funny folk of various ages. It also has some unbelievably ignorant, confrontational and quite frankly intolerable trolls. Your mission if you chose to accept it, is to find entertainment in the former, the latter and all else in between. By the way , in all societies in Merry Old England it is traditional for the people to elect a court jester whose role is to provoke merriement and incredulity. If Benjaminbuscuit appears in front of you shaking his bells and doing a silly dance,give him a peanut, pat him on the head, wish him a hey-nonny- nonny and politely back off Welcome aboard for the ride. I hope you'll find something here that kindles a spark. Thanks for the advice What's a JCL? I thought perhaps jealous cardamom leaf or jaundiced circular linoleum, but I have a feeling it stands for something else |
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Post by tijuanabrass on Mar 30, 2017 21:17:53 GMT
I think if people welcome duckling as a mildly biased observer instead of a glory hunting JCL this doesn't have to go badly for him/her. @duclkling. I suspect this opening thread will give you a good gauge of the cross section of people and viewpoints you will find on the board overall. The Oatcake has some very clever, informed, and funny folk of various ages. It also has some unbelievably ignorant, confrontational and quite frankly intolerable trolls. Your mission if you chose to accept it, is to find entertainment in the former, the latter and all else in between. By the way , in all societies in Merry Old England it is traditional for the people to elect a court jester whose role is to provoke merriement and incredulity. If Benjaminbuscuit appears in front of you shaking his bells and doing a silly dance,give him a peanut, pat him on the head, wish him a hey-nonny- nonny and politely back off Welcome aboard for the ride. I hope you'll find something here that kindles a spark. Thanks for the advice What's a JCL? I thought perhaps jealous cardamom leaf or jaundiced circular linoleum, but I have a feeling it stands for something else Johnnie Come Lately - a reference to the new breed of fans to join the ranks since we hit the big time. |
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Post by duckling on Mar 30, 2017 21:26:06 GMT
Thanks for the advice What's a JCL? I thought perhaps jealous cardamom leaf or jaundiced circular linoleum, but I have a feeling it stands for something else Johnnie Come Lately - a reference to the new breed of fans to join the ranks since we hit the big time. One thing I like about this board is that there is still some discussion about the Championship even though you "hit the big time" almost a decade ago. On the Burnley board I looked through, they act as if talking about the Championship is beneath them even though it's their home half the time in recent years. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 30, 2017 21:32:08 GMT
Follow Stoke mate. Once you are hooked, that's it. You can moan, be joyous, get cheesed off, but you always come back. Great club, great people. You will not regret it. You have to hate Manchester United though! Some people will say Arsenal as well.
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Post by kustokie on Mar 30, 2017 21:44:00 GMT
Welcome aboard. I assume by now you have the basics (which should keep you out of trouble). It's a pitch or a park, never a field. It's offside (singular) not offsides (plural). It's a goalie and never a goal tender. It's a header, never a head-ball. Now for some more advanced stuff about Potters. We are generally a miserable load of whingers or moaners (aka complainers); however, never, ever criticize our players or manager until you have at least 5,000 posts to your name. Otherwise, you be will slaughtered and accused of knowing nowt (nothing) and told to f... of up the Vale. There are two teams in the Potteries: Stoke and Port Vale. Port Vale is in a one of the six towns in Stoke-on-Trent, Burslem, which is inhabited by Neanderthals, and knuckle-draggers. We support three teams: Stoke and anyone playing Arsenal (known as the Arsewipes, or the just the Arse) and anyone playing Manchester United (known as Manure or the Shit, pronounced shyte). Other posters to watch for are Bayernoatcake (pushing 100,000 posts) - he knows a lot but likes to pick a fight with yanks, especially anyone comes to the defense of Geoff Cameron. Benjaminbuscuit (aka Benji or Gravity Crocodile) only comes out after we lose to gloat and say "I told you so".
The Potteries dialect is very unusual and unique to a very small area of North Staffordshire between Manchester and Birmingham. You may be asked: "'ow cum thee conner towk rate? Dunner werrit, duck, we'll learn thee". I am sure others will fill you in with more details.
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Post by Bojan Mackey on Mar 30, 2017 21:48:41 GMT
You'll have a lot more fun on this board than any other team in the league, of that much I can guarantee you.
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Post by Mendicant on Mar 30, 2017 21:52:59 GMT
Duckling, welcome! Stay with Stoke from now on, for the pottery if nothing else.
Outside of the Premier League, I've always had a soft spot for Notts County and Bradford City. Whichever you choose, please avoid the following:
Port Vale (unhygienic and inbred)
Birmingham City (nasty)
Leeds United (nasty)
Millwall (nasty)
Walsall (you have fly-over states, we have a drive-past club)
Blackpool, Coventry, Leyton Orient (all heading for oblivion).
In Scotland Rangers are a great club, but with Irish connections Celtic or Hibernian may be suitable.
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Post by PotteringThrough on Mar 30, 2017 22:12:48 GMT
Duckling, welcome! Stay with Stoke from now on, for the pottery if nothing else. Outside of the Premier League, I've always had a soft spot for Notts County and Bradford City. Whichever you choose, please avoid the following: Port Vale (unhygienic and inbred) Birmingham City (nasty) Leeds United (nasty) Millwall (nasty) Walsall (you have fly-over states, we have a drive-past club) Blackpool, Coventry, Leyton Orient (all heading for oblivion). In Scotland Rangers are a great club, but with Irish connections Celtic or Hibernian may be suitable. Also avoid Stenhousmuir. I can't go into it but know this - we shall never forgive those stennie bastards! |
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Post by agingerstokie on Mar 30, 2017 22:25:46 GMT
Duckling, welcome! Stay with Stoke from now on, for the pottery if nothing else. Outside of the Premier League, I've always had a soft spot for Notts County and Bradford City. Whichever you choose, please avoid the following: Port Vale (unhygienic and inbred) Birmingham City (nasty) Leeds United (nasty) Millwall (nasty) Walsall (you have fly-over states, we have a drive-past club) Blackpool, Coventry, Leyton Orient (all heading for oblivion). In Scotland Rangers are a great club, but with Irish connections Celtic or Hibernian may be suitable. Also avoid Stenhousmuir. I can't go into it but know this - we shall never forgive those stennie bastards! Why've you brought that up... I don't need to be reminded... |
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Post by mrcoke on Mar 30, 2017 22:49:45 GMT
Welcome to this bear pit, hope you've got a thick skin. www.google.co.uk/?gws_rd=ssl#q=thick+skinned&*&spf=348Suggest you shorten your username to "duck". www.stokesentinel.co.uk/potteries-101/story-24534365-detail/story.htmlAnother rule: once a Stokie always a Stokie - a bit like supporting the Browns - you need to to be impervious to defeat. You are allowed to have a feral rant after a defeat, but turn up for the next match even if you expect a thrashing. So you support just Stoke for ever, or take a hike. Stoke is famous for the Potteries, now largely gone, but also had a steel industry - gone, coal mining* - gone, and a bit of tyre manufacturing (Michelin) left. * some of the deepest coal mines ever in the world. The 3 greatest footballers who ever played the game, played for Stoke: Stanley Matthews, Neil Franklin, and Gordon Banks. Don't believe anything else you hear from others. But all three messed up: Matthews left a team that was on the way to being champions, Franklin left for false promises of bigger money in South America, and Banksie smashed his car and blinded an eye. Like I said , you need a thick skin.  |
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Post by Staffsoatcake on Mar 30, 2017 22:53:48 GMT
Yes,Chelsea are richer than us,they have won more trophies,but most of those have come after they became a very rich club,thanks to their Russsian owner,but our history goes back further than theirs,in fact we are the 2nd. oldest football club,the oldest are Notts.County. Welcome to the Greatest club in the world by the way,no one can call you a glory Hunter anyway.  |
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Post by ricksastokie on Mar 31, 2017 0:32:08 GMT
What's wrong with the EPL out of curiosity? By the way, according to an acquaintance who works in sports media, when Barclay's sponsored the Premier League, the channels that broadcast the games in Canada and the US were contractually required to refer to it as the BPL. The official Premier League Twitter account was also required to use the hashtag #BPL. It's a bit like postage stamps Duckling. They were invented in the UK which is why British stamps are the only stamps in the world that do not have the name of their country of origin on them. We had the first Premier League so we don't think it should be prefixed with 'English'. |
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Post by riccyfuller93 on Mar 31, 2017 2:15:10 GMT
"Last season I followed the blue coyote's at Leicsestershire where they won the play off premier league finals."
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however, the majority on here are fantastic. 
