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Post by lawbilloo on May 15, 2018 12:33:53 GMT
This is my 5th relegation as a Stoke supporter, as I now conclude my 71st season of being nailed to the twin crosses of hope and despair. I first saw my team in September 1946- a "nobby" Steele hat-trick v Sheffield United, and what happened afterwards suggests that from then till now not a lot has changed.
There was a long-serving manager who retired before the season started, making way for a younger alternative with "modern" views. "Forget the first 70 minutes" he told his players, "the last 20 are what counts, so make sure you are fit enough for them" Unfortunately the squad wasn't good enough. The "Stars" (Franklin and George Mountford) followed the money to Bogota FC, would you believe;there were a few ageing stalwarts, and the new signings didn't cut the mustard. We did the double over Man Utd, but lost to teams below us. On the last day, we had to beat already relegated Derby to survive, but contrived to lose at home 2-1 (sound familiar?) and along the way missed a penalty. And that was it for the next ten years. My first year of support we finished 4th, then we went down steadily for the next few years, until relegation. Yes, we had the glory days of 1946-7 when the football writer of the News Chronicle said he always looked forward to seeing Stoke play because every time they attacked he expected them to score.
So you can dream and you can raise your expectations, and believe that somewhere there is a messiah who will take us to the promised land. The reality, however, the one I have lived with all these years, is that, to cut a long story short, Stoke City will ALWAYS give you a hard time. A glance at the history books will tell you that in 120 years, allowing for the two world wars, etc, Stoke have only finished better than 10th in 30 odd seasons,irrespective of which Division they were playing in(including Div. 3 North, in old money) and during the same period they have only reached the 5th round of the FA Cup on a similar number of occasions. I am comforted, however, by signs that many on this board are in it for the long haul, come what may.
My wish for you all is that the wilderness years this time won't last too long!
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Post by JurgenVandeurzen on May 15, 2018 12:37:11 GMT
This is my 5th relegation as a Stoke supporter, as I now conclude my 71st season of being nailed to the twin crosses of hope and despair. I first saw my team in September 1946- a "nobby" Steele hat-trick v Sheffield United, and what happened afterwards suggests that from then till now not a lot has changed. There was a long-serving manager who retired before the season started, making way for a younger alternative with "modern" views. "Forget the first 70 minutes" he told his players, "the last 20 are what counts, so make sure you are fit enough for them" Unfortunately the squad wasn't good enough. The "Stars" (Franklin and George Mountford) followed the money to Bogota FC, would you believe;there were a few ageing stalwarts, and the new signings didn't cut the mustard. We did the double over Man Utd, but lost to teams below us. On the last day, we had to beat already relegated Derby to survive, but contrived to lose at home 2-1 (sound familiar?) and along the way missed a penalty. And that was it for the next ten years. My first year of support we finished 4th, then we went down steadily for the next few years, until relegation. Yes, we had the glory days of 1946-7 when the football writer of the News Chronicle said he always looked forward to seeing Stoke play because every time they attacked he expected them to score. So you can dream and you can raise your expectations, and believe that somewhere there is a messiah who will take us to the promised land. The reality, however, the one I have lived with all these years, is that, to cut a long story short, Stoke City will ALWAYS give you a hard time. A glance at the history books will tell you that in 120 years, allowing for the two world wars, etc, Stoke have only finished better than 10th in 30 odd seasons,irrespective of which Division they were playing in(including Div. 3 North, in old money) and during the same period they have only reached the 5th round of the FA Cup on a similar number of occasions. I am comforted, however, by signs that many on this board are in it for the long haul, come what may. My wish for you all is that the wilderness years this time won't last too long! Maybe you're the bad omen!   |
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Post by Deleted on May 15, 2018 12:38:14 GMT
This is my 5th relegation as a Stoke supporter, as I now conclude my 71st season of being nailed to the twin crosses of hope and despair. I first saw my team in September 1946- a "nobby" Steele hat-trick v Sheffield United, and what happened afterwards suggests that from then till now not a lot has changed. There was a long-serving manager who retired before the season started, making way for a younger alternative with "modern" views. "Forget the first 70 minutes" he told his players, "the last 20 are what counts, so make sure you are fit enough for them" Unfortunately the squad wasn't good enough. The "Stars" (Franklin and George Mountford) followed the money to Bogota FC, would you believe;there were a few ageing stalwarts, and the new signings didn't cut the mustard. We did the double over Man Utd, but lost to teams below us. On the last day, we had to beat already relegated Derby to survive, but contrived to lose at home 2-1 (sound familiar?) and along the way missed a penalty. And that was it for the next ten years. My first year of support we finished 4th, then we went down steadily for the next few years, until relegation. Yes, we had the glory days of 1946-7 when the football writer of the News Chronicle said he always looked forward to seeing Stoke play because every time they attacked he expected them to score. So you can dream and you can raise your expectations, and believe that somewhere there is a messiah who will take us to the promised land. The reality, however, the one I have lived with all these years, is that, to cut a long story short, Stoke City will ALWAYS give you a hard time. A glance at the history books will tell you that in 120 years, allowing for the two world wars, etc, Stoke have only finished better than 10th in 30 odd seasons,irrespective of which Division they were playing in(including Div. 3 North, in old money) and during the same period they have only reached the 5th round of the FA Cup on a similar number of occasions. I am comforted, however, by signs that many on this board are in it for the long haul, come what may. My wish for you all is that the wilderness years this time won't last too long! Good post. So around 10% of all our top ten finishes in our 150+ year history were masterminded by Mark Hughes. Interesting......  |
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Post by Vestan Pance on May 15, 2018 12:57:03 GMT
This is my 5th relegation as a Stoke supporter, as I now conclude my 71st season of being nailed to the twin crosses of hope and despair. I first saw my team in September 1946- a "nobby" Steele hat-trick v Sheffield United, and what happened afterwards suggests that from then till now not a lot has changed. There was a long-serving manager who retired before the season started, making way for a younger alternative with "modern" views. "Forget the first 70 minutes" he told his players, "the last 20 are what counts, so make sure you are fit enough for them" Unfortunately the squad wasn't good enough. The "Stars" (Franklin and George Mountford) followed the money to Bogota FC, would you believe;there were a few ageing stalwarts, and the new signings didn't cut the mustard. We did the double over Man Utd, but lost to teams below us. On the last day, we had to beat already relegated Derby to survive, but contrived to lose at home 2-1 (sound familiar?) and along the way missed a penalty. And that was it for the next ten years. My first year of support we finished 4th, then we went down steadily for the next few years, until relegation. Yes, we had the glory days of 1946-7 when the football writer of the News Chronicle said he always looked forward to seeing Stoke play because every time they attacked he expected them to score. So you can dream and you can raise your expectations, and believe that somewhere there is a messiah who will take us to the promised land. The reality, however, the one I have lived with all these years, is that, to cut a long story short, Stoke City will ALWAYS give you a hard time. A glance at the history books will tell you that in 120 years, allowing for the two world wars, etc, Stoke have only finished better than 10th in 30 odd seasons,irrespective of which Division they were playing in(including Div. 3 North, in old money) and during the same period they have only reached the 5th round of the FA Cup on a similar number of occasions. I am comforted, however, by signs that many on this board are in it for the long haul, come what may. My wish for you all is that the wilderness years this time won't last too long! Smashing post. |
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Post by Mr_DaftBurger on May 15, 2018 13:15:34 GMT
Martin Lutheresque. One day we will reach the promised land then realise it's a bit shit! |
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Post by PotterLog on May 15, 2018 13:22:20 GMT
This is my 5th relegation as a Stoke supporter, as I now conclude my 71st season of being nailed to the twin crosses of hope and despair. I first saw my team in September 1946- a "nobby" Steele hat-trick v Sheffield United, and what happened afterwards suggests that from then till now not a lot has changed. There was a long-serving manager who retired before the season started, making way for a younger alternative with "modern" views. "Forget the first 70 minutes" he told his players, "the last 20 are what counts, so make sure you are fit enough for them" Unfortunately the squad wasn't good enough. The "Stars" (Franklin and George Mountford) followed the money to Bogota FC, would you believe;there were a few ageing stalwarts, and the new signings didn't cut the mustard. We did the double over Man Utd, but lost to teams below us. On the last day, we had to beat already relegated Derby to survive, but contrived to lose at home 2-1 (sound familiar?) and along the way missed a penalty. And that was it for the next ten years. My first year of support we finished 4th, then we went down steadily for the next few years, until relegation. Yes, we had the glory days of 1946-7 when the football writer of the News Chronicle said he always looked forward to seeing Stoke play because every time they attacked he expected them to score. So you can dream and you can raise your expectations, and believe that somewhere there is a messiah who will take us to the promised land. The reality, however, the one I have lived with all these years, is that, to cut a long story short, Stoke City will ALWAYS give you a hard time. A glance at the history books will tell you that in 120 years, allowing for the two world wars, etc, Stoke have only finished better than 10th in 30 odd seasons,irrespective of which Division they were playing in(including Div. 3 North, in old money) and during the same period they have only reached the 5th round of the FA Cup on a similar number of occasions. I am comforted, however, by signs that many on this board are in it for the long haul, come what may. My wish for you all is that the wilderness years this time won't last too long! Bad news for you mucker, it's your 6th  |
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Post by jimmygscfc on May 15, 2018 13:38:10 GMT
I've no idea of how Leicester's history compares with ours, although I know they beat us in the '63 League Cup final and got to the FA Cup final in 1969 and were then relegated! However, my point is that they have probably had an equally miserable time and then, when no-one expected it, contrived to fashion a footballing miracle from nothing. Yes, the whole fan experience is fraught with varying degrees of optimism and pessimism, but just around the corner, there's always hope. Hope that we can come straight up. Hope that if we don't come straight back up, we'll do it the season after...I doff my hat to your own experience of being a Stokie, but you can't say it's not been a great ride. I'm younger than you are (60), but I've seen and experienced some great days and nights, with some bad ones thrown in. It's the good days that we all live for and who's to say there aren't a few more down the line?
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Post by Deleted on May 15, 2018 13:47:04 GMT
Its the meme chose I worry abart
GD
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Post by nott1 on May 15, 2018 14:39:13 GMT
This is my 5th relegation as a Stoke supporter, as I now conclude my 71st season of being nailed to the twin crosses of hope and despair. I first saw my team in September 1946- a "nobby" Steele hat-trick v Sheffield United, and what happened afterwards suggests that from then till now not a lot has changed. There was a long-serving manager who retired before the season started, making way for a younger alternative with "modern" views. "Forget the first 70 minutes" he told his players, "the last 20 are what counts, so make sure you are fit enough for them" Unfortunately the squad wasn't good enough. The "Stars" (Franklin and George Mountford) followed the money to Bogota FC, would you believe;there were a few ageing stalwarts, and the new signings didn't cut the mustard. We did the double over Man Utd, but lost to teams below us. On the last day, we had to beat already relegated Derby to survive, but contrived to lose at home 2-1 (sound familiar?) and along the way missed a penalty. And that was it for the next ten years. My first year of support we finished 4th, then we went down steadily for the next few years, until relegation. Yes, we had the glory days of 1946-7 when the football writer of the News Chronicle said he always looked forward to seeing Stoke play because every time they attacked he expected them to score. So you can dream and you can raise your expectations, and believe that somewhere there is a messiah who will take us to the promised land. The reality, however, the one I have lived with all these years, is that, to cut a long story short, Stoke City will ALWAYS give you a hard time. A glance at the history books will tell you that in 120 years, allowing for the two world wars, etc, Stoke have only finished better than 10th in 30 odd seasons,irrespective of which Division they were playing in(including Div. 3 North, in old money) and during the same period they have only reached the 5th round of the FA Cup on a similar number of occasions. I am comforted, however, by signs that many on this board are in it for the long haul, come what may. My wish for you all is that the wilderness years this time won't last too long! Give this man a long service medal! |
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