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Post by jimmygscfc1234 on Oct 25, 2023 11:15:06 GMT
I'm old enough to have seen him play and what a player he was, but I've always been confused as to why he didn't really become a regular for a while and we signed him in 1967 when he was 21. My memory is that certainly in the early 70s, it was Eric Skeels who would have been the next defensive midfielder if Bernard was injured or unavailable. For the older fans, can anyone shed any light on why JM took so long to hold down a place?
Edit: I've just checked and it seems he got quite a few games in earlier seasons but I don't remember...I started going in 1970 as a kid so I guess time has wiped my powers of recall!!
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Post by somersetstokie on Oct 25, 2023 12:57:44 GMT
You didn't have matchday squads in those days, so playing opportunities could be limited. Also you only had one substitute, so there was no pool of players on the bench. Even in the 1972 League Cup final Mahoney was the only substitute. If you look at the team then, the most likely place in the side that john could compete for was Mike Bernard's midfield slot. If defensive cover was needed Eric Skeels usually got the call as he was the more versatile player.
Edit. If you felt that John had a hard time establishing himself, the situation also meant that playing time in the first team was also limited for "fringe" players such as Stewart Jump, Terry Lees and Sean Haselgrave.
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Post by Lakeland Potter on Oct 25, 2023 13:04:29 GMT
I lived in Nantwich in Mahoney's early years at the club and often saw him as he often frequented the same local pub as me. I was there when He was called to the phone by the pub landlord. The call was from his home to tell him he had just been called up by Wales for the first time. He happily bought all the regulars in the pub a drink that night! Top bloke!
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Post by pavel on Oct 25, 2023 13:12:54 GMT
You didn't have matchday squads in those days, so playing opportunities could be limited. Also you only had one substitute, so there was no pool of players on the bench. Even in the 1972 League Cup final Mahoney was the substitute. If you look at the team then, the most likely place in the side that john could compete for was Mike Bernard's midfield slot. If defensive cover was needed Eric Skeels usually got the call as he was the more versatile player. Edit. If you felt that John had a hard time establishing himself, the situation also meant that playing time in the first team was also limited for "fringe" players such as Stewart Jump, Terry Lees and Sean Haselgrave. Went to secondary school with Terry Lees and played with him in the school team. Didn’t he end up in the Dutch league.
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Post by Gods on Oct 25, 2023 13:13:17 GMT
John Mahoney got 300 or so top flight games in for us before we flogged him to Middlesbrough for x4 what we paid for him when the Butler Street stand roof got blown off and we ran out of money.
We used to sing 'John Mahoney, Prince of Wales, na na na na na...' 😆
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Post by Gods on Oct 25, 2023 13:15:32 GMT
You didn't have matchday squads in those days, so playing opportunities could be limited. Also you only had one substitute, so there was no pool of players on the bench. Even in the 1972 League Cup final Mahoney was the substitute. If you look at the team then, the most likely place in the side that john could compete for was Mike Bernard's midfield slot. If defensive cover was needed Eric Skeels usually got the call as he was the more versatile player. Edit. If you felt that John had a hard time establishing himself, the situation also meant that playing time in the first team was also limited for "fringe" players such as Stewart Jump, Terry Lees and Sean Haselgrave. Went to secondary school with Terry Lees and played with him in the school team. Didn’t he end up in the Dutch league. I knew Terry Lees a bit after he stopped playing in Holland, he was about and coaching at the Richmond club nearly Hanley which I think is now closed.
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Post by redstriper on Oct 25, 2023 13:41:01 GMT
Top player - did most of the midfield graft for the flashier team members... didn't get as much recognition as he might have due to playing his national football for a lousy welsh team. Last I heard he was playing the father in Frasier....
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Post by pavel on Oct 25, 2023 14:40:55 GMT
Thought Mahoney was crucial to our team at the time, a much underrated player and had a great engine, could score a few and was quite creative as well. Top player.
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Post by mrcoke on Oct 25, 2023 15:53:34 GMT
Turned into a great player during his time at Stoke.
I remember a shopkeeper in Audlem who was a Crewe fan mocking me as a Stoke fan that we had just bought Josh to turn Stoke around.
He played regularly to start with but was very much a "Marmite player", some fans loved him for his tireless effort and commitment, whilst others thought he ran around a lot like a headless chicken.
He dropped out of the first team primarily because of Dobing dropping back into midfield and Ritchie and Greenhoff came in as strikers.
He matured wonderfully and went on to become a first class player when he directed all his effort more constructively.
I used to see him in the bar under the corner of the Boothen end, and in 1975 I went to work at Teesside and used to go to the Boro to watch him play.
I was told one story once that he got into bad books with Waddington for advising his cousin Toshak not to join Stoke from Cardiff, when Stoke were watching JT a lot with view to signing him.
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Post by Caerwrangonpotter on Oct 25, 2023 16:17:13 GMT
John Mahoney got 300 or so top flight games in for us before we flogged him to Middlesbrough for x4 what we paid for him when the Butler Street stand roof got blown off and we ran out of money. We used to sing 'John Mahoney, Prince if Wales, na na na na na...' 😆 I remember "John Mahoney, Prince Of Wales" being spray painted (and fading) on the wall on the Derby platform of Longton Railway Station
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Post by kerouac on Oct 25, 2023 16:21:48 GMT
I was too young to have views on that Stoke team at the time,every single one was a hero(Jimmy,Gordon and Hudson slightly elevated….) It was my team,we played in red and white stripes and I stood on a stool on the Town end with my dad and grandad and was in football heaven. Back to Yorkshire on a Sunday night and school on a Monday with my Dirty Leeds (should have been Huddersfield) fans….it was good to be different even back then. Fuck me,I hope we beat those bastards tonight.
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Post by maninasuitcase on Oct 25, 2023 16:33:11 GMT
Frasier's dad?
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Post by greystokie on Oct 25, 2023 16:49:43 GMT
Actor, John Mahoney played Frasier's dad in the T V series.
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Post by Greenhoff is God on Oct 25, 2023 16:55:04 GMT
John Mahoney got 300 or so top flight games in for us before we flogged him to Middlesbrough for x4 what we paid for him when the Butler Street stand roof got blown off and we ran out of money. We used to sing 'John Mahoney, Prince of Wales, na na na na na...' 😆 We did sing that Gods, remember it well. I also saw him play a couple of games for the Alex before we bought him……played in the same side as Billy Dearden, Eric Barnes etc. Great engine, used both feet, worth a fortune in todays market.
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Post by nott1 on Oct 25, 2023 17:14:37 GMT
Turned into a great player during his time at Stoke. I remember a shopkeeper in Audlem who was a Crewe fan mocking me as a Stoke fan that we had just bought Josh to turn Stoke around. He played regularly to start with but was very much a "Marmite player", some fans loved him for his tireless effort and commitment, whilst others thought he ran around a lot like a headless chicken. He dropped out of the first team primarily because of Dobing dropping back into midfield and Ritchie and Greenhoff came in as strikers. He matured wonderfully and went on to become a first class player when he directed all his effort more constructively. I used to see him in the bar under the corner of the Boothen end, and in 1975 I went to work at Teesside and used to go to the Boro to watch him play. I was told one story once that he got into bad books with Waddington for advising his cousin Toshak not to join Stoke from Cardiff, when Stoke were watching JT a lot with view to signing him. Dobing was an inside left (no.8). I never saw him play in Mahoney's position. We had a 5 man forward line in those days. Two wingers ,a centre forward , inside left and inside right. Two half backs right and left, two full backs and a centre half. Inside forwards were only marginally back from centre forward and wingers, and so scored many goals as shown by players like Dobing, Viollet Bowyer et al in those halcyon days. Nowadays we can't hit a cows backside!
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Post by OldStokie on Oct 25, 2023 18:30:13 GMT
He was a damned good player but the competition for those midfield places was a barrier to him playing more games. He could never replace Skeelsy, who was one of the best (but unsung) midfielders we ever had. Hence his record breaking appearances for Stoke. Skeelsy was probably the best man to man marker around at the time. Waddo would play him in that role and you could guarantee that the man he was marking never had a look in.
OS.
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Post by spitthedog on Oct 25, 2023 23:25:25 GMT
Mahoney was brilliant with Hudson with Salmons and Robertson on the wings and Greenhoff and Big John up front
That was the dream team for me, Josh doing all the donkey work there, but he was a very skilful player too, very good passer of the ball and had a great shot on him.
One of my all time Stoke faves. 282 games wasn't bad in his 10 seasons for Stoke
He was good for Middlesboro and Swansea when he left too and played at a good level until around 35.
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Post by creweoatcake1 on Oct 26, 2023 5:15:07 GMT
"Josh" as I have said on here many times before is my all time favourite player. Concur with all of the above. I have one special memory of him, when he was manager at Conwy in the Welsh national league and I was running a junior team in the Mid Cheshire Youth League. I contacted him and asked for a pre season friendly (Under 15's), he obliged and we were treated to a special day with great hospitality. ..... TOP MAN
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Post by pottersrule on Oct 26, 2023 5:20:39 GMT
I'm old enough to have seen him play and what a player he was, but I've always been confused as to why he didn't really become a regular for a while and we signed him in 1967 when he was 21. My memory is that certainly in the early 70s, it was Eric Skeels who would have been the next defensive midfielder if Bernard was injured or unavailable. For the older fans, can anyone shed any light on why JM took so long to hold down a place? Edit: I've just checked and it seems he got quite a few games in earlier seasons but I don't remember...I started going in 1970 as a kid so I guess time has wiped my powers of recall!! I remember watching him when he was at Crewe,I think he was 19 at the time and he stood out like sore thumb,such was his class.
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