Legend of Oulare's arse

[FullerMagic]

Is it still spoken of in hushed tones, passed on from generation to generation?



It'd be nice if it could return to the Brit so we could clap it's great contribution to our recent history.

Without it, we'd probably be playing Doncaster this weekend. It's funny how much impact one unheralded African arse can have on one football club.

www.stokecityfc.com/page/NewsDetail/0,,10310~146694,00.html It came

www.stokecityfc.com/page/NewsDetail/0,,10310~156199,00.html
www.stokecityfc.com/page/NewsDetail/0,,10310~158751,00.html It nearly died (along with the rest of him)


www.stokecityfc.com/page/NewsDetail/0,,10310~211821,00.html
www.stokecityfc.com/page/NewsDetail/0,,10310~214935,00.html It arsed in the most crucial goal for years

www.stokecityfc.com/page/NewsDetail/0,,10310~276204,00.html And then buggered off back to Belgium

drawformetheboothen.wordpress.com/category/scfc-strange-but-true/ Nice article on it here.

Thankyou, Oulare's arse. How can one little bum do more for us than Henrik Risom, Jani Viander, Triggy, Ziggy, Einar Thor Danielsson, Steve Melton, David Rowson, John Miles, Graham Fenton, Sigursteinn Gislason and Allan Smart put together?

[Deleted]

There’s only ooooooooneee Oulare
There’s only ooooooooneee Oulare
He had a big clot, scored from his arse with a shot
Walking in an Oulare wonderland

[Dr Oetcake]

Sounds like a song by Stan Ridgeway, or possibly an early Johnnie Cash....

[DentySCFC]

You're really loving this archive stuff, aren't you FM. Me too ;D.

[Dr Oetcake]

.. and it wouldnt be the only African arse associated with the club, Sammy Bangoura, come on down!

[Dr Oetcake]

and what exactly is a Genk and how fast can they go?

[knowles]

Here's a little something I knocked up a couple of weeks ago:

When Stoke City signed Souleymane Oulare, he was heralded as Guinea’s equivalent to Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink. “Great” thought the Potters’ faithful. Stuck in Division Two for the fourth consecutive season, Icelandic gaffer Gudjon Thordarson snapped up Oulare on a free transfer from Spanish outfit Las Palmas.

The omens were good. Two years before his 2001 arrival, Oulare had been named the Belgian Player of the Year after scoring 17 goals for Racing Genk and was subsequently signed up for three million quid by Fenerbahce. The CV fitted the bill and Stoke added him to the squad, having missed out on a whole host of targets, including Danny Cadamarteri and Clive Mendonca.

Oulare’s arrival had ended months of a pursuit for Peter Thorne’s replacement. Top scorer Thorne had controversially been sold to South Wales to team up with another ex-Potter, Graham Kavanagh, at Cardiff City.

If ever a signing gets a supporter excited, it’s a new striker. When a player arrives with such an exotic name, it sends the pulse racing even more. After a couple of weeks regaining fitness in Stoke’s reserves, Oulare made a welcome first team debut at the rather plain surroundings of Sixfields, in a drab 1-1 draw against Northampton Town.

Following this half hour debut, it was announced that Oulare was suffering from breathing difficulties. Surely this was just due to a lack of fitness? Sadly not. Oulare was diagnosed with a blood clot on his lung, otherwise known as deep vein thrombosis. It was a major blow to Stoke’s promotion hopes but, more importantly, to Oulare’s life.

The Stoke supporters effectively ruled out the “Soul Man” for the campaign, and so did the manager. Thordarson astutely snapped up top-flight pair Arnar Gunnlaugsson and Deon Burton on loan. The new strike force helped to fire Stoke into the play-offs against Thorne and Kavanagh’s Cardiff.

The first leg at the Britannia Stadium saw plenty of trouble (what a surprise) and Cardiff raced into a two goal lead. Burton’s late goal gave Stoke something to cling onto for the second leg but, in all reality, the tie looked dead and buried for the Potters.

The hardy souls who travelled to Ninian Park for the second game were treated to a surprise. Without any pre-warning, Oulare appeared on the bench and would later write his name into Stoke City folklore. With the fixture still goalless and with Cardiff heading through to the final, Thordarson threw on the Guinea international for the remaining twenty minutes. Although he didn’t have a role in James O’Connor’s 90th minute goal (which poetically went through Kavanagh’s legs), he would have a role in the goal that sent Stoke through.

Five minutes before a penalty shoot-out, O’Connor was given the opportunity to go for goal from a free-kick. His effort hit Oulare’s arse (yes, his backside, bum, call it what you like) and sent the ‘keeper the wrong way to give Stoke the most unlikely of leads.

There was no comeback from Cardiff and Stoke progressed to the Millennium Stadium, where they disposed of Brentford 2-0. Oulare was an unused substitute in the final before a summer of trying to regain his health and fitness.

The plan didn’t work, and Oulare returned to Belgian to undergo a hernia operation while back in Stoke, Thordarson had been controversially sacked and replaced by former Cheltenham Town manager Steve Cotterill.

Oulare didn’t fit in Cotterill’s plans and, a little over six months after he signed, was released by Stoke. Never has a player been on the pitch for so little amount of time yet achieved so much. His muddy shorts were sold in an auction, with the lucky winner no doubt cherishing them for life.

Having left Stoke, Oulare returned to Belgian to play with the exotically named KVV Heusden-Zolder but nothing he did would ever compare to that glorious night in Cardiff.

Once his career had come to a close, it emerged that Oulare was a slumlord. A house in Brussels had been rented to ten families at a cost of €500 each. Despite Oulare actually owning the house, it was declared unhealthy and resultantly evacuated.

It summed up the enigma that is Souleymane Oulare. He might not know it but he, and his shorts, play a massive part in Stoke City’s history.

[oularesarse]

Thank you, thank you very much.

[gloucesterstokie]

oulare oulare!

[y_oh_y_delilah]

I never realised that I'd witnessed every single minute of his British footballing career.
Steino may have been christened 'the golden one', but in my mind, Oulare will always be affectionately cherished as 'the arsy one'!

[pez75]

Sept 17, 2009 12:50:37 GMT y_oh_y_delilah said:

I never realised that I'd witnessed every single minute of his British footballing career.
Steino may have been christened 'the golden one', but in my mind, Oulare will always be affectionately cherished as 'the arsy one'!

Me too.

Oulare, Whooooa oo
Oulare, Whooooa oo
The fucker nearly died,
Then scored with his backside.
Oulare, Whooooa oo

We should have a monument erected outside the Brit - a lifesize sculpture of his arse.

[staffsstokie]

I feel a campaign coming on. 'Get Oulare down the Brit'.

Sure, Banks, Conroy, Pejic, these men may of given Stoke the greatest era of its history.....but did they ever beat Cardiff with a last minute goal off their arse.

I think not.

[mark71]

Your right about Oulare's arse but 2 things changed the play off semi final even before the final whistle blew at the brit.

Earnshaw was 1 on 1 to make it 0-3 but Cutler made a great save then Deon Burton came on to score and make it 1-2. if it was 0-3 or 1-3 there wouldn't of been any injury time for Oulare's arse to make history in.

[knowles]

I contacted one of his later clubs last year as I wanted to get a word with him. Their response was to tell me that they didn't have a clue where he was!!

Getting him down the Brit might be easier said than done!

[fazza90]

He's probably leaning against a bar on a beach in Guinea slurping the local brew. Drinking as much as he can afford. When 'Match Of The Day' comes on and see's us conceed a late winner against Chelsea, he'll be telling everyone he knows that he put us on our first step towards the premiership.. .."I scored in the 2nd leg play off against some Welsh team to send us to the final!" to which the locals reply, "Sure you did Souleyman, sure you did," and roll their eyes at one another while trying to get away before he tells them his story again.

[potters11]

Any Bluebirds watching, find the nearest sofa.....AND HIDE ;D ;D

[OldStokie]

I've got both Oulare's shirt and JOC's shirt which were worn on that fabulous night of SCFC history. We really should have bought Oulare's shorts.

OS.

[sammychung]

What a night that was.

[mitchandtitch]

Sept 17, 2009 11:59:31 GMT knowles said:

Here's a little something I knocked up a couple of weeks ago:

When Stoke City signed Souleymane Oulare, he was heralded as Guinea’s equivalent to Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink. “Great” thought the Potters’ faithful. Stuck in Division Two for the fourth consecutive season, Icelandic gaffer Gudjon Thordarson snapped up Oulare on a free transfer from Spanish outfit Las Palmas.

The omens were good. Two years before his 2001 arrival, Oulare had been named the Belgian Player of the Year after scoring 17 goals for Racing Genk and was subsequently signed up for three million quid by Fenerbahce. The CV fitted the bill and Stoke added him to the squad, having missed out on a whole host of targets, including Danny Cadamarteri and Clive Mendonca.

Oulare’s arrival had ended months of a pursuit for Peter Thorne’s replacement. Top scorer Thorne had controversially been sold to South Wales to team up with another ex-Potter, Graham Kavanagh, at Cardiff City.

If ever a signing gets a supporter excited, it’s a new striker. When a player arrives with such an exotic name, it sends the pulse racing even more. After a couple of weeks regaining fitness in Stoke’s reserves, Oulare made a welcome first team debut at the rather plain surroundings of Sixfields, in a drab 1-1 draw against Northampton Town.

Following this half hour debut, it was announced that Oulare was suffering from breathing difficulties. Surely this was just due to a lack of fitness? Sadly not. Oulare was diagnosed with a blood clot on his lung, otherwise known as deep vein thrombosis. It was a major blow to Stoke’s promotion hopes but, more importantly, to Oulare’s life.

The Stoke supporters effectively ruled out the “Soul Man” for the campaign, and so did the manager. Thordarson astutely snapped up top-flight pair Arnar Gunnlaugsson and Deon Burton on loan. The new strike force helped to fire Stoke into the play-offs against Thorne and Kavanagh’s Cardiff.

The first leg at the Britannia Stadium saw plenty of trouble (what a surprise) and Cardiff raced into a two goal lead. Burton’s late goal gave Stoke something to cling onto for the second leg but, in all reality, the tie looked dead and buried for the Potters.

The hardy souls who travelled to Ninian Park for the second game were treated to a surprise. Without any pre-warning, Oulare appeared on the bench and would later write his name into Stoke City folklore. With the fixture still goalless and with Cardiff heading through to the final, Thordarson threw on the Guinea international for the remaining twenty minutes. Although he didn’t have a role in James O’Connor’s 90th minute goal (which poetically went through Kavanagh’s legs), he would have a role in the goal that sent Stoke through.

Five minutes before a penalty shoot-out, O’Connor was given the opportunity to go for goal from a free-kick. His effort hit Oulare’s arse (yes, his backside, bum, call it what you like) and sent the ‘keeper the wrong way to give Stoke the most unlikely of leads.

There was no comeback from Cardiff and Stoke progressed to the Millennium Stadium, where they disposed of Brentford 2-0. Oulare was an unused substitute in the final before a summer of trying to regain his health and fitness.

The plan didn’t work, and Oulare returned to Belgian to undergo a hernia operation while back in Stoke, Thordarson had been controversially sacked and replaced by former Cheltenham Town manager Steve Cotterill.

Oulare didn’t fit in Cotterill’s plans and, a little over six months after he signed, was released by Stoke. Never has a player been on the pitch for so little amount of time yet achieved so much. His muddy shorts were sold in an auction, with the lucky winner no doubt cherishing them for life.

Having left Stoke, Oulare returned to Belgian to play with the exotically named KVV Heusden-Zolder but nothing he did would ever compare to that glorious night in Cardiff.

Once his career had come to a close, it emerged that Oulare was a slumlord. A house in Brussels had been rented to ten families at a cost of €500 each. Despite Oulare actually owning the house, it was declared unhealthy and resultantly evacuated.

It summed up the enigma that is Souleymane Oulare. He might not know it but he, and his shorts, play a massive part in Stoke City’s history.

Just reading that and thinking of that majic night makes the hairs on my back to stand up on end.

Thanks for the memories Knowles

[knowles]

Not a problem

[ragbone82]

that was a great night, I'm sure my heart stopped when we scored the first

[Ddraigcoch]

James O'Connor ....great player for us overall. Could be very good on his day.

Nice piece Mr Knowles I salute you.

[swampmongrel]

Sept 17, 2009 15:14:07 GMT potters11 said:

Any Bluebirds watching, find the nearest sofa.....AND HIDE ;D ;D

Is there a better version of this vide anywhere?

[dirtclod]

When the game's going fast
It goes in off an ass.
That's Oulare!

[Staffsoatcake]

Maybe our forwards could borrow his Bum. 😁

[bridgnorthstokie]

Sept 17, 2009 11:16:44 GMT Dr Oetcake said:

.. and it wouldnt be the only African arse associated with the club, Sammy Bangoura, come on down!

Is Bangoura still AWOL.

[jimmygscfc1234]

I lost my voice that night in Wales.