Who was your first stoke city hero?

[y_oh_y_delilah]

Tim Coleman unfortunately!

[stokievt]

Ally Pickering (I know!) then Peter Thorne.

[stokerambler]

First Stoke hero...Gordon Banks.

All time Stoke hero....toss up between Jimmy Greenhoff and Alan Hudson.

[salifdiao]

Peter Beagrie.

[fortressbrit]

terry conroy.

[stokie62]

Jimmy Greenhoff was pure class,other class acts were Hudson,Kendall and Hoekstra

[fromafar07]

Gordon Banks !!
Dennis Smith

[ruts66]

As a little lad, Denis Smith

As a young man, Vince Overson

As a father of two, Ryan Shawcross


I fucking love centre halves, me...

[dastokie]

Denis Smith 70's.
George Berry 80's
Ian Cranson 90's
Peter Hoekstra 00's

[finnthedude]

Fox, Steino, Beagrie and Cranson.

[grimlord1]

peter dobing, hudson, smith, stein

[Block 22]

Ricardo Fuller.

[loekursemsrightpeg]

Loek Ursem of course, our first foreign star (as I remember)

[dyserthpotter]

Denis Smith real hard footballer and a gent too. After him would be Peter Thorne.

[606Stokie]

Peter Thorne and Hookey.

[Caerwrangonpotter]

Denis Smith & Big Brendan O Callaghan

[waitingforwaddo]

Don Ratcliffe.

[waitingforwaddo]

Through the ages:

60s: Ratter, Harry Burrows, Banksy, Bluto.
70s: TC, Hudson, Greenhoff.
80s: Zico Kelly, Chambo.
90s: Steino, Rooster Russell, Gleggy.
00s: Hoekstra, Sergei.
10s: Tuncay.

[nickscfc]

Paul Peschisolido

Though these days i must say i am a big Tuncay fan!!

[longtimestokie]

maybe not my first hero but a big big hero John Ritchie

[s7okie]

steino, biggins, cranson, overson and gleghorn

[zigazaga]

Ian Moores

[JoeinOz]

November 2nd 1974. Infancy about to experience one of the defining moments of an entire
life. For the first time approaching the Victoria Ground, clinging to dads hand and The Four Tops I'll Be There hissing out from the tannoy. The turnstile itself provided a challenge. What a strange obstacle for a five year old to negotiate! Walking past the tea bar, up the steps to see a small strip of grass through legs. The higher on the steps more green becomes visible until reaching the top then looking down on a great big strip of grass....and it was paradise.

Football matches had a specific aroma in those days. The unique smell of bovril cigar smoke and anxiety. A moody autumn sky added to the morose demeanour. A childs mind is unhindered by critical faculties. When our players emerged each one of them held God like status. OK, some were no doubt better players than others, but just wearing our red & white stripes secured my affection. However, there is still room for a special one. Mine was our blonde bombshell Jimmy Greenhoff. I've seen better players (though not many) but it was Jimmy who opened the window, through which I gleefully climbed, to open my heart and mind to the possibilities of the greatest game on earth.

Jimmy dominated my early football watching career. Sitting on the wall in the Butler Street Paddock and Jimmy moves to a wide position. The first time in my life I felt awestruck. The great Jimmy Greenhoff was a matter of feet away from me. Being in the park with my brother and dad practising Jimmy volleys. And a blistering one against Leeds winning us a cracking game. (By Jimmy not by us in the park!) Sadly, I also remember crying on a Saturday morning in December 1976 when dad showed me the back of the Daily Mirror and it displayed the unthinkable news. Greenhoff had gone to Man Yoo. He didn't want to leave us. Betrayed by Stoke City Football Club. That news indelibly stamped a cynical edge in my mind. Seven is too young to endure heartbreak as deep as that. The next game I sort of expected him to be playing for us. Stoke City without Jimmy? Impossible. The next game I expected him to be there as usual. But gone he was...to win the FA Cup as we got relegated.

[KyleLightbulb]

Probably Peter Thorne, although I did used to love Kav before he stabbed us in the back

[RAF]

Jimmy Greenhoff followed by Georgie Berry.
Both for very different reasons.

H

[mateybass]

The thread title is FIRST Stoke hero so, to do this properly, we should only name one player... the first Stoke player that we truly worshipped.

For me it was Terry Conroy... so much so that, as a 7 year old, I wanted to change my name to Terry Conroy. He was the Giggs of his day, but Giggs isn't worthy of tying TC's bootlaces.

[nicholasjalcock]

George Eastham

[NG4POTTERS]

Aug 2, 2010 23:25:39 GMT JoeinOz said:

November 2nd 1974. Infancy about to experience one of the defining moments of an entire
life. For the first time approaching the Victoria Ground, clinging to dads hand and The Four Tops I'll Be There hissing out from the tannoy. The turnstile itself provided a challenge. What a strange obstacle for a five year old to negotiate! Walking past the tea bar, up the steps to see a small strip of grass through legs. The higher on the steps more green becomes visible until reaching the top then looking down on a great big strip of grass....and it was paradise.

Football matches had a specific aroma in those days. The unique smell of bovril cigar smoke and anxiety. A moody autumn sky added to the morose demeanour. A childs mind is unhindered by critical faculties. When our players emerged each one of them held God like status. OK, some were no doubt better players than others, but just wearing our red & white stripes secured my affection. However, there is still room for a special one. Mine was our blonde bombshell Jimmy Greenhoff. I've seen better players (though not many) but it was Jimmy who opened the window, through which I gleefully climbed, to open my heart and mind to the possibilities of the greatest game on earth.

Jimmy dominated my early football watching career. Sitting on the wall in the Butler Street Paddock and Jimmy moves to a wide position. The first time in my life I felt awestruck. The great Jimmy Greenhoff was a matter of feet away from me. Being in the park with my brother and dad practising Jimmy volleys. And a blistering one against Leeds winning us a cracking game. (By Jimmy not by us in the park!) Sadly, I also remember crying on a Saturday morning in December 1976 when dad showed me the back of the Daily Mirror and it displayed the unthinkable news. Greenhoff had gone to Man Yoo. He didn't want to leave us. Betrayed by Stoke City Football Club. That news indelibly stamped a cynical edge in my mind. Seven is too young to endure heartbreak as deep as that. The next game I sort of expected him to be playing for us. Stoke City without Jimmy? Impossible. The next game I expected him to be there as usual. But gone he was...to win the FA Cup as we got relegated.

Quality post joe Glad i was only 3 at the time greenhoff was transferred, can't even remember my dad smashing up the front room as he heard the news ;D

[peepin]

I dont remember that much about steino so maybe it was slightly before my time, i grew up with the likes of toddy, carruthers, prudhoe, butler,overson,cranson,biggins,sandford. Suppose my first hero would be toddy

[choppercherry]

David Oldfield, he was God to me!