Thanks Damian - as promised I have copied the thread from the other board onto this - hope it works. Then I'll see if i can find the old thread off this board
I'll leave Gareth to sort them out!
Gareth - many thanks for the compilation - I'm chuffed! - I was expecting you to delete most of it
TheWiseMaster Posted on 5/1 9:53
Bertie Profile - memories please
As you can see below from the thread on player profiles Gareth is in the process of compiling profiles on former Stoke players. This is a much needed feature - particularly for younger supporters who won't know many of the old starsI reckon that most posters would be satisfied with pen pictures of our key players? And this would be hundreds if we go back to the start which we should (history books ready??).Gareth needs help and I'll start the ball rolling with a pen picture of Bertie Biggins - other posters can do their own thread on a player - as they wish - should be a nice little job for our non working posters?Your thoughts and memories then on Bertie Biggins please. I will condense the contributions into a pen picure and pass on to Gareth for editing.I'll post the pen picture here for comments before it's edited
Robo10_Stoke Posted on 5/1 11:07
re: Bertie Profile - memories please
Wayne 'Bertie' BigginsAs a youngster of 14/15 I started to go to Stoke on my own (on the bus from Biddulph to Hanley, then walk through Hanley Park to Stoke). I can remember the first game of the 87/88 (?) season was against West Ham - This was the infamous Kamara/McAvennie game if my memory serves me right...Making his debut that day was the bronzed, 'Lovejoy' lookalike Wayne Biggins. He scored an 85th minute equalizer that day, but in general had a season to forget (He may have been injured for large parts of it. I forget!)It wasn't until we went down to Division 2 that we started to see 'Berties' true potential. Although getting on the scoresheet regularly, he was partnered with a series of 'nearly' men that never quite cut the mustard at Stoke (Ellis, Shaw et al), none of which looked like providing the 20 odd goals to bolster Berties efforts and make us any kind of force. Ever popular with the fans due to his workrate, passion and ability, it wasn't really until the arrival of 'The Golden One' that we started to see Waynes real potential unleashed. By now I was 18 or so, and had just passed my test so each week we would have a carfull in my old clapped out Astra (W Reg! - Named after Ashley Grimes because it was old and knackered too!) as we ventured cross country every week to see the mighty Potters play.By now Stoke were in Macari-land, and were sweeping teams aside at will. As much as I loved TGO, Bertie was always my favourite. He wore the No 10, the same as Pele, Maradonna, Hurst and Zico. Stories of his love of gambling were rife, but that just made him one of us.But then one day we went to Mansfield. Bertie scored, and ran to the crowd. He kissed his badge. God I wished I could be him. We won 4-0 away, easy. Then the news - He had gone to Barnsley. I was distraught. How could he? BARNSLEY for fecks sake.He came back a couple of years later but it wasn't the same. My heart was broken and couldn't be fixed.I insist on playing as number 10 even now on a Sunday morning, in honour of my hero, but I will always remember the weekend he left.You oldies might remember Greenhoff being sold, I have Biggins. As much as we were all gutted when Stein, Sheron and Thorne were sold, we expected it. Its nice to see he still comes to watch us, and holds us dear to his heart. But why oh why did you have to go....Robo(Please correct any error on dates etc - I was only young and it was a long time ago!)--- Post edited by Robo10_Stoke on 5/1 11:09 ---
Dan_Stoke Posted on 5/1 11:32
re: Bertie Profile - memories please
The four vital Bertie facts are....1 He was permanently orange.2 He formed the best strike partnership of at least the past 25 years with Mark Stein.3 He kissed his badge at Mansfield away ... and then left for Barnsley.4 He was at the play off final at Cardiff . Once a Stokie...
TheWiseMaster Posted on 5/1 12:11
re: Bertie Profile - Seem to remember that he was injured when he arrived or just after (nothing changes!) So that the then manager (Mills or Ball?) had no benefit from him - it all came to Macari. Ditto for Cranson - two of our best of recent years
NottinghamStokie Posted on 5/1 12:31
re: Bertie Profile - memories please
I just remember him being a constantly ludicrous colour, clearly hating playing with Ellis, having the same strange "girly" run that James Beattie has........and scoring some great and very significant goals
IlfordDave Posted on 5/1 13:04
re: Bertie Profile - memories please
he was tanned he was very goodhe went, and we were GUTTED.....
onewaynebiggins Posted on 6/1 11:17
re: Bertie Profile - memories please
What can I say,Wayne "Bertie" Biggins, is my favourite stoke player of all time. The first season I really got into watching stoke, was the season before we won the second division, 91/92. The Team had been galvanised into a Macari esque outft, We were playing well in the league and we drew Liverpool away in the cup. It was to be my first ever away match..the mighty potters were sporting there trendy Yellow away top, that dazzled Souness' boys to earn the potters a memorable 2-2 draw. I remember on the way home in my dads E reg Granada, " You've been a couple of matches now Damian, who is your favourite player? " I did'nt even need to think about it, "wayne Biggins..he's ace", I think we had got Stein on loan form Oxford at the time, but Bertie was my favourite.Bertie had that touch of class about him, he could bring the ball down on his chest with his back to goal with ease, he had a brilliant first touch, he could twist and turn with the ball seemingly glued to his foot, He could link up play between midfield and Upfront with ease, he was quality with the ball at his feet or in the air, He had a great shot on him, and he could mix it when he came up against nasty teams, and although he was'nt the quickest of strikers he always seemed to be first to the ball.He was also a big crowd favourite, I remember how he used to run to the boothen when he scored, he Was "Bertie", he was a stokie..He was one of us, and i loved him.One of the best memories I have of Bertie was the first leg of Autoglass area final at home to Peterboro, he scored two inside the first 15 mins one a header, the other a free kick infront of the boothen. He did'nt play in the second leg, When Ware'y scored a screamer of a free kick, but in the interview after, ware'y said " Ive seen Bertie do it all the time in training so I thought Id have a go".The Season after Stein and Biggins hit it off again Big time! Biggins being the class act, Stein being the ruthless goal scorer, but Biggins was still the top man.Then, the moment that people always go on about, the memory that always lingers in your head, not the goals he scored, not the grabbing the mike outside the kings halls singing delilah...No. After scoring a lovely goal, curling in from the edge of the box, he ran to the adoring stokies behind the goal and kissed his badge...why did he do it?I have always maintained he did that because that's how he wanted to be remembered - Scoring a typical "Classy" bertie goal, then showing us that he loved Stoke, and he loved us for loving him!There can only ever be,onewaynebiggins
