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Post by rawli on Jun 20, 2018 15:07:37 GMT
Shit in 1990. Parker own goal was embarrassing. Long past it by that stage, but there was no decent alternative in Chris Woods and Dave Beasant. Fair point. Don't think either would have done worse though.
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Post by lordb on Jun 20, 2018 15:11:27 GMT
Shit in 1990. Parker own goal was embarrassing. 'shit' is OTT in my view however he was definitely on the wane and that goal did prove it. The alternatives were Chris Woods (no ta) or Dave Beasant - he was ordanairy. But was good at penalties. In hindsight Beasant should have played but that's what is, hindsight.Absolutly no one was calling for that at any point.
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Post by mickstupp on Jun 20, 2018 15:13:00 GMT
Long past it by that stage, but there was no decent alternative in Chris Woods and Dave Beasant. Fair point. Don't think either would have done worse though. They most certainly couldn’t have done worse than Shilts feeble attempts to save those (admittedly well struck) penalties in the 1990 semi final.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2018 17:28:07 GMT
In 1977 we were too busy dancing to Saturday night fever in a white suit and brothel creepers.
Top of the World at Stafford had that dance floor, don't think I quite had the moves though^
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Post by Scrotnig on Jun 20, 2018 21:47:46 GMT
When we were facing trying to get promotion back at first attempt? I remember 1986 there being zero expectation but I was pretty happy we'd got Mick Mills. Didn't start going until 1978. 1985 though. Season 1984/85 was the year we went down, the 'holocaust' season as it is known, or certainly was until last season's debacle.
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Post by Scrotnig on Jun 20, 2018 21:49:07 GMT
And yeah some of us thought we'd bounce straight back then too. A bit like now. Which we didn't. Good old Mick though, he at least steadied the ship a bit and brought some pride back.
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Post by Scrotnig on Jun 20, 2018 21:49:31 GMT
Sorry though can't speak for 1977 I wuz too yung.
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Post by lordb on Jun 20, 2018 21:50:25 GMT
When we were facing trying to get promotion back at first attempt? I remember 1986 there being zero expectation but I was pretty happy we'd got Mick Mills. Didn't start going until 1978. 1985 though. Season 1984/85 was the year we went down, the 'holocaust' season as it is known, or certainly was until last season's debacle. Last season was a walk in the park compared to that season.
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Post by rawli on Jun 20, 2018 21:52:09 GMT
When we were facing trying to get promotion back at first attempt? I remember 1986 there being zero expectation but I was pretty happy we'd got Mick Mills. Didn't start going until 1978. 1985 though. Season 1984/85 was the year we went down, the 'holocaust' season as it is known, or certainly was until last season's debacle. Give me a break - it's over 30 years ago!
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Post by Scrotnig on Jun 20, 2018 21:53:22 GMT
1985 though. Season 1984/85 was the year we went down, the 'holocaust' season as it is known, or certainly was until last season's debacle. Last season was a walk in the park compared to that season. In some ways. Other ways, less so. Maybe I have rose tinted specs on but as shite as the holocaust team was, they were at least giving it their all, for the most part, they just completely lacked the skill to compete at that level. I can almost live with that, to some degree, though that huge run of, what was it, 17 successive losses or something, was a bit wearing after a while. Last season's team had the skill but couldn't be arsed. I'll never forgive that as long as I live. They destroyed more than a decade of bloody hard work. Don't get me started because it still angers me like little else.
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Post by davejohnno1 on Jun 20, 2018 22:36:24 GMT
And yeah some of us thought we'd bounce straight back then too. A bit like now. Which we didn't. Good old Mick though, he at least steadied the ship a bit and brought some pride back. At the time of previous relegations we really didnt have a pot to piss in. This time is somewhat different. We are the wealthiest club in the league and we appear intent on flaunting that fact.
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Post by Scrotnig on Jun 20, 2018 23:04:27 GMT
And yeah some of us thought we'd bounce straight back then too. A bit like now. Which we didn't. Good old Mick though, he at least steadied the ship a bit and brought some pride back. At the time of previous relegations we really didnt have a pot to piss in. This time is somewhat different. We are the wealthiest club in the league and we appear intent on flaunting that fact. I don't know if we are actually THE wealthiest or not, but even if we are, we have recently proved ourselves very adept at spending huge amounts of money on absolute shite. Indeed, our ability to do so is the greater part of the reason we're down here in the first place. So us promising to flaunt our 'wealth' doesn't exactly inspire with confidence. Especially since the same 'transfer team' is still in place with no changes.
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Post by maninasuitcase on Jun 21, 2018 6:18:39 GMT
1998 we pulled off a coup by getting Brain Little in as manager, runaway promotion was assured. Started like a house on fire. Finished like a burnt out wreck.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2018 10:08:16 GMT
We started with George Eastham as manager who had assembled a group of players who were either pre or post fuck ups, the only bright thing was that Punk had arrived. Eastham went after the Blythe Spartans game then we had the arrival of this bright young manager Durban, I think his first purchase was this giant forward from Doncaster. I can remember a turning point in our history as our new giant was sent out to warm up for some reason the Boothen stirred into life chanting for our new heroes introduction, then on he came for a corner at the open end ,in it came our giant rose and bang the ball was in the net game won and Big Bren had announced himself to a hope starved public. From then on we were on a roll right up to the day that Durban left for Sunderland . They were dark bleak days but i have always thought that we were closer as a group, maybe because we all had similar backgrounds and occupations? Was living next door but one to George Eastham when he was Stoke manager. As a 15 year old it was great as he used to give me complimentary tickets. I remember my Dad telling me not to go around to visit when he got sacked . He had a daughter called Suzanne (if I remember rightly) who made quite an impression on me as a 15 year old. She was fit with massive tits ;-) Dave
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2018 10:18:00 GMT
At the time of previous relegations we really didnt have a pot to piss in. This time is somewhat different. We are the wealthiest club in the league and we appear intent on flaunting that fact. I don't know if we are actually THE wealthiest or not, but even if we are, we have recently proved ourselves very adept at spending huge amounts of money on absolute shite. Indeed, our ability to do so is the greater part of the reason we're down here in the first place. So us promising to flaunt our 'wealth' doesn't exactly inspire with confidence. Especially since the same 'transfer team' is still in place with no changes. You still sticking with your prediction of back to back relegations?
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Post by lordb on Jun 21, 2018 11:23:11 GMT
Last season was a walk in the park compared to that season. In some ways. Other ways, less so. Maybe I have rose tinted specs on but as shite as the holocaust team was, they were at least giving it their all, for the most part, they just completely lacked the skill to compete at that level. I can almost live with that, to some degree, though that huge run of, what was it, 17 successive losses or something, was a bit wearing after a while. Last season's team had the skill but couldn't be arsed. I'll never forgive that as long as I live. They destroyed more than a decade of bloody hard work. Don't get me started because it still angers me like little else. I'll give you the difference re effort (at lest compared to when Hughes was here,although I thought Lambert got them working) & you are right about the stupidity of it,utterly avoidable relegation whereas 1984-85 we were doomed no matter what. we lost ten games on the bounce - twice (although the last game of the second ten was the first game of the following season)
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Post by lordb on Jun 21, 2018 11:25:20 GMT
At the time of previous relegations we really didnt have a pot to piss in. This time is somewhat different. We are the wealthiest club in the league and we appear intent on flaunting that fact. I don't know if we are actually THE wealthiest or not, but even if we are, we have recently proved ourselves very adept at spending huge amounts of money on absolute shite. Indeed, our ability to do so is the greater part of the reason we're down here in the first place. So us promising to flaunt our 'wealth' doesn't exactly inspire with confidence. Especially since the same 'transfer team' is still in place with no changes. what has changed is the speed of which Stoke are acting. Two apparently excellent signings (+ Joe Allen re-signing) & it's still a week before pre season training starts is unprecedented stuff lots more to do of course.
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Post by Davef on Jun 21, 2018 11:27:12 GMT
We did an article about the Mansfield match in the first Oatcake of last season...
Field of Nightmares Mansfield Town v Stoke City, 20th August 1977
STOKE CITY kicked off the 1977/78 campaign as a Second Division club for the first time in fourteen years. As fate would have it, the fixture list conspired to hand The Potters an opening day trip to the Third Division Champions, Mansfield Town. If the ignominy of relegation the previous season hadn’t yet sunk in, it soon would…
With George Eastham in charge, Stoke were still able to call on players like Denis Smith, Terry Conroy, Alan Dodd and Garth Crooks, but money was sparse and only midfielders Howard Kendall, Paul Richardson and forward Dave Gregory were added to the squad, using the cash accrued from the sales of John Mahoney and Geoff Salmons. Eastham also signed Liverpool left back Alec Lindsay on a free transfer and had England goalkeeper Peter Shilton available at Field Mill, though the latter had long been disillusioned with life at the Victoria Ground and was the subject of interest from Nottingham Forest among others.
Despite the gloom, a huge following from the Potteries descended on Mansfield, but many of our fans tarnished the club’s name on a day to forget. There were major clashes between the two rival factions before the game as shoppers were caught in the middle of ugly brawls. Windows were smashed and cars damaged as fans rampaged through the town centre.
And things escalated inside the ground. The kick off was delayed as several hundred Stoke supporters invaded the pitch and charged towards the home end, with mounted police required to separate fans and drive the visiting contingent back to the away terracing. Captain Denis Smith even appeared on the pitch to ask for calm, but to no avail.
When the game did get under way, it was clear to see that Stoke were going to be in for a very uncomfortable afternoon. The lively home side weren’t intimidated by their more illustrious opponents and made all the early running, hitting the post inside the first ten minutes. Our lack of pace in defence was exposed and Denis Smith was booked for a foul on Ernie Moss after twice being let off the hook for hacking down striker Dave Syrett. Stoke responded with Kendall crashing a shot against an upright, and Gregory forcing the Mansfield keeper into a double save but we had clearly been second best in a disappointing 45 minutes.
Stoke were made to pay for their lack of enterprise early in the second half though as Syrett latched onto a poor backpass from Alan Dodd to slide the ball past Shilton. That goal hardly helped settle things down off the pitch and matters deteriorated just minutes later. Smith handled the ball under pressure from Moss and referee Burns had no hesitation in awarding a penalty. Again Stoke fans invaded the pitch, holding the game up for almost five minutes before Pat Sharkey beat Shilton from the spot.
Stoke were looking a shambles and our afternoon was summed up in the 70th minute when Terry Conroy was forced to leave the pitch with a badly cut eye after colliding with team mate Richardson! Mansfield had the ball in the back of the net for a third time from a corner but the referee ruled the goal out for a foul on Shilton, before The Potters were handed a slim chance of rescuing a point when we were awarded a penalty two minutes from time for a foul on Crooks.
Lindsay converted the spot-kick and though Stoke had a hefty amount of stoppage time to equalise due to the pitch invasions, we couldn’t find the goal that would’ve earned us an undeserved draw.
The violence continued around the ground and in the town centre after the match (there was also a trouble back in the Potteries with Nottingham Forest fans who were returning from an away match at Everton) with the police eventually charging 17 Stoke fans for various offences. One was jailed for three months, another sent to a detention centre and £800 in fines were handed out. In court, Police produced two pieces of four feet long piping which had been recovered after the Stoke fans had charged the Mansfield fans!
The 1977/78 season would get much worse before things improved following the appointment of Alan Durban in February 1978. By then, Shilton had departed to Forest, League Cup hero Eastham had been sacked and The Potters had been dumped out of the FA Cup by non-league Blyth Spartans. Stoke eventually finished the season in 7th spot, while Mansfield were relegated at the end of their only season to date in English football’s second tier.
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Post by Dutchpeter on Jun 21, 2018 14:39:41 GMT
A colleague of mine in the Navy is a Mansfield fan. He tells me that people in the town still talk about that day in Mansfield, such was its notoriety. A skinhead memoir called ‘Booted and suited’ also recalls the trouble before the league cup quarterfinal in 1971 from a Bristol Rovers perspective. Heavy old days.
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Post by greenbaize on Jun 21, 2018 15:58:52 GMT
We started with George Eastham as manager who had assembled a group of players who were either pre or post fuck ups, the only bright thing was that Punk had arrived. Eastham went after the Blythe Spartans game then we had the arrival of this bright young manager Durban, I think his first purchase was this giant forward from Doncaster. I can remember a turning point in our history as our new giant was sent out to warm up for some reason the Boothen stirred into life chanting for our new heroes introduction, then on he came for a corner at the open end ,in it came our giant rose and bang the ball was in the net game won and Big Bren had announced himself to a hope starved public. From then on we were on a roll right up to the day that Durban left for Sunderland . They were dark bleak days but i have always thought that we were closer as a group, maybe because we all had similar backgrounds and occupations? Was living next door but one to George Eastham when he was Stoke manager. As a 15 year old it was great as he used to give me complimentary tickets. I remember my Dad telling me not to go around to visit when he got sacked . He had a daughter called Suzanne (if I remember rightly) who made quite an impression on me as a 15 year old. She was fit with massive tits ;-) Dave Spent quite a bit of time in Eastman house myself at that time playing with Suzanne and his son also called George, first time I ever saw a video recorder was there. I remember a lad called dave used to knock around with us over there i think he lived opposite side of Hanley road to the house was that you?
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Post by Scrotnig on Jun 21, 2018 16:52:08 GMT
I don't know if we are actually THE wealthiest or not, but even if we are, we have recently proved ourselves very adept at spending huge amounts of money on absolute shite. Indeed, our ability to do so is the greater part of the reason we're down here in the first place. So us promising to flaunt our 'wealth' doesn't exactly inspire with confidence. Especially since the same 'transfer team' is still in place with no changes. You still sticking with your prediction of back to back relegations? At the moment, yes. The core of the team I saw get thrashed by everyone and everything and who cared not one jot about same, is still there. Let's see if that changes. If it does, my prediction might.
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Post by partickpotter on Jun 21, 2018 16:55:28 GMT
No Elvis, Beatles or the Rolling Stones
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Post by GoBoks on Jun 21, 2018 17:05:15 GMT
Sorry though can't speak for 1977 I wuz too yung. Being a sperm is definately too young to remember!
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Post by Dutchpeter on Jun 21, 2018 17:13:06 GMT
No Elvis, Beatles or the Rolling Stones
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2018 17:34:23 GMT
Was living next door but one to George Eastham when he was Stoke manager. As a 15 year old it was great as he used to give me complimentary tickets. I remember my Dad telling me not to go around to visit when he got sacked . He had a daughter called Suzanne (if I remember rightly) who made quite an impression on me as a 15 year old. She was fit with massive tits ;-) Dave Spent quite a bit of time in Eastman house myself at that time playing with Suzanne and his son also called George, first time I ever saw a video recorder was there. I remember a lad called dave used to knock around with us over there i think he lived opposite side of Hanley road to the house was that you? No mate, it was when George Eastham lived on Ferndown Drive South in Clayton off Northwood lane GD
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Post by sheikhmomo on Jun 21, 2018 22:21:24 GMT
Spent quite a bit of time in Eastman house myself at that time playing with Suzanne and his son also called George, first time I ever saw a video recorder was there. I remember a lad called dave used to knock around with us over there i think he lived opposite side of Hanley road to the house was that you? No mate, it was when George Eastham lived on Ferndown Drive South in Clayton off Northwood lane GD Bet you rocked a lovely bit of Dralon in '77 dave
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Post by robinplumpton on Jun 21, 2018 23:45:40 GMT
Apologies if Iam wrong here, my memory is not what it was, but I seem to recall going to Ipswich after that Mansfield fixture. We were played off the park by I pswich, kept in the game by Shilton and snatched a winner through the legend that was Dave Goodwin. We deserved nothing, got a win and then Shilton buggered off. At the tender age of 12 I think I remember watching a team containing Alan Suddick and John Tudor and thinking oh dear or similar words and I think I was right
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Post by Deleted on Jun 22, 2018 9:48:38 GMT
No mate, it was when George Eastham lived on Ferndown Drive South in Clayton off Northwood lane GD Bet you rocked a lovely bit of Dralon in '77 dave That's a bit posh for Clayton Mr Momo GD
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Post by Davef on Jun 22, 2018 9:58:09 GMT
Apologies if Iam wrong here, my memory is not what it was, but I seem to recall going to Ipswich after that Mansfield fixture. We were played off the park by I pswich, kept in the game by Shilton and snatched a winner through the legend that was Dave Goodwin. We deserved nothing, got a win and then Shilton buggered off. At the tender age of 12 I think I remember watching a team containing Alan Suddick and John Tudor and thinking oh dear or similar words and I think I was right That was the year before. Ipswich was our only away win of the relegation season.
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c00kie
Academy Starlet
Posts: 178
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Post by c00kie on Jun 22, 2018 10:17:25 GMT
We did an article about the Mansfield match in the first Oatcake of last season... Field of Nightmares Mansfield Town v Stoke City, 20th August 1977
...
With George Eastham in charge, Stoke were still able to call on players like Denis Smith, Terry Conroy, Alan Dodd and Garth Crooks, but money was sparse and only midfielders Howard Kendall, Paul Richardson and forward Dave Gregory were added to the squad, using the cash accrued from the sales of John Mahoney and Geoff Salmons...
There's a bit of an error in that report in that Geoff Salmons hadn't yet been sold at the time of that Mansfield game, and in fact played in it. He had a particularly poor game as I remember, and it wasn't a surprise that he left the club soon after. Even though we were downcast after the events of the previous season, it was still a shock to see the team outplayed by Mansfield on the day. There will be plenty of "smaller" clubs this season who will be looking to give us the same treatment, of course.
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