Tony Ford

[madmickthe3rd]

Jun 28, 2019 6:44:13 GMT @lostintranslation said:

Jun 28, 2019 6:13:10 GMT madmickthe3rd said:

Tony Kelly!!! Now thats a whole new thread. The one we bought from Wigan aka Zico, was potentially one of the most gifted players we ever bought. Problem was he liked a pie or 3 did Tone.

The other Tony Kelly, who we plucked from Non League obscurity if memory serves me, was way out of his depth but will forever be remembered for nutmegging Bruce Grobbellar ( spelling? ) to score a late equaliser at Anfield on a wet Tuesday night in the league Cup in the Macari years! The only time I ever saw myself on tele in the crowd. I was wearing a well dodgy very bright yellow T shirt ( it was cool at the time...... I think ) just left of the goal near the front in the highlights if they still exist. Proud of that moment I was!

Ahhh cheers my friend. There I am. Handsome bugger if I say so myself.

I remember the goal machine also known as Paul Barnes was sat directly behind me at that game, in with the Stokies for some reason even though he was still a first team player.

[Gary Hackett]

One of the better players in that squad, didn't he play the occasional game at right back too?

[silsdenstokie]

Ford was a good utility player who scared his fair share of goals but never offered the flair of Adams (who he replaced) or Hackett (who took his place on the right)

Seem to recall him playing centre half against Millwall one and Cascarino giving him a tough time

[johnnypotter]

Tony Ford was a worker who could play as well, also, as others have alluded to, Tony had a great understanding with right back, Lee Dixon. His covering work allowed Dixon to forage forward.

[roxy37]

My two favourite stoke players
Tony Ford and Nigel Gleghorn

[thewonderstuff]

Just somehow stumbled across this on twitter!

Get Gazza off get Tony on!

[Deleted]

Jun 28, 2019 18:19:15 GMT silsdenstokie said:

Ford was a good utility player who scared his fair share of goals but never offered the flair of Adams (who he replaced) or Hackett (who took his place on the right)

Seem to recall him playing centre half against Millwall one and Cascarino giving him a tough time

I never really rated Hackett to be honest.

[Deleted]

Jun 28, 2019 6:39:29 GMT foxysgloves said:

Scored a Van Basten like volley at Shrewsbury in a 3-0 win when any win at Shrewsbury was as rare as rocking horse shit.

Very good player for us who was brilliant in the unbeaten run under Mills when we were hammering teams for fun.

Beat me to it. Didn't Mills once put the whole squad up for sale after one game apart from Tony Ford.

[xchpotter]

Jun 27, 2019 21:45:21 GMT lordb said:

Lee Dixon owes Ford a debt of gratitude.
Covered his marauding runs really well.

Do you know what, I was only thinking about this the other day with formations. Correct me if I'm wrong but in the days of Dixon and the John Butler we played a 4 4 2 didn't we? Yet it always seemed Dixon and Butler were often getting to the byline for crosses in and overlapping. In this day and age of wing backs I'm convinced those pair got forward far more in that 442 than whan we see in a system designed to allow wingbacks to do the same. Were those pair just good players or are our current lot really shit?

[Chewbacca the Wookie]

I liked Tony Ford. Pretty rapid if i remember right.

[lordb]

May 20, 2022 20:20:28 GMT xchpotter said:

Jun 27, 2019 21:45:21 GMT lordb said:

Lee Dixon owes Ford a debt of gratitude.
Covered his marauding runs really well.

Do you know what, I was only thinking about this the other day with formations. Correct me if I'm wrong but in the days of Dixon and the John Butler we played a 4 4 2 didn't we? Yet it always seemed Dixon and Butler were often getting to the byline for crosses in and overlapping. In this day and age of wing backs I'm convinced those pair got forward far more in that 442 than whan we see in a system designed to allow wingbacks to do the same. Were those pair just good players or are our current lot really shit?

Two cracking signings by Mills
Strange manager Mills
Think he would have made an excellent director of football but had zero motivational ability
Great eye for a player (mostly)

[questionable]

May 20, 2022 20:14:05 GMT @vincentvega said:

Jun 28, 2019 18:19:15 GMT silsdenstokie said:

Ford was a good utility player who scared his fair share of goals but never offered the flair of Adams (who he replaced) or Hackett (who took his place on the right)

Seem to recall him playing centre half against Millwall one and Cascarino giving him a tough time

I never really rated Hackett to be honest.

Neither did I, recall him looking like someone off Miami Vice with his barnet.

[foxysgloves]

May 20, 2022 20:16:43 GMT jesusmcmuffin said:

Jun 28, 2019 6:39:29 GMT foxysgloves said:

Scored a Van Basten like volley at Shrewsbury in a 3-0 win when any win at Shrewsbury was as rare as rocking horse shit.

Very good player for us who was brilliant in the unbeaten run under Mills when we were hammering teams for fun.

Beat me to it. Didn't Mills once put the whole squad up for sale after one game apart from Tony Ford.

Definitely rings a bell.

[Gary Hackett]

May 20, 2022 20:14:05 GMT @vincentvega said:

Jun 28, 2019 18:19:15 GMT silsdenstokie said:

Ford was a good utility player who scared his fair share of goals but never offered the flair of Adams (who he replaced) or Hackett (who took his place on the right)

Seem to recall him playing centre half against Millwall one and Cascarino giving him a tough time

I never really rated Hackett to be honest.

Go fuck yourself;-)

[callas12]

Thought he'd died or something then when saw this article be rekindled from 2019, especially when caught up and saw the pic of him in an England shirt!

The period where Tony Ford was playing for Stoke was the era where I probably look back most fondly of all my time following Stoke as was still a kid and still used to get that almighty buzz feeling when attending matches and seeing the Mighty Potters in action. It was the era where I couldn't get to every home match and it was a proper treat if my dad or uncle could get time off work to take me. But I did manage to watch the exciting period around that one winter time, the goal fest period we were treated to where we battered Leeds and Sheff Utd. Do recall beating Grimsby at home on the last game of the season where I think we won 5 or 6-0 & either condemn or cement them to relegation, can't remember if they'd already dropped by then or not. Ironically Fordy scored a goal against them in that match but he was so well liked amongst the Grimsby faithful they applauded his goal!

As someone has mentioned earlier on in the thread, Fordy was definitely a SJW type of player, rarely injured, could play anywhere, would always be the managers first name on the team sheet and would always give his absolute best to the shirt he represented.
Hadn't realised he went on to play for WBA for 2x more games than he played for us. Think it was Brian Talbot who took Ford to WBA after he left Stoke & later became their manager.

[Turkish Delight]

I remember him going in goal after Peter Fox got sent off in 1987 against Hull.

[stantheman]

Always played OK or really good. Solid, reliable and rarely missed a game. Only missed 1 league and Cup game in 2 seasons

[mickstupp]

May 21, 2022 10:24:34 GMT Turkish Delight said:

I remember him going in goal after Peter Fox got sent off in 1987 against Hull.

That was Tony Kelly.

[marylandstoke]

I guess this was my era as well.

You look at those clips and there are so many players I adored in those teams.

Now, meh.

[stantheman]

He also played a fair few games at right back, in the days where that would be the No. 2 shirt, so very versatile

[thestatusquo]

May 21, 2022 15:20:38 GMT stantheman said:

He also played a fair few games at right back, in the days where that would be the No. 2 shirt, so very versatile

Also played at centre half once!

[leicspotter]

Typical Ford...ran for ever

[teenagefanclub]

Sure he used to live in either Pipe Gate or Woore.