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Post by bloodtypered on Jan 18, 2020 10:52:26 GMT
What are the differences through the generations in how we support Stoke..... or are they the same?
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Post by bayernoatcake on Jan 18, 2020 10:56:46 GMT
Your OP shows there is.
You have the attitude he’s spoiled, he probably thinks it’s where we should be.
I hope he does anyway. That’s the attitude we need.
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Post by mickey4137 on Jan 18, 2020 11:00:02 GMT
The disparity in the cost to attend matches is a big one
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Post by bloodtypered on Jan 18, 2020 11:14:23 GMT
Your OP shows there is. You have the attitude he’s spoiled, he probably thinks it’s where we should be. I hope he does anyway. That’s the attitude we need. I think that too....but it is harder when you start having it all |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 18, 2020 11:21:47 GMT
A misty special.
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Post by stiggerstackle on Jan 18, 2020 11:26:05 GMT
We were shit when my habit began (80’s) and I saw the whole shitshow and rise to the top division. My lads are 4 and 5 and are just starting to get into it, and in a way I’m kind of glad they are starting when we are shit also, so they don’t grow up expecting premier league football by right.
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Post by Kenilworth_Stokies on Jan 18, 2020 12:02:55 GMT
There's the obvious experienced the Vic and standing up vs didn't experience it gap. You either remember crumbling rusty grounds and cheap entry or you only know souless expensive football.
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Post by Mr_DaftBurger on Jan 18, 2020 12:13:35 GMT
Your OP shows there is. You have the attitude he’s spoiled, he probably thinks it’s where we should be. I hope he does anyway. That’s the attitude we need. I used to think that too, in 1977, I soon learned it was shit!  |
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Post by bayernoatcake on Jan 18, 2020 12:14:25 GMT
Your OP shows there is. You have the attitude he’s spoiled, he probably thinks it’s where we should be. I hope he does anyway. That’s the attitude we need. I used to think that too, in 1977, I soon learned it was shit! We’ve spent more years in the top flight than out of it. It’s not shit at all. It’s where we should be but we don’t have that given right. |
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Post by Mr_DaftBurger on Jan 18, 2020 12:45:57 GMT
I used to think that too, in 1977, I soon learned it was shit! We’ve spent more years in the top flight than out of it. It’s not shit at all. It’s where we should be but we don’t have that given right. Not since 1977 we haven't! |
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Post by walrus on Jan 18, 2020 12:54:34 GMT
I’m in my late twenties. My earliest memories of supporting Stoke are of third tier drudgery but I was very lucky that I mostly grew up with Stoke on a pretty meteoric rise.
I feel like those early years of watching what’s now called League One football have given me more perspective and an ability to accept the rough with the smooth that I suspect may be missing in some fans just a few years younger.
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Post by somersetstokie on Jan 18, 2020 12:55:56 GMT
I would venture to suggest that what we have lost and what makes the difference is the sense of identity and belonging. In the "old days" (prefix "good" if you are over 50) you related totally to the culture of being a Stoke fan. You could go along to the matches, perhaps even on the spur of the moment, walk around, mingle and watch some football, and generally forget about the world for a while. You felt that you were a part of something and you belonged. That it was your club. There may even have been a sense of possession and ownership and you had a raport with the club that put you in the company of a select few, to the exclusion of outsiders who couldn't share your enthusiasm and belief.
Nowadays everything is so impersonal and contrived. A lot of the spontaneity and enjoyment has gone. Even planning a matchday visit and travelling to the game can be a major logistical exercise. And when you get there you tend to be resticted in what you do, where you can go, what you can eat, even what you can and can't shout. It is all very impersonal and you are no longer a "fan" but a customer, or at worst a statistic. Whereas in the past supporters could argue and gossip, without having a particular informed opinion, just for the fun of it. You could be right or wrong but it was just part of the game and few took it all seriously. Now every match and move is over analysed to the "nth" degree and technology seems to reign supreme.
I still support Stoke City. But what exactly am I supporting. At one time I could get up on a Saturday morning and think I'll go to the match, turn up at 3.15 and spend a happy hour or two watching Dobing and Eastham impressively display their skills, and then go to the pub and discuss the day. It was basically a bit of fun. Now the whole match day experience tends to be an expensive commercialised test of commitment, attitude and attention. Desperate results driven football, matches arranged or contrived to suit media schedules, compulsory and predictable post match interviews, poor control and controversial refereeing, concerns about FFP, impatient fans, poor transport and congested roads, intrusive social commentary and agendas, a whole load of unwanted baggage to be fair.
I watched Stoke in the 1960's and it is a surprise to me perhaps that I am still watching them. Certainly not because of the game as entertainment, but I think it is purely a matter of habbit and the need to follow "my club".
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Post by waffles on Jan 18, 2020 13:06:47 GMT
Ah,those good old days, Stoke being a warzone, ground literally falling down,we even had proper diseases like ricketts and scurvy, you had to work down the pits or 600 hours a week on a roasting hot pot bank to make ends meet,Jimmy saville, strikes, flares, how I miss them days.
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Post by 1982stokie on Jan 18, 2020 13:15:49 GMT
My first season going to games was the first season at the Brit I only ever went one game at the Vic as I had no one to take me. So I’ve seen about 50/50 good and shit. The main difference to me is we used to have a shit side put together on a shoe string, now we have a shit side put together for Millions. Football seems far more overhyped these days. I definitely think there is a big difference between supporters who were pre premier league and those who started during the premier years.
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Post by 1982stokie on Jan 18, 2020 13:18:17 GMT
I would venture to suggest that what we have lost and what makes the difference is the sense of identity and belonging. In the "old days" (prefix "good" if you are over 50) you related totally to the culture of being a Stoke fan. You could go along to the matches, perhaps even on the spur of the moment, walk around, mingle and watch some football, and generally forget about the world for a while. You felt that you were a part of something and you belonged. That it was your club. There may even have been a sense of possession and ownership and you had a raport with the club that put you in the company of a select few, to the exclusion of outsiders who couldn't share your enthusiasm and belief. Nowadays everything is so impersonal and contrived. A lot of the spontaneity and enjoyment has gone. Even planning a matchday visit and travelling to the game can be a major logistical exercise. And when you get there you tend to be resticted in what you do, where you can go, what you can eat, even what you can and can't shout. It is all very impersonal and you are no longer a "fan" but a customer, or at worst a statistic. Whereas in the past supporters could argue and gossip, without having a particular informed opinion, just for the fun of it. You could be right or wrong but it was just part of the game and few took it all seriously. Now every match and move is over analysed to the "nth" degree and technology seems to reign supreme. I still support Stoke City. But what exactly am I supporting. At one time I could get up on a Saturday morning and think I'll go to the match, turn up at 3.15 and spend a happy hour or two watching Dobing and Eastham impressively display their skills, and then go to the pub and discuss the day. It was basically a bit of fun. Now the whole match day experience tends to be an expensive commercialised test of commitment, attitude and attention. Desperate results driven football, matches arranged or contrived to suit media schedules, compulsory and predictable post match interviews, poor control and controversial refereeing, concerns about FFP, impatient fans, poor transport and congested roads, intrusive social commentary and agendas, a whole load of unwanted baggage to be fair. I watched Stoke in the 1960's and it is a surprise to me perhaps that I am still watching them. Certainly not because of the game as entertainment, but I think it is purely a matter of habbit and the need to follow "my club". Great post that. |
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Post by AlliG on Jan 18, 2020 13:21:56 GMT
There are a number of things that have changed dramatically over the years that come into play.
Football used to be cheap!
Pre-war my Dad lived in a street behind the old Stoke End of the ground and used to look after peoples bikes in his yard for 1d or 2d a go. Just after kick-off he would use the money collected to pay to get into the game and leave just before the end so that he could pretend he had been looking after the bikes all afternoon.
When he started to taken me at the start of the 1960s I would be regularly lifted over the turnstile.
Even when we paid it wasn't expensive. (For example I have my ticket for the FA Cup the Round match in 1972 at Old Trafford - price 15p!)
There was also very little other "entertainment" competing for our attention.
You would play school football in the morning, or go to the Saturday morning kids cinema shows and then onto the match on a Saturday afternoon. It was also an escape from going shopping with your Mum or getting under her feet at home. (I suspect my Mum was just as keen for me to go to the match as I was!)
Nowadays football is very expensive, it generally requires tickets to be brought and there are a million and one other things competing for the families attention.
I suspect I am the last of the line of Stoke (or even just football) fans in my family.
My parents had a child's season ticket in the family stand about 20 years ago so they could take any of their grandkids to the game. My nephew went to a few games but hasn't shown the slightest interest in football for 10+ years and neither of my sons have ever been to a match. (My oldest son might watch England in the World Cup with his mates down the pub but that is the limit of his interest).
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Post by lordb on Jan 18, 2020 14:04:24 GMT
I used to think that too, in 1977, I soon learned it was shit! We’ve spent more years in the top flight than out of it. It’s not shit at all. It’s where we should be but we don’t have that given right. 67 (I think) seasons in the top flight Tim Gallimore argued we should always be stop 30 club, I agree with that. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 18, 2020 14:12:08 GMT
We’ve spent more years in the top flight than out of it. It’s not shit at all. It’s where we should be but we don’t have that given right. 67 (I think) seasons in the top flight Tim Gallimore argued we should always be stop 30 club, I agree with that. If all teams were put in order of time spent in the top flight I believe we would be 20th, so rock bottom of the top division..... |
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Post by somersetstokie on Jan 18, 2020 14:13:27 GMT
Ah,those good old days, Stoke being a warzone, ground literally falling down,we even had proper diseases like ricketts and scurvy, you had to work down the pits or 600 hours a week on a roasting hot pot bank to make ends meet,Jimmy saville, strikes, flares, how I miss them days. I miss the "pots and pits" culture. They were hard times but we were happy!  NB. kick off times arranged to suit the local Pottery workers, not the demands of Sky Television or whomever |
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Post by somersetstokie on Jan 18, 2020 14:26:44 GMT
AlliG: When he started to taken me at the start of the 1960s I would be regularly lifted over the turnstile.
I had forgotten about that. ie Kids being lifted over the Turnstile. It was an accepted thing, but funnily enough I never thought about it as an admission charge dodge, but probably thought it was to avoid personal injury/difficulty for the kid or summat.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 18, 2020 14:45:27 GMT
AlliG: When he started to taken me at the start of the 1960s I would be regularly lifted over the turnstile. I had forgotten about that. ie Kids being lifted over the Turnstile. It was an accepted thing, but funnily enough I never thought about it as an admission charge dodge, but probably thought it was to avoid personal injury/difficulty for the kid or summat. Kids also used to crawl under the turnstile. When they grew too big for that, the security man used to lift them over. |
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Post by mrcoke on Jan 18, 2020 14:54:34 GMT
Ahhh! The good old days.
Playing in air raid shelters, marl holes, the tanks in Apedale.
Fishing for sticklebacks, collecting frog spawn, catching newts.
Getting in to the Vic free, when the big gates were opened about half past 4 and watching the last quarter of the game.
A ground with hardly any adverts, freezing cold (that hasn't changed), breathing other people's exhaled smoke, watching the half-time scores being put out by hand, standing wherever you wanted.
Watching proper tackles, ballet on a mud patch, and listening to cries of "Waddington out!" in the late 60s.
The thrill of buying Greenhoff, bringing back "Big John", Banksy, Smithy, Bluto, Conroy charging down the wing like a startled gazelle, rounded off by Huddy.
FA Cup semis, League Cup victory, 5th place finishes.
Yes there is a generation gap and I feel sorry for the younger generation. I feel like I'm paying for it now.
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Post by somersetstokie on Jan 18, 2020 14:58:32 GMT
Just put my cloth flat cap on to recreate the memories!
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Post by Vadiation_Ribe on Jan 18, 2020 15:03:42 GMT
Your OP shows there is. You have the attitude he’s spoiled, he probably thinks it’s where we should be. I hope he does anyway. That’s the attitude we need. That's the attitude that didn't get us promoted last season. |
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Post by waffles on Jan 18, 2020 15:49:33 GMT
Ah,those good old days, Stoke being a warzone, ground literally falling down,we even had proper diseases like ricketts and scurvy, you had to work down the pits or 600 hours a week on a roasting hot pot bank to make ends meet,Jimmy saville, strikes, flares, how I miss them days. I miss the "pots and pits" culture. They were hard times but we were happy! NB. kick off times arranged to suit the local Pottery workers, not the demands of Sky Television or whomever We were young😀 |
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Post by chigstoke on Jan 18, 2020 15:59:27 GMT
I’m in my late twenties. My earliest memories of supporting Stoke are of third tier drudgery but I was very lucky that I mostly grew up with Stoke on a pretty meteoric rise. I feel like those early years of watching what’s now called League One football have given me more perspective and an ability to accept the rough with the smooth that I suspect may be missing in some fans just a few years younger. Early twenties for me. First match I was taken to was our 1-0 win over Valencia in pre season 2004/5, hooked since then. Next match I went that season was the victory over Ipswich which took us to top of the league for about a week, monumental heights We had a cracking start to the season really. Memories of binary football and Boskamp madness for me before promotion, I've seen just enough shit football and losses before the promotion to take the rough we have now, mind you I didn't think we'd be this low! |
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Post by trincostokie on Jan 18, 2020 16:47:21 GMT
I would venture to suggest that what we have lost and what makes the difference is the sense of identity and belonging. In the "old days" (prefix "good" if you are over 50) you related totally to the culture of being a Stoke fan. You could go along to the matches, perhaps even on the spur of the moment, walk around, mingle and watch some football, and generally forget about the world for a while. You felt that you were a part of something and you belonged. That it was your club. There may even have been a sense of possession and ownership and you had a raport with the club that put you in the company of a select few, to the exclusion of outsiders who couldn't share your enthusiasm and belief. Nowadays everything is so impersonal and contrived. A lot of the spontaneity and enjoyment has gone. Even planning a matchday visit and travelling to the game can be a major logistical exercise. And when you get there you tend to be resticted in what you do, where you can go, what you can eat, even what you can and can't shout. It is all very impersonal and you are no longer a "fan" but a customer, or at worst a statistic. Whereas in the past supporters could argue and gossip, without having a particular informed opinion, just for the fun of it. You could be right or wrong but it was just part of the game and few took it all seriously. Now every match and move is over analysed to the "nth" degree and technology seems to reign supreme. I still support Stoke City. But what exactly am I supporting. At one time I could get up on a Saturday morning and think I'll go to the match, turn up at 3.15 and spend a happy hour or two watching Dobing and Eastham impressively display their skills, and then go to the pub and discuss the day. It was basically a bit of fun. Now the whole match day experience tends to be an expensive commercialised test of commitment, attitude and attention. Desperate results driven football, matches arranged or contrived to suit media schedules, compulsory and predictable post match interviews, poor control and controversial refereeing, concerns about FFP, impatient fans, poor transport and congested roads, intrusive social commentary and agendas, a whole load of unwanted baggage to be fair. I watched Stoke in the 1960's and it is a surprise to me perhaps that I am still watching them. Certainly not because of the game as entertainment, but I think it is purely a matter of habbit and the need to follow "my club". Superb post, Somerset! |
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Post by bayernoatcake on Jan 18, 2020 16:55:13 GMT
Your OP shows there is. You have the attitude he’s spoiled, he probably thinks it’s where we should be. I hope he does anyway. That’s the attitude we need. That's the attitude that didn't get us promoted last season. I disagree. We didn’t get promoter because we’re run by a bunch of useless bastards. Nothing to with the attitude of fans. |
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Post by daviddunn on Jan 18, 2020 17:27:26 GMT
Following Stoke from 1970 aged 10 because of Banks ,started going down to matches in early 90s 360mile round trip made friends with lads in Gardeners ,used to get up on a Saturday morning ring them let them know I was on my way those who couldn't make the pub knew where we stood on the Boothen end often had a few drinks before game shouted it off at the match then drove home ,sometimes got lifts of other Stoke fans up in NE ,now it's not the same can't reallytravel down on speck and can't get sit with mates unless you make arrangements well in advance so end up sitting with strangers etc and the 365 is a bit soulless compared with the Vic so rarely travel down now to much hassle and drinking before the game isn't socially acceptable any more and rightly so as regards driving later
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Post by somersetstokie on Jan 18, 2020 17:35:08 GMT
Does your keyboard have a full stop?  |
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