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Post by smallthorner on Apr 3, 2024 20:29:42 GMT
16,000... Amazing isn't it? In a few weeks we would probably get 45,000 against Man Poo. I think it was about 28,000. We did get a 40k + crowd against them sometime in that era didn't we ?? |
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Post by march4 on Apr 3, 2024 21:04:43 GMT
I think it was about 28,000. We did get a 40k + crowd against them sometime in that era didn't we ?? In the previous cup games, we had huge crowds. |
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Post by march4 on Apr 6, 2024 10:35:03 GMT
Another home game, this time against an impressive young Burnley team was our latest game at the Victoria Ground. 19,000 folk saw us line up; - Farmer, Marsh, Pejic, Bloor, Smith, Skeels, Robertson, Greenhoff, Ritchie, Hudson, Mahoney. Sub; - Hurst. After an even opening, on the half hour, our new England international, Mike Pejic burst into the box and was clumsily brought down. Big John made no mistake from the penalty spot. Four minutes later, Greenhoff, pounced on a defensive mistake and Stoke were 2 up. In the second half, we continued to attack and Hudson made it 3-0 with a 70th minute pile driver into the top corner from long distance. And just before the end Robertson was brought down and Ritchie scored his second from the penalty spot. An impressive 4-0 victory against a decent team has moved us up to 8th place in the table. The Sentinel print an interview with John Ritchie in which he talks about his contract ending once the season is over. It also highlights his goalscoring consistency especially as now it is Greenhoff who is chasing back into midfield when we lose possession. The club clarify two days later that Ritchie's contract does indeed end in June but that they have an option to extend it by a further two years. The article also mentions Stoke are likely to sign Franny Lee in the close season. The squad are all headed to Southport for a break before the hectic Easter programme - 3 games in 4 days. TC is likely to join them as he continues his recovery from injury. On June 5th, Stoke move out to Cyprus for an 8 team international tournament. The Sentinel letters page points out that Stoke have scored more goals than title challengers Liverpool and the conclusion drawn is that it is our defence who are our weakness. There are also letters defending Dodd, Greenhoff and Hurst who are all victims of the boo boys and are frequently barracked during games. Meanwhile in Brighton, Abba win the Eurovision Song Contest.  |
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Post by march4 on Apr 6, 2024 10:38:43 GMT
Here is the table as we roar up the league.  |
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Post by Veritas on Apr 6, 2024 10:56:23 GMT
Another home game, this time against an impressive young Burnley team was our latest game at the Victoria Ground. 19,000 folk saw us line up; - Farmer, Marsh, Pejic, Bloor, Smith, Skeels, Robertson, Greenhoff, Ritchie, Hudson, Mahoney. Sub; - Hurst. After an even opening, on the half hour, our new England international, Mike Pejic burst into the box and was clumsily brought down. Big John made no mistake from the penalty spot. Four minutes later, Greenhoff, pounced on a defensive mistake and Stoke were 2 up. In the second half, we continued to attack and Hudson made it 3-0 with a 70th minute pile driver into the top corner from long distance. And just before the end Robertson was brought down and Ritchie scored his second from the penalty spot. An impressive 4-0 victory against a decent team has moved us up to 8th place in the table. The Sentinel print an interview with John Ritchie in which he talks about his contract ending once the season is over. It also highlights his goalscoring consistency especially as now it is Greenhoff who is chasing back into midfield when we lose possession. The club clarify two days later that Ritchie's contract does indeed end in June but that they have an option to extend it by a further two years. The article also mentions Stoke are likely to sign Franny Lee in the close season. The squad are all headed to Southport for a break before the hectic Easter programme - 3 games in 4 days. TC is likely to join them as he continues his recovery from injury. On June 5th, Stoke move out to Cyprus for an 8 team international tournament. The Sentinel letters page points out that Stoke have scored more goals than title challengers Liverpool and the conclusion drawn is that it is our defence who are our weakness. There are also letters defending Dodd, Greenhoff and Hurst who are all victims of the boo boys and are frequently barracked during games. Meanwhile in Brighton, Abba win the Eurovision Song Contest. View AttachmentGreenhoff a target for the boo boys! We had some thick ''supporters'' back then, somethings never change. |
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Post by march4 on Apr 6, 2024 10:59:05 GMT
Another home game, this time against an impressive young Burnley team was our latest game at the Victoria Ground. 19,000 folk saw us line up; - Farmer, Marsh, Pejic, Bloor, Smith, Skeels, Robertson, Greenhoff, Ritchie, Hudson, Mahoney. Sub; - Hurst. After an even opening, on the half hour, our new England international, Mike Pejic burst into the box and was clumsily brought down. Big John made no mistake from the penalty spot. Four minutes later, Greenhoff, pounced on a defensive mistake and Stoke were 2 up. In the second half, we continued to attack and Hudson made it 3-0 with a 70th minute pile driver into the top corner from long distance. And just before the end Robertson was brought down and Ritchie scored his second from the penalty spot. An impressive 4-0 victory against a decent team has moved us up to 8th place in the table. The Sentinel print an interview with John Ritchie in which he talks about his contract ending once the season is over. It also highlights his goalscoring consistency especially as now it is Greenhoff who is chasing back into midfield when we lose possession. The club clarify two days later that Ritchie's contract does indeed end in June but that they have an option to extend it by a further two years. The article also mentions Stoke are likely to sign Franny Lee in the close season. The squad are all headed to Southport for a break before the hectic Easter programme - 3 games in 4 days. TC is likely to join them as he continues his recovery from injury. On June 5th, Stoke move out to Cyprus for an 8 team international tournament. The Sentinel letters page points out that Stoke have scored more goals than title challengers Liverpool and the conclusion drawn is that it is our defence who are our weakness. There are also letters defending Dodd, Greenhoff and Hurst who are all victims of the boo boys and are frequently barracked during games. Meanwhile in Brighton, Abba win the Eurovision Song Contest. View AttachmentGreenhoff a target for the boo boys! We had some thick ''supporters'' back then, somethings never change. He was a victim of them for around 5 years. |
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Post by Veritas on Apr 6, 2024 11:02:18 GMT
Greenhoff a target for the boo boys! We had some thick ''supporters'' back then, somethings never change. He was a victim of them for around 5 years. I was there then as a 14 year old and can't remember it, although I always looked at Greenhoff through rose tinted spectacles which may have blurred my recollections. |
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Post by Mr_DaftBurger on Apr 6, 2024 11:18:03 GMT
Greenhoff a target for the boo boys! We had some thick ''supporters'' back then, somethings never change. He was a victim of them for around 5 years. There was a certain amount of blondism back then! Blonde forwards weren't seen as tough or hard working as dark haired players! Ian Moores suffered with discrimination as well! Also hair length was still a factor in people's perceptions! |
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Post by march4 on Apr 6, 2024 11:47:31 GMT
He was a victim of them for around 5 years. There was a certain amount of blondism back then! Blonde forwards weren't seen as tough or hard working as dark haired players! Ian Moores suffered with discrimination as well! Also hair length was still a factor in people's perceptions! Transfer fee was another ‘issue’ some folk had with Greenhoff. Dobing and Vernon had issues with the boo boys too. It was as bad then as it is now. On the subject of blond strikers, Chapman suffered terrible barracking in spite of his excellent scoring record. |
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Post by lordb on Apr 6, 2024 11:49:05 GMT
There was a certain amount of blondism back then! Blonde forwards weren't seen as tough or hard working as dark haired players! Ian Moores suffered with discrimination as well! Also hair length was still a factor in people's perceptions! Transfer fee was another ‘issue’ some folk had with Greenhoff. Dobing and Vernon had issues with the boo boys too. It was as bad then as it is now. No doubt Matthews was lazy, Franklin not dirty enough and Steele too greedy |
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Post by march4 on Apr 6, 2024 11:50:37 GMT
Transfer fee was another ‘issue’ some folk had with Greenhoff. Dobing and Vernon had issues with the boo boys too. It was as bad then as it is now. No doubt Matthews was lazy, Franklin not dirty enough and Steele too greedy There’s always at least one player they pick on. |
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Post by ihaveadream on Apr 8, 2024 12:29:58 GMT
Another home game, this time against an impressive young Burnley team was our latest game at the Victoria Ground. 19,000 folk saw us line up; - Farmer, Marsh, Pejic, Bloor, Smith, Skeels, Robertson, Greenhoff, Ritchie, Hudson, Mahoney. Sub; - Hurst. After an even opening, on the half hour, our new England international, Mike Pejic burst into the box and was clumsily brought down. Big John made no mistake from the penalty spot. Four minutes later, Greenhoff, pounced on a defensive mistake and Stoke were 2 up. In the second half, we continued to attack and Hudson made it 3-0 with a 70th minute pile driver into the top corner from long distance. And just before the end Robertson was brought down and Ritchie scored his second from the penalty spot. An impressive 4-0 victory against a decent team has moved us up to 8th place in the table. The Sentinel print an interview with John Ritchie in which he talks about his contract ending once the season is over. It also highlights his goalscoring consistency especially as now it is Greenhoff who is chasing back into midfield when we lose possession. The club clarify two days later that Ritchie's contract does indeed end in June but that they have an option to extend it by a further two years. The article also mentions Stoke are likely to sign Franny Lee in the close season. The squad are all headed to Southport for a break before the hectic Easter programme - 3 games in 4 days. TC is likely to join them as he continues his recovery from injury. On June 5th, Stoke move out to Cyprus for an 8 team international tournament. The Sentinel letters page points out that Stoke have scored more goals than title challengers Liverpool and the conclusion drawn is that it is our defence who are our weakness. There are also letters defending Dodd, Greenhoff and Hurst who are all victims of the boo boys and are frequently barracked during games. Meanwhile in Brighton, Abba win the Eurovision Song Contest. View AttachmentGreenhoff a target for the boo boys! We had some thick ''supporters'' back then, somethings never change. The boo boys today are probably the grandchildern of the boo boys then |
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Post by ihaveadream on Apr 8, 2024 12:32:52 GMT
On the day of Eurovision Man Utd were close to meeting their Waterloo |
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Post by spitthedog on Apr 8, 2024 19:27:15 GMT
He was a victim of them for around 5 years. There was a certain amount of blondism back then! Blonde forwards weren't seen as tough or hard working as dark haired players! Ian Moores suffered with discrimination as well! Also hair length was still a factor in people's perceptions! This is true. I remember Alan Whittle and I think Alan Birchenall used to get a bit of booing. Both blonde. They used to get wolf whistled implying that they were effeminate because of their hair. Bizarre really. |
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Post by ihaveadream on Apr 9, 2024 11:52:08 GMT
It seems that people have a negative perception of blondes of both genders
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Post by march4 on Apr 9, 2024 16:47:50 GMT
There was a certain amount of blondism back then! Blonde forwards weren't seen as tough or hard working as dark haired players! Ian Moores suffered with discrimination as well! Also hair length was still a factor in people's perceptions! This is true. I remember Alan Whittle and I think Alan Birchenall used to get a bit of booing. Both blonde. They used to get wolf whistled implying that they were effeminate because of their hair. Bizarre really. Alun Evans was another victim. |
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Post by stayingupforbigbazza on Apr 9, 2024 17:39:53 GMT
I preferred the blonde Agnetha in ABBA..❤️❤️🤩🤩 She never got booed...
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Post by jesusmcmuffin on Apr 9, 2024 18:06:23 GMT
There was a certain amount of blondism back then! Blonde forwards weren't seen as tough or hard working as dark haired players! Ian Moores suffered with discrimination as well! Also hair length was still a factor in people's perceptions! This is true. I remember Alan Whittle and I think Alan Birchenall used to get a bit of booing. Both blonde. They used to get wolf whistled implying that they were effeminate because of their hair. Bizarre really. Alan Biley was the man Some even had an Alan Biley do in their youth...not me of course...well maybe |
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Post by march4 on Apr 13, 2024 10:36:10 GMT
A busy Easter weekend faced our squad with three games in 4 days, beginning at St Andrew's against a Birmingham team struggling at the wrong end of the table. We had the bonus of Birmingham playing yesterday (Good Friday) so our players should be fitter. Stoke, of course, didn't play home games on Good Friday as the Victoria Ground had been built on previously consecrated ground. We lined up; - Farmer, Marsh, Pejic, Bloor, Smith, Skeels, Robertson, Greenhoff, Ritchie, Hudson, Hurst. Sub; - Dodd. John Mahoney was missing with a ligament injury. Birmingham had 21 corners in this game compared to our 2 and John Farmer was man of the match. That probably tells the tale of the game as our patchy away form continues. As the music hall joke goes, 'Stoke were lucky to get nill' and if it hadn't been for Farmer's Banksie impression and Smith and Marsh throwing themselves in front of shots repeatedly we would have faced defeat. John Ritchie also impressed with his goalkeeping, tipping the ball away from an onrushing forward with the referee thankfully unsighted. Nevertheless, we escaped with a 0-0 draw although that saw us slip a place in the table. Howard Kendall had an impressive gave for the hosts. A newspaper article looks again at the collapsed Ritchie sale to Preston. In the 10 games since, Ritchie has scored 7 and assisted with 3 goals. That has given us the 6 points that have dragged us out of relegation trouble. Meanwhile in Division 2, Preston have hardly scored a goal and need a miracle to stay up. Preston manager, Bobby Charlton looks like losing his job, which must be doubly irking as his brother Jack has already secured promotion and top spot at Middlesbrough. Meanwhile, Peter Osgood, is still to score a goal for Southampton, who have won only once since he joined and are now anxiously looking over their shoulders. At the top of our division, neither Leeds nor Liverpool seem to want the title. After losing to Stoke, Leeds have barely won a game and the title appeared to be Liverpool's for the taking, but now they have the same jitters - drawn 2 and lost 1 of their 3 games in hand. Next up is a double header with Leicester on successive days - the Football League decided it would be a good idea if clubs played each other twice over Easter this season!  |
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Post by march4 on Apr 15, 2024 17:13:28 GMT
A 21,000 crowd saw us turn out at home to Leicester on Easter Monday with the return fixture to be played tomorrow. We lined up; Farmer, Marsh, Pejic, Bloor, Smith, Skeels, Robertson, Hurst, Ritchie, Hudson, Mahoney. Sub; - Dodd. Leicester, locked on the same number of points as Stoke, included; Shilton and Worthington. Greenhoff missed out with an ankle injury and Farmer defied logic by playing with a thigh strain plus a badly bruised ankle (his deputy, Mike McDonald still had his broken finger in plaster) and Stoke only had the amateur player Alcock or retired coach Banks to call on as an alternative. Our Easter hangover continued and we made very heavy going of a game that could push us closer to European qualification. In the first half, Ritchie and Robertson both had half chances but Shilton's goal wasn't truly threatened. In the second half, it was Leicester's turn to press. On three occasions they had the ball in the net only for the linesman's flag to rule them out for offside. Then a fine shot from Samuels hit the post before Farmer foiled the same player. Leicester's efforts faded following a clash between Smith and Weller after which the latter left the pitch with concussion. With the game heading for a goalless stalemate, the crowd were treated to one of those surreal moments as Hurst showed them a rerun of his hat-trick goal in the World Cup Final. Pejic lofted the ball forward for Hurst to hit an unstoppable rocket into the top corner from the edge of the box. We had won 1-0 and were back up to 8th place in the table. Following the game, Waddo was asked if we had any injury doubts for tomorrow's game and his reply was that every player was a doubt with an injury of some sort. The next line up could be interesting. FIFA have announced that in spite of England not qualifying for the World Cup Finals, all 300,000 copies of the official tournament programme have been sold in this country and a further 500,000 are to be printed.  |
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Post by premieraj on Apr 15, 2024 17:15:48 GMT
A 21,000 crowd saw us turn out at home to Leicester on Easter Monday with the return fixture to be played tomorrow. We lined up; Farmer, Marsh, Pejic, Bloor, Smith, Skeels, Robertson, Hurst, Ritchie, Hudson, Mahoney. Sub; - Dodd. Leicester, locked on the same number of points as Stoke, included; Shilton and Worthington. Greenhoff missed out with an ankle injury and Farmer defied logic by playing with a thigh strain plus a badly bruised ankle (his deputy, Mike McDonald still had his broken finger in plaster) and Stoke only had the amateur player Alcock or retired coach Banks to call on as an alternative. Our Easter hangover continued and we made very heavy going of a game that could push us closer to European qualification. In the first half, Ritchie and Robertson both had half chances but Shilton's goal wasn't truly threatened. In the second half, it was Leicester's turn to press. On three occasions they had the ball in the net only for the linesman's flag to rule them out for offside. Then a fine shot from Samuels hit the post before Farmer foiled the same player. Leicester's efforts faded following a clash between Smith and Weller after which the latter left the pitch with concussion. With the game heading for a goalless stalemate, the crowd were treated to one of those surreal moments as Hurst showed them a rerun of his hat-trick goal in the World Cup Final. Pejic lofted the ball forward for Hurst to hit an unstoppable rocket into the top corner from the edge of the box. We had won 1-0 and were back up to 8th place in the table. Following the game, Waddo was asked if we had any injury doubts for tomorrow's game and his reply was that every player was a doubt with an injury of some sort. The next line up could be interesting. FIFA have announced that in spite of England not qualifying for the World Cup Finals, all 300,000 copies of the official tournament programme have been sold in this country and a further 500,000 are to be printed. [attachment id="17345" thumbnail="1" Wow great memories thank you! |
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Post by march4 on Apr 16, 2024 15:52:30 GMT
Easter Tuesday and the wisdom of the Football League has produced the reverse fixtures of yesterday's games. For us, that means a visit to Filbert Street with both Stoke and Leicester offering late fitness tests to pretty much every player. We eventually lined up; - Farmer, Marsh, Pejic, Dodd, Smith, Bloor, Robertson, Hurst, Moores, Hudson, Haslegrave. Sub; - Conroy. A debut for 19 year old Ian Moores and a return from a long injury lay off for TC. In front of 21,000, this was Stoke's best display of the Easter holiday season. The youngsters added some energy and spirit as they sought to prove themselves. In the opening 15 minutes, Haslegrave, Robertson and Hurst all went close before Worthington put the home team ahead with a well crafted free kick. Still Stoke pressed and our reward came on the half hour as Moores nodded on a Pejic cross and Hurst volleyed the ball home. 1-1 at half time and the second half became a war of attrition. TC replaced an ailing Robertson and with Hurst, Dodd, Marsh, Smith and Bloor all limping we managed to hang on for a well deserved draw in spite of a poor back pass from Dodd that was smothered by an alert Farmer. We have now reached 40 points for the first time in a while. Pej has again been called up to the England squad. In the USA, a district judge, orders President Nixon to release 64 tape recordings that were considered pertinent to the Watergate enquiry.  |
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Post by march4 on Apr 20, 2024 10:45:53 GMT
20,000 fans saw us welcome Spurs to the Victoria Ground as our quest for European football advanced. We lined up; - Farmer, Marsh, Pejic, Bloor, Smith, Skeels, Robertson, Greenhoff, Ritchie, Hudson, Haslegrave. Sub; - Dodd. Spurs included; - Jennings, England, Coates, Perryman and Chivers. We played well throughout this game, always looking the most likely to score. Haslegrave played to man mark Ralph Coates, but even with this extra attention, Coates dominated Hudson in the middle of the park. However, when we attacked, Coates didn't track Haslegrave, thus giving the Stoke man a number of opportunities that were well saved by Jennings. We put in a 10 minute spell of sustained pressure just before half-time and a Greenhoff cross was beautifully glanced home by Haslegrave. The second half was a pretty similar affair. Again Haslegrave was left to marvel at Jennings' prowess before a Pejic blockbuster was somehow palmed away by the keeper. With the final whistle beckoning, Farmer was finally called into action, blocking a shot from Pratt before seeing a free header from Neighbour sail over the bar. A deserved 1-0 victory and we are now up to 6th in the table. We have 2 defeats in the last 21 games. It is unlikely that 6th place will get us to Europe. Indeed, only an unlikely 3rd place would guarantee a spot. Wolves are already there having won the League Cup. If Liverpool win the FA Cup then they will go to the Cup Winners' Cup and an extra UEFA place will become available. However, Spurs have reached the final of this year's UEFA Cup and if they win it, then they will take one of the English UEFA places for next season. So, Stoke need to finish 5th and hope Liverpool win the FA Cup and Spurs lose in the final of the UEFA Cup. The Sentinel letters are criticising Waddo again. First for not offering Ritchie a lengthy contract and secondly for supporting a proposal that away victories should be worth 3 points. Considering our poor away form, this would be counterproductive. After the game, Stoke supporters held a celebratory dinner for Pejic to commemorate his England selection. An interesting story caught my eye about a Leeds supporter who was accused in court of trying to sell 7 football programmes worth 56p. An official programme seller told the court that he was jostled by a group of Leeds fans and some of his programmes fell to the floor. These were stolen by a number of the fans. The Leeds supporter in the dock was accused of trying to sell 7 programmes to other supporters. He was found guilty and sent to prison for 3 months.  |
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Post by robwahlmann on Apr 20, 2024 10:47:13 GMT
I started supporting this club!  |
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Post by march4 on Apr 27, 2024 10:04:49 GMT
Today should have been the last day of the league season but postponements (and the 3 day week) have a left a handful of games still to be played. However, the top and bottom of the table could well be resolved this afternoon. We faced a crucial game away at Chelsea with our European hopes still alive. Marsh was out with 'flu, so we lined up; - Farmer, Dodd, Pejic, Bloor, Smith, Skeels, Robertson, Greenhoff, Ritchie, Hudson, Haslegrave. Sub; - Hurst. Chelsea was a terrible ground to visit with a half finished stand and poor facilities. A season ticket cost double the price at Stoke. Dave Sexton had ripped apart their successful team of previous years, being forced to field three 18 year olds (including the Wilkins brothers) and although they had just escaped relegation this season by a point, it would not be long before they slid through the trapdoor. Only 17,000 turned up for this game and quite a few of those were Stokies. This was Huddy's big return to his previous stomping ground and he was nervous beforehand especially as he was given plenty of barracking during the game. He remarked afterwards that his nerves lasted about 20 minutes until he realised none of his mates were playing for Chelsea. Once Huddy started to play the quality of Stoke's team shone through and this was a chastening encounter for Chelsea who quite simply couldn't get near the ball. Just after half-time a Pejic blockbuster was turned aside by keeper, Phillips. Robertson collected the ball and swung over a cross which Smith nodded to an unmarked Hudson on the edge of the box. Huddy controlled the ball on his chest before hitting a perfect shot into the net. A great goal which the former Chelsea man marked by running across to the West Stand and waving his fist at them. And that was that. A regulation 1-0 victory for Stoke against a struggling side. We have one game left on Monday (another memorable event) and victory there would see us sneak above Burnley on goal average and into 5th place. Huddy noted afterwards that the winning goal was payback for not getting the portion of his transfer he felt he should have received from Chelsea. April 27th 1974, has gone down in urban folklore as the day Denis Law relegated Manchester United with a back heel in front of the Stretford End playing for Manchester City. This is not entirely correct. The Red Devils needed to win their two remaining games and hope the teams around them lost all of their remaining games to stand any chance of staying up. Had Law not scored, they would have still been relegated on that day as they hadn't won. Anyway, Birmingham won and West Ham drew with Liverpool so ManU were well and truly relegated before Law's intervention. The West Ham result, confirmed Leeds as champions, but it also dropped Southampton into the bottom 3 for the first time this season and consequently relegated them. What a terrible shame for Peter Osgood, he could have been spearheading Stoke's charge up the table but instead he has failed to score for a club who have now gone down. Or was it a lucky miss for Stoke as Osgood never regained the standards he had set at Chelsea?  |
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Post by march4 on Apr 29, 2024 20:39:09 GMT
And so tonight, we played possibly the most controversial game that the Victoria Ground would ever witness. On Saturday, ManU were relegated in the midst of a riot that caused the players to leave the pitch after 85 minutes, never to return. Now the press were predicting worse would happen in their final league game at Stoke. I had stood on the Stoke End for years against all opposition, as had my Dad, uncles, Grandad and Great Grandad, but tonight my Dad refused to go and I stood on the Boothen End with a family friend. Depending on which paper you read, the Manchester Utd supporters were described as 'louts' and 'hooligans'. Dozens of shops in Stoke were smashed up and the police confiscated a horrifying array of weapons, including knives, hammers, chisels, coshes, screwdrivers and sharpened pieces of metal. A train was set on fire at Longport, 4 people were hospitalised and the police reported that there were dozens of fights inside and outside the ground. As the players entered the field of play, the police formed a barrier across the front of the Stoke End to stop a pitch invasion. After the game, MPs demanded the Home Secretary make a statement about the events. And yet this was a crucial game for us, one we had to win if we were to stand any chance of sneaking into Europe. Against a backdrop of bonfires on the Stoke End, we lined up; - Farmer, Dodd, Pejic, Bloor, Smith, Skeels, Robertson, Greenhoff, Ritchie, Hudson, Haslegrave. Sub; - Hurst. ManU included Brian Greenhoff, Lou Macari and Sammy McIlroy in front of 27,000 people. In the first half, we attacked towards the Stoke End. We were a class above our opponents, but events off the pitch were clearly affecting both teams. After 20 minutes, Haslegrave lobbed the ball over Alex Stepney as the keeper ran off his line and Ritchie scored with a tap in. The game was pretty much a stalemate until half-time but in the second period events on the Stoke End worsened. The police had now had enough of the fighting and bonfires and periodically charged the Manchester supporters with their dogs. John Farmer was supposed to be guarding our goal but he steadily moved up the field until he was nearly at the half way line by the time the game ended. The second half was pretty much played close to the Boothen End with none of the players seemingly wishing to go to the other end of the pitch. Brian Greenhoff did try a couple of speculative shots but that was pretty much all the Red Devils could muster. Ritchie went close with a header and Pejic forced a fine save from Stepney. Goodness knows how many minutes were played in that second half but the players and officials disappeared up the tunnel pretty quickly when the final whistle sounded. After the game a shocked and angry Waddo said: 'when a crowd can influence players in their performances then you have a serious situation developing'. He continued: 'The game is reaching a crisis point and I feel that young people who enjoy violence for its own sake should be treated in the only way they understand. Those who live by the sword should suffer by the sword'. Local MPs were also angry, demanding to know who was going to pay for the extensive police operation. After this 1-0 win, we have now lost only 2 games in the final 23 matches of the season and we finish the season in 5th place. We have to hope Liverpool win the FA Cup and Spurs lose in the UEFA cup final to claim a place in Europe next season.  |
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Post by lawrieleslie on Apr 30, 2024 7:02:44 GMT
A busier week saw us welcome FA Cup finalists Newcastle to the Victoria Ground. With Pej away on England duty, we had a bit of a defensive crisis with Marsh and Smith facing late fitness tests and Bloor still inching towards match fitness after his injury lay-off. In front of 16,000 people, we lined up, Farmer, Marsh, Dodd, Bloor, Smith, Skeels, Robertson, Greenhoff, Ritchie, Hudson, Mahoney. Sub; - Hurst. Smith and Marsh were clearly struggling straight from kick off and it was no surprise when Tudor shot Newcastle into an early lead with a superb overhead kick. We rejigged our formation with Skeels dropping deeper and we began to grow into the game. A 23rd minute Hudson free-kick was headed back across goal and Greenhoff nipped in to equalise. It was nip and tuck for the rest of the half with one of the most entertaining games of the season developing. The second half started similarly and Greenhoff hit the post with an angled drive. Unfortunately, Dodd was continually barracked every time he went near the ball but he persevered, supporting our injured defenders at every opportunity. On the hour, a speculative 35 yard shot from Mahoney went straight to the Newcastle keeper Iam McFaul who inexplicably spooned it into his own net. We were ahead, but with our struggling players, it was one way traffic with Newcastle hitting the woodwork, forcing Farmer into a series of fine saves and Dodd heading off the line. Then our visitors had a goal controversially ruled out for offside. But, we sneaked home, for a well fought victory. In Portugal, Pej made his international debut as one of six new England players in a 0-0 draw. After the game, Sir Alf was beyond furious that 9 of the original 16 players he had selected for the game were withdrawn by their clubs due to injury. He is suggesting any player who misses an international through injury should be automatically suspended from the following club game they are due to play. Francis Lee has announced he will leave Man City at the end of the season for a cut price £100,000. Stoke and Man Utd are the favourites for his signature although relegation would rule Man Utd out. View AttachmentThat’s what should happen now with international call ups. Teams taking the hit instead of several gameless weekends of footie. It would also help massively with those poor PL clubs fixture congestion. |
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Post by premieraj on Apr 30, 2024 7:35:32 GMT
And so tonight, we played possibly the most controversial game that the Victoria Ground would ever witness. On Saturday, ManU were relegated in the midst of a riot that caused the players to leave the pitch after 85 minutes, never to return. Now the press were predicting worse would happen in their final league game at Stoke. I had stood on the Stoke End for years against all opposition, as had my Dad, uncles, Grandad and Great Grandad, but tonight my Dad refused to go and I stood on the Boothen End with a family friend. Depending on which paper you read, the Manchester Utd supporters were described as 'louts' and 'hooligans'. Dozens of shops in Stoke were smashed up and the police confiscated a horrifying array of weapons, including knives, hammers, chisels, coshes, screwdrivers and sharpened pieces of metal. A train was set on fire at Longport, 4 people were hospitalised and the police reported that there were dozens of fights inside and outside the ground. As the players entered the field of play, the police formed a barrier across the front of the Stoke End to stop a pitch invasion. After the game, MPs demanded the Home Secretary make a statement about the events. And yet this was a crucial game for us, one we had to win if we were to stand any chance of sneaking into Europe. Against a backdrop of bonfires on the Stoke End, we lined up; - Farmer, Dodd, Pejic, Bloor, Smith, Skeels, Robertson, Greenhoff, Ritchie, Hudson, Haslegrave. Sub; - Hurst. ManU included Brian Greenhoff, Lou Macari and Sammy McIlroy in front of 27,000 people. In the first half, we attacked towards the Stoke End. We were a class above our opponents, but events off the pitch were clearly affecting both teams. After 20 minutes, Haslegrave lobbed the ball over Alex Stepney as the keeper ran off his line and Ritchie scored with a tap in. The game was pretty much a stalemate until half-time but in the second period events on the Stoke End worsened. The police had now had enough of the fighting and bonfires and periodically charged the Manchester supporters with their dogs. John Farmer was supposed to be guarding our goal but he steadily moved up the field until he was nearly at the half way line by the time the game ended. The second half was pretty much played close to the Boothen End with none of the players seemingly wishing to go to the other end of the pitch. Brian Greenhoff did try a couple of speculative shots but that was pretty much all the Red Devils could muster. Ritchie went close with a header and Pejic forced a fine save from Stepney. Goodness knows how many minutes were played in that second half but the players and officials disappeared up the tunnel pretty quickly when the final whistle sounded. After the game a shocked and angry Waddo said: 'when a crowd can influence players in their performances then you have a serious situation developing'. He continued: 'The game is reaching a crisis point and I feel that young people who enjoy violence for its own sake should be treated in the only way they understand. Those who live by the sword should suffer by the sword'. Local MPs were also angry, demanding to know who was going to pay for the extensive police operation. After this 1-0 win, we have now lost only 2 games in the final 23 matches of the season and we finish the season in 5th place. We have to hope Liverpool win the FA Cup and Spurs lose in the UEFA cup final to claim a place in Europe next season. I remember the day well. There were Utd fans in Stoke at lunch time. I was playing snooker in the Elite and remember well the apparent tension in the air even at that time. It was eerie on the night watching the fires burning in the Stoke end from the Boothen but the singing of die, die Utd was so poignant to the those were the days song still lives with me today. |
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Post by str8outtahampton on Apr 30, 2024 8:59:45 GMT
And so tonight, we played possibly the most controversial game that the Victoria Ground would ever witness. On Saturday, ManU were relegated in the midst of a riot that caused the players to leave the pitch after 85 minutes, never to return. Now the press were predicting worse would happen in their final league game at Stoke. I had stood on the Stoke End for years against all opposition, as had my Dad, uncles, Grandad and Great Grandad, but tonight my Dad refused to go and I stood on the Boothen End with a family friend. Depending on which paper you read, the Manchester Utd supporters were described as 'louts' and 'hooligans'. Dozens of shops in Stoke were smashed up and the police confiscated a horrifying array of weapons, including knives, hammers, chisels, coshes, screwdrivers and sharpened pieces of metal. A train was set on fire at Longport, 4 people were hospitalised and the police reported that there were dozens of fights inside and outside the ground. As the players entered the field of play, the police formed a barrier across the front of the Stoke End to stop a pitch invasion. After the game, MPs demanded the Home Secretary make a statement about the events. And yet this was a crucial game for us, one we had to win if we were to stand any chance of sneaking into Europe. Against a backdrop of bonfires on the Stoke End, we lined up; - Farmer, Dodd, Pejic, Bloor, Smith, Skeels, Robertson, Greenhoff, Ritchie, Hudson, Haslegrave. Sub; - Hurst. ManU included Brian Greenhoff, Lou Macari and Sammy McIlroy in front of 27,000 people. In the first half, we attacked towards the Stoke End. We were a class above our opponents, but events off the pitch were clearly affecting both teams. After 20 minutes, Haslegrave lobbed the ball over Alex Stepney as the keeper ran off his line and Ritchie scored with a tap in. The game was pretty much a stalemate until half-time but in the second period events on the Stoke End worsened. The police had now had enough of the fighting and bonfires and periodically charged the Manchester supporters with their dogs. John Farmer was supposed to be guarding our goal but he steadily moved up the field until he was nearly at the half way line by the time the game ended. The second half was pretty much played close to the Boothen End with none of the players seemingly wishing to go to the other end of the pitch. Brian Greenhoff did try a couple of speculative shots but that was pretty much all the Red Devils could muster. Ritchie went close with a header and Pejic forced a fine save from Stepney. Goodness knows how many minutes were played in that second half but the players and officials disappeared up the tunnel pretty quickly when the final whistle sounded. After the game a shocked and angry Waddo said: 'when a crowd can influence players in their performances then you have a serious situation developing'. He continued: 'The game is reaching a crisis point and I feel that young people who enjoy violence for its own sake should be treated in the only way they understand. Those who live by the sword should suffer by the sword'. Local MPs were also angry, demanding to know who was going to pay for the extensive police operation. After this 1-0 win, we have now lost only 2 games in the final 23 matches of the season and we finish the season in 5th place. We have to hope Liverpool win the FA Cup and Spurs lose in the UEFA cup final to claim a place in Europe next season. View AttachmentBrilliant summary, doffs cap. You've crystallised the weird atmosphere perfectly. My overriding memory of the evening is the Boothen chanting "Doc, Doc, Docherty - in the f***ing lavatory". |
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Post by lawrieleslie on Apr 30, 2024 9:35:15 GMT
And so tonight, we played possibly the most controversial game that the Victoria Ground would ever witness. On Saturday, ManU were relegated in the midst of a riot that caused the players to leave the pitch after 85 minutes, never to return. Now the press were predicting worse would happen in their final league game at Stoke. I had stood on the Stoke End for years against all opposition, as had my Dad, uncles, Grandad and Great Grandad, but tonight my Dad refused to go and I stood on the Boothen End with a family friend. Depending on which paper you read, the Manchester Utd supporters were described as 'louts' and 'hooligans'. Dozens of shops in Stoke were smashed up and the police confiscated a horrifying array of weapons, including knives, hammers, chisels, coshes, screwdrivers and sharpened pieces of metal. A train was set on fire at Longport, 4 people were hospitalised and the police reported that there were dozens of fights inside and outside the ground. As the players entered the field of play, the police formed a barrier across the front of the Stoke End to stop a pitch invasion. After the game, MPs demanded the Home Secretary make a statement about the events. And yet this was a crucial game for us, one we had to win if we were to stand any chance of sneaking into Europe. Against a backdrop of bonfires on the Stoke End, we lined up; - Farmer, Dodd, Pejic, Bloor, Smith, Skeels, Robertson, Greenhoff, Ritchie, Hudson, Haslegrave. Sub; - Hurst. ManU included Brian Greenhoff, Lou Macari and Sammy McIlroy in front of 27,000 people. In the first half, we attacked towards the Stoke End. We were a class above our opponents, but events off the pitch were clearly affecting both teams. After 20 minutes, Haslegrave lobbed the ball over Alex Stepney as the keeper ran off his line and Ritchie scored with a tap in. The game was pretty much a stalemate until half-time but in the second period events on the Stoke End worsened. The police had now had enough of the fighting and bonfires and periodically charged the Manchester supporters with their dogs. John Farmer was supposed to be guarding our goal but he steadily moved up the field until he was nearly at the half way line by the time the game ended. The second half was pretty much played close to the Boothen End with none of the players seemingly wishing to go to the other end of the pitch. Brian Greenhoff did try a couple of speculative shots but that was pretty much all the Red Devils could muster. Ritchie went close with a header and Pejic forced a fine save from Stepney. Goodness knows how many minutes were played in that second half but the players and officials disappeared up the tunnel pretty quickly when the final whistle sounded. After the game a shocked and angry Waddo said: 'when a crowd can influence players in their performances then you have a serious situation developing'. He continued: 'The game is reaching a crisis point and I feel that young people who enjoy violence for its own sake should be treated in the only way they understand. Those who live by the sword should suffer by the sword'. Local MPs were also angry, demanding to know who was going to pay for the extensive police operation. After this 1-0 win, we have now lost only 2 games in the final 23 matches of the season and we finish the season in 5th place. We have to hope Liverpool win the FA Cup and Spurs lose in the UEFA cup final to claim a place in Europe next season. View Attachment[/quot I was on leave from the Navy and went this game with my mate. One of the funniest sights ever was a Man Utd fan taking a piss in a shop doorway in Weeldon Road when two police officers turned up with their dogs. One of the dogs was turned on the pissing Man Utd fan holding him by his arse to be arrested. |
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