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Post by lordb on Dec 29, 2023 18:32:15 GMT
Our final game of 1973 was at home to in form QPR. However, we were beginning our golden period for this intriguing game as we lined up; - Farmer, Dodd, Pejic, Skeels, Smith, Bloor, Robertson, Greenhoff, Hurst, Mahoney, Haslegrave. There was considerable speculation in the crowd before kick off that substitute Ritchie was about to be sold with Chelsea outcast Steve Kember coming in to replace him. Stoke were still hoping to sign Ipswich midfielder Peter Morris. The QPR team included Parkes in goal, Venables, McLintock (starting his 500th game), Gerry Francis and Bowles. In front of 18,000 spectators and a live TV audience across Scandinavia, QPR took the lead after 25mins. The Stoke defenders argued with both referee and linesman that goalscorer Leach was offside. On the stroke of half-time, Venables pulled up with a strained calf muscle and the composition of the game changed with his withdrawl. Waddo saw an opportunity to remove Haslegrave from midfield and introduce Ritchie into attack. The 2nd half was the John Ritchie show. Within 2 minutes of the restart he created havoc in the box for Mahoney to equalise at the near post. He then repeated the trick so Pejic could head home at the far post. Pejic had been subjected to some harsh tackling from Francis and Bowles leading to a flare up involving most players. The result was a booking for Pejic and Bowles carried off after a challenge from Dodd. Ritchie added a third and then nodded on for Greenhoff to hit a 4th. An inspirational performance from our centre forward who must have cemented his position at Stoke for a while longer. A superb 4-1 win and probably our best performance of the season. The Sentinel letters page is full of the usual moans but one correspondent claims Stoke have turned down a £300,000 offer for Pejic from Derby. Nationally, a last minute goal saved Leeds from their first defeat of the season at St Andrews and Chelsea field most of their usual stars even though Osgood in particular seemed out of sorts. View AttachmentWonder if that footage is sitting in a can in Scandinavia somewhere? |
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Post by outspaced on Dec 29, 2023 18:35:55 GMT
These are great posts March, really enjoy the memories.
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Post by march4 on Dec 29, 2023 22:25:55 GMT
Our final game of 1973 was at home to in form QPR. However, we were beginning our golden period for this intriguing game as we lined up; - Farmer, Dodd, Pejic, Skeels, Smith, Bloor, Robertson, Greenhoff, Hurst, Mahoney, Haslegrave. There was considerable speculation in the crowd before kick off that substitute Ritchie was about to be sold with Chelsea outcast Steve Kember coming in to replace him. Stoke were still hoping to sign Ipswich midfielder Peter Morris. The QPR team included Parkes in goal, Venables, McLintock (starting his 500th game), Gerry Francis and Bowles. In front of 18,000 spectators and a live TV audience across Scandinavia, QPR took the lead after 25mins. The Stoke defenders argued with both referee and linesman that goalscorer Leach was offside. On the stroke of half-time, Venables pulled up with a strained calf muscle and the composition of the game changed with his withdrawl. Waddo saw an opportunity to remove Haslegrave from midfield and introduce Ritchie into attack. The 2nd half was the John Ritchie show. Within 2 minutes of the restart he created havoc in the box for Mahoney to equalise at the near post. He then repeated the trick so Pejic could head home at the far post. Pejic had been subjected to some harsh tackling from Francis and Bowles leading to a flare up involving most players. The result was a booking for Pejic and Bowles carried off after a challenge from Dodd. Ritchie added a third and then nodded on for Greenhoff to hit a 4th. An inspirational performance from our centre forward who must have cemented his position at Stoke for a while longer. A superb 4-1 win and probably our best performance of the season. The Sentinel letters page is full of the usual moans but one correspondent claims Stoke have turned down a £300,000 offer for Pejic from Derby. Nationally, a last minute goal saved Leeds from their first defeat of the season at St Andrews and Chelsea field most of their usual stars even though Osgood in particular seemed out of sorts. View AttachmentWonder if that footage is sitting in a can in Scandinavia somewhere? That’s a good point. We were on a fair bit over the coming months so there must be some trace of them. |
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Post by march4 on Jan 1, 2024 11:58:43 GMT
We started 1974 with a tricky away game at Maine Road against a good Man City team who never seemed to achieve much considering the talent in their squad. The game kicked off at 3pm, as the government had given permission for floodlights to be used to celebrate Hogmany but in reality the 3 day week was now officially underway. We lined up; - Farmer, Dodd, Pejic, Skeels, Smith, Bloor, Robertson, Greenhoff, Ritchie, Mahoney, Haslegrave. Substitue; - Marsh. Our opponents included; - Corrigan, Donachie, Doyle, Summerbee, Bell, Marsh and Law and 35,000 supporters turned out. After our attacking displays in recent matches, this was a very different Stoke. Mahoney, Haslegrave and Skeels all played defensive midfield and Ritchie was more often alongside his own centre backs rather than attacking. Manager, Ron Saunders, moaned afterwards that Stoke came with 10 men in defence and were successful in achieving their aim; a goalless draw. Summerbee was the main threat but Robertson and Haslegrave interchanged to guard that flank and protect Pejic (if he ever needed protecting). The frozen pitch made the game even less of a spectacle with the ball bouncing and bobbling awkwardly. So 0-0 and our unbeaten run continues. At Chelsea, the rumours of discord burst into the open with manager Dave Sexton dropping Bonetti, Baldwin, Hudson and Osgood for today's match. After the game, both Hudson and Osgood were placed on the transfer list with Sexton saying it is no bluff and he expects both to leave. There was a demonstration of Chelsea fans, eager for Osgood to stay. Already Crystal Palace are believed to have offered £200,000 plus Don Rodgers for Osgood with Spurs supposedly trying to sign both players. Hudson and Osgood were also suspened from the club by Chelsea for a week. The papers also suggest that Stoke might have some interest in Osgood. Another paper claims Norwich have bid £200,000 for Hudson. At ManU, George Best had missed training completely, although the next day he was first to attend. Finally, the energy crisis is getting worse. The power workers and miners dispute with the government has reached the point where the miners are now ballotting over a full strike. And our next game is on a Sunday! Church leaders in Bolton have written to the club demanding the game be rearranged and Stoke Chairman Albert Henshall announces he won't be attending out of principle.  |
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Post by ihaveadream on Jan 2, 2024 13:10:03 GMT
The 1973 Boxing Day fixture was a home game against local rivals Derby. Our opponents were near the top of the table (although unbeaten Leeds were miles clear), but this was the start of our golden age and we continued with the 4-3-3 formation that had been so successful at West Ham. Thankfully, Waddo was now back to full health and his partnership with Eastham was blossoming. We lined up; - Farmer, Dodd, Pejic, Skeels, Smith, Bloor, Robertson, Greenhoff, Hurst, Mahoney, Haslegrave. Sub; - Marsh. Alan Dodd kept John Marsh out of the starting line up to man mark Derby's danger man Alan Hinton. He did so effectively and Derby barely mustered a shot for the whole game. Indeed, Farmer's hands must have been mud free by the final whistle. The only problem was we struggled to convert our half chances. Hurst did get the ball in the net on the hour, but turned round in amazement to see the eccentric referee, Clive Thomas, had given us a free kick on the edge of the penalty area claiming Hurst had been fouled by Colin Todd. The game was very much the Clive Thomas Show, with numerous free kicks breaking up any momentum the contest might develop. Stoke had Derby tottering but never managed to send them crashing. This was a dominant performance, lacking only goals and Stoke were more than the equals of the normally impressive Derby. 24,000 fans turned up. Our cup tie at Bolton will now kick off at 2pm on Sunday 6th January. Cambridge have been given permission to kick off at 11.15am on the same day which I think makes it the first Sunday cup game. Had we needed a replay against Bolton, it would take place at 1.30pm on Thursday 10th January as this is one of the 3 days when the ground will have electricity. Yes, the 3-day week begins on 1st January. For younger readers, this meant you only had electricity on 3 of the 7 days every week. I remember being fitted for a suit in Burton's in Hanley in candle light. Schools opened on a Saturday for lessons if that was a day when they had lighting and heating. TV shut down every night at 10.30pm to conserve power and there was still little petrol so car journeys were discouraged on Sundays. We had a coal fire for warmth and a source of light in the lounge. Candles and batteries were in short supply and if you could find one to buy, the prices went through the roof. I managed to get a fully charged battery off a lorry which I connected to a string of small light bulbs. This gave a little illumination in the kitchen. Strange times.
View AttachmentDid it fall off the back? |
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Post by ihaveadream on Jan 2, 2024 13:15:13 GMT
I've always wondered if we were interested in signing George Best at this time. Waddo would have been the sort of manager to get the most from him. Imagine Greenhoff, Best and Hudson in the same team. Isn't there the story that Best did say yes to signing but the board baulked at the cost, about 1976 I think or maybe before? The same board who baulked at the cost of the insurance premium quoted for the Butler Street stand |
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Post by ihaveadream on Jan 2, 2024 13:21:39 GMT
We started 1974 with a tricky away game at Maine Road against a good Man City team who never seemed to achieve much considering the talent in their squad. The game kicked off at 3pm, as the government had given permission for floodlights to be used to celebrate Hogmany but in reality the 3 day week was now officially underway. We lined up; - Farmer, Dodd, Pejic, Skeels, Smith, Bloor, Robertson, Greenhoff, Ritchie, Mahoney, Haslegrave. Substitue; - Marsh. Our opponents included; - Corrigan, Donachie, Doyle, Summerbee, Bell, Marsh and Law and 35,000 supporters turned out. After our attacking displays in recent matches, this was a very different Stoke. Mahoney, Haslegrave and Skeels all played defensive midfield and Ritchie was more often alongside his own centre backs rather than attacking. Manager, Ron Saunders, moaned afterwards that Stoke came with 10 men in defence and were successful in achieving their aim; a goalless draw. Summerbee was the main threat but Robertson and Haslegrave interchanged to guard that flank and protect Pejic (if he ever needed protecting). The frozen pitch made the game even less of a spectacle with the ball bouncing and bobbling awkwardly. So 0-0 and our unbeaten run continues. At Chelsea, the rumours of discord burst into the open with manager Dave Sexton dropping Bonetti, Baldwin, Hudson and Osgood for today's match. After the game, both Hudson and Osgood were placed on the transfer list with Sexton saying it is no bluff and he expects both to leave. There was a demonstration of Chelsea fans, eager for Osgood to stay. Already Crystal Palace are believed to have offered £200,000 plus Don Rodgers for Osgood with Spurs supposedly trying to sign both players. Hudson and Osgood were also suspened from the club by Chelsea for a week. The papers also suggest that Stoke might have some interest in Osgood. Another paper claims Norwich have bid £200,000 for Hudson. At ManU, George Best had missed training completely, although the next day he was first to attend. Finally, the energy crisis is getting worse. The power workers and miners dispute with the government has reached the point where the miners are now ballotting over a full strike. And our next game is on a Sunday! Church leaders in Bolton have written to the club demanding the game be rearranged and Stoke Chairman Albert Henshall announces he won't be attending out of principle. View AttachmentYay, I know what's coming next. |
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Post by Mr_DaftBurger on Jan 2, 2024 13:30:28 GMT
We started 1974 with a tricky away game at Maine Road against a good Man City team who never seemed to achieve much considering the talent in their squad. The game kicked off at 3pm, as the government had given permission for floodlights to be used to celebrate Hogmany but in reality the 3 day week was now officially underway. We lined up; - Farmer, Dodd, Pejic, Skeels, Smith, Bloor, Robertson, Greenhoff, Ritchie, Mahoney, Haslegrave. Substitue; - Marsh. Our opponents included; - Corrigan, Donachie, Doyle, Summerbee, Bell, Marsh and Law and 35,000 supporters turned out. After our attacking displays in recent matches, this was a very different Stoke. Mahoney, Haslegrave and Skeels all played defensive midfield and Ritchie was more often alongside his own centre backs rather than attacking. Manager, Ron Saunders, moaned afterwards that Stoke came with 10 men in defence and were successful in achieving their aim; a goalless draw. Summerbee was the main threat but Robertson and Haslegrave interchanged to guard that flank and protect Pejic (if he ever needed protecting). The frozen pitch made the game even less of a spectacle with the ball bouncing and bobbling awkwardly. So 0-0 and our unbeaten run continues. At Chelsea, the rumours of discord burst into the open with manager Dave Sexton dropping Bonetti, Baldwin, Hudson and Osgood for today's match. After the game, both Hudson and Osgood were placed on the transfer list with Sexton saying it is no bluff and he expects both to leave. There was a demonstration of Chelsea fans, eager for Osgood to stay. Already Crystal Palace are believed to have offered £200,000 plus Don Rodgers for Osgood with Spurs supposedly trying to sign both players. Hudson and Osgood were also suspened from the club by Chelsea for a week. The papers also suggest that Stoke might have some interest in Osgood. Another paper claims Norwich have bid £200,000 for Hudson. At ManU, George Best had missed training completely, although the next day he was first to attend. Finally, the energy crisis is getting worse. The power workers and miners dispute with the government has reached the point where the miners are now ballotting over a full strike. And our next game is on a Sunday! Church leaders in Bolton have written to the club demanding the game be rearranged and Stoke Chairman Albert Henshall announces he won't be attending out of principle. View AttachmentYay, I know what's coming next. God I hope not, we don't want trouble makers and fancy dans here! Better keep our powder dry until the summer! (The oldoatcake message board 50 years ago! 😒) |
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Post by march4 on Jan 2, 2024 14:02:19 GMT
Isn't there the story that Best did say yes to signing but the board baulked at the cost, about 1976 I think or maybe before? The same board who baulked at the cost of the insurance premium quoted for the Butler Street stand But they offered a record fee for Osgood and paid a world record goalkeeping fee for Shilton. I’ve always found it difficult to work out their financial planning. I still think Farmer with an older keeper like Bonetti would have been better. It does make you wonder how much debt the club was in to sign Shilton. |
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Post by AlliG on Jan 2, 2024 19:38:10 GMT
The same board who baulked at the cost of the insurance premium quoted for the Butler Street stand But they offered a record fee for Osgood and paid a world record goalkeeping fee for Shilton. I’ve always found it difficult to work out their financial planning. I still think Farmer with an older keeper like Bonetti would have been better. It does make you wonder how much debt the club was in to sign Shilton. As someone who worked as a Commercial Property Underwriter from the late 1970s, I don't think most people (even our current resident insurance workers) understand just how different the landscape of Commercial Fire Insurance was back in the mid 1970s. The majority of the Insurance market was very tightly regulated and restricted by the Fire Offices Committees Insurance Tariff. ( My favourite was the Potteries Tariff rate for standard built potbanks of 3/-% less 5% if it had electric lighting! The original Tariff book dated back to the 1920s/30s and we used to get sticky labels to stick on the old page whenever there was an update. It was like something from a Dickens novel!) To keep it fairly simple, even basic Reinstatement cover was not particularly common at the time and modern index linking almost unknown. Most commercial property would have been insured on an indemnity basis (i.e. claims paid with a reduction for wear, tear and depreciation) or even on a replacement in modern form basis (which only really works if the structure is totally destroyed). My understanding is that a major part of the problem was that the roof of the stand was only partially damaged with the Insurers making a significant deduction for wear and tear and they also wouldn't pay for the demolition and replacement of the undamaged part. Anorak, pipe and slippers put back in the cupboard!  |
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Post by spitthedog on Jan 2, 2024 20:12:06 GMT
The same board who baulked at the cost of the insurance premium quoted for the Butler Street stand But they offered a record fee for Osgood and paid a world record goalkeeping fee for Shilton. I’ve always found it difficult to work out their financial planning. I still think Farmer with an older keeper like Bonetti would have been better. It does make you wonder how much debt the club was in to sign Shilton. March..... the Farmer/Shilton debate has been done to death on here, but I would like your perspective on why you think John Farmer's career basically fell off a cliff after leaving Stoke in 1975, ending up in non-league football at the age of 27. Their career trajectories could not be further apart. Shilton ends up European Cup Winner and most England caps and John Farmer is playing at Northwich and then out of the game. To an outsider it would seem crazy to suggest that Farmer was the better keeper of the two. It seems barmy and a bit weird. Did he lose his confidence? his interest? was it down to injuries? |
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Post by march4 on Jan 2, 2024 20:41:29 GMT
But they offered a record fee for Osgood and paid a world record goalkeeping fee for Shilton. I’ve always found it difficult to work out their financial planning. I still think Farmer with an older keeper like Bonetti would have been better. It does make you wonder how much debt the club was in to sign Shilton. March..... the Farmer/Shilton debate has been done to death on here, but I would like your perspective on why you think John Farmer's career basically fell off a cliff after leaving Stoke in 1975, ending up in non-league football at the age of 27. Their career trajectories could not be further apart. Shilton ends up European Cup Winner and most England caps and John Farmer is playing at Northwich and then out of the game. To an outsider it would seem crazy to suggest that Farmer was the better keeper of the two. It seems barmy and a bit weird. Did he lose his confidence? his interest? was it down to injuries? I don't think John was a better keeper in terms of playing for England or even at a different club, but he just suited our club and our style of play. The defence tended to play deeper with Farmer behind them as Denis and Bluto weren't the quickest defenders. When Shilton came in he pushed the defence further forward and we became susceptible to long balls over the top. I suppose Waddo could have put a stop to it but why make a big purchase and then stop him organising his defence. I was lucky to see John Farmer at work from time to time when he was working as a rep for a company we used. He was always friendly and would talk football, but I was too polite to ask him what happened at the end of his career. For what its worth, I think he had overcome the signing of Banksie, waiting in the wings until his chance came and it must have been a real blow when we bought Shilton and he lost his place in a team that were at that time the best in England. I'm hoping the excellent blog by John's brother, Brian, explains what happened but I suspect John lost confidence and he drifted out of the game. It would be great if Brian could post on here. John might not have been Peter Shilton, but he was more than a match for the keepers of other top teams; Sprake and Harvey at Leeds or Boulton and Moseley at Derby or Cooper and Sivell at Ipswich. If only we could repeat the 1974/75 season without the signing of Shilton and see if we did any better. |
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Post by march4 on Jan 2, 2024 20:42:58 GMT
But they offered a record fee for Osgood and paid a world record goalkeeping fee for Shilton. I’ve always found it difficult to work out their financial planning. I still think Farmer with an older keeper like Bonetti would have been better. It does make you wonder how much debt the club was in to sign Shilton. As someone who worked as a Commercial Property Underwriter from the late 1970s, I don't think most people (even our current resident insurance workers) understand just how different the landscape of Commercial Fire Insurance was back in the mid 1970s. The majority of the Insurance market was very tightly regulated and restricted by the Fire Offices Committees Insurance Tariff. ( My favourite was the Potteries Tariff rate for standard built potbanks of 3/-% less 5% if it had electric lighting! The original Tariff book dated back to the 1920s/30s and we used to get sticky labels to stick on the old page whenever there was an update. It was like something from a Dickens novel!) To keep it fairly simple, even basic Reinstatement cover was not particularly common at the time and modern index linking almost unknown. Most commercial property would have been insured on an indemnity basis (i.e. claims paid with a reduction for wear, tear and depreciation) or even on a replacement in modern form basis (which only really works if the structure is totally destroyed). My understanding is that a major part of the problem was that the roof of the stand was only partially damaged with the Insurers making a significant deduction for wear and tear and they also wouldn't pay for the demolition and replacement of the undamaged part. Anorak, pipe and slippers put back in the cupboard! Great post. It certainly puts some light onto a long standing club mystery. Perhaps the blame for our decline should be on an Act of God, rather than the club directors. |
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Post by anchorman on Jan 4, 2024 13:13:24 GMT
An act of God or the inaction of the directors, it's interesting to hear from a former commercial underwriter at the time of this tragedy because it was a tragedy. The sale of Jimmy Greenhoff was heart breaking..I cried as I did when Gordon Banks had that fateful car crash. The club then sold off all the crown jewels and to this day I swear that if we had patched up & made safe the Butler Street roof and bought a centre forward we would all have gladly sat in a roofless stand to witness Stoke win the league! I can appreciate that it perhaps wasn't as simple as that. However, we really do have quite a history of perfecting the art of clutching defeat from the jaws of victory!
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Post by march4 on Jan 6, 2024 11:32:40 GMT
On Sunday 6th January 1974 at 2pm, we played our first ever football match on a Sunday. Thousands of demonstrators turned up outside the ground in an attempt to stop the game and Bolton struggled to find enough people to run the turnstiles, etc for the game to go ahead. Apart from our Chairman, Albert Henshall refusing to attend, I can't think of anyone else from the club who boycotted the game. For younger posters, this might seem a little odd considering the prevalence of Sunday football nowadays, but Sundays were very different then (think of Christmas Day this year and it will give you an idea of how quiet everywhere was and how few businesses were open). The law prohibited clubs from selling tickets for the game but you were allowed to sell team sheets in advance and these could then be used to gain admission (see below). 40,000 spectators took advantage of this historic occasion The game was at 2nd Division Bolton and with our new found form, we were expected to progress with ease. We had no injury worries and lined up; - Farmer, Dodd, Pejic, Skeels, Smith, Bloor, Robertson, Greenhoff, Ritchie, Hurst, Mahoney. Sub; - Haslegrave. In spite of us being at full strength, our defence looked like they were befuddled by the change of their weekend routine and we found ourselves inexplicably 3-0 down by the hour. Veteran striker Byrom scored all 3 goals. The first an unmarked header, the second he somehow waltzed past Smith, Pejic, Skeels and Farmer and the third a long ranger that went through Farmer's hands. Indeed he nearly got his 4th when his header rebounded back off the post. Finally, we started to wake up. Ritchie scored with ease from the edge of the box and then 6 minutes from time he was hauled down in the box and Haslegrave scored the penalty. We had a shout for another penalty (for handball) in injury time and then Ritchie hit the post, but to no avail and it stayed 3-2 and we were out of the cup in an extremely disappointing manner. Considering this was one of only 3 games we lost in nearly 9 months, it was a great opportunity to get to the cup final thrown away. Had we beaten Bolton, then Southampton, Wrexham, Burnley and Newcastle were all that stood between us and a Wembley final against Liverpool. These were all very winnable games, considering how our form developed over the coming weeks and months. Crystal Palace are now looking to take on loanee Stewart Jump permanently. Injury ravaged Chelsea preferred to play untried youngsters instead of Bonetti, Osgood and Hudson. Chelsea put a price of £400,000 on Hudson (£150,000) and Osgood (£250,000), although the final fee could well be higher as clubs aim to outbid each other. The papers report that Southampton have offered Mike Channon in a swap deal for both Hudson and Osgood. The Sentinel suggest Osgood is on his way to Derby for £300,000 but we are in a cluster of clubs interested in Hudson but Chelsea want a swap deal not a straight cash fee. Stoke are disgruntled that their upcoming game with Man Utd is scheduled for a Wednesday with a morning kick off. This will considerably reduce the expected bumper crowd.  |
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Post by lordb on Jan 6, 2024 12:45:40 GMT
On Sunday 6th January 1974 at 2pm, we played our first ever football match on a Sunday. Thousands of demonstrators turned up outside the ground in an attempt to stop the game and Bolton struggled to find enough people to run the turnstiles, etc for the game to go ahead. Apart from our Chairman, Albert Henshall refusing to attend, I can't think of anyone else from the club who boycotted the game. For younger posters, this might seem a little odd considering the prevalence of Sunday football nowadays, but Sundays were very different then (think of Christmas Day this year and it will give you an idea of how quiet everywhere was and how few businesses were open). The law prohibited clubs from selling tickets for the game but you were allowed to sell team sheets in advance and these could then be used to gain admission (see below). 40,000 spectators took advantage of this historic occasion The game was at 2nd Division Bolton and with our new found form, we were expected to progress with ease. We had no injury worries and lined up; - Farmer, Dodd, Pejic, Skeels, Smith, Bloor, Robertson, Greenhoff, Ritchie, Hurst, Mahoney. Sub; - Haslegrave. In spite of us being at full strength, our defence looked like they were befuddled by the change of their weekend routine and we found ourselves inexplicably 3-0 down by the hour. Veteran striker Byrom scored all 3 goals. The first an unmarked header, the second he somehow waltzed past Smith, Pejic, Skeels and Farmer and the third a long ranger that went through Farmer's hands. Indeed he nearly got his 4th when his header rebounded back off the post. Finally, we started to wake up. Ritchie scored with ease from the edge of the box and then 6 minutes from time he was hauled down in the box and Haslegrave scored the penalty. We had a shout for another penalty (for handball) in injury time and then Ritchie hit the post, but to no avail and it stayed 3-2 and we were out of the cup in an extremely disappointing manner. Considering this was one of only 3 games we lost in nearly 9 months, it was a great opportunity to get to the cup final thrown away. Had we beaten Bolton, then Southampton, Wrexham, Burnley and Newcastle were all that stood between us and a Wembley final against Liverpool. These were all very winnable games, considering how our form developed over the coming weeks and months. Crystal Palace are now looking to take on loanee Stewart Jump permanently. Injury ravaged Chelsea preferred to play untried youngsters instead of Bonetti, Osgood and Hudson. Chelsea put a price of £400,000 on Hudson (£150,000) and Osgood (£250,000), although the final fee could well be higher as clubs aim to outbid each other. The papers report that Southampton have offered Mike Channon in a swap deal for both Hudson and Osgood. The Sentinel suggest Osgood is on his way to Derby for £300,000 but we are in a cluster of clubs interested in Hudson but Chelsea want a swap deal not a straight cash fee. Stoke are disgruntled that their upcoming game with Man Utd is scheduled for a Wednesday with a morning kick off. This will considerably reduce the expected bumper crowd. View Attachment40000 crowd for Bolton v Stoke! |
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Post by march4 on Jan 6, 2024 14:10:07 GMT
On Sunday 6th January 1974 at 2pm, we played our first ever football match on a Sunday. Thousands of demonstrators turned up outside the ground in an attempt to stop the game and Bolton struggled to find enough people to run the turnstiles, etc for the game to go ahead. Apart from our Chairman, Albert Henshall refusing to attend, I can't think of anyone else from the club who boycotted the game. For younger posters, this might seem a little odd considering the prevalence of Sunday football nowadays, but Sundays were very different then (think of Christmas Day this year and it will give you an idea of how quiet everywhere was and how few businesses were open). The law prohibited clubs from selling tickets for the game but you were allowed to sell team sheets in advance and these could then be used to gain admission (see below). 40,000 spectators took advantage of this historic occasion The game was at 2nd Division Bolton and with our new found form, we were expected to progress with ease. We had no injury worries and lined up; - Farmer, Dodd, Pejic, Skeels, Smith, Bloor, Robertson, Greenhoff, Ritchie, Hurst, Mahoney. Sub; - Haslegrave. In spite of us being at full strength, our defence looked like they were befuddled by the change of their weekend routine and we found ourselves inexplicably 3-0 down by the hour. Veteran striker Byrom scored all 3 goals. The first an unmarked header, the second he somehow waltzed past Smith, Pejic, Skeels and Farmer and the third a long ranger that went through Farmer's hands. Indeed he nearly got his 4th when his header rebounded back off the post. Finally, we started to wake up. Ritchie scored with ease from the edge of the box and then 6 minutes from time he was hauled down in the box and Haslegrave scored the penalty. We had a shout for another penalty (for handball) in injury time and then Ritchie hit the post, but to no avail and it stayed 3-2 and we were out of the cup in an extremely disappointing manner. Considering this was one of only 3 games we lost in nearly 9 months, it was a great opportunity to get to the cup final thrown away. Had we beaten Bolton, then Southampton, Wrexham, Burnley and Newcastle were all that stood between us and a Wembley final against Liverpool. These were all very winnable games, considering how our form developed over the coming weeks and months. Crystal Palace are now looking to take on loanee Stewart Jump permanently. Injury ravaged Chelsea preferred to play untried youngsters instead of Bonetti, Osgood and Hudson. Chelsea put a price of £400,000 on Hudson (£150,000) and Osgood (£250,000), although the final fee could well be higher as clubs aim to outbid each other. The papers report that Southampton have offered Mike Channon in a swap deal for both Hudson and Osgood. The Sentinel suggest Osgood is on his way to Derby for £300,000 but we are in a cluster of clubs interested in Hudson but Chelsea want a swap deal not a straight cash fee. Stoke are disgruntled that their upcoming game with Man Utd is scheduled for a Wednesday with a morning kick off. This will considerably reduce the expected bumper crowd. View Attachment40000 crowd for Bolton v Stoke! The 3 day week in the Manchester area included the Saturday, so everyone had to work and couldn’t go to a football match. Added to that, the novelty of a Sunday game added to the attraction. |
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Post by march4 on Jan 6, 2024 15:29:27 GMT
Here is the matchday programme.  |
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Post by castokie on Jan 6, 2024 17:02:01 GMT
Living in St Albans at the time I had to get a Saturday midnight coach to Manchester from London getting there Sunday morning and hanging around in a city that was closed as March says nothing opened on a Sunday back then. A packed bus out to Bolton and a packed ground I was opposite the railway end. Can't remember that many Stokies there amongst the 39,000 plus crowd it was a very surreal feeling being at a professional match on a Sunday. I had a 40p team sheet that got me on the terraces. They printed the same team sheet for the paddock and stands but with their respective different prices on. With the 2pm kick off this may well have been the first ever Sunday FAC match. After the match I was hanging around outside and remember seeing Ian Moores and some other junior player eating chips so somebody somewhere had opened up and cashed in. Another bus back to Manchester and another packed overnight coach back to London. With very little sleep i stumbled into work on Monday morning with the same clothes on and unshowered (that's how we operated back then). I didn't know about him at the time but wonder if Fred Dinbagh was at the match although if he had maybe he would have been half way up the floodlight pylons. Next game away at Ipswich gets juicy with after match talk but I'll leave that to March Thanks for doing this March its brought back so many memories also you have revealed many tidbits that I never knew. You could turn this into a very readable little book.
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Post by march4 on Jan 6, 2024 18:10:42 GMT
Living in St Albans at the time I had to get a Saturday midnight coach to Manchester from London getting there Sunday morning and hanging around in a city that was closed as March says nothing opened on a Sunday back then. A packed bus out to Bolton and a packed ground I was opposite the railway end. Can't remember that many Stokies there amongst the 39,000 plus crowd it was a very surreal feeling being at a professional match on a Sunday. I had a 40p team sheet that got me on the terraces. They printed the same team sheet for the paddock and stands but with their respective different prices on. With the 2pm kick off this may well have been the first ever Sunday FAC match. After the match I was hanging around outside and remember seeing Ian Moores and some other junior player eating chips so somebody somewhere had opened up and cashed in. Another bus back to Manchester and another packed overnight coach back to London. With very little sleep i stumbled into work on Monday morning with the same clothes on and unshowered (that's how we operated back then). I didn't know about him at the time but wonder if Fred Dinbagh was at the match although if he had maybe he would have been half way up the floodlight pylons. Next game away at Ipswich gets juicy with after match talk but I'll leave that to March Thanks for doing this March its brought back so many memories also you have revealed many tidbits that I never knew. You could turn this into a very readable little book. Some great memories. Cambridge vs Oldham kicked off at 11am and so had the distinction of being the first game. Times were so different then. We were in the midst of an IRA bombing campaign, a 3 day week and no petrol or diesel. And yet a few of us managed to get to Bolton to see this game. It was a real disappointment to lose. |
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Post by march4 on Jan 11, 2024 9:07:54 GMT
On Friday, 11th January 1974, we awoke to a day with no electricity, dwindling supplies of fuel for our coal fires, no more batteries for our transistor radios left to buy and ice covered pavements.
However, Stoke City were the back page headlines in every major newspaper in the country. Headlines such as; -
Staggering £1/2m. bid by Stoke
Stoke bid £1/2m for Chelsea pair
And the front page headlines in the Sentinel; -
Stoke City offer £500,000 for Chelsea stars
This is one of the most remarkable days in the history of the club as we attempt to not just break the British transfer record, but to demolish it.
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Post by str8outtahampton on Jan 11, 2024 11:51:16 GMT
Living in St Albans at the time I had to get a Saturday midnight coach to Manchester from London getting there Sunday morning and hanging around in a city that was closed as March says nothing opened on a Sunday back then. A packed bus out to Bolton and a packed ground I was opposite the railway end. Can't remember that many Stokies there amongst the 39,000 plus crowd it was a very surreal feeling being at a professional match on a Sunday. I had a 40p team sheet that got me on the terraces. They printed the same team sheet for the paddock and stands but with their respective different prices on. With the 2pm kick off this may well have been the first ever Sunday FAC match. After the match I was hanging around outside and remember seeing Ian Moores and some other junior player eating chips so somebody somewhere had opened up and cashed in. Another bus back to Manchester and another packed overnight coach back to London. With very little sleep i stumbled into work on Monday morning with the same clothes on and unshowered (that's how we operated back then). I didn't know about him at the time but wonder if Fred Dinbagh was at the match although if he had maybe he would have been half way up the floodlight pylons. Next game away at Ipswich gets juicy with after match talk but I'll leave that to March Thanks for doing this March its brought back so many memories also you have revealed many tidbits that I never knew. You could turn this into a very readable little book. I was at that Bolton game. Weird for all sorts of reasons as mentioned. We went on one of the "specials". The ticket colour code was probably buff or lavender, for the geeks among us. We must have had around 8-10,000 there that day. Mainly in the open end but a few made their way into the covered "home" end, where it "kicked off" before the start of the game, triggering a mass stampede of Stokies across the pitch to "help out". Bitterly disappointing result. But classic Stoke. |
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Post by ihaveadream on Jan 12, 2024 13:20:44 GMT
On Friday, 11th January 1974, we awoke to a day with no electricity, dwindling supplies of fuel for our coal fires, no more batteries for our transistor radios left to buy and ice covered pavements. However, Stoke City were the back page headlines in every major newspaper in the country. Headlines such as; - Staggering £1/2m. bid by StokeStoke bid £1/2m for Chelsea pairAnd the front page headlines in the Sentinel; - Stoke City offer £500,000 for Chelsea starsThis is one of the most remarkable days in the history of the club as we attempt to not just break the British transfer record, but to demolish it. The Miners' strikes were always in the coldest, darkest parts of the year I cant remember them ever striking in June or July |
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Post by march4 on Jan 12, 2024 14:52:46 GMT
Today was an electricity day, so even though it was a Saturday it was work and school as though it was a normal week day. However, this meant our radiogram was working and the morning news on Radio Stoke announced that Waddo had travelled to London and Stoke City had broken the British transfer record with the £240,000 signing of Alan Hudson from Chelsea. The morning papers also announced the news. Leicester refuted that Stoke had paid a record fee, saying a few months previously they had received £250,000 from Derby for David Nish. Nevertheless, this was a huge fee, even though it had been widely reported that Chelsea had attached a price of only £200,000 to Huddy. Our new midfielder would be present in the crowd at Portman Road to see our game against a very physical Ipswich team. Of all the teams, we played in the early 70's, it was Ipswich who seemed most determined to kick us off the pitch. Indeed, we had suffered a number of injuries playing them, including Dobing's broken leg (when Waddo was fined by the FA for running on the pitch) and a horrific challenge on Greenhoff. The normally unflappable Geoff Hurst was sent off for the only time in his career at Ipswich last year for retaliating to the constant foul play to which he was being subjected. We lined up for this battle; - Farmer, Marsh, Pejic, Skeels, Smith, Bloor, Robertson, Greenhoff, Hurst, Dodd, Mahoney. Sub; - Haslegrave. Ipswich included two future Stoke managers - Mick Mills and a 17 year old George Burley. It was also a chance to see Peter Morris, who we had repeatedly tried to sign before capturing Huddy. This was one of our 10 men behind the ball performances and the papers described us as a team looking petrified by the prospect of relegation following our awful cup defeat at Bolton. The Ipswich players were lining up to take shots at our goal, but Smithy stood up to it all, repelling them time and time again. However, on the hour a loose ball was headed home and it looked like we were heading for defeat. Nevertheless, we had been dangerous on the break and 10 minutes later Greenhoff lofted the ball into the Ipswich area for Robertson to beat Beattie in the air, nodding the ball against the post. Hurst was the first to respond and we scored the goal which earned us a creditable 1-1 draw. We are now 5 unbeaten in the league and have moved up to 17th in the table. After the game, Ipswich manager Bobby Robson, bemoaned the form of Denis Smith, telling the press; "How would you like to play against big Smithy? He would hurl you into the stand as soon as look at you. With Smith and Bloor, you cannot stand around messing about" Stoke are hitting the newspaper headlines not just for the signing of Huddy but for the record bid for Osgood. The papers are suggesting Derby have had a bid worth £300,000 accepted (but it involves a swap for striker Roger Davies). Osgood has spoken to Derby but doesn't seem keen. Stoke have now had their bid accepted (upto £350,000 according to some reports) and are prepared to offer Osgood a record wage of £250 per week when we speak to him on Monday. If successful, this will give Stoke a debt of at least £200,000. Bottom of the 2nd Division Crystal Palace have matched our offer under the management of flamboyant Malcolm Allison. There are now no candles left in the shops nor fuel for camping stoves. At petrol stations, drivers are limited to 2 gallons of fuel (in Holland, fuel rationing was introduced). And the Sentinel letters page is still full of moaners. The IRA continue to bomb London and Birmingham plus the homes of senior British army officers.  |
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Post by spitthedog on Jan 12, 2024 15:27:07 GMT
What a day that was.
Life changing signing!!!
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Post by march4 on Jan 16, 2024 12:22:34 GMT
Matters are moving quickly this week with Huddy having arrived at Stoke station to provide photos for the back page of all the national newspapers (Waddo helping to carry his bags). The respected journalist John Bean wrote a major article about 'Stoke syndrome' with statements such as; 'At the end of every top player's rainbow there's a pot of gold called Stoke City'. He also says that Waddo's personality has attracted some of the country's top talent in spite of the club's notoriously fickle fans. A quote from Banksie explains Stoke's wages have always been top 6 in the country since promotion. Bean talks about Geoff Hurst and George Eastham's input to Huddy to calm any fears he might have had about moving north and how this will be an incentive for Osgood. Stoke's next opponents are Liverpool and their manager Bill Shankly said; 'I salute Stoke. It is the most courageous move of the season by any club. Soccer is going through a tough time, yet Tony Waddington and Albert Henshall have shown vision and bravery when it matters most. I have admired both for a long time but they have really surpassed themselves and shows that the big city clubs don't have it all their own way'.
The national papers also include a complaint from Stoke Central MP, Bob Cant about noise from the club's social centre, saying the money spent on Huddy should have gone on resiting the facility to ease the complaints of local residents.
Meanwhile, Osgood has turned down Derby's bid after 4 days of negotiations saying he prefers to stay in London. But the only London bid is from struggling Crystal Palace who are at the wrong end of the 2nd Division and look likely to be relegated. The only realistic bid is from Stoke. Osgood is now injured and Chelsea have sent him on holiday for a few days to think over his future.
And promotion chasing Port Vale have lost their highly rated manager Gordon Lee who has been poached by Blackburn. That move sees Vale slipping back down the table.
Meanwhile, drivers are limited to two gallons of fuel when filling up their cars at the pumps.
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Post by okeydokeystokie2 on Jan 16, 2024 14:26:39 GMT
And so I believe Alan Hudson began his preparations for his Stoke debut against Liverpool, in his own inimitable way.
I was lucky enough to be at one of his book launches at Trentham Gardens, an event hosted by Nigel Johnson. I would say this was in summer 2008 just before the start of our first season in the Prem.
Nigel: "You're debut was against Liverpool, and Bill Shankly said it was the best debut he had ever seen."
Huddy: "Well I don't know how. I'd been on a bender for 3 weeks!"
Not just a bender, not even a 3 day bender, this was a 3 week bender. Note to the Stoke nutritionists...
But as everybody who watched him back in those fantastic days knew, Alan Hudson walks on water.
He also obviously plays the beautiful game on Vodka.
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Post by abhill on Jan 16, 2024 15:34:03 GMT
March has described George Burley above as a "future Stoke manager" in 1974. I think that may be stretching things a bit unless this is still to happen in the future now.
But thanks anyway March for the memories brought back by this brilliant thread.
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Post by deeside2 on Jan 16, 2024 15:57:48 GMT
I remember Hudson's debut against Liverpool as though it was yesterday. Me and my mates and all other Stokies were really excited and couldn't wait to see our new star and he was even better than we could have ever imagined. Brilliant performance and he ran the game so seemingly effortlessly. Great memories !
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Post by march4 on Jan 16, 2024 15:58:10 GMT
March has described George Burley above as a "future Stoke manager" in 1974. I think that may be stretching things a bit unless this is still to happen in the future now. But thanks anyway March for the memories brought back by this brilliant thread. Oops, silly me! |
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