50 Years Ago

[shrewspotter]

March, these are great reads, please keep them coming 🙏

[maine]

Wow. I thought I was the only person around so uncool as to own a Simca, a green van in my case. It's still one of my favourites, probably romanticising, 'cos I used to sleep in it for summer holidays in Scotland.

[smallthorner]

Jan 19, 2024 17:55:44 GMT tosh said:

Jan 19, 2024 13:46:44 GMT spitthedog said:

What a wonderful report march Nice one!

Do you remember the Hurst goal though? I cant for the life of me, but Tommy Smith's equaliser will be etched in my memory forever I think. The equaliser was a blow, but you know I think its the only time in my life where Ive gone home from a game where we have conceded a late equaliser and actually been elated. I was so excited after that game.

One thing you mention, and perhaps people might find it hard to believe, but did Huddy ever give the ball away?

Well obviously he did at some points, but there were so many games where he just didn't seem to lose possession throughout the 90 minutes despite having most of the ball and the few times he did he used to quite often win it back, he could be quite tenacious as well. The Liverpool game and the Chelsea one (soon after?) were just 2 examples. It was like magic at times.

I don't want to give anything away but I just looked at Huddy's first 4 home games. There were all iconic games that I will never, ever forget and I look forward to your reports.

Just out of interest, does anyone remember a game where at one point Hudson was cruising around the mud patch of a centre circle with the ball seemingly tied to his shoe laces, and several opposition players trying in vain to get near him? I remember it because at some point he started taking the pee by flapping his arms as though he was flying and I recall looking up at the players and wives box to my left on the Boothen End and seeing I think it was John Mahoney and many others splitting their sides with laughter. It remains one of the funniest things I have seen on a football pitch, maybe ranking with Wenger’s reaction to Stoke fans doing “the Wenger”. Strange how things like that stay in the memory. I cannot remember any other details of the game.

I would suspect but not entirely sure it was Man City.

[march4]

Jan 19, 2024 20:38:33 GMT smallthorner said:

Jan 19, 2024 17:55:44 GMT tosh said:

Just out of interest, does anyone remember a game where at one point Hudson was cruising around the mud patch of a centre circle with the ball seemingly tied to his shoe laces, and several opposition players trying in vain to get near him? I remember it because at some point he started taking the pee by flapping his arms as though he was flying and I recall looking up at the players and wives box to my left on the Boothen End and seeing I think it was John Mahoney and many others splitting their sides with laughter. It remains one of the funniest things I have seen on a football pitch, maybe ranking with Wenger’s reaction to Stoke fans doing “the Wenger”. Strange how things like that stay in the memory. I cannot remember any other details of the game.

I would suspect but not entirely sure it was Man City.

Could well be. We did annihilate them in a very niggly game.

[spitthedog]

Jan 19, 2024 22:15:15 GMT march4 said:

Jan 19, 2024 20:38:33 GMT smallthorner said:

I would suspect but not entirely sure it was Man City.

Could well be. We did annihilate them in a very niggly game.

and it was very muddy, like glue. 4-0 wasn't it?

[march4]

Jan 19, 2024 23:02:44 GMT spitthedog said:

Jan 19, 2024 22:15:15 GMT march4 said:

Could well be. We did annihilate them in a very niggly game.

and it was very muddy, like glue. 4-0 wasn't it?

Yes, that's the one.

[march4]

The Sunday papers following Huddy's debut were of course full of match reports praising his fantastic performance. But the Sunday People went a step further and had a two page interview with the great man himself. Indeed this was to be followed up next Sunday with further wisdom from our new midfield maestro. Much of the interview detailed the reasons why Hudson and Osgood had been intent on leaving Chelsea. However, a couple of sections involved SCFC. Hudson explains that when Waddo asked him if he would like to sign it was more a case of trying to stop him signing for us. The other details a conversation Huddy had with George Eastham as he arrived at Stoke for his first day. Eastham greeted him and told him not to worry because "if you can't play football here, you can't play it anywhere".

[march4]

For those of you logging on, expecting to read this Saturday's match report - you are going to be disappointed because we are playing our rearranged home game against Chelsea tomorrow on Sunday 27th January 1974. Tickets are selling fast as Huddy is due to line up against his former employers. Chelsea have moved quickly to sign a replacement for Hudson; their former player Charlie Cooke from Crystal Palace. To give an idea of the crazy transfer dealing of Palace's maverick manager Malcolm Alison, he bought Cooke for £85,000 last season and has now sold him back for only £15,000.

Huddy is in dispute with Chelsea over his 5% levy of the fee (about £10,000). The fee is due any player who is transferred without asking to move. The Football League are adjudicating with Stoke supporting Huddy.

The Sentinel letters page has little to say about Huddy's marvellous debut but there are still a few moans. One letter in particular complaining about the form of Hurst and Mahoney and extolling the virtues of Ritchie and Haslegrave.

Stoke announce that after tomorrow's game there will be no more Sunday matches as Waddo considers it his day off. A poll of the 21 players who have represented Stoke so far this season showed 20 of them did not wish to play on a Sunday.

For anyone attending tomorrow's game, you needed to buy a team-sheet.

[smallthorner]

Great stuff.

Think Waddos Sunday day off consisted of a long lunch at the Crewe Arms 😁

[ihaveadream]

Jan 26, 2024 20:12:29 GMT march4 said:

To give an idea of the crazy transfer dealing of Palace's maverick manager Malcolm Alison, he bought Cooke for £85,000 last season and has now sold him back for only £15,000.

D'OH

[march4]

On 27th January 1974, we made history by hosting the very first top division game ever played on a Sunday in England. Chelsea were our visitors, which added extra interest to the game with Hudson playing against his previous employers (who were still refusing to pay him his 5% cut of the transfer fee). Kick off was again 2.30pm due to the government restriction on the use of floodlights or generators. We lined up; - Farmer, Marsh, Pejic, Dodd, Smith, Bloor, Robertson, Greenhoff, Hurst, Hudson, Mahoney. Substitute; - Ritchie. Chelsea, in relegation trouble, fielded a few fringe players and Charlie Cooke made his second debut for the club. 32,000 people turned up to witness history. Alan Hudson was given the honour of being captain.

The game was less of a spectacle than the occasion. Stoke's defence was never troubled and it was clear from the early exchanges that we were going to be increasing our unbeaten league run to 7 games. The question was whether or not we would score. As the game went into the second half the crowd became increasingly restless and started to chant John Ritchie's name. Big John had been left out of recent games and now he was fit he was only substitute. Rumours spread around the ground that he was about to be sold and supporters were far from happy.

As the game hit 80 minutes, it looked like remaining a stalemate until Huddy again found himself in the spotlight. As our midfield maestro charged into the box he was tackled by Chelsea defender Locke and the ball went out of play for a corner with Huddy taking a couple of steps before tumbling to the floor. With no hesitation, the referee blew his whistle and pointed to the penalty spot. The Chelsea players were apoplectic surrounding the referee for what seemed at least 5 minutes. However, the decision stood with some press reporters seeing it as a clear penalty. Geoff Hurst eventually put the ball on the spot and blasted it home. We had won 1-0, a result which lifted us further up the table. Huddy, Waddo and the ref spoke after the game declaring it was definitely a penalty.

There was little news on the Osgood saga with Chelsea manager Sexton disappearing after the game before Waddo could speak to him. However, Stoke supporters were in disbelief that the Sentinel revealed that the club had accepted a £30,000 offer from Bobby Charlton's Preston for John Ritchie. Our big centre forward was a crowd favourite and had 7 goals already in the season in spite of not being a regular starter. Waddo's calming of the fans with the signing of Hudson was now forgotten with the consensus being we should only consider releasing him once a new striker had actually signed.

[march4]

Could our long unbeaten league run continue with our short visit to Molyneux. We had sneaked above Wolves in the table for a game which would be keenly fought as usual. The days leading up to the game were unsettling as the furore over Ritchie's transfer to Preston was reflected in the Sentinel. First the Sentinel said the sale was cancelled, then it had an interview with Big John in which he stated he had agreed terms with Bobby Charlton (Preston's manager) but had not spoken to Waddo about the deal. The Osgood affair had died down and the Saturday evening letters page was one of constant criticism of Mr Waddington for considering the transfer with only Goodwin as cover for Hurst and Greenhoff. We lined up; - Farmer, Marsh, Pejic, Dodd, Smith, Bloor, Robertson, Greenhoff, Hurst, Hudson, Mahoney. Sub; - Ritchie.

This was a typically brutal battle on a muddy pitch against the team in old gold. In particular, Denis Smith and Derek Dougan gave no quarter as sparks seemed to fly every time they clashed. Huddy was again impressive and we were in little trouble until Pejic stumbled into the ball just as it was about to reach Farmer's grasp and the ball ended up in the net. However, straight from the restart, the game changed on a bizarre incident in which the referee stopped play with the ball in Stoke's half to award us a free kick on the edge of the Wolves' penalty area and ordered their defender Munro off the pitch. The referee indicated that Munro had struck Robertson in the face. With Wolves a man down, Waddo replaced Dodd with Ritchie and our big striker scored almost immediately from a Pejic cross. As Big John celebrated his goal he stuck two fingers up in the direction of the dugouts. So a 1-1 draw and our unbeaten run is extended.

At the top of the league, Leeds remain unbeaten and are rapidly approaching Burnley's 30 game record. At relegation haunted Manchester Utd, George Best has been placed on the transfer list.

The hottest young property in English football is West Brom's young striker Barry Donaghy. He was the star as England won the European youth title and manager Don Howe rated him as the greatest young talent he had ever seen.

The energy crisis is getting worse with the miners now voting for an all out strike rejecting a 16.5% pay rise and the power workers supporting them. There are stockpiles of coal but these depots are now being picketed to stop any lorries leaving. It looks like the army will be called in to distribute coal but the miners' leader Mick McGahey urges them to disobey orders. The government are starting to talk about the dispute as a threat to democracy. The papers suggest a general election could be a solution to see whether the electorate support the miners or the government. And an IRA bomb on a coach travelling on the M62 kills 12 people. The coach was carrying off duty soldiers and their families.

[march4]

Our rearranged game at home to Manchester Utd was scheduled to be played today but persistent rain had turned the pitch into a quagmire and the game was postponed. We are now 8 points above the Red Devils as they struggle against relegation. No more news on the purchase of Osgood nor on the sale of Ritchie.

The papers are full of stories of strike action across the country and Ted Heath calls an election for the end of February to decide who runs the country - the unions or the government? The Labour opposition under Harold Wilson announce they have reached a 'social contract' with the unions to end the strikes. Conservative MP, Enoch Powell, announces his intention to vote Labour.

In the West Indies, the England cricket team collapse to 131 all out.

And in the USA, the House of Representatives authorises the Judiciary Committee to investigate grounds for impeaching Richard Nixon.

[Veritas]

Feb 2, 2024 18:07:15 GMT march4 said:

Could our long unbeaten league run continue with our short visit to Molyneux. We had sneaked above Wolves in the table for a game which would be keenly fought as usual. The days leading up to the game were unsettling as the furore over Ritchie's transfer to Preston was reflected in the Sentinel. First the Sentinel said the sale was cancelled, then it had an interview with Big John in which he stated he had agreed terms with Bobby Charlton (Preston's manager) but had not spoken to Waddo about the deal. The Osgood affair had died down and the Saturday evening letters page was one of constant criticism of Mr Waddington for considering the transfer with only Goodwin as cover for Hurst and Greenhoff. We lined up; - Farmer, Marsh, Pejic, Dodd, Smith, Bloor, Robertson, Greenhoff, Hurst, Hudson, Mahoney. Sub; - Ritchie.

This was a typically brutal battle on a muddy pitch against the team in old gold. In particular, Denis Smith and Derek Dougan gave no quarter as sparks seemed to fly every time they clashed. Huddy was again impressive and we were in little trouble until Pejic stumbled into the ball just as it was about to reach Farmer's grasp and the ball ended up in the net. However, straight from the restart, the game changed on a bizarre incident in which the referee stopped play with the ball in Stoke's half to award us a free kick on the edge of the Wolves' penalty area and ordered their defender Munro off the pitch. The referee indicated that Munro had struck Robertson in the face. With Wolves a man down, Waddo replaced Dodd with Ritchie and our big striker scored almost immediately from a Pejic cross. As Big John celebrated his goal he stuck two fingers up in the direction of the dugouts. So a 1-1 draw and our unbeaten run is extended.

At the top of the league, Leeds remain unbeaten and are rapidly approaching Burnley's 30 game record. At relegation haunted Manchester Utd, George Best has been placed on the transfer list.

The hottest young property in English football is West Brom's young striker Barry Donaghy. He was the star as England won the European youth title and manager Don Howe rated him as the greatest young talent he had ever seen.

The energy crisis is getting worse with the miners now voting for an all out strike rejecting a 16.5% pay rise and the power workers supporting them. There are stockpiles of coal but these depots are now being picketed to stop any lorries leaving. It looks like the army will be called in to distribute coal but the miners' leader Mick McGahey urges them to disobey orders. The government are starting to talk about the dispute as a threat to democracy. The papers suggest a general election could be a solution to see whether the electorate support the miners or the government. And an IRA bomb on a coach travelling on the M62 kills 12 people. The coach was carrying off duty soldiers and their families.

View Attachment

The Barry Donaghy comment as being the hottest young property in English football is interesting. He went on to do practically nothing which shows it was just as difficult back then to predict who would make the step up to senior football.

[march4]

Feb 6, 2024 15:17:12 GMT Veritas said:

Feb 2, 2024 18:07:15 GMT march4 said:

Could our long unbeaten league run continue with our short visit to Molyneux. We had sneaked above Wolves in the table for a game which would be keenly fought as usual. The days leading up to the game were unsettling as the furore over Ritchie's transfer to Preston was reflected in the Sentinel. First the Sentinel said the sale was cancelled, then it had an interview with Big John in which he stated he had agreed terms with Bobby Charlton (Preston's manager) but had not spoken to Waddo about the deal. The Osgood affair had died down and the Saturday evening letters page was one of constant criticism of Mr Waddington for considering the transfer with only Goodwin as cover for Hurst and Greenhoff. We lined up; - Farmer, Marsh, Pejic, Dodd, Smith, Bloor, Robertson, Greenhoff, Hurst, Hudson, Mahoney. Sub; - Ritchie.

This was a typically brutal battle on a muddy pitch against the team in old gold. In particular, Denis Smith and Derek Dougan gave no quarter as sparks seemed to fly every time they clashed. Huddy was again impressive and we were in little trouble until Pejic stumbled into the ball just as it was about to reach Farmer's grasp and the ball ended up in the net. However, straight from the restart, the game changed on a bizarre incident in which the referee stopped play with the ball in Stoke's half to award us a free kick on the edge of the Wolves' penalty area and ordered their defender Munro off the pitch. The referee indicated that Munro had struck Robertson in the face. With Wolves a man down, Waddo replaced Dodd with Ritchie and our big striker scored almost immediately from a Pejic cross. As Big John celebrated his goal he stuck two fingers up in the direction of the dugouts. So a 1-1 draw and our unbeaten run is extended.

At the top of the league, Leeds remain unbeaten and are rapidly approaching Burnley's 30 game record. At relegation haunted Manchester Utd, George Best has been placed on the transfer list.

The hottest young property in English football is West Brom's young striker Barry Donaghy. He was the star as England won the European youth title and manager Don Howe rated him as the greatest young talent he had ever seen.

The energy crisis is getting worse with the miners now voting for an all out strike rejecting a 16.5% pay rise and the power workers supporting them. There are stockpiles of coal but these depots are now being picketed to stop any lorries leaving. It looks like the army will be called in to distribute coal but the miners' leader Mick McGahey urges them to disobey orders. The government are starting to talk about the dispute as a threat to democracy. The papers suggest a general election could be a solution to see whether the electorate support the miners or the government. And an IRA bomb on a coach travelling on the M62 kills 12 people. The coach was carrying off duty soldiers and their families.

View Attachment

The Barry Donaghy comment as being the hottest young property in English football is interesting. He went on to do practically nothing which shows it was just as difficult back then to predict who would make the step up to senior football.

A handful of games for the Baggies and 40 games for Workington.

[march4]

The Victoria Ground pitch continued to look like a quagmire and so today's match at home to Arsenal had been postponed 24hrs earlier. Alan Ball had been busy in the press all week, saying how Arsenal feared no one and would triumph in the game.

Peter Osgood has disappeared to Spain with the papers anticipating a move to Real Madrid. The club deny any link and Ossie returns home 4 days later. The Sentinel letters are still full of anger and disbelief that Stoke were prepared to sell John Ritchie. Tickets for our next home game against unbeaten Leeds are selling fast and the club are inviting postal applications for the 50p paddock tickets.

Huddy is still featuring in the Sunday People and this week he appeals to Alf Ramsay to reconsider him for England selection.

With the election campaign in full swing, petrol goes up 8p a gallon from 45p to 53p. The papers speculate that folk will abandon cars as fuel is prohibitively expensive.

And by mid week, Everton have demolished the British transfer record with the £350,000 signing of Bob Latchford from Everton. If Stoke were prepared to spend this money on Osgood, why weren't we interested in him (perhaps we were). Latchford scored at nearly a goal every other game for the rest of the 70s and would have given us the required fire power. Or perhaps it was the structure of the deal with Howard Kendall and Archie Styles going to Birmingham and only £80,000 actually changing hands.

[march4]

Our 8 game unbeaten league run came up against a stern test at high flying Sheffield Utd. Due to our enforced break last weekend, caused by the postponement of our home games, Waddo ordered extra training. This backfired badly with both Bloor and Greenhoff suffering muscle strains that ruled them out. We lined up; - Farmer, Marsh, Pejic, Dodd, Smith, Skeels, Robertson, Ritchie, Hurst, Hudson, Mahoney. This was a dour game, enlivened only by the antics of the referee who managed to anger players, officials and fans by not allowing for a very heavy pitch. Both teams revelled in sliding tackles with both Smith and Pejic booked for clean challenges. He then booked Speight for a similar challenge on Hudson, even though Huddy pleaded his opponent's innocence. Mahoney and Speight slid into each other while contesting a 50:50 ball. Josh won the battle only for Speight to strike him as they both stood up. The Sheffield man was ordered from the pitch and the anger of the home fans reached a crescendo. Still no goalmouth action though and the game ended as it began as goalless. It was now 9 games unbeaten.

Next up it is Leeds; 29 games unbeaten from the start of the season and only one game behind Burnley's record set 53 years earlier. Stoke had already drawn at Elland Road earlier in the season. Could we be the team to finally beat them?

The Sentinel's letters are still full of indignation that the club were thinking of selling John Ritchie.

The threat of Stoke City's name having to revert to Stoke receded when the Queen stepped in to reverse the government's decision to remove city status from the Potteries. The government announced their intention a few weeks previously but frantic petitioning to Her Majesty from local politicians and the football club led to an announcement from Buckingham Palace that the Queen was pleased to award permanent city status to Stoke-on-Trent.

The general election campaign continues amid the increasingly fractious miners' strike. At Hem Heath, someone threw a bogey cart down the main shaft, damaging the cage and winding apparatus. The government are leading in all of the opinion polls including one in Sunday's papers putting them 9% ahead and in line for a landslide. What would a Ted Heath victory mean to this battle with the unions?

[smallthorner]

Great stuff.

Rekindling of precious memories for some of us.

[deeside2]

The upcoming Leeds game was a brilliant experience. From doom and gloom to total happiness in less than 90 minutes !

[march4]

What a great time this was to be a Stoke fan. Today, in front of the press and TV cameras, we welcomed the unbeaten, runaway leaders of the First Division, Leeds United. If Leeds managed to avoid defeat, they would equal the longstanding record of Burnley for most games unbeaten. Our preparations had been hampered by a few injury issues and we lined up in front of nearly 40,000 fans on this historic occasion; - Farmer, Marsh, Pejic, Dodd, Smith, Mahoney, Robertson, Greenhoff, Hurst, Hudson, Ritchie. The Leeds team included; Harvey, Yorath, Cherry, Bremner, Hunter, Lorimer, Clarke, Jordan, Giles, Cooper and Madeley.

For once, I don't need to describe the action as it was covered by Star Soccer and Hugh Johns. Watch and enjoy as I did on the day from the Stoke End.



No more needs to be said. Of all our league games in the 70s, this was one of the most (if not the most) memorable.

Following the game, Huddy was named in the England u23 squad for the forthcoming game against Scotland. A well deserved call up!

In the general election campaign, the Conservative government continue to lead in the polls, but the race seems to be narrowing.

[deeside2]

Feb 23, 2024 16:26:54 GMT march4 said:

What a great time this was to be a Stoke fan. Today, in front of the press and TV cameras, we welcomed the unbeaten, runaway leaders of the First Division, Leeds United. If Leeds managed to avoid defeat, they would equal the longstanding record of Burnley for most games unbeaten. Our preparations had been hampered by a few injury issues and we lined up in front of nearly 40,000 fans on this historic occasion; - Farmer, Marsh, Pejic, Dodd, Smith, Mahoney, Robertson, Greenhoff, Hurst, Hudson, Ritchie. The Leeds team included; Harvey, Yorath, Cherry, Bremner, Hunter, Lorimer, Clarke, Jordan, Giles, Cooper and Madeley.

For once, I don't need to describe the action as it was covered by Star Soccer and Hugh Johns. Watch and enjoy as I did on the day from the Stoke End.



No more needs to be said. Of all our league games in the 70s, this was one of the most (if not the most) memorable.

Following the game, Huddy was named in the England u23 squad for the forthcoming game against Scotland. A well deserved call up!

In the general election campaign, the Conservative government continue to lead in the polls, but the race seems to be narrowing.

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Thanks March - great memories, what a game ! Just watched that with a huge smile on my face. 

[spitthedog]

Still brings tears to me eyes!

What fantastic memories that brings back....We had some fabulous players then but reminded me what a wonderful player Jimmy Robertson was!

[castokie]

You had to be there to witness the atmosphere generated at this game. With the Leeds unbeaten record on the line followed by that Bremner goal which at first caused disbelief and then anger amongst us, it spurred both the team and supporters to will a win. Credit to both teams for their absolute non stop commitment (maybe the clips of the game could be mandatory viewing for our current crop) that kept everyone at the match in a state of suspense until the final whistle. I and many others left the game horse and drained of energy so god knows how the players must have felt returning to the dressing room. After this victory a new self belief came over he team and as the remainder of the season showed we feared nobody. Kudos to Denis Smith when he scored the winning goal as he netted the equalizer in the 1-1 daw at Ellend Road earlier in the season in almost the same way. I feel so privileged to have been able to witness that Stoke era.

[apb1]

Feb 23, 2024 16:26:54 GMT march4 said:

What a great time this was to be a Stoke fan. Today, in front of the press and TV cameras, we welcomed the unbeaten, runaway leaders of the First Division, Leeds United. If Leeds managed to avoid defeat, they would equal the longstanding record of Burnley for most games unbeaten. Our preparations had been hampered by a few injury issues and we lined up in front of nearly 40,000 fans on this historic occasion; - Farmer, Marsh, Pejic, Dodd, Smith, Mahoney, Robertson, Greenhoff, Hurst, Hudson, Ritchie. The Leeds team included; Harvey, Yorath, Cherry, Bremner, Hunter, Lorimer, Clarke, Jordan, Giles, Cooper and Madeley.

For once, I don't need to describe the action as it was covered by Star Soccer and Hugh Johns. Watch and enjoy as I did on the day from the Stoke End.



No more needs to be said. Of all our league games in the 70s, this was one of the most (if not the most) memorable.

Following the game, Huddy was named in the England u23 squad for the forthcoming game against Scotland. A well deserved call up!

In the general election campaign, the Conservative government continue to lead in the polls, but the race seems to be narrowing.

View Attachment

I still think you should describe it. Better than a video

[spitthedog]

Feb 23, 2024 18:12:22 GMT apb1 said:

Feb 23, 2024 16:26:54 GMT march4 said:

What a great time this was to be a Stoke fan. Today, in front of the press and TV cameras, we welcomed the unbeaten, runaway leaders of the First Division, Leeds United. If Leeds managed to avoid defeat, they would equal the longstanding record of Burnley for most games unbeaten. Our preparations had been hampered by a few injury issues and we lined up in front of nearly 40,000 fans on this historic occasion; - Farmer, Marsh, Pejic, Dodd, Smith, Mahoney, Robertson, Greenhoff, Hurst, Hudson, Ritchie. The Leeds team included; Harvey, Yorath, Cherry, Bremner, Hunter, Lorimer, Clarke, Jordan, Giles, Cooper and Madeley.

For once, I don't need to describe the action as it was covered by Star Soccer and Hugh Johns. Watch and enjoy as I did on the day from the Stoke End.



No more needs to be said. Of all our league games in the 70s, this was one of the most (if not the most) memorable.

Following the game, Huddy was named in the England u23 squad for the forthcoming game against Scotland. A well deserved call up!

In the general election campaign, the Conservative government continue to lead in the polls, but the race seems to be narrowing.

View Attachment

I still think you should describe it. Better than a video

Both for me!

I think your descriptions are really insightful and you seem to have the capacity to remember many wonderful details that have now been erased from my own memory.

[march4]

I can't possibly compete with the outstanding Hugh Johns in describing the game, but a couple of details have remained in my mind.

Leeds had a reputation in the 70s for being a dirty team and it was deserved, but they were no more dirty than Liverpool and less than Ipswich. However, Leeds were beyond cynical and employed every trick they could muster to bend the rules of the game. The Bremner free kick was typical of them. As Waddo bemoaned after the game, George Eastham was booked at Old Trafford earlier in the season for taking a free kick quickly, but Bremner did it and the goal was given. If Jordan's header had counted we would have been 3-0 down with only a quarter of the game gone. In those days, standing on the Stoke End was an interesting experience because there was no segregation and the Leeds fans were confident of an easy victory.

However, we did fight back and Leeds became more niggly and disrespectful towards the referee. Long arguments ensued with the officials once the score was back to 2-2. I think it was Bremner who was barking in the referee's ear all the way to the dressing room once the half time whistle had gone. Had he forgotten the manner of his goal?

Once we were ahead, I remember thinking what bad losers Leeds were. Clarke hacked down Robertson for no reason and the two players squared up. Then Bremner did likewise. Bremner then got involved with Greenhoff. The game looked like boiling over. Indeed the linesman had to get between the players at one point. Even after the final whistle, Bremner and co were still jostling our players. The Mirror match report is shocked at the extent to which the referee was molested, suggesting he was even pushed in the back after the final whistle. The behaviour of the Leeds fans was barely any better.

For us, with Sir Alf watching, Hudson, Dodd and Greenhoff were superb but the plaudits must go to Big John who made sure Hunter knew he was in a physical battle with intelligent, aggressive play. He was involved in all that was good on the day, setting up two of our goals and also hitting the bar. He is playing as well as ever for us. However will we be able to replace him?

The league table now shows us moving away from the relegation spots and eyeing up a European challenge. Our unbeaten run has been extended and the future looks very rosy indeed.

[Veritas]

Feb 23, 2024 20:18:35 GMT march4 said:

I can't possibly compete with the outstanding Hugh Johns in describing the game, but a couple of details have remained in my mind.

Leeds had a reputation in the 70s for being a dirty team and it was deserved, but they were no more dirty than Liverpool and less than Ipswich. However, Leeds were beyond cynical and employed every trick they could muster to bend the rules of the game. The Bremner free kick was typical of them. As Waddo bemoaned after the game, George Eastham was booked at Old Trafford earlier in the season for taking a free kick quickly, but Bremner did it and the goal was given. If Jordan's header had counted we would have been 3-0 down with only a quarter of the game gone. In those days, standing on the Stoke End was an interesting experience because there was no segregation and the Leeds fans were confident of an easy victory.

However, we did fight back and Leeds became more niggly and disrespectful towards the referee. Long arguments ensued with the officials once the score was back to 2-2. I think it was Bremner who was barking in the referee's ear all the way to the dressing room once the half time whistle had gone. Had he forgotten the manner of his goal?

Once we were ahead, I remember thinking what bad losers Leeds were. Clarke hacked down Robertson for no reason and the two players squared up. Then Bremner did likewise. Bremner then got involved with Greenhoff. The game looked like boiling over. Indeed the linesman had to get between the players at one point. Even after the final whistle, Bremner and co were still jostling our players. The Mirror match report is shocked at the extent to which the referee was molested, suggesting he was even pushed in the back after the final whistle. The behaviour of the Leeds fans was barely any better.

For us, with Sir Alf watching, Hudson, Dodd and Greenhoff were superb but the plaudits must go to Big John who made sure Hunter knew he was in a physical battle with intelligent, aggressive play. He was involved in all that was good on the day, setting up two of our goals and also hitting the bar. He is playing as well as ever for us. However will we be able to replace him?

The league table now shows us moving away from the relegation spots and eyeing up a European challenge. Our unbeaten run has been extended and the future looks very rosy indeed.

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This and the 5-0 Arsenal win in 70/71 remain the best two Stoke performances I have seen.

[march4]

Feb 23, 2024 20:36:17 GMT Veritas said:

Feb 23, 2024 20:18:35 GMT march4 said:

I can't possibly compete with the outstanding Hugh Johns in describing the game, but a couple of details have remained in my mind.

Leeds had a reputation in the 70s for being a dirty team and it was deserved, but they were no more dirty than Liverpool and less than Ipswich. However, Leeds were beyond cynical and employed every trick they could muster to bend the rules of the game. The Bremner free kick was typical of them. As Waddo bemoaned after the game, George Eastham was booked at Old Trafford earlier in the season for taking a free kick quickly, but Bremner did it and the goal was given. If Jordan's header had counted we would have been 3-0 down with only a quarter of the game gone. In those days, standing on the Stoke End was an interesting experience because there was no segregation and the Leeds fans were confident of an easy victory.

However, we did fight back and Leeds became more niggly and disrespectful towards the referee. Long arguments ensued with the officials once the score was back to 2-2. I think it was Bremner who was barking in the referee's ear all the way to the dressing room once the half time whistle had gone. Had he forgotten the manner of his goal?

Once we were ahead, I remember thinking what bad losers Leeds were. Clarke hacked down Robertson for no reason and the two players squared up. Then Bremner did likewise. Bremner then got involved with Greenhoff. The game looked like boiling over. Indeed the linesman had to get between the players at one point. Even after the final whistle, Bremner and co were still jostling our players. The Mirror match report is shocked at the extent to which the referee was molested, suggesting he was even pushed in the back after the final whistle. The behaviour of the Leeds fans was barely any better.

For us, with Sir Alf watching, Hudson, Dodd and Greenhoff were superb but the plaudits must go to Big John who made sure Hunter knew he was in a physical battle with intelligent, aggressive play. He was involved in all that was good on the day, setting up two of our goals and also hitting the bar. He is playing as well as ever for us. However will we be able to replace him?

The league table now shows us moving away from the relegation spots and eyeing up a European challenge. Our unbeaten run has been extended and the future looks very rosy indeed.

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This and the 5-0 Arsenal win in 70/71 remain the best two Stoke performances I have seen.

Without too much of a spoiler, the next home game is a fire cracker too!

[Mr_DaftBurger]

Feb 23, 2024 20:18:35 GMT march4 said:

.... plaudits must go to Big John who made sure Hunter knew he was in a physical battle with intelligent, aggressive play. He was involved in all that was good on the day, setting up two of our goals and also hitting the bar. He is playing as well as ever for us. However will we be able to replace him?



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Still waiting! 😞

The thing about Leeds is they did have brilliant players and really didn't need to resort to this behaviour. Came from the manager, horrible man!

[waddosnavy]

Feb 23, 2024 16:26:54 GMT march4 said:

What a great time this was to be a Stoke fan. Today, in front of the press and TV cameras, we welcomed the unbeaten, runaway leaders of the First Division, Leeds United. If Leeds managed to avoid defeat, they would equal the longstanding record of Burnley for most games unbeaten. Our preparations had been hampered by a few injury issues and we lined up in front of nearly 40,000 fans on this historic occasion; - Farmer, Marsh, Pejic, Dodd, Smith, Mahoney, Robertson, Greenhoff, Hurst, Hudson, Ritchie. The Leeds team included; Harvey, Yorath, Cherry, Bremner, Hunter, Lorimer, Clarke, Jordan, Giles, Cooper and Madeley.

For once, I don't need to describe the action as it was covered by Star Soccer and Hugh Johns. Watch and enjoy as I did on the day from the Stoke End.



No more needs to be said. Of all our league games in the 70s, this was one of the most (if not the most) memorable.

Following the game, Huddy was named in the England u23 squad for the forthcoming game against Scotland. A well deserved call up!

In the general election campaign, the Conservative government continue to lead in the polls, but the race seems to be narrowing.

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Almost 50% of the team local lads, who knew how to fight and never give up - 0-2 down to Champion elect and we smashed them.
Dodd went on to be a quality distant runner.
Pejic stills sets an example of fitness, skill and determination.
We'll never see a team like that again