Welcome to the latest installment of the Gloucester Groundhopper blog.
For this chapter, we headed to Stoke City for some EFL Championship action as they took on Blackburn Rovers at the Bet 365 Stadium.
It's All In The Name:
Stoke are known as 'The Potters' because many people from the city used to work in the potteries, which were factories that created china (plates and cups, for example). The football team became known as the potters, as this was the job of many of the players, who had to work in addition to playing football at the time.
Some Notable People From Stoke On Trent:
Rachel Shenton- Actress
Phil Wang- Comedian
Sir John Madjeski- Owner of Reading FC
Robbie Williams- Singer
Jem Finer- Founding Member Of The Pogues
Some Notable Former Players
Ibrahim Afellay
Bojan
Marko Arnautovic
Gordon Banks
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting
Eidur Gudjohnson
Geoff Hurst
Chris Kamara
Stanley Matthews
Michael Owen
Kurt Zouma
A History Lesson From The Gloucester Groundhopper
Although there are accounts of the game being played in Stoke in 1863, and the club claims this as its official date of formation, the Stoke Ramblers club was founded in 1868 by Henry Almond, a student at Charterhouse school where a dribbling variation of the game was popular. Almond arrived in the region to work as an apprentice for the North Staffordshire Railway Company and, wanting to continue playing the game he had enjoyed while at school, founded the region's first formal association football club. The club's first documented match was against a scratch team assembled for the occasion by E.W May in October 1868. Harry Almond captained the Stoke Ramblers and scored the club's first goal.
In December 1868, the club played its first recorded away match at Congleton, a rugby club convinced to play a one-off fixture under association rules. The club began playing at the Victoria Cricket Club ground in the 1860s, but due to increased attendance, they moved to Sweetings Field in 1875.
After two seasons as the Ramblers, the club dropped the suffix and became known as Stoke Football Club in 1870. It became inextricably linked with Stoke Victoria Cricket Club, sharing facilities and some administrative duties. The club played at the Athletic Club's ground, which was later renamed the Victoria Ground. Around this time, the club switched to their traditional red-and-white striped kit. The club became professional in August 1885.
When the Football League was established in 1888, Stoke was one of the twelve founding members. The club struggled in its first two seasons, 1888-89 and 1889-90, finishing last in both. After failing to be re-elected in 1890, Stoke joined the Football Alliance, which they won, and thus were re-elected to the Football League. Stoke spent the next 15 seasons in the First Division, reaching the FA Cup Semi-finals in 1898-99 before being relegated in 1907 due to financial difficulties. Stoke went bankrupt at the end of the 1907-08 season and moved into non-league football, playing in the Birmingham & District League and Southern League until 1914, when the Football League was suspended for four years due to the First World War. Stoke joined the Lancashire Primary and Secondary leagues during the war. Stoke rejoined the league when it resumed in August 1919.
In 1919, the club purchased the Victoria Ground. This was followed by the building of the Butler Street stand, which increased the stadium's overall capacity to 50,000. Stoke-on-Trent was granted city status in 1925, prompting the club to change its name to Stoke City F.C.
Stanley Matthews, the club's most famous player, made his debut in the 1930s. Matthews, who grew up in Hanley, was an apprentice at the club and made his debut against Bury in March 1932, at the age of 17. Matthews had established himself as an England international and one of the best footballers of his generation by the end of the decade. Stoke won promotion from the Second Division in 1932-33, but Matthews only appeared in fifteen games that season. However, he scored his first goal for the club in a 3-1 win over local rivals Port Vale.
By 1934, the club's average attendance had risen to over 23,000, allowing the club to increase transfer funds for manager Tom Mather. The club was now regarded as one of the best in the country. During this time, the club set a league record with a 10-3 victory over West Bromwich Albion in February 1937. In April of that year, the club set a league attendance record of 51,373 against Arsenal. Freddie Steele set a club record with 33 league goals in 1936-37.
Following the resumption of the FA Cup following World War II, tragedy struck on March 9, 1946, when 33 fans were killed and 520 were injured during a 6th round away tie against Bolton Wanderers. This was dubbed the Burnden Park disaster.Stoke mounted a serious title challenge in 1946-47. To win the First Division title, the club needed to win their final game of the season. However, a 2-1 defeat to Sheffield United meant that Liverpool won the title instead. At the age of 32, Stanley Matthews left with three games left in the 1946-47 season to join Blackpool.
Stoke were relegated from the First Division in 1952-53, and Bob McGrory resigned as manager during the season after 17 years in charge. Former Wolverhampton Wanderers defender Frank Taylor took over as manager, with the club hoping to return to the First Division. Taylor was fired after seven seasons in the Second Division without promotion. Taylor was stunned by his dismissal and vowed never to be associated with football again.
Tony Waddington was appointed manager of the club in June 1960. He joined the club as a coach in 1952 and was promoted to assistant manager in 1957. Waddington pulled off a major coup by luring Stanley Matthews, then 46, back to the club 14 years after he had left. Matthews' return aided Stoke's improved eighth-place finish in 1961-62. The following season, Stoke finished as champions, and they were promoted. Waddington led Stoke to a mid-table finish in their first season back in the top flight, 1963-64. Stoke City advanced to the 1964 Football League Cup Final, where they were defeated 4-3 over two legs by Leicester City.
Waddington relied on experience; Dennis Viollet, Jackie Mudie, Roy Vernon, Maurice Setters, and Jimmy McIlroy were all late-career signings. In the 1965 New Year's Honours list, Matthews was knighted for services to football. His final appearance for the club came against Fulham in February 1965, shortly after his 50th birthday. Gordon Banks, England's World Cup-winning custodian in 1966, joined from Leicester in 1967 for £52,000. Banks, widely regarded as the best custodian in the world, proved to be a wise signing for Waddington, assisting the club in maintaining stability in the First Division. During the 1967-68 season, Stoke City competed in the one-time United Soccer Association, which brought in clubs from Europe and South America. Stoke was a member of the Cleveland Stokers, who finished second in the Eastern Division.
On March 4, 1972, the club won its first major trophy in the League Cup Final against Chelsea. Terry Conroy and George Eastham scored for Stoke in front of 97,852 at Wembley Stadium. Prior to this victory, Stoke had advanced through 11 games to reach the final. This included four games against West Ham United in the semi-finals, which were replayed twice. Stoke performed admirably in the FA Cup, reaching the semi-finals in both the 1970-71 and 1971-72 seasons. However, on both occasions, Stoke were defeated in a replay by Arsenal. Stoke also competed in the UEFA Cup in 1972 and 1974, losing to 1. FC Kaiserslautern and Ajax on the first attempt.
A storm blew off the roof of the Butler Street Stand in January 1976. The nearly £250,000 repair bill put the club in financial trouble, and key players such as Alan Hudson, Mike Pejic, and Jimmy Greenhoff were sold to cover the costs. Stoke were relegated in 1976-77 due to a depleted squad. Waddington left the club after 17 years in charge after a 1-0 home defeat to Leicester in March 1977.
After 119 years at the Victoria Ground, Stoke moved to its new home, the Britannia Stadium, in 1997-98. Chic Bates, Macari's assistant, was named manager for the club's inaugural season at the new stadium. He did not last long, however, and was replaced in January 1998 by Chris Kamara. Kamara, too, was unable to improve the club's fortunes and left in April. Alan Durban, who had previously managed Stoke City two decades before, took over as manager for the remainder of the season. Despite his best efforts, Durban was unable to keep Stoke in the Premier League, as a defeat to Manchester City on the final day of the season condemned the club to relegation to the third tier.
Brian Little, formerly of Aston Villa, took over as manager for the 1998-99 season. Despite an impressive start, the team's form deteriorated dramatically in the latter stages of the season, leading to Little's departure at the end of the season. Gary Megson, his successor, had only been in the job for four months. Megson was forced to resign after Stoke Holding, an Icelandic consortium, purchased a 66% stake in Stoke City F.C. for £6.6 million. Stoke City became the first Icelandic-owned football club outside of the country. Gujón Þórðarson who helped Stoke City win the Football League Trophy in 1999-2000 with a 2-1 win over Bristol City in front of 85,057 fans, was appointed as the club's first foreign manager.
After previous play-off defeats against Gillingham and Walsall, órarson gained promotion at the third attempt in 2001-02. Cardiff City lost in the semi-finals before beating Brentford 2-0 at the Millennium Stadium to secure promotion. Despite achieving his promotion goal, Þórðarson was fired by Gunnar Gíslason just five days later.
Þórðarson's replacement, Steve Cotterill, was hired prior to the start of the 2002-03 season, but resigned in October 2002 after only four months in charge. Tony Pulis was soon appointed as Stoke's new manager. Pulis kept Stoke City out of relegation trouble with a 1-0 victory over Reading on the final day of the season. However, Pulis was sacked at the end of the 2004-05 season due to a disagreement with the club's owners.
On the same day that Pulis was fired, Dutch manager Johan Boskamp was named as his replacement. Boskamp brought in a number of new European players, but his team was inconsistent and only finished in the middle of the table. Boskamp resigned at the end of the 2005-06 season, amid a takeover attempt by former chairman Peter Coates. Coates completed his takeover of Stoke City on May 23, 2006, ending Gunnar Gíslason's chairmanship of the club. In June 2006, Coates appointed former manager Tony Pulis as Boskamp's replacement. Pulis guided Stoke City to a play-off spot, but the club finished eighth in the 2006-07 season.
On the final day of the 2007-08 season, Stoke won automatic promotion to the Premier League after finishing second in the Championship. After a 3-1 loss to Bolton Wanderers on the first day of the 2008-09 season, many media outlets wrote Stoke off as relegation certainties. Stoke City managed to turn the Britannia Stadium into a "fortress," making it difficult for opposing teams to score there. Stoke City defeated Aston Villa 3-2 in their first home game, and they also defeated Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Sunderland, and West Bromwich Albion. Stoke City confirmed their place in the Premier League with a 2-1 win over Hull City, finishing 12th in their first season back in the top flight with 45 points. Stoke finished the following 2009–10 season in a respectable 11th place, with 47 points. Stoke also made it to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup for the first time since 1972, defeating York City, Arsenal and Manchester City before losing out to eventual winners Chelsea.
Stoke City made their first FA Cup Final appearance in 2011, defeating Cardiff City, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Brighton & Hove Albion, West Ham United, and a famous 5-0 win over Bolton, the largest post-war FA Cup semi-final victory. However, they were defeated 1-0 by Manchester City in the final. Stoke qualified for the 2011-12 UEFA Europa League by reaching the final. In the Europa League, Stoke advanced past Hajduk Split, Thun, and a difficult group that included Beşiktaş, Dynamo Kyiv, and Maccabi Tel Aviv, which Stoke finished second in. City's reward was a tie against Valencia, and despite a spirited second leg performance, Stoke were defeated 2-0 on aggregate. In the Premier League, Stoke City signed high-profile signing Peter Crouch as they finished in the middle of the table for the fourth time. The 2012-13 season saw little progress for Stoke, and Pulis left the club by mutual consent on 21st May 2013.
On 30th May 2013, Pulis was replaced by fellow Welshman Mark Hughes, who signed a three-year contract. Hughes guided Stoke to ninth place in the Premier League in 2013-14, their highest finish since 1974-75. Stoke finished ninth again in the 2014-15 season, this time with 54 points. Despite breaking their transfer record twice with Xherdan Shaqiriand and Giannelli Imbula in 2015-16, Stoke City made no progress and finished ninth for the third season in a row. Stoke City dropped to 13th place in 2016-17. Hughes was fired in January 2018 after a poor run left the club in the relegation zone. He was replaced by Paul Lambert, who was unable to keep the club's 10-year stay in the Premier League going.
Following their relegation to the Championship, Lambert was replaced by former Derby County manager Gary Rowett. Despite spending nearly £50 million on players during the summer transfer window, results and performances were poor, and Rowett was fired on 8th January 2019, with the team 14th in the table. Nathan Jones, the manager of Luton Town, has taken his place. Stoke City finished the 2018-19 season in 16th place, with a record number of draws (22).
Jones was fired on November 1, 2019, with the team in the relegation zone, after only two wins in the first 14 games of the following season. A week later, Northern Ireland boss Michael O'Neill was named as his replacement. Under O'Neill, results improved and the team avoided relegation, finishing 15th. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the entire 2020-21 season was played without spectators, and Stoke finished in mid-table once again. The following season began brightly, with the team challenging for the playoffs, but a poor finish saw them finish 14th. A slow start to the 2022-23 season marked the end of O'Neill's tenure as manager, and he was fired in August 2022, with Sunderland manager Alex Neil taking his place.
Honours
🏆 Championship (Champions: 1932–33, 1962–63) (Runners-up: 1921–22, 2007–08) (Third place (promoted): 1978–79)
🏆 Second Division (Champions: 1926–27, 1992–93) (Play-off winners: 2002)
🏆 Football Alliance (Champions: 1890–91)
🏆 Birmingham & District League (Champions: 1910–11)
🏆 Southern League Division Two (Champions: 1909–10, 1914–15) (Runners up: 1910–11)
🏆 FA Cup (Runners-up: 2010–11)
🏆 League Cup (Winners: 1971–72) (Runners-up: 1963–64)
🏆 Football League Trophy (Winners: 1991–92, 1999–2000)
🏆 Watney Cup (Winners: 1973)
🏆 Staffordshire Senior Cup (Winners: 1877–78, 1878–79, 1903–04, 1913–14, 1920–21, 1929–30, 1933–34, 1938–39, 1947–48, 1964–65, 1968–69, 1970–71, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1981–82, 1992–93, 1994–95, 1998–99, 2016–17) (Runners-up: 1882–83, 1885–86, 1890–91, 1895–96, 1896–97, 1900–01, 1901–02, 1902–03, 1923–24, 1925–26, 1934–35, 1951–52, 1971–72, 1973–74, 1980–81, 2002–03, 2005–06, 2010–11)
🏆 Birmingham Senior Cup (Winners: 1901, 1914) (Runners-up: 1910, 1915, 1920, 1921)
🏆 Isle of Man Trophy (Winners: 1987, 1991, 1992) (Runners-up: 1985)
An Interview With Stoke City Supporter, Rori Thomas:
GG: Could You Tell Us How Long You have supported Stoke City and how has the journey been for you?
RT: I have been a Stoke supporter since I was a little kid, I had one of those little member cards, I didn’t go many games as a kid however over the last few seasons I have been going a lot more, including doing my first few away days. This season (23/24) is my first year as a season ticket holder, which for me gives me more opportunities to do with my podcast and media things etc. I have loved every moment of it, the football is the place I go when it’s a bad day, I know our results don’t always leave us in the best moods however it’s where I can switch off my problems for a few hours.
GG: Could you tell us about the Matchday experience at Stoke City and what we can expect?
RT: You can arrive a few hours before kick-off and go into our fans bar, Ricardos, and enjoy a drink of your choice. The turnstiles open 1hr and a half before kicking off (1.30PM). You can welcome the players upon arrival and get photographs and autographs, this being the same after the game. About ten minutes before kick-off, the club will play a video, full of memories from past and present, that see’s us through to about two minutes before the whistle where we sing the players out with “We’ll be with you”. At halftime, you can get food/drinks etc from either the concourse or the burger van. The concourse also selling oatcakes.
GG: Who is Stoke’s star player this season?
RT: For me I would say Andre Vidigal, he isn’t afraid to shoot and attempt his chances, leading to him scoring so many. Despite our results and struggles, Andre has stood out personally.
GG: Can you give us an overview of how the football world views Stoke City? What sort of reputation do they have?
RT: I suppose people don’t really see us in a bad way, we have had some excellent players come through the academy and develop into the cracking players they are today. A lot of people see us through three perspectives you could say. Our history with legends, our rivalry with Port Vale or in most cases when I speak to people about City, our results. Whether them being the good or bad, most being “How did Stoke lose to them or them?' Etc.
GG: Who is your favourite player of all time (Can be a Stoke player or other) and why?
RT: Peter Crouch. There was something about him that I loved. Whether that be his gorgeous goal against Man City or just the player he was in general. He was, and still is, such a down to earth person, off and on the pitch.
GG: What is the best football match you’ve experienced with Stoke? Can you please give us an overview that match?
RT: For me, I think the best game I have seen has got to have been against Coventry in 2023, it was my second away game, and the most number of goals I have seen in person. We won 4-0. The passion with the fans and club was unmatched. I think the best game (despite not seeing it) would have probably been beating Liverpool 6-1.
GG: Which managers have left the most memories for Stoke fans? What are those memories?
RT: Tony Pulis. His style of play is still completely unmatched. Despite not always getting the result he wanted, Pulis always had the players, playing for the shirt and with passion and without a shadow of a doubt he had the fans latched. Lou Macari will always be a legend within the Stoke City family, and he has the time of day for everyone. His community work is impeccable.
GG: Who would you say was the biggest team to play at Stoke’s ground and why?
RT: It is safe to say we have had some big teams come to the Britannia/BET365. Teams like Man City, Liverpool, Man Utd etc. Anyone could say different, but I think it was our game against Liverpool where we battered them 6-1 in Steven Gerrards final game, that will always go down in the historic books for me.
GG: Can you tell us, in general, how Stoke like to play? What formation do they use? What tactics?
RT: It differs from time to time; Alex Neil loves to play 3-5-2 but I think 4-3-3 works best for us. The players benefit from it more, from my view anyway. We tend to struggle on the back line, especially when all the defenders are out injured, our aim most games I feel is to play the ball into the net, and/or stop the other side from scoring, which doesn’t always seem to work with Stoke.
GG: Can you tell us a funny story about Stoke?
RT: My funniest story has got to have been when I went to a game in 2013, so I was only 5, we scored and I jumped in the air, now because I was so young and little the seat flipped up and I didn’t realise in time and I went down the back of the chair, and got stuck it took my mum, auntie and a steward to get my out because my feet were trapped. It was made better because I got a high five off Peter Crouch.
GG: Rori adds...
Something that stands out massively for me from the club is the fan engagement, whether that be with the players, the club shop, the ticket office etc. They always find a way around issues and make them work.
A personal experience for me was earlier in the season, I had already purchased my season ticket, however at the end of June I ended up in a knee brace for 10 weeks, this meaning it would see into the start of the season. I couldn’t get to my allocated seat, due to not being able to bend my knee. So, I rang the club to see what they could do, and they acted so fast and accommodated me in the best way possible and moved my seat and re-printed my tickets for the first 3 home games.
The club are always organising meet the player events, loyalty events etc to make the fans feel appreciated and understand players. Despite how shocking our results can be, the fan engagement will always be amazing.
Matchday: Stoke City 0-3 Blackburn Rovers
We travelled to Stoke on Trent on a cold Saturday morning as we looked for yet another game that was injected with goals. We had actually visited the ground before on the way back from a previous holiday to Blackpool so it was relatively familiar territory. We arrived in Stoke in good time, parking at a nearby (well half an hour away) church. The parking can't be prebooked at the club, but there is a lot of parking available nearby.
Arriving at the ground, it became clear that the stadium was in good condition. They have statues dedicated to their former players; Sir Stanley Matthews, Gordon Banks and John Ritchie. We had a look around the club shop which had an impressive amount of merchandise available including canvas with retro shirts on them, matchworn shirts (Thibaut Verlinden to be exact) and Christmas decorations. We bought our customary pin badges for £3.20 (usually £4 but it was a Black Friday deal) then met Hippo Pottermus and decided to go into the stadium.
The ticketing system was relatively simple. You ordered your ticket online then had it sent to your phone via email. Upon entering the stadium, it became clear that a great deal of thought and care had gone into the aesthetics of the interior. There were a multitude of artworks on the walls portraying various moments of the clubs history, most notably their promotion to the Premier League. There was a great little entertainment centre where there was mini golf, table football, arcade games and even FIFA available for fans to play on.
At this stage, my mate Finners wanted to buy some food, so we went to one of the kiosks. As many of you may already know, Finners is a vegetarian, and has found it quite difficult to find an option for him to have at a lot more grounds than he should. As a result, when he found that there was a veggie sausage roll and a cheese oatcake (a local delicacy) available, he was overjoyed. He often has to eat cheesy chips as this is usually the only option available to him, so FairPlay to Stoke City for catering for different dietary requirements.
After this we went to our seats. A point to note that isn't massively relevant. Firstly, there isn't much room between each seat, so when three grown men are sat next to eachother, we start getting to know eachother in ways we don't really want to. This is common in the larger stadiums where the design means that they can pack as many people into a space as possible, thus maximising revenue.
Finally the atmosphere. The people at the club were lovely and were massively helpful throughout, we did not meet one bad egg while we were there. Sadly, the atmosphere was pretty frustrating from the start. Due to the lack of urgency from Stoke throughout the game, the crowd became increasingly frustrated (did you know that Jun-Ho likes to play through the middle?) and towards the end it became a game of who could insult Tyreese Campbell and Ben Pearson the most. Overall, the frustration was justified as the patterns of play and Stoke City's football in general was disappointing, but there were probably better ways to communicate this.
Teamsheet
Stoke City
Manager: Alex Neil
Jack Bonham
Ki-Jana Hoever
Luke McNally
Michael Rose
Enda Stevens
Ben Pearson (c)
Wouter Burger
Daniel Johnson
Medhi Leris
Bae Jun-Ho
Dwight Gayle
Substitutes
Tommy Simkin
Lynden Gooch
Andre Vidigal
Tyrese Campbell
Jordan Thompson
Wesley
Ryan Mmaee
Ciaran Clark
Josh Laurent
Blackburn Rovers
Manager: Jon Dahl Tomasson
Leopold Wahlstedt
James Hill
Hayden Carter
Scott Wharton (c) ⚽️
Harry Pickering
Sondre Tronstad
Adam Wharton
Callum Brittain
Sam Szmodics ⚽️
Andrew Moran ⚽️
Tyrhys Dolan
Substitutes
Joe Hilton
Leo Duru
Patrick Gamble
Lewis Travis
Jake Garrett
Arnor Sigurdsson
Dilan Markanday
Harry Leonard
Samir Telalovic
Blackburn Rovers were the first to get going, and Szmodics should and should have put the visitors ahead after just two minutes when he was played in. Although the league's leading scorer looped the ball over Bonham, it sailed wide of the Stoke goalkeeper's left post.
With only four minutes on the clock, Scott Wharton's stunning header gave the visitors the lead barely two minutes later. Moran's outswinging corner was met by the defender, with the ball clanging against the inside of Bonham's post before entering the back of the net.
At the other end, Daniel Johnson got in behind the defence before slamming a shot towards goal, which Leo Wahlstedt brilliantly turned behind for a corner by sticking out his left hand.
The first chance of the second period came in the final 10 minutes, with Moran swivelling and scooping a left-footed attempt just over the upright with Bonham beaten after a breakaway down the left opened things up for the Irishman. However, just five minutes later, the Potters were defeated by the Brighton and Hove Albion loanee. After Bonham parried substitute Garrett's strike, Moran followed in to bobble home the rebound, sparking wild celebrations from the travelling fans behind the goal.
There was still time for another Blackburn goal to cap off an excellent performance, with Szmodics running from his own half, looking Bonham in the eyes, skipping around the Stoke custodian and slotting home to seal the three points.
Scores On The Doors
Atmosphere: 5/10
Food and Drink: 6.5/10
Stadium: 8/10
Welcome: 8/10
Overall Experience: 7.5/10
GG
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