Stoke City FC Fans

Tuesday, 1 November 2011

History: Stoke City F.C. (2010-2011)

Pulis bolstered his squad for the season 2010-11, with the club record £8m signing of Kenwyne Jones. The squad was also added to with the quadruple acquisition of Eidur Gudjohnsen, Jermaine Pennant, Marc Wilson and Salif Diao on the day of the transfer deadline. Transfer deadline day also marked the departure of Liam Lawrence. as part of the deal that took Marc Wilson to Stoke.

An honorable 3-0 win against West Bromwich Albion in the 2010-11 season, gave Stoke two new records. Their biggest win in Premier League and largest top division away win since 1982 and also the first time since the 1983–84 seasons Stoke have won three top-flight matches in a row. Pulis hailed the new records as "A Fantastic Achievement". In second season Stoke won against Cardiff City and qualify for the quarter final. Stoke played quarter final against Ham United, with the squad containing great players like Wolverhampton Wanderers and Brighton & Hove Albion and won with 2-1thus they able to play FA CUP semi final for the fourth time in their history.

Stoke, for the first time saw the doors of New Wembley Stadium and won by Bolton Wanderers by 5-0, clinching a first FA Cup final appearance in their 148 year history. But unfortunately lost the final 1-0 to Manchester City. By reaching the final, Stoke qualified for the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League. Despite a strong season, with an 8th place finish in sight, defeat at home to Wigan in the final game meant that Stoke finished 13th in the 2011-season. On 28 July 2011, first appearance in Eurpoe in 37 years, Stoke beat Hadjuk Split 2–0 over two legs in the third qualifying round of the Europa League.

The 2010–11 season was the 148th season in Stoke City F.C.'s history, their third in the Premier League and 111th in the league system of English football. Their 11th place finish in the 2009–10 season means it is their third successive season in the Premier League. Stoke City Premier League Tickets are available at FootballTicketExchangeOnline.com at affordable price. Football fans can buy or sell Football Tickets especially Stoke City Premiership Football Tickets at FootballTicketExchangeOnline.com conveniently.

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Monday, 31 October 2011

History: Stoke City F.C. (2008-2010)

Stoke played in the Premier League for the first time in 2008-09 by getting promotion on May 4 2008, to the top flight English football after 23 year absence. On 18 July 2008, the club broke their transfer record to purchase striker Dave Kitson for £5.5m. By the next weekend, the Britannia Stadium hosted its first ever top-flight game, against Aston Villa, with a home win courtesy of Mamady Sidibe's injury-time goal from a Rory Delap throw-in, giving Stoke City their first ever Premier League points. The Stoke returns in the Premier League by getting a finish at 12th place in first season.

A much cited aspect of the team's style of play has been the utilisation of Rory Delap's long throw to create goal scoring opportunities. Pulis signed Robert Huth and Tuncay Şanlı from Middlesbrough for a combined fee in the region of £10m,in a bid to establish the club in the Premier League prior to the 2009—2010 season. This feat was achieved comfortably as the club finished in 11th place, thereby securing a third season in the Premier League.

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History: Stoke City F.C. (2001-2008)

Steve Cotterill the successor of Thordarson, spending a tiny tenure of four months at Stoke, quit in October 2002. The club acted swiftly and Tony Pulis was appointed as Stoke's new manager shortly afterwards. Pulis steered Stoke clear of relegation with a 1–0 victory over Reading on the final day of the season that kept the club in the Championship. The club's position in the league was consolidated in 2003–04.

Tony Pulis Stoke FC Manager

Dutch manager, Johan Boskamp was appointed as a manager on 29 June 2005, when pulis was sacked due to a disagreement between himself and the Club’s owners at the end of 2004-05 season. Boskamp broke the club's transfer record in signing Sambegou Bangoura for a fee in the region of £1m. Belgium international, Carl Hoefkens proved a significant addition, who won the Fans' Player of the Year Award for the 2005–06 season. At this stage a mid table finish was achieved. Boskamp left at the end of 2005-06 season, , amidst completely takeover by former chairman Peter Coates in 23rd May 2006.

Peter Coates Stoke's Chairman

Coates appointed Tony Pulis as a new manager in June 2006, who took Stoke close to a play-off place by finishing at the 8th place in 2006-07. June 2007, Stoke shifted to a new ground, Britannia Stadium outright from the City Council for a fee in the region of £6m.

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History: Stoke City F.C. (1997-2001)

Britannia Stadium

After 119 years at the Victoria Ground, in 1997-98, Stoke shifted to new ground, 28,000 all seater Britannia Stadium. Chic Bates, Macari's assistant, was appointed manager for the club's inaugural season in the new ground. Bates struggled hard but the Stoke’s bad run reach at its highest level with a home defeat to Birmingham City. So, In January 1998, Chris Kamara replaced Bates, he also failed to improve the Club’s fortune and he left in April. Again Alan Durban took the charge as a manager and the Club finished at 23rd place, resulting in relegation from Division one

Brian Little, previously manager of Aston Villa, became manager for 1989-99 season, and Stoke won six wins. Later the team’s form tailed off resulting a little departure at the end of the season. His successor, Gary Megson, was only in the job for four months. Megan was forcibly compelled to leave following a takeover by Stoke Holding, an Icelandic consortium that purchased a 66 percent share in Stoke City F.C. for £6.6m and an Icelander Gudjon Thordarson, in November 1999.

Stoke won the Associate Member’s Cup (previously known as Autoglass Trophy) with a 2-1 victory over Bristol City in front of a crowd of 75,057, in the 1999-2000 season at Wembley. Later in a month, Stoke had to face a disappointment with a defeat in semi final against Gillingham. Stoke reached the play off again in 2000-01, with a 6th place finish. But this time Walsall stopped stoke’s progress at the semi final stage.

Thordarson the Stoke's Manager

Thordarson got promotion at the third attempt in 2001–02; another fifth place finish ensured a play-off spot. Brentford defeated Cardiff City in semi final by 2-0 at Millennium Stadium, secured promotion. Despite achieving the goal of promotion, Thordarson was sacked by Gunnar Gislason, only five days after the club won the play-off final. A campaign calling for Thordarson's reinstatement was organized by fans, but it proved unsuccessful

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History: Stoke City F.C. (1989-1997)

Ball was so industrious that in his early seasons, 1989-90, Stoke relegated to the 3rd tier of English Football after finishing bottom of the Second Division. The start of the 1990–91 season in the Third Division marked the first time Stoke had played at this level in 63 years. At a very initial stage with Stoke, Ball departed in February 1991 and the club dropped to 15th place which remains the Stoke’s lowest League position till 2007.

Lou Macari the Stoke's Manager

Prior to the season 1991–92,Lou Macari be the Stoke’ s manager in May 1991 and an immediate improvement occurred in the first season, finishing fourth in the Third Division. Stoke won by 1-0 in the Associate Members' Cup against Stockport Country at Wembley, with the only goal by Mark Stein. The following season 1992-93, Stoke achieved Division two by finishing League Champions. Stein, a £100,000 purchase from Oxford United, scored 26 goals during the season as Stoke accumulated to a total of 93 points.

Macari left in October 1993 to take over as manager of Scottish side Celtic, and Stein also departed in a £1.5m move to Chelsea. After a very short, a one year tenure of Joe Jordan, Lou Macari was reappointed and only a mid table finish was attained in 1994-95 season. A poorly start of the season 1995-96, Mike Sheron turned around the club’s campaign and Stoke finished at 4th by a defeat by Leicester City in a semi final. 1996–97, saw Mark Stein return from Chelsea on loan, partnering Sheron in attack and Stoke finished at 4th place at Christmas, but a poor second half of the season saw the club drop to an eventual 12th place. And in1997, Sheron was sold out due to club record fee of £2.5m. Macari left Stoke at the end of the season; his last game was the final League game against West Bromwich Albion at Victoria Ground.

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History: Stoke City F.C. (1977-1989)

In March 1977, Waddington's assistant, George Eastham became the manager to Stoke City FC. He lasted there only for 10 months and left the club in January 1978. club's misery was compounded by a defeat to non-league Blyth Spartans in the FA Cup shortly afterwards. In February 1978,Alan Durban selected as a new manager who achieved promotion to the First Division in 1978-79,a third place finish. After consolidating the club's position in the First Division, Durban left for Sunderland in 1981.

After Durban departure, Richie Barker appointed as a manager in 1981 who signed Hove Albion and Mark Chamberlain from Port Vale, and Mickey Thomas from Brighton to set about a building side for 1982–83 season. Thomas demanded £200,000 and made over 60 appearances for the club, but in 1984, was sold to Chelsea for £75,000 in 1984. Winger Chamberlain, a £135,00 signing, proved successful as he made eight appearances for England during his stay at Stoke. Barker's, after a short spell, sacked in his second season, 1983–84. Bill Asprey, the manager, was determent to bring back veteran Alan Hudson, and the decision paid off as Stoke improved during the second half of the 1983–84 season and avoided relegation on the final day.

The next season, Stoke finished with only 17 points and just three wins in top flight of English football and it was referred to as The Holocaust Season by fans, proved to be disastrous. Due to ill health conditions Asprey left the club in April 1985 and Mick Mills was appointed as his successor for the season of 1985-86. Initially he achieved with a mid table finish in the Second Division and the team reached 4th place in 1986–87, including 7-2 wins against Leeds United but they didn’t perform well at the end of the season and finished at an 8th place, became the sole reason for Mills who was sacked in November 1989. Following a poor start to the 1989–90 season after spending £1m on players. Successor, Alan Ball, became the club's fifth manager in 10 years and Peter Coates as a Stoke’s chairman in 1989.

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Saturday, 29 October 2011

History: Stoke City F.C. (1970-1977)

It was March 4 1972, Stoke City gained first important victory by winning League Cup Final beating Chelsea 2-1 at Wembley stadium before a crowd of 97,852. Before this wonderful victory, Stoke had progressed through 11 games to reach the final, including matches with West Ham United in the semi-final, -legged match was played twice,well performance in FA Cup, Stoke also progressed to the semi-final stage,but unfortunately, they had to face a defeat against Arsenlas in a replay, in both the 1970–71 and 1971–72 seasons.

Waddington had to face a dilemma as both George Eastham and Peter Dobing retired not long after the club's League Cup win. Waddington responded by paying £240,000 to Chelsea for the services of Alan Hudson in early 1974. So the Geoff Salmons arrived from Sheffield United for £160,000 in same year. Later,Waddington paid £325,000, which is a world record fee for a goalkeeper, to sign Peter Shilton from Leicester City. The coming of Peter Shilton added impetus to Waddington's side and it was due to his presence that stoke were absolutely close to a winning position in the League title in 1974–75,but a hard luck was waiting for Stoke that season slump led to a fifth-place finish, four points off the champions, at Derby.

First time in Stoke’s history, that the year 1970 saw them competing European League and qualifying the UEFA Cup in 1972–73 as a result of their League Cup victory. In the first round, Stoke won with 3-1 over Kaiserslautern of Germany at the Victoria Ground, with a crowd of over 22,000. the club lost the second leg 4–0, therefore losing 5–3 on aggregate. Stoke qualified for the UEFA Cup two years later, due to their fifth place finish in the First Division in the 1973–74 season. With a great bad luck, Stoke were again knocked out in early round and they drew both legs against Dutch side Ajax,1-1 and 0-0 respectively,a good luck again went against them due to the away goals rule.

Due to the Butler Stand roof was blown off in a storm in January 1976,Stoke had to manage their next game against at Vale Park, , the home of local rivals Port Vale.The repair bill reach to £250,000, put the club in financial problem,which was eased by the sale of Alan Hudson, Mike Pejic and Jimmy Greenhoff for a combined sum of £440,000. With the team depleted, relegation proved inevitable in the 1976–77 season. Waddington left the club spending a 17 years tenure, after a home defeat 1-0 in March 1977.

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