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Reply | And we never spoke of it again – Report
at 10:22 19 Jan 2026
I think you summed up my feelings on the game Clive.
Another decision to have a go at the referee was his refusal to start the second half until Kolli reappeared. Kick off with ten as you should do & make him wait to enter the pitch.
The very strange statistic from this game was that Stoke had only one good chance to score, while we had two or three! Perhaps Stoke should be questioning there own lack of creativity rather than moaning about Rangers.
Having said that, I disliked every minute I watched on a stream & it must have been worse for those of you in attendance. I thought it a very similar game to nearly all of our away matches this season, including the wins at Swansea & Blackburn. I can't remember what our performance was like in the win at Bristol City so I can't include that, away to Wrexham being the only away match this season that we have looked to express ourselves. |
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Reply | Stoke fans on QPR (whose side are you on?)
at 18:36 18 Jan 2026
And I was on about how that manager went against the spirit of the game with his footballing dealings off the pitch. They greatly affected how the "game should be played & the spirit it should be played in".
You can assume all you want to what I was referring to, but I'll be surprised if your close, unless you knew people that had dealings with him. Is that clear enough for you? [Post edited 18 Jan 18:49]
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Reply | Stoke fans on QPR (whose side are you on?)
at 17:43 18 Jan 2026
I'm amused that you quote the game should be played "in the right spirit" when one of your favourite managers (he might even be your actual favourite) was, IMO, the biggest scoundrel in the history of English football.
He made Hughes & Redknapp look like saints. |
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Reply | Stoke fans on QPR (whose side are you on?)
at 13:15 18 Jan 2026
My reply would be "Welcome to how we've seen Stoke play for the last 50 years!"
I don't like that over the past few seasons we've become as hard to watch as Stoke & Preston have been, but I'm certainly not having a fan of one of those clubs lecturing us about it. |
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Reply | St Oke Methodist Church Away Match Fred
at 20:10 17 Jan 2026
I struggle to remember when football was an entertainment business. Certainly not since Alf Ramsey's wingless wonders appeared! 1-0 to The Arsenal summed up most of football in the late 60's/early 70's.
Go back to a long time before I was born & they had to change the offside law from three opponents to two as sides were employing an offside trap with far better outcomes than teams have managed since.
Of course, there have been a few exceptions to the rule, notably us, West Ham & the two Manchester clubs in my youth, the Lisbon Lions from Glasgow, Brazil in 1970 & 1984, & the Ajax/Netherlands sides of 1968-1974. Newcastle under Keegan also fitted the bill.
The 21st century Barcelona are hard for me to make a decision on. They played some superb football, but everything was choreographed rather than free flowing.
Even all the teams I've mentioned always put the result above the performance though! |
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Reply | St Oke Methodist Church Away Match Fred
at 17:29 17 Jan 2026
It was an awful game to watch, but defensively we were good. We restricted Stoke to one real chance.
Did we look like creating anything or scoring? No, not until the last five minutes, where we had more attacks than in the previous 95! Overall, I thought it was on a par with the matches over Christmas/New Year apart from not looking like conceding. |
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Reply | Sunny Stoke tips
at 17:40 16 Jan 2026
That looks like the name! Good luck in doing the walk in 15 minutes though, especially the return as it's all uphill.
The only downside to parking there were the number of Stokies playing "hunt the Rangers fans" after crossing the A50. Presumably, that would have applied wherever we'd parked! |
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Reply | Team for Stoke?
at 17:34 16 Jan 2026
Was Alfie Lloyd recalled in time for him to be a sub tomorrow? |
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Reply | Alfie Lloyd recalled
at 17:20 16 Jan 2026
I'm far from sure that Alfie is a Championship player, but I'm quite pleased he is back to give us another attacking option.
I much prefer the club doing this than loaning someone in. |
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Reply | Sunny Stoke tips
at 16:53 16 Jan 2026
In 2019, first game of the season, we parked at a Crown Green Bowls Club & drank there. Sorry, but I can't remember the name of the club.
We did have to pay for a years associate membership of the club (to fulfil licencing regulations) for an extortunate fee of (from memory) £1! Trad Ales were about £3.50 per pint & I don't think lagers were much more.
I hope you enjoy the day as much as I did that day! [Post edited 16 Jan 17:36]
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Reply | Playing 11 a side football
at 10:29 16 Jan 2026
I'm another one who played his last game when in the mid 40's & still think I retired too young!
I stopped playing in 1986 aged 34 due to a cartilaage problem, but after a year with no pain I agreed to play if we wre short of numbers. Come 1997, after playing well over 50 matches, I came to the end of my career.
Heathfield were the most successful Sunday side Suffolk has seen, but away to ST Josephs (Luton) in the FA Sunday Cup we travelled to Hitchin with many missing. To cut the story short, I had to play 90 minutes at left back, a goalkeeper playing at centre forward (it sometimes does pay to have an extra 'keeper in the squad) & a 55 year ols named as sub.
We lost 2-0 with both goals scored by Kerry Dixon, but our performance that day was the proudest I've been about any football team! I did get slightly drunk in the bar after the game (St Josephs officials insisting that they paid for all my drinks & refusing to let me pay for any).
I took the next day off work & went Christmas shopping with my wife & collapsed to the floor half way through! That really was the end of my playing days.
My knees, back & groins have never fully recovered, but give me my life again & if anything was to change, it would be that I played more!
To any of you thinking about playing, do so. Nothing outside of family comes close to the joy of playing football. |
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Reply | Rest of the Championship thread 25/26
at 12:06 13 Jan 2026
And Blackburn v Burnley, although that isn't happening this season!
Hundreds, if not thousands, live in the other town & have to drive each way by car to get on a coach back. |
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Reply | That Palace v Mecca Result
at 10:04 13 Jan 2026
Thaere was no National League North at that time & the NPL was one of the three divisions a step below.
If you place both clubs as middle of the table, that would give 72 as the difference. Just to add, Vauxhall Motors were NOT a works team, but a semi professional team who finished 3rd that season, just below Accrington Stanley & Barrow.
EDIT I won't delete, but I should have read till the end of the thread & seen that Camberley & others had answered the question. [Post edited 13 Jan 10:11]
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Reply | Dave Clement
at 09:59 13 Jan 2026
Thank you Boston. My eyes watered.
And thank you to the people behind the video. |
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Reply | Cocaine
at 16:27 12 Jan 2026
It doesn't make me chuckle when I need a sit down & have to wait ages for the cubicle to be free in the pub or the ground. And, since having my gallbladder removed, when I need to go, I really do need to go!
I also hadn't realised this was the reason for their overlong stay in the loo. I'd assumed they were reaching the end of a chapter in a book. Well, that's why I take so long at home! |
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Reply | West hams ground....
at 10:02 12 Jan 2026
Due to the A12 being closed at Gallows Corner (Romford), I ended up parking at Upminster & went on direct trains to & from Stratford. We left Stratford on the 17.52 train (leaving the ground on the final whistle), so I can't complain about being able to get into the station.
We did make a bad mistake though! Before 13.00 we had the choice of a second pint in the pub or leaving for the stadium. We chose to stay & arrived at Stratford just after 13.50. a time that was good enough to only miss the first 10 minutes of the game!
According to some stewards, it was the clubs fault for having so many going there & that it's never a problem for league games! Even worse was trying to talk to a manager or team leader about the situation. They ignored you , apart from looking & smiling at you, and walking away to ignore the next person trying to talk to them!
Lessons I've learnt from yesterday? Upminster is a better place to leave the car (rail replacement days) than Gants Hill & that I really should consider using DLR at times! |
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Reply | love today....
at 09:47 12 Jan 2026
To some extent, I do agree with some of what you posted. BUT, mainly in the use of the word proud.
There might be a moment when I'm proud in defeat, but yesterday was a match where we did all we could & we were nearly (not quite) good enough to win.
Over the past 60 years I've seen Rangers make a 3rd round exit to clubs far worse that West Ham currently are, playing our strongest team & giving zero effort. That doesn't apply to yestrerday.
Proud? No. Pleased with our performance? Yes [Post edited 12 Jan 9:48]
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Reply | Paul Dawson of Macclesfield
at 16:45 10 Jan 2026
It's still a lot, but there are 117 places between them.
Macclesfield would need to be close to the bottom of the Northern Prmier League (Premier division) for it to be 144 places. |
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Reply | January Patreon - We're Halfway There!
at 16:27 10 Jan 2026
Thanks Clive & guests.
I was a little surprised that none of you mentioned Norwich as a possibility for relegation. They may well stay up, but in January last year, most of us (including myself) thought Luton would recover. I see many similarities between the two clubs & think Norwich will be in the thick of it until the end.
Especially, as Andy said, they don't have Rangers to gain any points from! |
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