Fan's View FAN’S VIEW: 24/25 – No.33: STOKE AWAY
- Thread starter Paul B
- Start date
Level: Callum O'Dowda
MarkG
Level: Steve Basham
(189 Apps, 51 Gls)
I had expected to see you in the Glebe pre-match, a few minutes walk from the station. A Joules brewery pub with away fans welcome, I think £3.15 a pint for an ale. Although our SLO had advertised this, google suggested they only open at midday. Luckily it was open from I think 10:30 on match day. Our planned train from Euston was cancelled so we got an earlier one arriving around 10:30 and walked from there.
I didn't see the hot food menu, but they also had a deli counter with an assortment of cheeses, pork pies, scotch eggs, ham hocks, pickles that you could buy individually or as a sharing platter (or not sharing if you wanted it all for yourself).
The Bet365 stadium is well served by buses from town, but we chose an extra pint and an uber instead.
It's good to see a modern ground with a decent amount of rail standing which we are seeing more often in the Championship. I realise we'd pretty much sold our initial allocation and not taken the extra, hence the empty blocks to our left and right. However as fans tend to congregate towards the middle, the "spaces" were basically right at the end of a row that you coul;dn't get to and many of us ended up in the aisles. Not sure why they couldn't open up another block so we could spread out a bit more. OK it looks nice and is good for atmosphere to be all together, and probably saves some stewarding costs.
Anyway, I'll take a 0-0 at Stoke on a 12:30 Saturday kick-off. These aren't the easiest to get to, but at least means I'm not stuck getting back like an evening kick-off. Hopefully at some point the 3pm black-out rule will be dropped, we'll go back to 3pm Saturday kick-offs with some on tv, rather than the three 12:30 kick-offs every week.
I didn't see the hot food menu, but they also had a deli counter with an assortment of cheeses, pork pies, scotch eggs, ham hocks, pickles that you could buy individually or as a sharing platter (or not sharing if you wanted it all for yourself).
The Bet365 stadium is well served by buses from town, but we chose an extra pint and an uber instead.
It's good to see a modern ground with a decent amount of rail standing which we are seeing more often in the Championship. I realise we'd pretty much sold our initial allocation and not taken the extra, hence the empty blocks to our left and right. However as fans tend to congregate towards the middle, the "spaces" were basically right at the end of a row that you coul;dn't get to and many of us ended up in the aisles. Not sure why they couldn't open up another block so we could spread out a bit more. OK it looks nice and is good for atmosphere to be all together, and probably saves some stewarding costs.
Anyway, I'll take a 0-0 at Stoke on a 12:30 Saturday kick-off. These aren't the easiest to get to, but at least means I'm not stuck getting back like an evening kick-off. Hopefully at some point the 3pm black-out rule will be dropped, we'll go back to 3pm Saturday kick-offs with some on tv, rather than the three 12:30 kick-offs every week.
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Steve Gilbert
Level: Steve Basham
(189 Apps, 51 Gls)
A good read Paul. On the bit about chants, I'd rather our fans sing about a place being s**t hole rather than chants of 'we've got the ball' and 'how s**t must you be, we're winning away'.
Also, when it comes to places such as Stoke, Preston, Blackburn, Burnley, Sunderland, Middlesbrough, Hull, Luton and Conventry, the song isn't that far from the truth.
Also, when it comes to places such as Stoke, Preston, Blackburn, Burnley, Sunderland, Middlesbrough, Hull, Luton and Conventry, the song isn't that far from the truth.
Paul B
Level: Callum O'Dowda
(106 Apps, 14 Gls)
Sounds like the Glebe was the place to be but perhaps not quite so practical travelling by car.
Paul B
Level: Callum O'Dowda
(106 Apps, 14 Gls)
Those chants get on my nerves too to be fair.
There's a lot more to some of these places if you have time to have a good poke around. Some but not all that is.
On the day we had the debate about the biggest s**t hole over the years. Crewe for me I think. But there are others.
Steve Gilbert
Level: Steve Basham
(189 Apps, 51 Gls)
I would say that while Crewe isn't the best area, there are a lot worse places. What Crewe do have though is the people of Crewe who are as strange as they come.
Paul B
Level: Callum O'Dowda
(106 Apps, 14 Gls)
Got dropped off there very early in the afternoon for an evening game. The place was dead. The few pubs that were open were appalling. We just wandered around getting more and more depressed.
The Borough Arms though is a top pub. Pity it doesn't open earlier. But it kind of saved the day.
There is a small amount of free parking opposite down the side of Stoke Minster, i would guess at 200 spaces in Kingsway car park a minute walk away and the Station car park is 5 minutes walk and currently being expanded. Various other off street parking nearby.
Definitely worth a visit next time you are here. One of our favourite pubs in Stoke/Castle
Our initial allocation was 1800 and we had over 2000 there so they must have held some back at first. But yes could clearly see the block that would have rounded it to 3000.
The standing on stairways thing was clearly going to happen from about 30mins pre kickoff. No stewards within the stand encouraging people to move along rows.
It's the one issue with safe standing - you can't see where the empty spaces are because they're covered up by people standing so many people give up trying to get along rows and stand in the aisles.
We predicted that stewards would come and try to clear the stairways after kickoff. And after 15mins they did, coming from the rear of the stand and saying that everyone should be in the spot that their ticket said. When we pointed out that this would cause more issues and that they'd allowed this to happen by having no presence within the stands prior to kickoff, they sheepishly retreated for a conversation at the back of the stand and then never reappeared.
Classic example of poor crowd management by stewards who are more used to being door staff or working at non football events.
Yep, that season 2000/01 was a shocker. If I remember correctly our goalie, Knight, conceded more than 100 goals and still won player of the season. Although for that game at Stoke, losing 4-0 the infamous Jimmy Glass played in goal for us. He only played one match
Essexyellows
Level: Cameron Brannagan
(311 Apps, 57 Gls)
Parking........ Atlantic Grove (free) , nice little 20 minute walk up the T&M canal. Oatcakes, Lobby and Beer from the barges, over the bridge and you are at the ground. Was home by 4.45pm. 
Used to live just 2 mins down the canal from there, plenty of parking. Was home by 4.45 as well, but had 2 hours in the pub first haha.
- Year of First Game
- 1995
We went to the Gladstone Pottery Museum, got an Uber to The Locomotive Inn for a couple of Pedigree's and a sausage cob, then walked to the ground.
Afterwards the Titanic Plum Porter was too tempting and we only got as far as the barge. Then walked along the canal to The Grove for a couple, then BOD at the station, then home.
Really enjoyed it. Got to say I think I prefer Port Vale, especially the end we were in last season, but it was still a grand day out.
Afterwards the Titanic Plum Porter was too tempting and we only got as far as the barge. Then walked along the canal to The Grove for a couple, then BOD at the station, then home.
Really enjoyed it. Got to say I think I prefer Port Vale, especially the end we were in last season, but it was still a grand day out.
werthersoriginal
Level: James Constable
(280 Apps, 106 Gls)
This 'Stoke' sounds like a paradise!
MarkG
Level: Steve Basham
(189 Apps, 51 Gls)
It is annoying when stewards let you stand in the aisle and then 15 minutes into the match try and move people to non-existent spaces.
Or when they advise you to "find your seat" when it's obviously going to be taken.
Safe standing you do technically have an allocated spot unlike a terrace, but generally it's first come first served. Perhaps our fault that we stayed for the extra pint in the Glebe and only got to the ground minutes before kick-off, so weren't able to see any spaces.
Several years ago I think Luton used to only sell 1200 tickets for their 1500 capacity Oak Road stand on the basis they wouldn't be enforcing allocated seats.
Anyway, they didn't seem to mind a handful of fans on the edge of the aisles, rather than the aisle being completely full.
- Year of First Game
- 1995
Haha I wouldn't go that far! The area around the pottery museum (Longton) was in a right state, every other building was falling down. There was even an ex-Woolworth's complete with sign!
I've just Googled it and the tagline on the article is fantastic:
Fresh hope for 'eyesore' old Stoke-on-Trent Woolworths - 16 years after shutting
It has only ever been a pop-up shop or cannabis factory
Belgium Yellow
Level: John Aldridge
(141 Apps, 90 Gls)
If you think about it, Oxford seems to be geographically surrounded by a ring of football shitholes. We've got Swindon of course, then Reading, Wycombe, Watford, Luton, Northampton, MK and Coventry. The only place I'd let off is Cheltenham and we all know that's not really a football town.
