StaffsRam Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 Didn't last long though did it. Vale fans must wonder what the **** hit them. They slid through the leagues quicker than Crawley are coming up them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ImNotReallyHere Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 That fortune is what we're getting now, whether the new fans stick with us remains to be seen, but I do miss in a weird way the smaller crowds, you could be sure that a few years ago they weren't donning the latest Man Utd top. We also have an attractive team to watch Crouchinho, Delapinho, Kenwyneinho, Whiteheadinho etc 'http://www.dcfcfans.co.uk/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=';)' /> You chose the wrong team mate, only 15 minutes from us! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ImNotReallyHere Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 Also it weren't that long ago when Port Vale were in a higher league that Stoke! 1998, their glory years, our darkness years. They could be a reasonable sized club if they were league 1/championship and not in an awful state, considering most of the north of the city support them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CumbrianRam Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 Didn't last long though did it. Vale fans must wonder what the **** hit them. They slid through the leagues quicker than Crawley are coming up them. Just remebered that Luton were in the Championship 5 years ago! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StaffsRam Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 Too late now mate, made that choice 25 years ago. 'http://www.dcfcfans.co.uk/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=';)' /> Wouldn't change it if I could to be honest. We've had great teams, great times, and lean times, but following Derby there's rarely a dull moment. I think I can remember one instance of us finishing a season where we've not been either fighting for promotion or against relegation. Plus, I'd miss the great rivalries. Forest and Leeds - great occasions, great games. I know you've got Vale, but they're too small, they're not really a threat to you. I suppose your rivalries are more with WBA and Wolves these days? Ironically, I was telling a few of the lads before the game at the weekend that Stoke were a changed side from the one that we'd last played. Then you went and scored two goals off of two corners and made me look a right ****! 'http://www.dcfcfans.co.uk/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':lol:' /> To be fair, we've seen it countless times in recent years where a team finds a successful system of play but then fails to change and adapt once teams become used to it. Stoke's direct and physical approach to games was a necessary requirement in your first couple of years, but to your credit you've added a lot more guile and creation to your game now, thanks to the likes of Etherington and Pennant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curb Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 When our great team of the 70s fell apart and we slipped down the leagues our attendances gradually declined to the point that at no time in the 80s did we ever average over 20,000. At times we were down to 11,000 (1985). We were fortuitous that our return to the Premier League near enough coincided with us moving to PP. The capacity was increased dramatically from what we had at the BBG, and we had a better standard of football on offer. Didn't hurt that we had an attractive side to watch at the time (Wanchope, Eranio, Asanovic, Stimac, Baiano etc). The Good news for us this time is that even over the last 10 years, when times have been hard, we've still retained the majority of that increase. I'm up on Biddulph Moor mate, right out in the sticks! 'http://www.dcfcfans.co.uk/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':lol:' /> Despite all us oldies going on about the BBG, it really was awful when we had to put the fences up and the seats in. The rise in gates had as much to do with moving to PPS as it did to us going up. Just my opinion though, it's hard to say what the ave would have been when we went up if the capacity of the BBG had been higher, it went up to 17,884 from 14,327, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StaffsRam Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 I think the average attendances would have gone up anyway when we moved to PP. I think we were lucky in that we had that 5 year period of Premier League football to firmly establish it and get people through the gate that then stuck with us when we went down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ImNotReallyHere Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 Too late now mate, made that choice 25 years ago. 'http://www.dcfcfans.co.uk/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=';)' /> Wouldn't change it if I could to be honest. We've had great teams, great times, and lean times, but following Derby there's rarely a dull moment. I think I can remember one instance of us finishing a season where we've not been either fighting for promotion or against relegation. Plus, I'd miss the great rivalries. Forest and Leeds - great occasions, great games. I know you've got Vale, but they're too small, they're not really a threat to you. I suppose your rivalries are more with WBA and Wolves these days? Ironically, I was telling a few of the lads before the game at the weekend that Stoke were a changed side from the one that we'd last played. Then you went and scored two goals off of two corners and made me look a right ****! 'http://www.dcfcfans.co.uk/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':lol:' /> To be fair, we've seen it countless times in recent years where a team finds a successful system of play but then fails to change and adapt once teams become used to it. Stoke's direct and physical approach to games was a necessary requirement in your first couple of years, but to your credit you've added a lot more guile and creation to your game now, thanks to the likes of Etherington and Pennant. It's in the blood, nothing can be done. We have no rivalries really, it's a shame. Vale are just a thorn in our side, only to remind us of their existence whenever we lose, although they've become a lot quieter now they aren't firmly in a promotion/play off spot. We had Crewe when they were also in their glory years, despicable place and despicable people, unbelievably cocky and always thought they played 'the right way'. Wolves used to be a Staffordshire derby, and I also detest them, but they have West Brom. Can still get a bit heated though. West Brom, we can't hate them, weekend before we played you, they beat us for the 2nd time in about 30 years, awful record considering there has been probably 5-10 seasons of that when we weren't in the same league. Manchester and surrounding clubs are all pretty close, but they all have each other to worry about. Cardiff hate us and we hate them, *****. We have a historical rivalry with Arsenal, but Arsene Wenger's bitching and the ramsey incident flared it up again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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