Interview with a Stoke-on-Trent "Stokie"

Introducing Ian Boyle...Part 1

Här kommer en intervju med Ian Boyle, Stoke City supporter född och uppväxt i Stoke-on-Trent. Ian satt bakom mig när jag och mina döttrar upplevde en tråkig händelse när vi såg Fulham – Stoke City för 2 månader sedan. (vi satt jämte riktigt otrevliga typer och fick massor av påhopp; trots att vi höll på samma lag).

Ian (som jag inte känner) såg händelsen, letade upp mig personligen och skrev ett personligt brev vilket hjälpte oss att komma över en hemsk dag för mig som Stoke City supporter.

Vi har inte så mycket kontakt med folk som bor i Stoke-on-Trent; därför tyckte jag att det kunde vara kul att få hans åsikter om Stoke City och Stoke-on-Trent.

Can you tell us a little about yourself e.g. how long have you always been a Stokie, and do you live in the area?

I’m 53, from Longton, Stoke on Trent and was lucky enough to be born to parents who were both avid Stoke fans. My father passed away 10 years ago but my mother, who is in her late eighties, still tunes in to local radio to listen to every game.

Can you remember your first game?

My love affair with Stoke City began when my father took me to see Stoke play against Wolves at Molineux in 1967. I don’t have to think too hard to remember the excitement that day as we walked through the town to the game. One of my most vivid memories was the noise that the fans of both sides made. Another culture shock for this wide eyed ten year old boy was that almost every adult around me was swearing .. not just quietly but at the top of their voices haha!!!

Anyway, Stoke went on to win this game and from then on I would ALWAYS be a Stokie.

Best ever game and hero as a child

That’s a difficult choice because so many come to mind but if forced to choose, I would say it would be the 1971 FA cup quarter final game away to Hull. Stoke were 2 goals down in the first half but came back to win 3-2.

I have uploaded the tv highlights of this game to my YouTube site, which can be seen by following this link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGCfwPelN-U

As for my favourite player? Again, that’s a difficult one because there were so many great Stoke players in the seventies but Jimmy Greenhoff was my hero. It was like a knife to my heart when he was sold to Manchester United.

How many games do you see a season and where do you sit at The Britannia?

I’m a season ticket holder and have only missed one home game this season due to work commitments. I sit in the main West Stand upper tier. I was lucky enough to get front row seats, just level with the penalty spot at The Boothen End

Can you tell us a little about the area Stoke-on-Trent, it is a little hard for us here in Sweden to get a real clear picture of the city?

Stoke has changed so much in my lifetime. It was once a thriving industrial city, with many pottery companies, steelworks, Michelin tyres plus the many coal mines in the area.

Virtually all of these have now gone, leaving the city in a bit of a downward spiral.

I think Stoke is viewed as being a backward, soulless place by people from outside but of course to me it is home and I’m fiercely proud of the area and its people.

There are 2 teams in the city; Stoke City and Port Vale, how big is the rivalry? Do you meet Port Vale supporters all over the city or just in certain areas? Is Crewe considered a rival?

When I was growing up, Stoke were in the top division in the country and Port Vale were fighting to stay in the old ‘division four. I had quite a few friends who were diehard Port Vale fans but I never considered that we were rivals. However, when Stoke started to slip down the football league and Port Vale, unbelievably, climbed above Stoke, there was a definite feeling of rivalry when the two clubs met on ‘equal terms’.

I guess Stoke fans who started following the club during this time would see things differently to me but I’ve never really felt any animosity towards our neighbours and almost admire their fans for supporting their own local side instead of Man United or Liverpool.

As for Crewe, I used to work in Crewe and surprisingly, their fans seem to dislike Stoke even more than Port Vale fans do! I found this quite funny at times.

Did you think 10 years ago that you would see Stoke City in the PL? Why have things developed?

No. I remember a conversation I had with a friend in the USA when I said that I’d be happy if Stoke could become an established Championship side once more but that we would never have the financial resource to even dream about playing in the Premier league.

I was thankful to the Icelandic consortium for getting involved and stabilising the club when they did but I couldn’t see them having the money for us to push onward. When they sold the club back to Peter Coates, I must admit that I feared the worst and never dreamed how he was about to bankroll the club. The way that he has managed the club’s finances, since coming back, is nothing short of remarkable and like most Stoke fans, I owe him a great debt to see Stoke back in the big time.

The support and atmosphere of the first season in the PL was incredible, is it still the same or have emotions changed?

I think it’s understandable that some Stoke fans have lost sight of where we have come from and yes, that ‘Fortress Britannia’ atmosphere has diminished a bit.

As a person from the city, what do local fans really think of Tony Pulis and his style of playing? Are the fans tiring or is he a legend?

I think anyone who reads The Oatcake internet forum or listens to the local Radio phone in programs will realise that opinion is very divided. Some believe that he is a master tactician and should be given the keys to the city for getting us into the PL and there are those that will never be happy until he’s been replaced with a big name manager.

Do you and the locals feel that a move may benefit both Pulis and Stoke City?

I’m neither a lover nor hater of Pulis and like many of the less vocal majority, I fear that change at this time, might de-stabilise the club. I really want to see us play with more style but I don’t think that has to mean we dispense with our more direct style and the spirit that has kept us in The Prem.

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