As a founder member of the football league, Stoke have had a long and storied history. Your WODPOD historians Dave and Tony have made it their mission to document the story of Stoke, season-by-season, from 1888 to the present day. We're recording a podcast about every Stoke season, where Tony goes deep into historical research … Continue reading The Stoke City Years
Association football is lovingly referred to around the world as the ‘beautiful game’ and it has been a constant source of iconic sporting images throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. There are certain photographs which are instantly recognisable to football supporters, either because they showcase a special moment in time or encompass the emotions … Continue reading Stoke City Legends: Mark Stein
You grow up, you work half a century, you get a golden handshake, you rest a couple of years and you're dead. And the only thing that makes that crazy ride worthwhile is 'Did I enjoy it? What did I learn? What was the point?' That's where I come in. You've seen how I react … Continue reading Hanging up my mic
On Saturday April 13th, 1963, a young centre forward sat in the home dressing room deep within the bowls of the Victoria Ground, the home of Stoke City. The Potters, under the managerial genius of Tony Waddington, were well on their way to winning the Second Division title and there was a genuine air of … Continue reading Stoke City Legends: John Ritchie
Best Result? Yes. Best performance? Well, it’s not as clear. I thought there was a really good question on the last WODPOD. It nicely reflects everything I have been trying to say about this season and it inspired me to have a closer look at the Swansea game. https://twitter.com/OatcakeEater/status/1180806727954030594?s=20 Gareth’s question, or at least my interpretation … Continue reading How Stoke won: Swansea, assessed.
It is said that the most valuable commodity in football is goals. It may be one of the most overused clichés in the game, yet it is one that is underpinned by a mixture of empirical evidence and common sense. Research has demonstrated that since the mid-1940s the number of goals scored in matches … Continue reading Stoke City Legends: Freddie Steele
The numbers don’t just say stick with Jones, they scream it. Ask any professional stats person, which I am in no way one of, and they will tell you that the rule of thumb is that you can control 50% of what goes on in a football match. This means the other 50% is up … Continue reading Things can only get better: Why Stoke should stick with Nathan Jones
(Editor's note: We are absolutely delighted to be hosting this new series from Martyn Cooke. Martyn is a Post Graduate Teaching Assistant at Manchester Metropolitan University and is a PhD student exploring the sporting history of Stoke-on-Trent. He's on twitter @cooke_martyn. In this series, Martyn uses his powers as a historian to profile the true … Continue reading Stoke City Legends: Eric Skeels
I really don't like the word 'content'. It feels like a cynical, throwaway word YouTubers use to talk about their job. "I'm a content creator", says a millionaire teenager who screams at a video game for a job. Good for you, but just say you make videos. 'Content' indeed. It's also such a mediocre way … Continue reading If only Stoke City FC had its fans’ creativity
Stoke have (had?) a problem. It was especially prevalent under Gary Rowett and presented significant problems to Nathan Jones in his first few months at the club. The problem was this: Stoke’s centre backs were not good enough passers to implement the possession-based style that both of the aforementioned managers attempted. It wasn’t that they … Continue reading Progressive Centre Backs, Stoke City, and Liam Lindsay
