PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 2022

The Year We (Nearly) Won the League: Stoke City and the 1974/75 Season

£16.99

Stoke's Forgotten Champions
The Team That Almost Was

The winter of '74 was biting cold in the Potteries, but the warmth of possibility radiated through every street and alleyway of Stoke-on-Trent. The Victoria Ground, that grand old theatre of footballing dreams, had never felt more electric. Tony Waddington, with his characteristic quiet confidence and shrewd eye for talent, had assembled what many considered the finest Stoke City squad in living memory.
Gordon Banks, though past his prime, still possessed those cat-like reflexes that had helped England lift the World Cup. Geoff Hurst, another hero of '66, brought his clinical finishing to the forward line. The mercurial Alan Hudson, whose feet seemed to dance to a rhythm only he could hear, orchestrated the midfield with an artistry that left spectators spellbound. And young Peter Shilton, already showing signs of the goalkeeper he would become, waited eagerly in the wings.
The city breathed football that season. In Meir, Boothen, and Longton, conversations in pubs and workplaces inevitably turned to one tantalising question: "Could this be our year?" Stoke City, a team that had long been overlooked by more glamorous clubs, emerged as genuine title contenders according to the league table.
The footballing establishment questioned Waddington's methods. His training sessions often broke convention, emphasising ballwork while others focused on fitness drills. He believed in treating his players like adults, a revolutionary concept in an era of strict disciplinarians. The gaffer, as the players affectionately called him, understood that happy players made better footballers.
As spring drew near, the seemingly unachievable dream seemed attainable. The Potters sat proudly atop the First Division; their football was a blend of steel and silk that epitomised their industrial heritage. Yet football, like life in the Potteries, rarely follows a simple script. With just four matches remaining, ten clubs remarkably remained in contention — a title race unlike any before or since.
ROYAL MAIL TRACKED 48
Published: February 7, 2022
Price: £16.99
Paperback: 352 pages
ISBN-10: 1801500541
ISBN-13: 978-1801500548
Dimensions: 142 × 222 (mm)

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