Our finest point in history (1 Viewer)

[Ricketts]

ive been watching the Exeter forum and they have this thread....

Exeter City - Our finest point in History?

It does make you think.

Our finest points are obviously the FA Cup win, and (for me) Coventry City being top of the first published Premiership tables (didn't used to do it until four games were played, nowadays its 'as they stand', 10 seconds after kick-off!)

It doesnt matter how good you are, there is always someone higher, unless we are aiming to be a Real Madrid.

 

---

[DannyThomas_1981]

That's a great question. We've had some great eras and teams:

The Jimmy Hill revolution and promotions to the top flight.

The fantastic attacking teams of the late 70s under Gordon Milne: Wallace, Ferguson, Hutchison,Yorath Blyth.

Dave Sexton's young team in the early 1980s: Sealey,Thomas, Dyson, Gillespie, Blair, Thompson, Hateley, Bodak, Hunt, Daly. If only we'd kept that team and Sexton.

The Sillett/Curtis years: not only the FA Cup but the League positions. Fantastic and under rated top class players in Ogrizovic, Borrows, Peake, Kilkline, Bennett (an absolute superstar), Regis. And our greatest coach, Sillett.

Strachan's team 1999, for example vs. Villa away in the League. The team that day included Boateng, McAllister, Aloisi, Moldovan, Froggat, Huckerby, Nilsson. We also had Hadji and Chippo in the squad. In my opinion, our strongest ever line up. How Strachan managed to engineer a relegation in 2001 with that level of talent is mind blowing.

I hope in a few years we'll be celebrating a return to the Championship and referencing the Mark Robins era.

 

[Ring Of Steel]

I’d say 1970

We were an established top division club, we were qualified for European competition, and our crowds were in the top 10 in the country.

 

[Ring Of Steel]

Aside from that- 1997/1998, I think someone mentions that above- Strachans team that won 7 on the trot.

Rolling back the years a bit but don’t forget that even though we didn’t get promoted to the top division until 1967, in the 30s we were seen as a giant and knocking on the door under the great Harry Storer (Brian Clough & Peter Taylor’s biggest inspirations, need I say more)- had it not been for WW2 breaking out it’s hugely likely that we’d have been a top division club 25 years before we were.

Aside from that 1977/1978 when we had some of the best games & performances the club has ever seen, 24,000 every game and looked like we were ready for a major push at Europe... then finances intervened.

 

[Colin Steins Smile]

I’d say 1970

We were an established top division club, we were qualified for European competition, and out crowds were in the top 10 in the country.

The night we wrapped up qualification for Europe by winning at Wolves was a great one. . I may stand corrected but Brian Joyce who we signed from non league scored that night.

 

[Ring Of Steel]

Correct!

The football wasn’t massively entertaining- it was the era of grinding out victories- but as a club I don’t think we’ve ever been in higher standing than that very match

That was the time where there were plans to revamp HR to 50,000 to build upon the demand and progress- thankfully it never happened as it was one of the ugliest buildings I’ve ever seen, but that’s where we were at that time.

 

[Nonleagueherewecome]

That's a great question. We've had some great eras and teams:

The Jimmy Hill revolution and promotions to the top flight.

The fantastic attacking teams of the late 70s under Gordon Milne: Wallace, Ferguson, Hutchison,Yorath Blyth.

Dave Sexton's young team in the early 1980s: Sealey,Thomas, Dyson, Gillespie, Blair, Thompson, Hateley, Bodak, Hunt, Daly. If only we'd kept that team and Sexton.

The Sillett/Curtis years: not only the FA Cup but the League positions. Fantastic and under rated top class players in Ogrizovic, Borrows, Peake, Kilkline, Bennett (an absolute superstar), Regis. And our greatest coach, Sillett.

Strachan's team 1999, for example vs. Villa away in the League. The team that day included Boateng, McAllister, Aloisi, Moldovan, Froggat, Huckerby, Nilsson. We also had Hadji and Chippo in the squad. In my opinion, our strongest ever line up. How Strachan managed to engineer a relegation in 2001 with that level of talent is mind blowing.

I hope in a few years we'll be celebrating a return to the Championship and referencing the Mark Robins era.

Great post and particularly agree with this part. It gets lost a bit in the wake of 87 as if we "never really kicked on", but the side a couple of years after the cup win was actually even better for me and we carried on playing quality passing football. It was a great year for that too with us and Norwich in the top 7-and for quite a while the top 3! And of course, the genius that was Speeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee-do.............

 

[Nonleagueherewecome]

Aside from that- 1997/1998, I think someone mentions that above- Strachans team that won 7 on the trot.

Rolling back the years a bit but don’t forget that even though we didn’t get promoted to the top division until 1967, in the 30s we were seen as a giant and knocking on the door under the great Harry Storer (Brian Clough & Peter Taylor’s biggest inspirations, need I say more)- had it not been for WW2 breaking out it’s hugely likely that we’d have been a top division club 25 years before we were.

Aside from that 1977/1978 when we had some of the best games & performances the club has ever seen, 24,000 every game and looked like we were ready for a major push at Europe... then finances intervened.

That's really interesting! I don't know much about the 30's era it's fair to say. There's not that much online compared to the Hill Years and afterwards...

 

[Ring Of Steel]

Great post and particularly agree with this part. It gets lost a bit in the wake of 87 as if we "never really kicked on", but the side a couple of years after the cup win was actually even better for me and we carried on playing quality passing football. It was a great year for that too with us and Norwich in the top 7-and for quite a while the top 3! And of course, the genius that was Speeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee-do.............[/

I couldn’t agree more- 1988/1989 was up there with the best teams we’ve ever had, partially spearheaded by the criminally maligned and underestimated David Smith- take Hutch out the equation and I’d put him as our best ever lett winger.

I was gonna say- we never really capitalised on 87, and this May be heresy but Sillett should maybe have gone after 1988/1989, allow someone to come in and really push on

 

[Ring Of Steel]

I couldn’t agree more- 1988/1989 was up there with the best teams we’ve ever had, partially spearheaded by the criminally maligned and underestimated David Smith- take Hutch out the equation and I’d put him as our best ever lett winger.

I was gonna say- we never really capitalised on 87, and this May be heresy but Sillett should maybe have gone after 1988/1989, allow someone to come in and really push on

 

[Ring Of Steel]

That's really interesting! I don't know much about the 30's era it's fair to say. There's not that much online compared to the Hill Years and afterwards...

Oh yeah- Storer was immense, he inspired some of the great managers we’ve seen. Tough as nails but the players would do anything for him. We were pushing for promotion under him and we were getting massive crowds not seen again until the 60s, we were on a roll. Then war intervened and afterwards the players weren’t the same and Storer (I think) went to Birmingham, he came back but it wasn’t the same. He always said “Coventry was my club”, and in terms of our history I would put him the single biggest figure we ever had before Derek Robins came to us.

 

[JimmyHillsbeard]

Aside from that- 1997/1998, I think someone mentions that above- Strachans team that won 7 on the trot.

Rolling back the years a bit but don’t forget that even though we didn’t get promoted to the top division until 1967, in the 30s we were seen as a giant and knocking on the door under the great Harry Storer (Brian Clough & Peter Taylor’s biggest inspirations, need I say more)- had it not been for WW2 breaking out it’s hugely likely that we’d have been a top division club 25 years before we were.

Aside from that 1977/1978 when we had some of the best games & performances the club has ever seen, 24,000 every game and looked like we were ready for a major push at Europe... then finances intervened.

1997-98 was unreal. one defeat after Christmas. Shoulda coulda woulda won the FA Cup....

But it was very very noticeable that the teams uplift in form coincided with Gary McAllister’s injury. He was a great player but he made our team worse.

 

[Gazolba]

Our greatest ever achievement in my opinion was beating Wolves to become second division champions in 1967, and thus moving to the top flight.
Nothing will ever surpass that game.

 

[play_in_skyblue_stripes]

Best teams were 77-78, 86-77 and 97-98.

Finest moment in history, FA cup win but also manner of win
including difficult route to final, style of performance , coming back twice and fans
celebrations. No-one has touched us on that, ever!!!!!!

All very obvious.

 

[Frank Sidebottom]

That's a great question. We've had some great eras and teams:

The Jimmy Hill revolution and promotions to the top flight.

The fantastic attacking teams of the late 70s under Gordon Milne: Wallace, Ferguson, Hutchison,Yorath Blyth.

Dave Sexton's young team in the early 1980s: Sealey,Thomas, Dyson, Gillespie, Blair, Thompson, Hateley, Bodak, Hunt, Daly. If only we'd kept that team and Sexton.

The Sillett/Curtis years: not only the FA Cup but the League positions. Fantastic and under rated top class players in Ogrizovic, Borrows, Peake, Kilkline, Bennett (an absolute superstar), Regis. And our greatest coach, Sillett.

Strachan's team 1999, for example vs. Villa away in the League. The team that day included Boateng, McAllister, Aloisi, Moldovan, Froggat, Huckerby, Nilsson. We also had Hadji and Chippo in the squad. In my opinion, our strongest ever line up. How Strachan managed to engineer a relegation in 2001 with that level of talent is mind blowing.

I hope in a few years we'll be celebrating a return to the Championship and referencing the Mark Robins era.

Imagine if we'd kept Dublin and signed Keane.
I think so much hangs on Mondays result. If we win we keep the team together and the team spirit is the best I've ever seen. This team with a couple of additions has the skill and momentum too push for promotion from league 1 next season.... If we fail I fear we will fall short next season and then slide.

 

[Nonleagueherewecome]

I couldn’t agree more- 1988/1989 was up there with the best teams we’ve ever had, partially spearheaded by the criminally maligned and underestimated David Smith- take Hutch out the equation and I’d put him as our best ever lett winger.

I was gonna say- we never really capitalised on 87, and this May be heresy but Sillett should maybe have gone after 1988/1989, allow someone to come in and really push on

Totally agree, adored David Smith, and he was massively under-rated, so much that I even started a thread about him the other year! Just look at Speedie's goals and count how many he played a part in: David Smith-What Went Wrong?

 

[fernandopartridge]

Good thread and Ring of Steel is a great addition to the board

 

[Ricketts]

Good thread and Ring of Steel is a great addition to the board

Obviously been around a bit.

Very rare for a poster to have more likes than posts.

 

[Ranjit Bhurpa]

Our greatest ever achievement in my opinion was beating Wolves to become second division champions in 1967, and thus moving to the top flight.
Nothing will ever surpass that game.

Agree.
My first season at HR as a 6 year old. Seem to recall we went on a long unbeaten run in the league from before Christmas right through to the end.
Crowds seem to increase match by match as did expectation, leading to the Wolves 'midlands match of the century' and promotion to the First Division.
Magical times to be a City fan.

 

[Ranjit Bhurpa]

Correct!

The football wasn’t massively entertaining- it was the era of grinding out victories- but as a club I don’t think we’ve ever been in higher standing than that very match

That was the time where there were plans to revamp HR to 50,000 to build upon the demand and progress- thankfully it never happened as it was one of the ugliest buildings I’ve ever seen, but that’s where we were at that time.

Seem to recall the plans were even grander with expansion to 60,000 involving a huge development of the Kop end.
Would have been interesting, but given the financial implications at the time, at least Robins had the good sense to pull back - unlike Richardson 30 years later.
Enjoyed your comments about Harry Storer and his influence on Taylor and Clough. The link would have come full circle if they both had been appointed in the early seventies.

 

[hinckley cov]

Ring of steel says David Smith was our best left winger after Tommy hutch? no way don’t you remember stevie Hunt ?

 

[Ring Of Steel]

I remember Steve Hunt the midfielder who could play on the left very well.

But David Smith was an out and out left winger, there is a difference.

Hunt was the better all round player, but if you’re looking for a left winger who’ll do nothing else but beat his man and put a cross in or have a shot, Smith is that man.

 

[Ring Of Steel]

Harry Storer- had it not been for WW2 this would have been our Brian Clough and the best period in our history would very possibly have been the late 30s onwards. He achieved promotion everywhere he went, but considered us ‘his’ Club and if it weren’t for Hitler would have been as much of a legend as Hill, Sillett and anyone else. I think I’m right in saying we were getting 20,000 averages in division three south & regular 30,000 in division two under him and we were pretty much seen as a club waiting to be in the top division. He even stayed during WW2 to mow the pitch & things, and he played first class cricket at the same time as managing us- he was Brian Clough before there was Brian Clough. How different things might have been...

Best quote- after one game Storer dragged a player onto the pitch and said “where is it? Show me where the fuck it is?”, player says “where is what?”, Storer says “the hole you’ve been hiding in all fucking game”

Stayed with us for 14 yrs and took us from the arse end of nowhere to the verge of promotion to division one in 1937, then war broke out.


The men who made Brian Clough

The Derby County manager who was a mentor for Brian Clough and Peter Taylor

 

[dadgad]

I’d say 1970

We were an established top division club, we were qualified for European competition, and our crowds were in the top 10 in the country.

If league form is your benchmark, definitely Noel Cantwell’s team around 1970. One year we won ten on the road and had a great work ethic and discipline. A centre-back called Roy Barry was immense in that team.

 

[dadgad]

IN CASE YOU ARE WONDERIN’ here is Exeter City’s greatest moment:

 

[dadgad]

Still their greatest moment....

 

[Adge]

Best teams were 77-78, 86-77 and 97-98.

Finest moment in history, FA cup win but also manner of win
including difficult route to final, style of performance , coming back twice and fans
celebrations. No-one has touched us on that, ever!!!!!!

All very obvious.

Yes that was my favourite team as well. The time machine team who went from 1986 back to 1977.

 

[TheParsonsHose]

For the new generation it is most definately NOW. Many of our fans know nothing but dissapointment and this is a time that the younger fans should look ahead and be proud to be sky blue.

Imagine if you got into your football say three years ago and started watching the city?! I am all for looking back but this should also be a great time for those who know nothing else and for them to believe that our finest point in history is in the making.