Stoke Managers - Alan Durban
Permission for the next series of the Stoke Managers caches has been kindly provided by Staffordshire Wildlife Trust. Each cache will continue the Stoke Mangers theme, while also letting you know about one of the inhabitants that may live in these woods. The trust is a great organization that does lots of great work up and down the county, all carried out by funding from the public. If you wish to put something back into the local environment, click on the following link and make a small donation.http://www.staffs-wildlife.org.uk/donate
Adder Vipera berus
The Adder is the only venomous snake living wild in the uk. Adders are not an aggressive snake and will only use there venom if threatened. Due to modern anti venom no body has died of an adder bite in the past 20 years. Adders usually eat small mammals, but will also eat things like frogs, newts and ground nesting birds. Unlike most reptiles Adders do not lay eggs, but give birth to live young, about the size of an earthworm. Adders are usually found in areas of rough open countryside and are often associated in woodland edge habitats. So keep your eyes peels, especially around spring time, when they are emerging from there log piles after a long winter in hibernation.
Please post in your log if you see one of these animals during your caching adventure.
Alan Durban
G143 W53 D48 L42 Win %37.06
Alan Durban was tasked with getting Stoke promoted back into the First Division, which he did on the final match of the 1978/79 season in dramatic fashion, beating Notts County away on the final day of the season with a Paul Richardson goal with 2 mins remaining sealing premotion. Not sure how many Stoke fans were officially there, but, if you speak to any Stoke fan of a certain generation, I am sure they will all tell you that THEY WERE THERE (dad), and got chased off the pitch by the police dogs.
The following season Stoke managed to stave of relegation the following season and managed a respectable mid table finish in the 1980-81 season. In the summer of 1981, Durban shocked everyone by quitting Stoke to join Sunderland. Durban came up with a classic quotes, in reply to a journalist stating that there was no entertainment in watching his team, “if you want entertainment, go and watch a bunch of clowns” reminds me of something Tony Pulis would come out with.