Tony Macken 1976

In Memoriam Johan Cruyff 1947-2016

Spring Training

Mid-March was always the time the Diplomats preseason training would be in full swing. Some would be more intriguing than others, as Doug Dugan recalled http://washingtondiplomats.blogspot.com/2014/04/from-inside-1980-pre-season.html 
A few photos from the 1979 & 1980 training camps demonstrate drills Gordon Bradley employed.

Bobby Stokes Biography Available May 1, 2016

Bobby Stokes, one of the most popular players ever to don a Dips jersey, is the subject of a new book by Southampton author Mark Sanderson. You can order Bobby Stokes: The Man from Portsmouth Who Scored Southampton's Most Famous Goal, by using the following link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bobby-Stokes-Portsmouth-Scored-Southamptons/dp/1785311379/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1454506270&sr=8-1&keywords=bobby+stokes or visit http://bobbystokesbook.com/

"He's the man whose goal delivered Southampton's only major trophy in 130 years and counting. Bobby Stokes's winning goal in the 1976 FA Cup Final marked an unforgettable 11-second sequence of play for Saints fans, but just how did a Portsmouth-born Pompey supporter end up scoring a cup-winning goal for his boyhood team's hated, local rivals? Bobby Stokes: The Man from Portsmouth Who Scored Southampton's Most Famous Goal answers this question and so many others. Such as, what led him to leave Saints just a year after his glory? Why did he swap the glamour of the US League and crowds of 50,000-plus in New York for the grass roots of the Sussex County League? How did he end up waiting tables in a Portsmouth café? And, why, less than 20 years on from that historic May afternoon, did he end up dying in poverty in 1995 at the tender age of just 44 - shortly before his testimonial match was due to take place at the Dell? This book takes a long overdue look at the life of Bobby Stokes, answers those questions and tells the story of a legendary figure in Southampton's history and the man who scored the club's most-famous goal."

https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=the%20bobby%20stokes%20story

Stokes in action against the Tulsa Roughnecks , 1979.

Diplomats at Rowdies, 1975

Diplomats Gerry Ingram, Rowdies Malcolm Linton.