When Aldershot went bust,their last ever game was at Ninian Park. The Cardiff firms and fans were superb-had a bucket collection for the Aldershot players were great to the Aldershot fans. Hard-yes-you dont mess with them,but with hearts and a genuine support for what Footballs all about ;110%.
Was there for that too We won 2-0 I think (but cos Aldershot went bust our result was void come the end of season along with everyother Aldershot mstch) Surreal match, us clapping the Aldershot players
@@littlephilly7537 You're right it was 2-0 to Bluebirds(a double as you did us 2-1 at the Rec) and all our results were expunged. The Cardiff chairman at the time paid for the Shots to come and play the fixture which actually was a great gesture as he tried to buy us time but it wasn't to be. A real killer when your club goes-reforming and all that just isn't the same. Everyone knew about the Cardiff firms-no one messed with them and TBH any hassle at Aldershot was always Portsmouth fans,nothing to do with Shots-but we'd get it in the neck!! but outside of holding their own there was this game v Shots,March 1992 and as I say Cardiff firms/fans were superb boosting respect to way over 100% on every front.
I was at both home and away aldershot games that season the away was a Friday night and Paul Millar scored a 25 yard screamer. Sadly for us both results were chalked off even sadder for Aldershot fans that year. Oh and Chelsea didn't take the home end in 85 , every other part of the ground I grant you but not the bobbank.
My first away game with Liverpool was to Leeds in 1978, I was 15. The walk to the ground was a battlefield and were it not for the hundreds of police officers on duty there would have been carnage. But it was a great experience and one I’ll never forget. That’s how it used to be when you went away, you genuinely feared for your safety but you still went because the buzz was like nothing else. Going away now is a much more civilised experience, thankfully 😊
Was at that game. Me and a couple of other Evertonian mates decided to go as it was gem of an end-of-season fixture after our season was over. Totally impressed with the Sunderland turn out. Didn't see any trouble though.
@@birtlee2078Sorry, have to disagree, Sunderland had great away support but not in the same league as Man Utd. in terms of facing clubs like Hull, we faced them in the old second division in 1974 (as did you), and during that period we took more away than anyone including Sunderland, thats a fact. Out of all the teams in that division in 1974, (including Sunderland), every club had their best home league attendance against United apart from 6 clubs. Out of those 6 clubs, 4 had their second best attendance against United. As for the Hull City game, Hull's highest attendance of that season was against United - 23.287 were there including an estimated 15,000 from United. In contrast, when Sunderland played Hull that year (26/10/74) the total attendance was 15,010 - no where near capacity! United took 20,000+ to Sheffield Wednesday and took over their Kop end and 25,000 plus to Bolton. The largest ever away following at York City's old Bootham Crescent ground was Man Utd's visit in December 1974, with their home end (Shipton Street End) full of United supporters, something never accomplished by Sunderland who took some decent followings to York, I was there for all your visits during the 80's, and had to smile at some claims made that Sunderland took 15,000 to York which were wildly exaggerated, the ground never even held 15,000 in the late1980's. You took around 5-6k on 26th March 1988 for the league game yet the League Cup game at York v Sunderland that same season (30/08/88) only attracted 4,204 into Bootham Crescent, very few Sunderland fans even made the trip.
I remember that day, you needed a win to gain promotion, hence the large travelling support, villa had already got promoted by then so a 57k crowd turned up, with over 20k locked outside
I went to see my club at most of these grounds back then. You had to have your wits about you, and there was always the hint of trouble in the atmoshere, sometimes fights did break out here and there but I always returned home unscathed. I think your figures for percentage chance of avoiding such stuff are a tad overstated.
@@RockinRedRover - Hello mate. I've often felt an overarching interest (a lifelong obsession) in music scenes might have spared me the ignominy of this pastime but in truth I've never had that herd mentality and despised first generation 'casuals' - purely on the basis they were pushed by the media as a contemporary '80s cultural staple, which was an anathema to me. Ditto 'Only Fools and Horses' - notwithstanding the odd witticism, a social commentary as repressed as any Carry On film romantic sub-plot. Sue me. Toward the end of the '80s I reluctantly descended into the 'real world' of full time employment and warmed to some of these lads as I worked and socialised with them. Even attended a few football matches with one work mate and his brothers - who by this time had attained an equilibrium of reason regarding rock-a-hula-ganism activity and accumulation of court fines. We were probably quite a motley looking bunch, which might have saved us being drawn into ambush challenges. I do recall one character stepping out from nowhere to ask us the time but we were that deep in the maze of home town alleyways it was a bit of a daft question. Which reminds me of the time I attended a game as a neutral and joined the Geordies in the away stand purely for purposes of a quick getaway. Like reversing into a parking space. Well, that and the fact the stewards and police turned me away from the adjoining Bristol City stand and gestured me to join the throng of fellow late arrivals. There's no way I could remotely do justice to either accent but I suppose I had my acclaimed Worzel Gummidge impression up my sleeve in case of one contingency. Newcastle were holding a 2-1 lead into injury time. A couple of Geordie lads noticed me glance at my watch and asked me how much time left. This was my cue. A-hem. "A CUP O' TEA AN' A SLICE O' CAKE, ME DEARS." Only joking. I made out as though to squint at my watch in the dusk and the ref blew the full time whistle. Many thanks to that fine fellow in the black. Johnny Cash. Which further reminds me of the time I visited a sister straight after work and stood resplendent in workwear (including a pair of Sunderland shorts) while awaiting the late train home. As the train approached the platform it was noticeably full and as it pulled up it was noticeably full of Newcastle supporters. Devon leg of their pre-season tour. Rowlocks to it, I wasn't going to hang around for the next train. I embarked - and marched straight up through the carriage. To the evident consternation of some fellow travellers. WTF was I thinking, you might ask. Ain't got a F-ing clue, I might admit. I could go on but I already have. The potential for trouble could be lurking at any time, at any place, so you may as well have your humour about you if not your wits.
@@herbert9241 hi, not a clue why you feel the need to regale me in quite such a thorough manner, altho I found it both interesting and enjoyable, so thanks anyway. Fwiw we seem to have a little in common, insofar as I'm also obsessed with music scenes, and do what I like without following the herd. Plus I've invariably travelled alone to football matches, sometimes as a neutral but usually not, and often to away clubs with larger and far more violent supports than my own. Like you I developed a second sense for spotting and so hopefully avoiding trouble at several clubs, including Bristol City who I despise on many levels. I agree there was always a chance for trouble, I saw a fair share of it, and sadly it was often SO out of place and pointless given the actual match circumstances, but as they say in my homeland, every village has an idiot... But, I believe my original point is still correct, while I was replying to the poster GeorgeRobey saying that he was correct, and the OP's headline about the "fear of dying" was complete nonsense.
@@RockinRedRover - Those rascals over the bridge - I think I get your drift. Succinctness is a virtue which has always eluded me but I'm getting there paragraph-by-paragraph. By-paragraph-by-paragraph-by-paragraph-by-paragraph-by-paragraph. I understand my sub-Dickensian prosaic meandering is sometimes the harbinger of annoyance, and that's grist to the very much mill, but we've reciprocated greetings under music uploads before so I rather leaned on our old school cravate connection in assuming my humour's not lost on you as it might be on some of these unfortunate street urchins. Agreed with both of you on the questionable science behind the fear-of-death-o-meter. Death is one of my old nicknames in certain quarters (where I don't particularly care to revisit), for starters, and I wouldn't hurt a fly. Well, strictly speaking, I am given to dispatching flies in hand-to-hand combat - but in the broad scheme of things I subscribe to the creed 'don't walk on my food with excrement on your feet and we'll get along fine.' Which pretty much covers everyone with the exception of flies. And Bristolians. Hoho! Just a throwaway gag owing to context. I've known many stout fellows and amicable ladies from that strange city.
@@herbert9241 apologies ! - I'm very old and have forgotten we've met in the past, but yes I do admire and enjoy your enthusiastic wit and fine prose - are you a journo by chance, and if not why not ?. But saying that, yoiu'd be wasted if sources of info like the BBC News webpages are anything to go by. As for Bristolians in general, like you I don't have a beef with most of them, I have old friends and close family living there (none actually from there mynde) and I have no problems with MOST of those who are born Bristles, espcially those associated with the county cricket club. Or even the Rovers, shame Eastville's gone... (btw my username reflects my Rover car, NOT the Gas). Its just the antics and opinions of some of the City "fans" I despise, especially back in the 80s n 90s when they were enjoying times in the lower leagues when they thought they were big fishes in smaller ponds. Atb RRR.
Millwall, Upton Park , Forest , Stamford Bridge , Old Trafford , Boro , Sunderland , Burnley , Stoke etc etc most grounds were scary in the 70’s if you were young. I’d have to add Spurs , Brum etc to that too
Sunderland fan...went to all them grounds in the 70's...except Upton Park. I'd heard too much about the 'chicken run' and just bottled it! That was in 78 and was the only away game I didn't get to that season!
Plymouth away night game. Trust me it will go no matter who you are i went there back in the 8os about 87/88 with Arsenals boys. and it went off as soon as we got there in the carpark and that small wood that we walked through to the away end. cup game 6-1.
been to all the grounds mentioned and I'm happy to report I'm alive and well, back in the day you could get a kicking at most grounds if you was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
My experience exactly, I too visited a lot of these stadiums in the seventies and only got in bother once, well twice if you count a cop at Everton which was the away end, we were early, and he put us on the Kop! We were at the front and luckily a better cop spotted us and got us out of there just in time.
@@charlesgarrett3283 absolutely. When you watch old programmes like the Sweeney that really gives you a perspective on what is what like back then, right down to how people spoke which kind of reflected their surroundings. Obviously there was some lovely quaint, gentle places around too, but most of the cities and lot of the towns were proper hard places. Different kind of rules back then also, if you didn’t screw with people you’d generally be all right.
Yes, scary and very exciting, made you feel alive... Always when I got caught I rolled straight into a ball, cant fight them all, best defence really... But to tell you the truth, I see all football fans as my brothers, nothing but love for them now... Thanks for the great days boys🙂
Not a Villa fan, but I used to go to Villa Park with a villa supporting mate of mine, to see the occasional match back in the early 1980's. I distinctly remember at one match hearing a chant of "If you're all going to West Ham clap your hands" & about half the Holte End joining in. We actually went to the West Ham away match for a day out in London (although we kept a low profile on the approach to the ground). There was hardly anybody in the away end. I reckon a few hundred at the most. Just stuck in my memory because of the thousands who sang that they were going there & were nowhere to be seen.
I was surprised Southampton never got a mention. Unfortunately my Mum and Dad decided to move there from South London when I was 12 (1976). Saw far trouble more there, than I ever did in Lambeth. We lived 5min from there old ground, 'The Dell'. Seemed to have a major tear-up with every home again.
Every football club throughout the UK , from the non league clubs to the very top , it’s all about ,your passion and loyalty to your town or city , county .and your mates
Been pretty much all the grounds in London as a Chelsea fan in the 70's as a young kid, Millwall 77 at the Old Den was probably the worst out of the lot, and to be honest not a lot of Chelsea use to show at West ham in the 70's I think it was coz West ham's Mile End Mob seemed so much older, they were like grizzly's!!Tottenham had a good mob in the 70's and I was there in the infamous game when they put us down when there was fighting on the pitch, West ham always showed at Chelsea and were always in the Shed, Millwall had a go but were run out and I must admit Forest use to bring a good firm down in the 70's
Bradford City had the notorious Ointment Crew. The huge crumbling kop was segregated down the middle (not sure who’s bright idea that was) and lumps of concrete would be flying across no man’s land throughout the match. The short walk along ‘third world’ Manningham Lane into the city centre wasn’t much fun either, and there were countless rucks in the centre centre itself, particularly around Ivegate with its rough pubs, The Unicorn and The Old Crown.
Seen many football battles from 1970 onwards, but the first one I ever saw was the bloodiest by far. Bradford City (league division 4) at home to Spurs (league division 1) at Valley Parade FA cup 3rd round, attendance 24,000 crushed into a then small stadium. The policing back then was amateurish so it was basically a free for all. The Spurs fans ran the full distance of the pitch around 10 minutes before kickoff to attack the Bradford End. I was only 16 and stood at the Midland Road End watching, once the Spurs fans reached the Bradford End, I thought the City fans were backing off as they pulled back in a huddle allowing the Spurs fans onto the Bradford End terrace, but it was a tactic. The next thing I heard was someone in the City crowd shout charge.....The city fans attacked the Spurs fans like a herd of elephants, fists flying and the Spurs fans annihilated many of them rolling over the advertising barriers onto the side of the pitch covered in blood. In those days there was none of this pathetic jumping up and down waving their arms, people fought with their fists on both sides, hence the blooded faces. I think that very possibly the Spurs fans were a little too over confident, just a small 4th division club would be easy meat but they got a shock. To be fair, bearing in mind this was over 54 years ago, the Spurs fans fought with their fists as well but were well beaten. In all the years since despite the matches I've seen mainly watching Leeds home and away, I've never seen anything come near that scrap. Edit: For the record I'm 70 now and couldn't even run away fast enough to avoid a fight nowadays 😉
@@brythonicman3267 I remember Spurs at Elland Road in the Cup in 72. It was carnage from the ground back into town afterwards. The brickworks still being on Elland Road didn't help either (now gone to accommodate the inner ring Road!). I don't think I've ever seen anything like that before or since, even when Man U have been.
@@carlmyers5278 There was a big scrap in the Geldered End I think in '71, when the Chelsea fans tried to take on the Leeds fans, but were well beaten. The policing back then was 3rd rate and no crowd control stewards.
Would agree with your assessments as a Leeds fan. Been to most of the grounds mentioned including Maine Road three times and ended up getting "slapped around" three times. That's one hat-trick I could have done without.
Same hear, those alleyways on one side of the ground at Maine Road were a common battle ground, we Leeds had around 100 of us wedged in one with hundreds of man City it was quite comical trying to fight.
I was a One Man "Army"on the pitch at Highbury for a midweek game against my Millwall in The 1980's. I came adorned in my City suit after work and the Millwall (Clock) End was packed solid to I came n the North Bank, climbed onto the pitch and walked towards the Away End waving and gesturing, occasionally,to imaginary "colleagues" over to the stand to the righy of The North Bank as if I as an Official. When I reached the Away End,I displayed my Millwall scarf and got let in:)
I followed Millwall in the seventies with F troop and Treatment. The hardest grounds we visited was Stoke, Birmingham and Cardiff. When we played Leeds they would be noisy and do a lot of posturing but where never to keen to get close up with you
Millwall didn't do to well at Everton in 1973 ,the divs came into the Gwladys Street end, 11 of them got cut to ribbons, Millwall still call it their "darkest day " the street end was an evil place, as Millwall found out
milk did you go forest last game of the season 1976 /77 it was a night game your last away game you had about 300 in the old east stand forest were on the pitch celebrating our imminent promotion
I agree, the WHU ICF were the best, but what a stupid era of us all beating each other or running each others ends. Nowadays it is the corporate packages and prison sentences whilst the opposition to this takes hold.
It's a fun video because it brings back happy memories of the 70s. Following United was usually ok because of the massive numbers but there were scraps at every ground i visited. However, watching games with my WBA supporting mate was terrifying. Wolves and Bristol City spring to mind.
No mention of Stoke City's Boothen End, 3rd. match of the 67/68 season my second time there, bleedin' carnage. Didn't get much better in the 70's either, although only went a couple of times as in different divisions.
Stoke always been a top firm, but only with N40 did they really get organised. Man Utd had half of the Boothen one season through sheer numbers. Wolves were in there one season, around 1000 of them. It was carnage and I remember reading that 7 Stoke fans were stabbed. Think a few London teams also been in there. Always been a really feisty game the old Staffs derby and going past the graveyard afterwards was always where it kicked off afterwards.
I was in the Boothen End supporting Stoke when the Wolves fans came in. Yes I think about 4 fans were stabbed. I was only 14 years old at the time and remember it well. I never saw anything like it 😮
As a Brighton fan that was a long walk home down the Severn sisters road, West Ham, Birmingham and Everton away were not a lot of fun. Chelsea, Arsenal and Utd away were harmless. Brighton on a Friday night was good when the London clubs came down.
Went to the Victoria ground in the 70’s on a special Train from Burnley. Hundreds of us Scrapping all the way to the ground, on the ground and all the way back to the Train Station. Arguably the roughest ground we went to.
There's no way you would have been attacked by Zulu's at Birmingham in the 70's as they didn't form til around 1982!. In the 70's it was the barmy Tilton army named after the Tilton road that runs behind the old away end.
as a retired spurs fan agree with all those except old trafford. Would also give an honourable mention to the old bill at QPR who were more violent than most football firms i encountered
Leicester's Filbert Street was also a nasty, intimidating ground to visit. Absolutely vile fans. Derby's Baseball Ground was also pretty rough. Old Den and definitely Ninian Park was the worse.
I was driving my minibus Leicester v Sunderland in about 1980 , we all got arrested 2 times that day . 1st was after game , filling up in a garage , load of Leicester came into garage , all my mates jumped out (12) we done em , but more came . So my brother got the Cricket bag open , full kit of bats & 6 full size stumps , then a van load of cops nicked us . About 8pm cop shop started letting us out 3 at a time , we went in a pub only 50 yards from cop shop , Leicester were in there offering us out , so we said yeah 1 on 1 , my brother knocked first 3 out , in 30 seconds each . . They (8) buggered off . We went to Thurmaston for a pint , near closing time , busses started bringing youths from Town , they came in Pub and it kicked right off , at chippy next to pub . Police came again and knicked is again . Sergeant couldn't believe it cos we all had 1st charge sheets on us . He never charged us , cos 2 of our mates were in hospital, he said right go pick them up and go home , this was now 1 am . Got to hospital, and some Locals were trying to fight our mates , cos they were from Thermaston .... Brilliant day out . 😂😂😂
The firms talked about are out on the dates. The Leeds service crew were 80s in my understanding. The Zulu's were 80s too i think. Giving names to your mob was a later thing.
The only team that always brought it to Cardiff in the 70,s 80,s were Chelsea,but they never took the Bob Bank in 84 but they certainly tried that day,anybody who was there will remember the hot dog van rocking that day
I used to keep a very low profile while watching football in the 70s/80s. It could be very scary. Only time I got a kicking was at Forest and Wolves. Both times unprovoked.
As a very young lad i remember all hell breaking out when Millwall stormed the London Road End at Oxford United about 1973-1975 time Police sent the dogs in and called for reinforcements
People go on about the so-called big firms like Chelsea and Leeds etc, but being a supporter of a club that's spent the past 60 odd years in the third and fourth divisions. I've been to some horrendous away days. Most of the Midland and Northern industrial towns in the 70s were horrible places to visit, for example Port Vale, Mansfield, Grimsby and Oldham.
I remember a tale of a Man Utd fan who was chased near Lime Street (L'pool) he joined a bus queue and acted as if he was a local waiting for a bus. One scally was dubious when he spotted him and proceeded to ask him the hooligan question of choice 'got the time mate' to which he answered in a decent attempt at a scouse accent, our protagonist wasn't convinced, so he asked him where he was going. Unlucky for him a bus came round the corner heading to Fazakerley, and he made the mistake of pronouncing it Faza...curly. He didnt get on the bus, maybe that was as a good thing lol
@@palermothegoalgod-wd2wp Yes I remember being asked the time like that at QPR and replying about half past five in a very poor cockney accent to which the reply was something like you're Forest you lying Bas!!!d. Then quickly getting on the tube train and out of there.
OMG . The one question as an away fan you would dread and make your stomach sink? Hey mate have you got the time? Unless you could do accents , you knew what was coming next
ManU were the most hated club for Tottenham in 70s and huge mobs turned out for them, and huge ManU support usually 7k min.....this made for carnage. We usually won at WHL but only turned up OT 78 where we didn't do much. Credit to ManU they never hid and by late 70s their mob reduced in size but were better. To be fair other than ManU no credible Northern mob turned up WHL and ManU were way superior to Millwall, Chelsea and Arsenal. The only firm that came looking for it were WHU with the rest it was usually a game of hunt the hiding Cunts. Even with WHU they were ok with the lesser Spurs but against Spurs elite pretty ordinary.
Travelling away in the 70's, pre segregation, wasn't for the faint hearted. All away fans were fair game and wearing a scarf was like putting a target on your back. As a kid i felt sorry for away fans getting battered in the Clive road corner at Ayresome. The police were clueless.
@britishqueen94 most of the bizzies at Everton in the 70s were evil, blackbeard is one who springs to mind,but a lot of them were also Everton fans and would often club the away fans and let the park end scallies steam into them at the same time, only man utd and the Geordie bastards turned up in numbers, most away fans wouldn't go near the place for fear of having their arses slashed to ribbons!
@@britishqueen94The Police weren't Cowards back then like it seems today yer I don't people marching - but he Cops did get stuck in and heard they took a few beatings as well so perhaps You should Assume some more .
@@jamescorlett5272 Depends who the OB were up against? OB were absolutely ruthless and fearless against white working class and still are, likewise the white working class treated the OB with reverence. Not so with Blacks or now Muz the OB treated them with respect. I lived near Broadwater Farm. If OB got cheeky with them they would attack hence 85 and 2011 riots. Even then the cause of these riots were CID not PC Plod...PC Plod faced the backlash on the street whereas CID fucked off and hid in offices Everywhere in N London every 10 yards there was a uniform the day after 85 and many police vans....you had to be there to see what blokes look like shitting their pants out of fear. So I disagree with you OB back than were brave
@britishqueen94 I was on my bike ( bicycle ) the other day the day after the election and for some reason I said to said plod " my Labour move quick " and said " it's just like ì was young again " the cop says " you don't look a day over 50 " I'm 58 so the jokes on him daft flont .
Only place I was ever really scared was Molineaux. Cup game in 74. Carnage from station to ground and then the return journey after the game. I'd been before in 72 when Leeds needed to win to win the old first division and do the double (which we failed to do!). There was more Leeds there that Monday night, or so it seemed, but 74 was savage.
Said it numerous times, most hostile clicky ground in the UK I ever experienced personally was Boro in the late 80’s. Far more intimidating than what Chelsea, whu, Geordies, Mackems, Scousers or Mancs were back then as far as I’m concerned.
Born and brought up in SE London so followed MillwalL Scariest match I remember was against Palace in early 70s. That day you had to be in a gang to survive just getting out the ground. Palace crew wrecked the train we were on to go home so we had to walk miles. When I look back dunno how we survived the 70s.
@@Eel.666 Maybe in late 80s but not 70s- In the 70s numbers were king and it was all onto all and not simply a small firm onto another small firm- both Newcastle and Sunderland trumped Boro for numbers-heard Sunderland overrun the Holgate in 70s and most Sunderland of the 70s wld all admit that the top boys up North were Newcastle and Everton
@@Eel.666 Stoke are well regarded but in the 70s you would be laughed at if you said Stoke are good- having a hundred good Stoke would always get smashed by us,Spurs or ManU who would turn up in 1000s to overrun Stoke- 100 v 1000 you do the maths
true enough, Boro and Notts forest were the only ones who came to the den and had a go, i dont remember playing Newcastle, we were not good enough lolol
Ninian Park was on the list - tough place. I went there with Spurs when we lost 1-0 in the FA Cup in the 70s. Most places were scary in those days. I remember Boro, Stoke, Brum and obviously the bigger NW & London clubs.
As a young fan in the early 80s went all over with man city..i see comments on herr that make me piss Blackpool. Nottingham forest to name a few..the biggest ball testers i remember was ...Chelsea..West Ham..Everton..Leeds and it kills me to say it Man Utd had the biggest firm I've seen...good old day's.
James I used to go in the kippax at the top near the away fans ,and when city were not playing well ,a city fan don't know his name he would shout ,Every one sit down on the steps ,and strangely enough everybody did including me ,don't know who he was though
@@kevinstones9326 I would normally be at the bottom in front of the tunnel next to the bottom half of the cage where only certain teams would fill it..Great time to be a fan.
Had a brick through the window of the top floor of the bus I was on after having knocked L'Pool out of the Cup in 1983. Still can't believe Phil Neal missed the penalty.
Coventry's Highfield Road might have come close to making it on this list. I remember my Uncle, who followed Man Utd home & away, saying it was one of the most dangerous places he'd visited, mainly due to an alleyway on approach to the ground that ran past houses, but then a playing field, where apparently, a reception party with bricks & other items would be waiting, so it was a bit like a duck shoot as the away fans moved along the alley.
Went with Liverpool to Dundalk on the N,Ireland , border looking across South Armagh under a watch tower , to say it was a bit tense was a bit understated in the early round of the European cup early 80s
1) Rangers never took the Stretford End 2) where is the “Stretford Lane end” 3) “Even Man Utd wouldn’t turn up at Millwall. Some showed in small numbers, it was a unheard Monday night league game back in 74. Millwall did nothing at Old Trafford on a August Saturday 3pm. 4) West Ham didn’t play Man Utd in 1974, it was 75 and the following Feb 76 West Ham came in the Scoreboard Paddock and were booted top to bottom where the police had to drag them out for their own safety…
I think the narrative around this game has become distorted. Rangers brought a large support that day and ran amok throughout the city. As they did routinely in the 70s. There were several pitch invasions and fighting on the terraces. Whether or not Rangers 'took' any part of the stadium is a bit of a moot point now. But I haven't heard an account that hasn't acknowledged Rangers fans got the upper hand all day. Numbers pretty much always ensured Rangers got one over on rival fans in the 70s. The club's fans virtually invented travelling away in numbers. Millwall's reputation is deserved, but even they wouldn't have stood a chance if Rangers had arrived in the 70s. It's the same today. No one travels in numbers like Rangers.
I was at Highbury early in the 1973/73 season to watch United. Of course there was a massive turn-out of United fans at the clock end and quite a number of Cockney Reds were in the North Bank. I also remember a United supporter on the pitch behind the goal who was wearing the gear of the main character (Malcolm McDowell) in the film, Clockwork Orange - Bowler Hat - White Trousers and shirt, plus he was carrying a long club which he swung around. The Police nabbed him, but I don't know whether they escorted him out or just threw him into the Clock End. Before kick off there was a lot of banter between the fans, but it was when United fans started singer that Gay Glitter song with the lyrics - "Come on -Come on, baiting the Arsenal fans to 'have a go'. At first there was no reaction from the Arsenal fans, but when they returned the 'invite', United fans rushed onto the pitch heading towards the North Bank and Arsenal fans rushed on to the pitch to square up to the United. The Police, with one or two on horse back, plus a few dogs came onto the pitch to keep the fans apart. When I arrived home from the game, which United lost 3-0, Mum had heard about it on the news and tried to get Dad to ban from future games, like she did after United's 6-1 victory at West Ham in 1967 when I was an 11 year old. However, in '73 at Arsenal when I was 17 there was no chance of that.
I was at Arsenal in 79 when we had all the clock end and half the Northbank.Spurs really took the piss that night with hundred of gooners running on the pitch to save their lives.Always easy for us Highbury..I’m 62 and i still remember that night.COYS.
Iwas there too, i dont remember hundreds of any fans on the pitch, yes you did take the piss, how about being so honest when we COMPLETLY took your ground over in 71, theres nothing you can say we took the piss and some, but i bet you wont mention that , you never do selective memory, their must have been 40 thousand easy inside you ground, at the final whistle the whole pitch was filled with gooners, and their was 50 thousand locked out, if you say it was 50/50 and thats being generous, we had 65/ 70 thousand gooners at your place, But funny how you go quiet when this gets mentioned, like it never happened but it Did, and you know it😊 coyg
Remember you were all over the Den to batter Ipswich 78.....but went missing against us Spurs the same season despite giving it the bollox on Panorama what you were going to do to us....The only Wall who I saw all day was about 50 outside Ilderton after the game who got run 1 mile to NewX , even then you needed OB to rescue you at NewX otherwise we wld have kept runnings you. We walked to Elephant from NewX no sign of Wall?
I love the way there pod's get stuff so wrong..West Ham at Boro was about 81/82..awesome firm..it wasn't long after this that the Frontline became organised.. Chelsea took the Holgate in 77 at about 1-30 ish..got buttered at the train station after the game..
It is true that the South Bank Molineux was the Wolves end, when Chelsea left early and went in to the kids enclosure of the North Bank, when the North Bank was no longer the Wolves end, where their firm was, however, Chelsea didn't even take the North Bank, they came in the corner at the end of the match, some kids went on the pitch, but Chelsea didn't make headway in the North Bank, eventhough that was no longer the Wolves main firm end. They soon left and the South Bank went round and caught the Chelsea fans by Saint Peters Church and Wolves battered Chelsea. I would rate Millwall and Middlesbrough top and always found that Spurs were better than West Ham and Chelsea.
Thanks for the endorsement for Spurs we were better than WHU outside London but you will find most Spurs would acknowledge WHU we're better than us in London. For me Chelsea and Millwall weren't worth a wank. Arsenal were better an underrated firm but Highbury had no fear factor. Spurs had some decent boys in Midlands especially around Wolverhampton. The uniqueness of WHU was at UP didn't matter how many you came with they would attack and no part of UP was safe.
The season when Chelsea were not even supposed to be there because of an away fan ban? Loads of Chelsea managed to get tickets and were right in the middle of the South Bank as well as other parts of the ground.. Any Wolves fan who was there will know of the fighting that was going on. Fans of both clubs invaded the pitch at the end in a celebratory mood as Wolves were champs and Chelsea promoted. It didn't last long before it kicked off again. There were other Chelsea in the North Bank but the bulk of them were on the South Bank.
I attended many away games in the seventies and I remember what an experience it was then, not like today's relative calm. I was never part of a firm, and often travelled alone, but only twice did I ever encounter problems. As a neutral I was attacked by Liverpool fans outside Molineux, just because I had a local accent. And at Burnden park, Bolton, which was never a good pkace for away fans. Of the London clubs mentioned Millwall and Spurs had to be the worst in my opinion.
@philwoolin6470 Are you talking 3rd. round FA Cup? That was mayhem, although I got back to the car unscathed. My first time at that shit hole was 1967, couple of weeks later in the 6th round FA Cup. We took the newly opened Kop in the 1969 Charity Shield but all through the 60's 70's 80's Elland Road was an 'orrible place to go.
Yep? And you lot took a right good slap everytime you came to Maine Rd - Even the other Leeds fan said it, 3 times at Maine road and 3 slappings….at least tell on the full story mate. City had a more than decent firm during the Cool Cat, Mayne Line, Governors and Young Governors era - Not since then though, full of goons who dress like students with snide adidas that no one else will wear from Wyndsors and give themselves stupid names like blazing squad
I was there as a ten year old City fan with my dad and uncle, I still remember that the Leeds "firm" were battering old men, women and children, my old man had to throw me over a fence while he dealt with a couple of the fucking Yorkshire bastards.
Remember at leeds as a chap we were beaten 5 -1,but the leeds fans still weren't happy and smashed nearly every window in the coach on the way out of the coach park ...fun times 😮
50 of us blackpool fans together for a cup match ,at old main road in kippax we took 6,000 but when us lads ,went out around the so called wild streets outside ,us 50 had a good luck for any city that wanted some ,even a posse of young governors thought about it ,from a few hundred yards away but nothing we went back to ,blackpool unscathed lol.
@mickharrison9004...Blackpool?..😂...they couldn't even defend their own ground never mind Maine Road!!!. Been 3 times to bloomfield road and Blackpool fans ran every time!... 😂
@@englanduk6131 was that 3 times in the 80 s ,cos if it was your a lying twt our mob from main estate ,never ran and around 100 of us were always in town ,from around 10 am looking for away fans I wonder what era your on about ,and I'll say it again after that night cup match main road in 80 s ,after match around 50 of us were looking for a row ,singing fkn around but no city wanted to know you haven't got a fkn clue .
@@mickharrison9004 you writing "fkn" makes you appear hard?... Blackpool was full of City every time we went there and your mob never and I mean never turned up... Are you sure you don't mean 10 pm.... after we'd all gone home? 😏
@@englanduk6131 don't spose you took into account either that your third biggest city ,in the country and we're a small town man for man your fk all to us .
@@Depak1959 there used to be large scale disorder on streets for those games and it barely made the local news. The police would declare it passed over peacefully with 'only' 50 arrests!
I remember the mid 1970s when I watched Liverpool away at Manchester City when we got ambushed by City mob outside the ground after the match .I was 18 at the time,and I was lucky to get out alive.
@@gavinellis4359 I remember going there with Forest about 1976. On the way back to the station there was a group of about 50 forest and there may have been a bus station near by and around 200 Cardiff came out and blocked our way I remember thinking oh shit then someone shouted England and we charged strait through them into the train station I think our group were lucky to get away that day.
As a Millwall fan,I got caught up with the Home fans which included Skinhead Girls, as I recall, on the way back to the station and the two of us ran with them until we parted at the station. The 'ardiff Boys must of thought we were lunatics as we were the only two of the chasing mob to go right to the station where we explained that we were Millwall and got let onto the train. lol
@DavidUKesb Don't remember him showing up at Goodison, but Forrest did the season they came up and beat us 6:2 first game from memory... went off after that game
Nice that you mentioned MR Scaratt. Taken to soon !, Guilty of being a young mam of the time. Who enjoyed football,or the hooligan side of things to be fair. Either way such a shame.Im going to leave it there . R.I.P PAUL SCARATT. gone but never forgotten ...
The reason there were few United supporters at Millwall early in the 74/75 season was because the United fans on the Manchester Special to London recked the train at Crewe. From where I was standing in the Cold Lane End, I saw a few United fans enter in the top corner at the opposite end and were immediately set upon. Other than that I didn't see any trouble. Apparently, the Police heaved a sigh of relief that the trouble at Crewe prevented what could have resulted in considerable violence in and outside the Den.
That's when all the slashing started a series of cup replays between you two then getting stanleyed was common place I know from an experience in 85 Leeds service crew got me inbfd
@alansmith795 Yes proper moodie times couldn't tell you why Boro and us battled so much suppose because we had similar sized firms and respected each other massively. We haven't had much with Leeds a very scary ground to go to but it never really went off between us.
I was a Boro fan then never missed. It was a terrible time. Before that, in the 60s, Boro was known as a very sporting crowd. I saw them clapping Stan Mathew's when he was 49 on his last visit. He was cheered by Boro fans. They would also applaud an away team who put a good move together and score. The hooligans brought in the fencing that caused tragedy
@mickhills6288 Like Everton up to the early 70s I remember away teams goals getting applause but there wasn't many away fans that came to Goodison in them days. Ipswich came under Bobby Robson with the team that won in Europe and beat us 5-1 nobody booed the Everton players they stayed and applauded the Ipswich team off the pitch.
Rangers never came in the Stretford End in 74. They were kept in the Scoreboard End at the finish to let everyone else get away! I was there - they were nutters.
Wolves didn't start mobbing up in the South Bank until 1975 and only went in there from the start of the game from 1976-77 season. NOT 1972. Man Utd was always a battle but at Molineux they never had it easy.
@OldWolflad You are right. Leeds, last match of 74/75 season. Ran them all over the South Bank. I'm going to have to do better checks on my content team.
@@oldschoolfootball Yes I remember that last game of 1974-1975 season, Doog's last game, and Leeds were preparing to play a European Final where they felt robbed. But that was only towards the end of the game when the North Bank mob came round with 15 minutes to go. The key thing here, is that a Wolves mob only started going in the South Bank next to away fans from the 'start of the matches' was 1976-77 and then for two seasons there was no fence and hence chaos. The date of 1976 is key because otherwise Leeds in 1971-1972 and Liverpool in 1975-76 will claim to have taken the South Bank, when in fact Wolves end on both occasions was still the North Bank at those points. Of course I readily admit, with 30,000 away fans in both games, a mob from the North Bank did not go round as was customary and try to battle the away fans. They would have got annihilated by sheer numbers.
@OldWolflad Good stuff mate. I agree apart from Wolves did go into the South Bank 75/76 but wasn't their main mob as you rightly state. The North Bank was still home end. West Ham claim to have taken the South Bank, not sure of the date, it maybe as you say, the 75 season when Wolves first started going in the South Bank. In his book Bill Gardner also claim they took the North Bank early seventies. I can't find any evidence of either. Any views on this?
@@oldschoolfootball Can't remember them taking the North Bank but I was young. The South Bank was a huge old terrace holding over 30,000 fans. Back in the top flight 1977-78 I went to the West Ham game in the South Bank you ask about and no way did they take it. However, someone I know says that West Ham ran Wolves at about 2.30pm on the South Bank, so that may be it. But a South Bank at 2.30pm and a South bank at 3pm were two entirely different beasts. As far as I am aware, no one tool the South bank by running Wolves out of it, when Wolves used it as a home end, that being from 1976-77 onwards. Generally non-hardcore fans and away fans mixed in there without trouble as the North Bank holding 7-8,000 was Wolves home end. To confirm, only from 1974-75 some Wolves fans started going from the North bank into the South bank towards the end of a game to confront away mobs, and this continued this continued into 1975-76 except when it was rammed with 30,000 scousers (:-. Critically, only from the start of 1976-77 (Div 2), did a sizeable Wolves mob 'start' games in the South Bank to confront away mobs, perhaps 2,000 - 3,000 lads, and then this rapidly increased from then on, and for two seasons there was no fence, well until just before the end of the season 1977-78 for games v Man Utd and Villa. Wolves still felt they were going in the away end, but away mobs may think they were going into Wolves 'main' home end, during that time. In 1976-77 (Div 2) the games v Forest, Leeds (again) in the FA Cup QF in front of 50,000, and Chelsea stand out.
Away fans coming to Liverpool were put into the Anfield Road End (the Anny Road) where a nasty mob were usually waiting for them. But by the late 70s, the coppers had it boxed off, thanks to one copper in particular, whose nick-name was 'black beard.' For those who never came across him, you were lucky. This fella was about 6 foot 5, about 6 foot 5 wide, and had a black beard, hence his nick name. Whenever there was a kick-off, black beard would pile in, often on his own. I've seen him pick two scrapping lads up by the scruff of their necks and he hurled them down the terracing towards a few waiting coppers who then frog-marched them out of the ground. Quite often, Anny Road lads would taunt away fans by singing, 'Black beard's gonna get yer, Black beard's gonna get yer .....' They would laugh, jeer, and mock, only to run like fuck when this man-mountain suddenly appeared waving his headache stick around. As many have already commented, the 1970s and 80s were a very dodgy time to follow your team to away games. You had to be prepared to fight. You didn't have to go looking for it, it came to you, even at places where you wouldn't expect trouble. Any away fans remember 'Black beard' in the Anny Road End?
Didn't make Anfield (with MUFC) until the 80's, so never 'met' Blackbeard! But he sounds remarkably like a copper that used to patrol outside Yates's in Nottingham in the early 80's when I was a student there. Same dimensions, with a wooden police stick, bigger than a truncheon, more like a staff. Must have been a recruitment policy back in the day!
Yep I remember him, the standoff seconds before 2 mobs get into it I saw BB steam into the middle cracking the heads of ppl stupid enough to get close. He did have a mate tho, cop with a biggish broken nose. Do you remember him?
No Pompey? Also Highfield Road loads of ambush sites on way, Jimmy Hill made it the first all seated stadium 1981, fans ripped seats out and used them as projectiles 😂
Went to all of these grounds late 70's early 80's , worst away was Newcastle in the after game holding pens , bit naughty at Chelsea but the rest all ok , As a Luton fan the rougher days came after the Luton away fan ban. In the mid 80's all away games were dodgy for Luton fans probably more hated than Millwall then & not for our reputation.
Too right Tom,I lived in North London during the fan-ban era & I'd say we might've been more hated than any club in the history of football.What made it worse was a lot of us younger Town fans were against the whole idea of it,partly coz we knew it was an outrageous injustice,partly coz KR had all the atmosphere of a graveyard while it lasted.I wonder if you remember how many of us were willing to sign-in opposing supporters as guests,I did it several times,David Evans was a vile chairman eh COYH from Poole
Laughable not including the City Ground…….Forest were Absolutely way ahead of 3 quarters of these grounds..Wolves (in their words) received their worst away day battering at the City Ground…Cardiff,small fry back in the 70s never showed,likewise Stoke…Plymouth Argyle,1st match of the season 1975,brought one of best mobs I’ve seen at the City Ground,easily 6/7 thousand,big geezers too,all out the ground before half time…. I could name so many more,but 100% the 2 most lawless grounds in the Midlands were Birmingham City,and Forest.. I’ve no idea where you get your info from,but you obviously were not there back in the day…And no mention of Pompey..Laughable.
@@rebelcityred1624 I remember hearing about that game though I was not there It was said about 300 Plymouth fans many with green paint on there faces ran through Nottingham city centre before the game. So in the ground Forest ran across the pitch and chased them out of the ground. Plymouth fans had to climb down over the back of the old Cop stand Colwick road end to escape out of the ground.
@@rebelcityred1624 I think the league Cup final 1979/80 could also have been a bad day for Wolves. Forest's Mad Squad all wearing their green bomber jackets ran them all over out side wembley near the tube station before the game.
I went to the city ground in the 70's with Cardiff, and we won 1-0. There was only about 200 of us at the most, ( which was unusual, as we normally had a great following away). After we scored, Forest attacked us from all sides, and we nearly ended up on the pitch.😂😂😂
@@richardbrown8099 Yes I was at that game you got completely encircled and Forest fans attacked . I hope you were OK it looked very nasty. It was around 1975 then there was no segregation in the old East Stand they did the same thing to about 80 West Brom fans the game before Cardiff .So I think the police used a rope for a while until they could put up fences to make an away fans section .
Alright mate. Was impressed with your knowledge about Rangers taking the Stretford End. Know someone who was there, never stops about it. And as a Hearts fan we took a couple of blocks in their govan Stand. Not their main Copeland but was a result considering the numbers.. Also although not inside the Den, I know the CCS (Hibs) tanked Millwall 93 or 94. Anyhow I enjoyed.
I am in my 8th decade. The Hibees was a friendly and no Millwall expected Hibs to show. Wasn't even a consideration so no Millwall early on though one understands that there were some late arrivals when word spread through South East London. Millwalllllllllll:)
They didn’t take the Stretford End. One clown on a Rangers forum claimed they had a pipe and flute band on there, why on earth do people believe this rubbish
We're you there? I wasn't but my mates dad was. He's no liar. Multiple others have reported the same. The guy that did the video was correct. How could he possibly have heard of it with all his research. Look I hate the old firm. But back in the day every English club wanted them for pre season games or testimonials because of their support. Many people from different clubs will tell you stories about their hoard of fans wrecking their towns and so on.@@mancunited3845
When Aldershot went bust,their last ever game was at Ninian Park. The Cardiff firms and fans were superb-had a bucket collection for the Aldershot players were great to the Aldershot fans. Hard-yes-you dont mess with them,but with hearts and a genuine support for what Footballs all about ;110%.
I was there for that game matey, and we, each and every one of us Cardiff City fans were gutted for you.
Was there for that.
Was there for that too
We won 2-0 I think (but cos Aldershot went bust our result was void come the end of season along with everyother Aldershot mstch)
Surreal match, us clapping the Aldershot players
@@littlephilly7537 You're right it was 2-0 to Bluebirds(a double as you did us 2-1 at the Rec) and all our results were expunged. The Cardiff chairman at the time paid for the Shots to come and play the fixture which actually was a great gesture as he tried to buy us time but it wasn't to be. A real killer when your club goes-reforming and all that just isn't the same. Everyone knew about the Cardiff firms-no one messed with them and TBH any hassle at Aldershot was always Portsmouth fans,nothing to do with Shots-but we'd get it in the neck!! but outside of holding their own there was this game v Shots,March 1992 and as I say Cardiff firms/fans were superb boosting respect to way over 100% on every front.
I was at both home and away aldershot games that season the away was a Friday night and Paul Millar scored a 25 yard screamer. Sadly for us both results were chalked off even sadder for Aldershot fans that year. Oh and Chelsea didn't take the home end in 85 , every other part of the ground I grant you but not the bobbank.
My first away game with Liverpool was to Leeds in 1978, I was 15. The walk to the ground was a battlefield and were it not for the hundreds of police officers on duty there would have been carnage. But it was a great experience and one I’ll never forget. That’s how it used to be when you went away, you genuinely feared for your safety but you still went because the buzz was like nothing else. Going away now is a much more civilised experience, thankfully 😊
Numbers mattered back in the day, and Sunderland travelled in crazy numbers!...I remember 21000 travelling to Villa for a league game in 76...mental!
Was at that game. Me and a couple of other Evertonian mates decided to go as it was gem of an end-of-season fixture after our season was over. Totally impressed with the Sunderland turn out. Didn't see any trouble though.
UA-cam.
Cardiff 1 v Sunderland 1 1980 . 24,000 Sunderland away . ¾ of ground .
Sunderland used to take huge followings to Hull - I’m talking 15,000 plus. Even May Utd didn’t come close!
@@birtlee2078Sorry, have to disagree, Sunderland had great away support but not in the same league as Man Utd. in terms of facing clubs like Hull, we faced them in the old second division in 1974 (as did you), and during that period we took more away than anyone including Sunderland, thats a fact. Out of all the teams in that division in 1974, (including Sunderland), every club had their best home league attendance against United apart from 6 clubs. Out of those 6 clubs, 4 had their second best attendance against United. As for the Hull City game, Hull's highest attendance of that season was against United - 23.287 were there including an estimated 15,000 from United. In contrast, when Sunderland played Hull that year (26/10/74) the total attendance was 15,010 - no where near capacity! United took 20,000+ to Sheffield Wednesday and took over their Kop end and 25,000 plus to Bolton. The largest ever away following at York City's old Bootham Crescent ground was Man Utd's visit in December 1974, with their home end (Shipton Street End) full of United supporters, something never accomplished by Sunderland who took some decent followings to York, I was there for all your visits during the 80's, and had to smile at some claims made that Sunderland took 15,000 to York which were wildly exaggerated, the ground never even held 15,000 in the late1980's. You took around 5-6k on 26th March 1988 for the league game yet the League Cup game at York v Sunderland that same season (30/08/88) only attracted 4,204 into Bootham Crescent, very few Sunderland fans even made the trip.
I remember that day, you needed a win to gain promotion, hence the large travelling support, villa had already got promoted by then so a 57k crowd turned up, with over 20k locked outside
I went to see my club at most of these grounds back then.
You had to have your wits about you, and there was always the hint of trouble in the atmoshere, sometimes fights did break out here and there but I always returned home unscathed. I think your figures for percentage chance of avoiding such stuff are a tad overstated.
agree entirely - but never let the facts get in the way of a good "story" lol.
@@RockinRedRover - Hello mate. I've often felt an overarching interest (a lifelong obsession) in music scenes might have spared me the ignominy of this pastime but in truth I've never had that herd mentality and despised first generation 'casuals' - purely on the basis they were pushed by the media as a contemporary '80s cultural staple, which was an anathema to me. Ditto 'Only Fools and Horses' - notwithstanding the odd witticism, a social commentary as repressed as any Carry On film romantic sub-plot. Sue me.
Toward the end of the '80s I reluctantly descended into the 'real world' of full time employment and warmed to some of these lads as I worked and socialised with them. Even attended a few football matches with one work mate and his brothers - who by this time had attained an equilibrium of reason regarding rock-a-hula-ganism activity and accumulation of court fines. We were probably quite a motley looking bunch, which might have saved us being drawn into ambush challenges. I do recall one character stepping out from nowhere to ask us the time but we were that deep in the maze of home town alleyways it was a bit of a daft question.
Which reminds me of the time I attended a game as a neutral and joined the Geordies in the away stand purely for purposes of a quick getaway. Like reversing into a parking space. Well, that and the fact the stewards and police turned me away from the adjoining Bristol City stand and gestured me to join the throng of fellow late arrivals. There's no way I could remotely do justice to either accent but I suppose I had my acclaimed Worzel Gummidge impression up my sleeve in case of one contingency.
Newcastle were holding a 2-1 lead into injury time. A couple of Geordie lads noticed me glance at my watch and asked me how much time left. This was my cue. A-hem.
"A CUP O' TEA AN' A SLICE O' CAKE, ME DEARS."
Only joking. I made out as though to squint at my watch in the dusk and the ref blew the full time whistle. Many thanks to that fine fellow in the black. Johnny Cash.
Which further reminds me of the time I visited a sister straight after work and stood resplendent in workwear (including a pair of Sunderland shorts) while awaiting the late train home. As the train approached the platform it was noticeably full and as it pulled up it was noticeably full of Newcastle supporters. Devon leg of their pre-season tour. Rowlocks to it, I wasn't going to hang around for the next train. I embarked - and marched straight up through the carriage. To the evident consternation of some fellow travellers.
WTF was I thinking, you might ask. Ain't got a F-ing clue, I might admit.
I could go on but I already have. The potential for trouble could be lurking at any time, at any place, so you may as well have your humour about you if not your wits.
@@herbert9241 hi, not a clue why you feel the need to regale me in quite such a thorough manner, altho I found it both interesting and enjoyable, so thanks anyway. Fwiw we seem to have a little in common, insofar as I'm also obsessed with music scenes, and do what I like without following the herd. Plus I've invariably travelled alone to football matches, sometimes as a neutral but usually not, and often to away clubs with larger and far more violent supports than my own. Like you I developed a second sense for spotting and so hopefully avoiding trouble at several clubs, including Bristol City who I despise on many levels. I agree there was always a chance for trouble, I saw a fair share of it, and sadly it was often SO out of place and pointless given the actual match circumstances, but as they say in my homeland, every village has an idiot... But, I believe my original point is still correct, while I was replying to the poster GeorgeRobey saying that he was correct, and the OP's headline about the "fear of dying" was complete nonsense.
@@RockinRedRover - Those rascals over the bridge - I think I get your drift.
Succinctness is a virtue which has always eluded me but I'm getting there paragraph-by-paragraph. By-paragraph-by-paragraph-by-paragraph-by-paragraph-by-paragraph.
I understand my sub-Dickensian prosaic meandering is sometimes the harbinger of annoyance, and that's grist to the very much mill, but we've reciprocated greetings under music uploads before so I rather leaned on our old school cravate connection in assuming my humour's not lost on you as it might be on some of these unfortunate street urchins.
Agreed with both of you on the questionable science behind the fear-of-death-o-meter.
Death is one of my old nicknames in certain quarters (where I don't particularly care to revisit), for starters, and I wouldn't hurt a fly.
Well, strictly speaking, I am given to dispatching flies in hand-to-hand combat - but in the broad scheme of things I subscribe to the creed 'don't walk on my food with excrement on your feet and we'll get along fine.' Which pretty much covers everyone with the exception of flies. And Bristolians. Hoho! Just a throwaway gag owing to context. I've known many stout fellows and amicable ladies from that strange city.
@@herbert9241 apologies ! - I'm very old and have forgotten we've met in the past, but yes I do admire and enjoy your enthusiastic wit and fine prose - are you a journo by chance, and if not why not ?. But saying that, yoiu'd be wasted if sources of info like the BBC News webpages are anything to go by. As for Bristolians in general, like you I don't have a beef with most of them, I have old friends and close family living there (none actually from there mynde) and I have no problems with MOST of those who are born Bristles, espcially those associated with the county cricket club. Or even the Rovers, shame Eastville's gone... (btw my username reflects my Rover car, NOT the Gas). Its just the antics and opinions of some of the City "fans" I despise, especially back in the 80s n 90s when they were enjoying times in the lower leagues when they thought they were big fishes in smaller ponds. Atb RRR.
Millwall, Upton Park , Forest , Stamford Bridge , Old Trafford , Boro , Sunderland , Burnley , Stoke etc etc most grounds were scary in the 70’s if you were young. I’d have to add Spurs , Brum etc to that too
Sunderland fan...went to all them grounds in the 70's...except Upton Park. I'd heard too much about the 'chicken run' and just bottled it! That was in 78 and was the only away game I didn't get to that season!
Plymouth away night game. Trust me it will go no matter who you are i went there back in the 8os about 87/88 with Arsenals boys. and it went off as soon as we got there in the carpark and that small wood that we walked through to the away end. cup game 6-1.
been to all the grounds mentioned and I'm happy to report I'm alive and well, back in the day you could get a kicking at most grounds if you was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
My experience exactly, I too visited a lot of these stadiums in the seventies and only got in bother once, well twice if you count a cop at Everton which was the away end, we were early, and he put us on the Kop! We were at the front and luckily a better cop spotted us and got us out of there just in time.
England was a hard, gritty place back in the 70’s. Nothing like it is today.
Times never change
Hard and gritty but fair. Not like the woke snowflakes that exist today.
@@charlesgarrett3283 absolutely. When you watch old programmes like the Sweeney that really gives you a perspective on what is what like back then, right down to how people spoke which kind of reflected their surroundings. Obviously there was some lovely quaint, gentle places around too, but most of the cities and lot of the towns were proper hard places. Different kind of rules back then also, if you didn’t screw with people you’d generally be all right.
Marshmallows
During 1970s it’s normal dads beat up their kids cause hooliganism in football.
I'd say every ground in 70s was tough as a young lad it was scary
Yes true, they would’ve chases & beat you up just walked past.
Yes, scary and very exciting, made you feel alive... Always when I got caught I rolled straight into a ball, cant fight them all, best defence really... But to tell you the truth, I see all football fans as my brothers, nothing but love for them now... Thanks for the great days boys🙂
Not a Villa fan, but I used to go to Villa Park with a villa supporting mate of mine, to see the occasional match back in the early 1980's. I distinctly remember at one match hearing a chant of "If you're all going to West Ham clap your hands" & about half the Holte End joining in. We actually went to the West Ham away match for a day out in London (although we kept a low profile on the approach to the ground). There was hardly anybody in the away end. I reckon a few hundred at the most. Just stuck in my memory because of the thousands who sang that they were going there & were nowhere to be seen.
I was surprised Southampton never got a mention. Unfortunately my Mum and Dad decided to move there from South London when I was 12 (1976). Saw far trouble more there, than I ever did in Lambeth. We lived 5min from there old ground, 'The Dell'. Seemed to have a major tear-up with every home again.
@@pablow5985 where in south London mate
Was living in Kennington and my school was Fenstanton in Brixton.
@@pablow5985 cool fenstanton was my area I was bottom of Tulse Hill by the tavern went to rosendale and dunraven
Small world sometimes mate. I spent many happy days as a kid in Brockwell Park.
@@pablow5985 ye went there also but mostly Dulwich and Belair park I was ten in 76 so we probably crossed paths as kids.
Every football club throughout the UK , from the non league clubs to the very top , it’s all about ,your passion and loyalty to your town or city , county .and your mates
Been pretty much all the grounds in London as a Chelsea fan in the 70's as a young kid, Millwall 77 at the Old Den was probably the worst out of the lot, and to be honest not a lot of Chelsea use to show at West ham in the 70's I think it was coz West ham's Mile End Mob seemed so much older, they were like grizzly's!!Tottenham had a good mob in the 70's and I was there in the infamous game when they put us down when there was fighting on the pitch, West ham always showed at Chelsea and were always in the Shed, Millwall had a go but were run out and I must admit Forest use to bring a good firm down in the 70's
A rare thing. A sensible and honest comment in a UA-cam comment section. Nice one.
Forest,possibly the only non London firm to hammer Chelsea on their own turf…1975, Forest old skool ran em ragged….
@@rebelcityred1624keep pretending
Mile End Mob, that's a blast from the past,
@@rebelcityred1624 is that the same forest who Toor swimming lessons after we took the ground over you mug
Bradford City had the notorious Ointment Crew.
The huge crumbling kop was segregated down the middle (not sure who’s bright idea that was) and lumps of concrete would be flying across no man’s land throughout the match.
The short walk along ‘third world’ Manningham Lane into the city centre wasn’t much fun either, and there were countless rucks in the centre centre itself, particularly around Ivegate with its rough pubs, The Unicorn and The Old Crown.
yea naughty
Seen many football battles from 1970 onwards, but the first one I ever saw was the bloodiest by far. Bradford City (league division 4) at home to Spurs (league division 1) at Valley Parade FA cup 3rd round, attendance 24,000 crushed into a then small stadium. The policing back then was amateurish so it was basically a free for all. The Spurs fans ran the full distance of the pitch around 10 minutes before kickoff to attack the Bradford End. I was only 16 and stood at the Midland Road End watching, once the Spurs fans reached the Bradford End, I thought the City fans were backing off as they pulled back in a huddle allowing the Spurs fans onto the Bradford End terrace, but it was a tactic.
The next thing I heard was someone in the City crowd shout charge.....The city fans attacked the Spurs fans like a herd of elephants, fists flying and the Spurs fans annihilated many of them rolling over the advertising barriers onto the side of the pitch covered in blood.
In those days there was none of this pathetic jumping up and down waving their arms, people fought with their fists on both sides, hence the blooded faces.
I think that very possibly the Spurs fans were a little too over confident, just a small 4th division club would be easy meat but they got a shock. To be fair, bearing in mind this was over 54 years ago, the Spurs fans fought with their fists as well but were well beaten. In all the years since despite the matches I've seen mainly watching Leeds home and away, I've never seen anything come near that scrap.
Edit:
For the record I'm 70 now and couldn't even run away fast enough to avoid a fight nowadays 😉
@@brythonicman3267 I remember Spurs at Elland Road in the Cup in 72. It was carnage from the ground back into town afterwards. The brickworks still being on Elland Road didn't help either (now gone to accommodate the inner ring Road!). I don't think I've ever seen anything like that before or since, even when Man U have been.
@@carlmyers5278 There was a big scrap in the Geldered End I think in '71, when the Chelsea fans tried to take on the Leeds fans, but were well beaten. The policing back then was 3rd rate and no crowd control stewards.
I was at Millwall 78. 15 year old Ipswich fan that was scary.derby back alleys scary aswell
Would agree with your assessments as a Leeds fan. Been to most of the grounds mentioned including Maine Road three times and ended up getting "slapped around" three times. That's one hat-trick I could have done without.
Same hear, those alleyways on one side of the ground at Maine Road were a common battle ground, we Leeds had around 100 of us wedged in one with hundreds of man City it was quite comical trying to fight.
I was a One Man "Army"on the pitch at Highbury for a midweek game against my Millwall in The 1980's.
I came adorned in my City suit after work and the Millwall (Clock) End was packed solid to I came n the North Bank, climbed onto the pitch and walked towards the Away End waving and gesturing, occasionally,to imaginary "colleagues" over to the stand to the righy of The North Bank as if I as an Official.
When I reached the Away End,I displayed my Millwall scarf and got let in:)
70’s away games anywhere could be challenging, wrong place, wrong time and you could get a kicking, fans had backbone in those days!
I followed Millwall in the seventies with F troop and Treatment. The hardest grounds we visited was Stoke, Birmingham and Cardiff. When we played Leeds they would be noisy and do a lot of posturing but where never to keen to get close up with you
And Pompey were always good a bit of a ruck.
Millwall didn't do to well at Everton in 1973 ,the divs came into the Gwladys Street end, 11 of them got cut to ribbons, Millwall still call it their "darkest day " the street end was an evil place, as Millwall found out
milk did you go forest last game of the season 1976 /77 it was a night game your last away game you had about 300 in the old east stand forest were on the pitch celebrating our imminent promotion
Millwall didn't play Leeds in the 70s.
I agree, the WHU ICF were the best, but what a stupid era of us all beating each other or running each others ends. Nowadays it is the corporate packages and prison sentences whilst the opposition to this takes hold.
@@ProfessorM-he9rl Yes your right at all seems so silly and pointless now yet we have given up our country with out a fight.
@@KevCassidy-es2qpagreed keV but we're all in our mid to late 60s tho
Icf have nevervtaken millwall but have trued many times often in cowardly ambushes of innocents ...I know was there
It's a fun video because it brings back happy memories of the 70s. Following United was usually ok because of the massive numbers but there were scraps at every ground i visited. However, watching games with my WBA supporting mate was terrifying. Wolves and Bristol City spring to mind.
No mention of Stoke City's Boothen End, 3rd. match of the 67/68 season my second time there, bleedin' carnage. Didn't get much better in the 70's either, although only went a couple of times as in different divisions.
Stoke always been a top firm, but only with N40 did they really get organised. Man Utd had half of the Boothen one season through sheer numbers. Wolves were in there one season, around 1000 of them. It was carnage and I remember reading that 7 Stoke fans were stabbed. Think a few London teams also been in there.
Always been a really feisty game the old Staffs derby and going past the graveyard afterwards was always where it kicked off afterwards.
I was in the Boothen End supporting Stoke when the Wolves fans came in. Yes I think about 4 fans were stabbed. I was only 14 years old at the time and remember it well. I never saw anything like it 😮
The worst places to visit for me were ,Boro ,Leeds , Leicester and stoke .
Biggest bust up I saw was at Bolton but TBF anywhere could be dodgy .
As a Brighton fan that was a long walk home down the Severn sisters road, West Ham, Birmingham and Everton away were not a lot of fun. Chelsea, Arsenal and Utd away were harmless. Brighton on a Friday night was good when the London clubs came down.
Would of put ... Pompey & stoke city in the mix on that list ...
And Plymouth?
Went to the Victoria ground in the 70’s on a special Train from
Burnley. Hundreds of us Scrapping all the way to the ground, on the ground and all the way back to the Train Station. Arguably the roughest ground we went to.
You got my ben hur dvd?
@robsilvester3068 sorry Rob I left it in the sauna at the gym ..🤣
He did say stoke
There's no way you would have been attacked by Zulu's at Birmingham in the 70's as they didn't form til around 1982!. In the 70's it was the barmy Tilton army named after the Tilton road that runs behind the old away end.
as a retired spurs fan agree with all those except old trafford. Would also give an honourable mention to the old bill at QPR who were more violent than most football firms i encountered
The nearest thing to the old days was when the magnificent 7 Liverpool fans went up to the utd stand in old Trafford and unfold that banner
Leicester's Filbert Street was also a nasty, intimidating ground to visit. Absolutely vile fans. Derby's Baseball Ground was also pretty rough. Old Den and definitely Ninian Park was the worse.
Agree....lots of tight little roads
I was driving my minibus Leicester v Sunderland in about 1980 , we all got arrested 2 times that day .
1st was after game , filling up in a garage , load of Leicester came into garage , all my mates jumped out (12) we done em , but more came . So my brother got the Cricket bag open , full kit of bats & 6 full size stumps , then a van load of cops nicked us .
About 8pm cop shop started letting us out 3 at a time , we went in a pub only 50 yards from cop shop , Leicester were in there offering us out , so we said yeah 1 on 1 , my brother knocked first 3 out , in 30 seconds each . . They (8) buggered off . We went to Thurmaston for a pint , near closing time , busses started bringing youths from Town , they came in Pub and it kicked right off , at chippy next to pub . Police came again and knicked is again .
Sergeant couldn't believe it cos we all had 1st charge sheets on us .
He never charged us , cos 2 of our mates were in hospital, he said right go pick them up and go home , this was now 1 am . Got to hospital, and some Locals were trying to fight our mates , cos they were from Thermaston .... Brilliant day out . 😂😂😂
The firms talked about are out on the dates. The Leeds service crew were 80s in my understanding. The Zulu's were 80s too i think. Giving names to your mob was a later thing.
The only team that always brought it to Cardiff in the 70,s 80,s were Chelsea,but they never took the Bob Bank in 84 but they certainly tried that day,anybody who was there will remember the hot dog van rocking that day
Chelsea ran riot.
@@TheBostonR I won't argue with you fella it was a day that sticks in my mind to this day
I was in the bob bank in 1980 when Sunderland fans were in there, they were promoted and brought thousands
@@rjart4 I was there that day,,they brought the most away support I ever saw at Ninian Park,,they came on the Bob Bank but they got a good hiding
The Hot dog stand day was 81 Hickeys mob had a go at the bobbank but took a bit of a hiding hot dog stand went over and they went over the wall
I used to keep a very low profile while watching football in the 70s/80s. It could be very scary. Only time I got a kicking was at Forest and Wolves. Both times unprovoked.
As a very young lad i remember all hell breaking out when Millwall stormed the London Road End at Oxford United about 1973-1975 time Police sent the dogs in and called for reinforcements
Never took it ask the older millsmall when we stopped the Fox coach at their end..easy day out 💛💙👊
People go on about the so-called big firms like Chelsea and Leeds etc, but being a supporter of a club that's spent the past 60 odd years in the third and fourth divisions. I've been to some horrendous away days. Most of the Midland and Northern industrial towns in the 70s were horrible places to visit, for example Port Vale, Mansfield, Grimsby and Oldham.
I remember a tale of a Man Utd fan who was chased near Lime Street (L'pool) he joined a bus queue and acted as if he was a local waiting for a bus. One scally was dubious when he spotted him and proceeded to ask him the hooligan question of choice 'got the time mate' to which he answered in a decent attempt at a scouse accent, our protagonist wasn't convinced, so he asked him where he was going. Unlucky for him a bus came round the corner heading to Fazakerley, and he made the mistake of pronouncing it Faza...curly. He didnt get on the bus, maybe that was as a good thing lol
@@palermothegoalgod-wd2wp Yes I remember being asked the time like that at QPR and replying about half past five in a very poor cockney accent to which the reply was something like you're Forest you lying Bas!!!d. Then quickly getting on the tube train and out of there.
OMG . The one question as an away fan you would dread and make your stomach sink? Hey mate have you got the time? Unless you could do accents , you knew what was coming next
@@Willsey ha yea a universal question in them days
I'm United. The Seven Sisters was mental.
ManU were the most hated club for Tottenham in 70s and huge mobs turned out for them, and huge ManU support usually 7k min.....this made for carnage.
We usually won at WHL but only turned up OT 78 where we didn't do much.
Credit to ManU they never hid and by late 70s their mob reduced in size but were better.
To be fair other than ManU no credible Northern mob turned up WHL and ManU were way superior to Millwall, Chelsea and Arsenal.
The only firm that came looking for it were WHU with the rest it was usually a game of hunt the hiding Cunts. Even with WHU they were ok with the lesser Spurs but against Spurs elite pretty ordinary.
Man U got done on the Holloway Rd at Arsenal a few times as well.
So...they didn't have far to return home?
@@zigzung5569 true but we always showed lots didn’t
@@redflag8970 Of course you showed half of your fans live in or around London.
Travelling away in the 70's, pre segregation, wasn't for the faint hearted. All away fans were fair game and wearing a scarf was like putting a target on your back. As a kid i felt sorry for away fans getting battered in the Clive road corner at Ayresome. The police were clueless.
@@SIRDKA Spot on- but Police weren't clueless just didn't give a fuck, you seem to assume Police are there to protect the public what a load of Bollox
@britishqueen94 most of the bizzies at Everton in the 70s were evil, blackbeard is one who springs to mind,but a lot of them were also Everton fans and would often club the away fans and let the park end scallies steam into them at the same time, only man utd and the Geordie bastards turned up in numbers, most away fans wouldn't go near the place for fear of having their arses slashed to ribbons!
@@britishqueen94The Police weren't Cowards back then like it seems today yer I don't people marching - but he Cops did get stuck in and heard they took a few beatings as well so perhaps You should Assume some more .
@@jamescorlett5272 Depends who the OB were up against? OB were absolutely ruthless and fearless against white working class and still are, likewise the white working class treated the OB with reverence.
Not so with Blacks or now Muz the OB treated them with respect.
I lived near Broadwater Farm. If OB got cheeky with them they would attack hence 85 and 2011 riots. Even then the cause of these riots were CID not PC Plod...PC Plod faced the backlash on the street whereas CID fucked off and hid in offices
Everywhere in N London every 10 yards there was a uniform the day after 85 and many police vans....you had to be there to see what blokes look like shitting their pants out of fear.
So I disagree with you OB back than were brave
@britishqueen94 I was on my bike ( bicycle ) the other day the day after the election and for some reason I said to said plod " my Labour move quick " and said " it's just like ì was young again " the cop says " you don't look a day over 50 " I'm 58 so the jokes on him daft flont .
the rubble and scrapyards round the den, naughty gaff, everton always felt bad, west ham on top ,more so 80,s....spurs always dodgy.
Stoke City, The Old Firm, Derby, Blackpool, Cardiff, Leeds, Hull were all nasty places to go.
Middlesbrough....
Only place I was ever really scared was Molineaux. Cup game in 74. Carnage from station to ground and then the return journey after the game. I'd been before in 72 when Leeds needed to win to win the old first division and do the double (which we failed to do!). There was more Leeds there that Monday night, or so it seemed, but 74 was savage.
Said it numerous times, most hostile clicky ground in the UK I ever experienced personally was Boro in the late 80’s. Far more intimidating than what Chelsea, whu, Geordies, Mackems, Scousers or Mancs were back then as far as I’m concerned.
Rangers never took the Stretford End in 74. They invaded the pitch before kick off but were turned back before they reached the half way line
Don't you mean the Stretford Lane End......LMFAO
That’s what I was lead to believe. This video got it wrong
@2011pmacz everyone calls it the Stretford end, it even says Stretford end on the seats in the Stretford end
Absolutely correct,Rangers did the charge but NEVER got into the Streford end, but there was loads of Aggro that day
It’s not banter I fully agree I as a Leeds fan suffered terribly in those days at those grounds
Born and brought up in SE London so followed MillwalL Scariest match I remember was against Palace in early 70s. That day you had to be in a gang to survive just getting out the ground. Palace crew wrecked the train we were on to go home so we had to walk miles. When I look back dunno how we survived the 70s.
Brighton Palace games were fun in the seventies at times Brighton and Millwall would come together against Palace.
Newcastle and Boro top 5 in 70's beyond a shadow of a doubt.
All NE clubs were highly rated and I doubt Boro were above Sunderland
Boro had small mob but wer nasty,well put them ahead of Sunderland and Newcastle,for the size of there mob...EFC.👏@@britishqueen94
@@Eel.666 Maybe in late 80s but not 70s- In the 70s numbers were king and it was all onto all and not simply a small firm onto another small firm- both Newcastle and Sunderland trumped Boro for numbers-heard Sunderland overrun the Holgate in 70s and most Sunderland of the 70s wld all admit that the top boys up North were Newcastle and Everton
@@Eel.666 Stoke are well regarded but in the 70s you would be laughed at if you said Stoke are good- having a hundred good Stoke would always get smashed by us,Spurs or ManU who would turn up in 1000s to overrun Stoke- 100 v 1000 you do the maths
true enough, Boro and Notts forest were the only ones who came to the den and had a go, i dont remember playing Newcastle, we were not good enough lolol
In Scotland kicking about with rangers in the 70ts was brilliant never a dull moment
Bollocks, you could get a kicking everywhere in the 70’s and 80’s.. UTFT
Surprised Cardiff not on the list …Ninian Park was downright scary for the away
Yep... The Bluebird pub outside the ground! I think other than The Den it was the worst place I visited by quite some way.
Ninian Park was on the list - tough place. I went there with Spurs when we lost 1-0 in the FA Cup in the 70s.
Most places were scary in those days. I remember Boro, Stoke, Brum and obviously the bigger NW & London clubs.
As a young fan in the early 80s went all over with man city..i see comments on herr that make me piss Blackpool. Nottingham forest to name a few..the biggest ball testers i remember was ...Chelsea..West Ham..Everton..Leeds and it kills me to say it Man Utd had the biggest firm I've seen...good old day's.
James I used to go in the kippax at the top near the away fans ,and when city were not playing well ,a city fan don't know his name he would shout ,Every one sit down on the steps ,and strangely enough everybody did including me ,don't know who he was though
@@kevinstones9326 I would normally be at the bottom in front of the tunnel next to the bottom half of the cage where only certain teams would fill it..Great time to be a fan.
everton got ambushed at high street kensington by chelsea
Chelsea smashed them to pieces. Everton were good at dishing it out at their own place so they can't really complain.
Birmingham was terrifying. Top firm
I remember an field in the 70s.all their fans had beetles hair cuts and threw 1p and 2p coins at us.must of been all they could afford lol
Anfield. The Beatles.
Had a brick through the window of the top floor of the bus I was on after having knocked L'Pool out of the Cup in 1983. Still can't believe Phil Neal missed the penalty.
About Time Someone Told The Truth & Put West Ham # 1 (The Guvenors)
Coventry's Highfield Road might have come close to making it on this list. I remember my Uncle, who followed Man Utd home & away, saying it was one of the most dangerous places he'd visited, mainly due to an alleyway on approach to the ground that ran past houses, but then a playing field, where apparently, a reception party with bricks & other items would be waiting, so it was a bit like a duck shoot as the away fans moved along the alley.
Went with Liverpool to Dundalk on the N,Ireland , border looking across South Armagh under a watch tower , to say it was a bit tense was a bit understated in the early round of the European cup early 80s
@@ellismeah8110 dundalk v linfield, a political/ soccer riot, the worst seen in the Republic
1) Rangers never took the Stretford End
2) where is the “Stretford Lane end”
3) “Even Man Utd wouldn’t turn up at Millwall.
Some showed in small numbers, it was a unheard Monday night league game back in 74.
Millwall did nothing at Old Trafford on a August Saturday 3pm.
4) West Ham didn’t play Man Utd in 1974, it was 75 and the following Feb 76 West Ham came in the Scoreboard Paddock and were booted top to bottom where the police had to drag them out for their own safety…
I believe the song that night was'' Where's your famous London Reds'''
I think the narrative around this game has become distorted. Rangers brought a large support that day and ran amok throughout the city. As they did routinely in the 70s. There were several pitch invasions and fighting on the terraces. Whether or not Rangers 'took' any part of the stadium is a bit of a moot point now. But I haven't heard an account that hasn't acknowledged Rangers fans got the upper hand all day. Numbers pretty much always ensured Rangers got one over on rival fans in the 70s. The club's fans virtually invented travelling away in numbers. Millwall's reputation is deserved, but even they wouldn't have stood a chance if Rangers had arrived in the 70s. It's the same today. No one travels in numbers like Rangers.
Some nasty places mentioned there there was no 10 per cent at Liverpool in the 70s it was 100 per cent getting filled in 🥊
I was at Highbury early in the 1973/73 season to watch United. Of course there was a massive turn-out of United fans at the clock end and quite a number of Cockney Reds were in the North Bank. I also remember a United supporter on the pitch behind the goal who was wearing the gear of the main character (Malcolm McDowell) in the film, Clockwork Orange - Bowler Hat - White Trousers and shirt, plus he was carrying a long club which he swung around. The Police nabbed him, but I don't know whether they escorted him out or just threw him into the Clock End. Before kick off there was a lot of banter between the fans, but it was when United fans started singer that Gay Glitter song with the lyrics - "Come on -Come on, baiting the Arsenal fans to 'have a go'. At first there was no reaction from the Arsenal fans, but when they returned the 'invite', United fans rushed onto the pitch heading towards the North Bank and Arsenal fans rushed on to the pitch to square up to the United. The Police, with one or two on horse back, plus a few dogs came onto the pitch to keep the fans apart. When I arrived home from the game, which United lost 3-0, Mum had heard about it on the news and tried to get Dad to ban from future games, like she did after United's 6-1 victory at West Ham in 1967 when I was an 11 year old. However, in '73 at Arsenal when I was 17 there was no chance of that.
I was at Arsenal in 79 when we had all the clock end and half the Northbank.Spurs really took the piss that night with hundred of gooners running on the pitch to save their lives.Always easy for us Highbury..I’m 62 and i still remember that night.COYS.
Total bollocks !!! You’re getting senile in your old age !! Arsenal battered you at Highbury many times
😂😂😂😂 joker
@@ChubbBates-mh5xp there were a few years that spurs did have the entire corner of the northbank and used to have half clock and take the northbank
Iwas there too, i dont remember hundreds of any fans on the pitch, yes you did take the piss, how about being so honest when we COMPLETLY took your ground over in 71, theres nothing you can say we took the piss and some, but i bet you wont mention that , you never do selective memory, their must have been 40 thousand easy inside you ground, at the final whistle the whole pitch was filled with gooners, and their was 50 thousand locked out, if you say it was 50/50 and thats being generous, we had 65/ 70 thousand gooners at your place, But funny how you go quiet when this gets mentioned, like it never happened but it Did, and you know it😊 coyg
From what I've heard arsenal got in the ground hours before kick off in 71 leaving thousands of spurs locked outside.
Definitely wouldn’t take any of these out of the list but Ayresome Park should get a mention here
Dur. Watch again!
I cant believe Stoke and the N40 ARE NOT ON HERE. Stoke are one of the top firms.
😂😂
"Its a long way to Cardiff Station its a long way to home"..yeah that got chanted every home match and it became reality for away fans..poor sods
No pompey
Swansea wasn't mistaken. They knew exactly where they were going. Also, it was the 80's not 70's.
The Old Den the worst by a mile. Put them numbers wise compared to the other firms they were a league above.
I remember Tottenham fighting Arsenal in the Loft at QPR, late 70's.
That's quite a three way mix !!
The den was a very dangerous ground to go to
first away match on own 5 days in grenich hospital only 14 6 black faces bwfc
@@peterdavies8435 What year?
Remember you were all over the Den to batter Ipswich 78.....but went missing against us Spurs the same season despite giving it the bollox on Panorama what you were going to do to us....The only Wall who I saw all day was about 50 outside Ilderton after the game who got run 1 mile to NewX , even then you needed OB to rescue you at NewX otherwise we wld have kept runnings you.
We walked to Elephant from NewX no sign of Wall?
And the red-tops helped enormously.
True,I went with The Blades soon after a Millwall fan was killed in Sheffield,very dodgy
Boro top firm 👌 I'm Chelsea they are top firm
Sunderland took the Boro end in the 70's...I was in there.
@scoobyblue5300 always big numbers they don't get spoke about much chelsea had a good turn out at the old roker Park!%%%
I love the way there pod's get stuff so wrong..West Ham at Boro was about 81/82..awesome firm..it wasn't long after this that the Frontline became organised.. Chelsea took the Holgate in 77 at about 1-30 ish..got buttered at the train station after the game..
"Battered"
Derby lads took a beating at Liverpool going through the gap leaving stanley park from the bus park around 1980's.
It is true that the South Bank Molineux was the Wolves end, when Chelsea left early and went in to the kids enclosure of the North Bank, when the North Bank was no longer the Wolves end, where their firm was, however, Chelsea didn't even take the North Bank, they came in the corner at the end of the match, some kids went on the pitch, but Chelsea didn't make headway in the North Bank, eventhough that was no longer the Wolves main firm end. They soon left and the South Bank went round and caught the Chelsea fans by Saint Peters Church and Wolves battered Chelsea.
I would rate Millwall and Middlesbrough top and always found that Spurs were better than West Ham and Chelsea.
Thanks for the endorsement for Spurs we were better than WHU outside London but you will find most Spurs would acknowledge WHU we're better than us in London.
For me Chelsea and Millwall weren't worth a wank. Arsenal were better an underrated firm but Highbury had no fear factor.
Spurs had some decent boys in Midlands especially around Wolverhampton.
The uniqueness of WHU was at UP didn't matter how many you came with they would attack and no part of UP was safe.
The season when Chelsea were not even supposed to be there because of an away fan ban? Loads of Chelsea managed to get tickets and were right in the middle of the South Bank as well as other parts of the ground.. Any Wolves fan who was there will know of the fighting that was going on. Fans of both clubs invaded the pitch at the end in a celebratory mood as Wolves were champs and Chelsea promoted. It didn't last long before it kicked off again. There were other Chelsea in the North Bank but the bulk of them were on the South Bank.
I attended many away games in the seventies and I remember what an experience it was then, not like today's relative calm. I was never part of a firm, and often travelled alone, but only twice did I ever encounter problems. As a neutral I was attacked by Liverpool fans outside Molineux, just because I had a local accent. And at Burnden park, Bolton, which was never a good pkace for away fans. Of the London clubs mentioned Millwall and Spurs had to be the worst in my opinion.
Nobody came to Upton Park and survived.
Well we did coyl
REMEMBER MANCITY AT ELLAND RD 78 CITY TOOK A RIGHT BATTERING AND I MEAN A BATTERING LUFC ALAWMOT
@philwoolin6470 Are you talking 3rd. round FA Cup? That was mayhem, although I got back to the car unscathed. My first time at that shit hole was 1967, couple of weeks later in the 6th round FA Cup. We took the newly opened Kop in the 1969 Charity Shield but all through the 60's 70's 80's Elland Road was an 'orrible place to go.
City had huge numbers there....match is on You Tube.
@@Sergio-ig1xd city was taught a lesson that day fa cup 3rd round
Yep? And you lot took a right good slap everytime you came to Maine Rd - Even the other Leeds fan said it, 3 times at Maine road and 3 slappings….at least tell on the full story mate.
City had a more than decent firm during the Cool Cat, Mayne Line, Governors and Young Governors era - Not since then though, full of goons who dress like students with snide adidas that no one else will wear from Wyndsors and give themselves stupid names like blazing squad
I was there as a ten year old City fan with my dad and uncle, I still remember that the Leeds "firm" were battering old men, women and children, my old man had to throw me over a fence while he dealt with a couple of the fucking Yorkshire bastards.
Remember at leeds as a chap we were beaten 5 -1,but the leeds fans still weren't happy and smashed nearly every window in the coach on the way out of the coach park ...fun times 😮
50 of us blackpool fans together for a cup match ,at old main road in kippax we took 6,000 but when us lads ,went out around the so called wild streets outside ,us 50 had a good luck for any city that wanted some ,even a posse of young governors thought about it ,from a few hundred yards away but nothing we went back to ,blackpool unscathed lol.
My mate John Sharman from Blackpool said you are a s hit bag and you always run away.
@mickharrison9004...Blackpool?..😂...they couldn't even defend their own ground never mind Maine Road!!!. Been 3 times to bloomfield road and Blackpool fans ran every time!... 😂
@@englanduk6131 was that 3 times in the 80 s ,cos if it was your a lying twt our mob from main estate ,never ran and around 100 of us were always in town ,from around 10 am looking for away fans I wonder what era your on about ,and I'll say it again after that night cup match main road in 80 s ,after match around 50 of us were looking for a row ,singing fkn around but no city wanted to know you haven't got a fkn clue .
@@mickharrison9004 you writing "fkn" makes you appear hard?... Blackpool was full of City every time we went there and your mob never and I mean never turned up... Are you sure you don't mean 10 pm.... after we'd all gone home? 😏
@@englanduk6131 don't spose you took into account either that your third biggest city ,in the country and we're a small town man for man your fk all to us .
Had my only two rumbles following NUFC, inthe 70’s at AyrsomePark.
@@Depak1959 there used to be large scale disorder on streets for those games and it barely made the local news. The police would declare it passed over peacefully with 'only' 50 arrests!
@@SIRDKA haha no internet then thank god
I remember the mid 1970s when I watched Liverpool away at Manchester City when we got ambushed by City mob outside the ground after the match .I was 18 at the time,and I was lucky to get out alive.
This is untrue about liverpool. I remember going in the 70s and it was usually leeds fans causing trouble.
You should read your leeds service crew book then it says different 😢
Definately.....majority of liverpool fans were foreign or out of towners, irish, welsh etc so kept themselves to emselves
Cardiff' city kicked anything that moved back then central station was like being in hell for visiting fans at 5 o clock on a Saturday night.
@@gavinellis4359 I remember going there with Forest about 1976. On the way back to the station there was a group of about 50 forest and there may have been a bus station near by and around 200 Cardiff came out and blocked our way I remember thinking oh shit then someone shouted England and we charged strait through them into the train station I think our group were lucky to get away that day.
As a Millwall fan,I got caught up with the Home fans which included Skinhead Girls, as I recall, on the way back to the station and the two of us ran with them until we parted at the station. The 'ardiff Boys must of thought we were lunatics as we were the only two of the chasing mob to go right to the station where we explained that we were Millwall and got let onto the train. lol
Forest was a naughty ground to visit in the 70s, less so in the 80s but not many got the better of Forest in the 70s
With the legendary Paul Scarrott leading the disorder! The ultimate hoolie to which all others aspired.
@DavidUKesb Don't remember him showing up at Goodison, but Forrest did the season they came up and beat us 6:2 first game from memory... went off after that game
@@bluescousenilsatis 3 1 not 6.2.6 2 was united on boxing day.
True
Nice that you mentioned MR Scaratt. Taken to soon !, Guilty of being a young mam of the time. Who enjoyed football,or the hooligan side of things to be fair. Either way such a shame.Im going to leave it there . R.I.P PAUL SCARATT. gone but never forgotten ...
The reason there were few United supporters at Millwall early in the 74/75 season was because the United fans on the Manchester Special to London recked the train at Crewe. From where I was standing in the Cold Lane End, I saw a few United fans enter in the top corner at the opposite end and were immediately set upon. Other than that I didn't see any trouble. Apparently, the Police heaved a sigh of relief that the trouble at Crewe prevented what could have resulted in considerable violence in and outside the Den.
Ah right... that'll be it. How did your game at Orient go... 🙃
St andrews
Sorry, who failed to go to a football match in the 70s because they would die?
You took your life in your own hands esp away games. The weapons there was no line & eventually in the 80’s for sure deaths happened.
@@BarkingLondonaway could be very dodgy even at places generally regarded small like Luton & Stoke
@@WilliamSmith-mx6ze nobody
@@WilliamSmith-mx6ze not because they thought they would die but the game wasn’t worth being shit scared all day for many
@@glenmorgan4597Luton was bad . Went twice and got one hell of a booting in 1978
Middlesbrough always Middlesbrough hell hole scariest place in 70s 80s respect Everton fan
That's when all the slashing started a series of cup replays between you two then getting stanleyed was common place I know from an experience in 85 Leeds service crew got me inbfd
@alansmith795 Yes proper moodie times couldn't tell you why Boro and us battled so much suppose because we had similar sized firms and respected each other massively. We haven't had much with Leeds a very scary ground to go to but it never really went off between us.
I was a Boro fan then never missed. It was a terrible time. Before that, in the 60s, Boro was known as a very sporting crowd. I saw them clapping Stan Mathew's when he was 49 on his last visit. He was cheered by Boro fans. They would also applaud an away team who put a good move together and score. The hooligans brought in the fencing that caused tragedy
@mickhills6288 Like Everton up to the early 70s I remember away teams goals getting applause but there wasn't many away fans that came to Goodison in them days. Ipswich came under Bobby Robson with the team that won in Europe and beat us 5-1 nobody booed the Everton players they stayed and applauded the Ipswich team off the pitch.
Rangers never came in the Stretford End in 74. They were kept in the Scoreboard End at the finish to let everyone else get away! I was there - they were nutters.
Everton were the firm
Burnley ..bolton ...
even Carlisle away well worth a mention.
Wolves didn't start mobbing up in the South Bank until 1975 and only went in there from the start of the game from 1976-77 season. NOT 1972. Man Utd was always a battle but at Molineux they never had it easy.
@OldWolflad You are right. Leeds, last match of 74/75 season. Ran them all over the South Bank. I'm going to have to do better checks on my content team.
@@oldschoolfootball Yes I remember that last game of 1974-1975 season, Doog's last game, and Leeds were preparing to play a European Final where they felt robbed. But that was only towards the end of the game when the North Bank mob came round with 15 minutes to go. The key thing here, is that a Wolves mob only started going in the South Bank next to away fans from the 'start of the matches' was 1976-77 and then for two seasons there was no fence and hence chaos. The date of 1976 is key because otherwise Leeds in 1971-1972 and Liverpool in 1975-76 will claim to have taken the South Bank, when in fact Wolves end on both occasions was still the North Bank at those points. Of course I readily admit, with 30,000 away fans in both games, a mob from the North Bank did not go round as was customary and try to battle the away fans. They would have got annihilated by sheer numbers.
@OldWolflad Good stuff mate. I agree apart from Wolves did go into the South Bank 75/76 but wasn't their main mob as you rightly state. The North Bank was still home end. West Ham claim to have taken the South Bank, not sure of the date, it maybe as you say, the 75 season when Wolves first started going in the South Bank. In his book Bill Gardner also claim they took the North Bank early seventies. I can't find any evidence of either. Any views on this?
@@oldschoolfootball Can't remember them taking the North Bank but I was young. The South Bank was a huge old terrace holding over 30,000 fans. Back in the top flight 1977-78 I went to the West Ham game in the South Bank you ask about and no way did they take it. However, someone I know says that West Ham ran Wolves at about 2.30pm on the South Bank, so that may be it. But a South Bank at 2.30pm and a South bank at 3pm were two entirely different beasts. As far as I am aware, no one tool the South bank by running Wolves out of it, when Wolves used it as a home end, that being from 1976-77 onwards.
Generally non-hardcore fans and away fans mixed in there without trouble as the North Bank holding 7-8,000 was Wolves home end.
To confirm, only from 1974-75 some Wolves fans started going from the North bank into the South bank towards the end of a game to confront away mobs, and this continued this continued into 1975-76 except when it was rammed with 30,000 scousers (:-.
Critically, only from the start of 1976-77 (Div 2), did a sizeable Wolves mob 'start' games in the South Bank to confront away mobs, perhaps 2,000 - 3,000 lads, and then this rapidly increased from then on, and for two seasons there was no fence, well until just before the end of the season 1977-78 for games v Man Utd and Villa. Wolves still felt they were going in the away end, but away mobs may think they were going into Wolves 'main' home end, during that time.
In 1976-77 (Div 2) the games v Forest, Leeds (again) in the FA Cup QF in front of 50,000, and Chelsea stand out.
Away fans coming to Liverpool were put into the Anfield Road End (the Anny Road) where a nasty mob were usually waiting for them. But by the late 70s, the coppers had it boxed off, thanks to one copper in particular, whose nick-name was 'black beard.'
For those who never came across him, you were lucky. This fella was about 6 foot 5, about 6 foot 5 wide, and had a black beard, hence his nick name.
Whenever there was a kick-off, black beard would pile in, often on his own. I've seen him pick two scrapping lads up by the scruff of their necks and he hurled them down the terracing towards a few waiting coppers who then frog-marched them out of the ground.
Quite often, Anny Road lads would taunt away fans by singing, 'Black beard's gonna get yer, Black beard's gonna get yer .....'
They would laugh, jeer, and mock, only to run like fuck when this man-mountain suddenly appeared waving his headache stick around.
As many have already commented, the 1970s and 80s were a very dodgy time to follow your team to away games. You had to be prepared to fight. You didn't have to go looking for it, it came to you, even at places where you wouldn't expect trouble.
Any away fans remember 'Black beard' in the Anny Road End?
Didn't make Anfield (with MUFC) until the 80's, so never 'met' Blackbeard! But he sounds remarkably like a copper that used to patrol outside Yates's in Nottingham in the early 80's when I was a student there. Same dimensions, with a wooden police stick, bigger than a truncheon, more like a staff. Must have been a recruitment policy back in the day!
Annie Road mob were dirty numpties, nuts bolts broken glass, darts and cups of piss
He was evil at Everton games as well
@@williambeck1574 Yes. All my bluenose mates used to tell me about him getting stuck in at the Park End. He was a Unit you didn't mess with.
Yep I remember him, the standoff seconds before 2 mobs get into it I saw BB steam into the middle cracking the heads of ppl stupid enough to get close. He did have a mate tho, cop with a biggish broken nose. Do you remember him?
Rangers tried but failed to take the stretford end they was quickly removed
Chelsea never took any part of Ninian Park in 1984.There was mayhem all day in the city centre and in and around ground but no end was taken. ✊✊
No Pompey? Also Highfield Road loads of ambush sites on way, Jimmy Hill made it the first all seated stadium 1981, fans ripped seats out and used them as projectiles 😂
had good rows coventry and derby way back
I'm surprised Crystal Palace didn't make the list.
I remember they had a reputation when I first started going to Goodison in 78
I'm Palace an that's the first time we've had a mention. Can't work out if you're taking the piss or not.
@@jimweir6735he is definitely taking the piss😂
Palace, lol. BHAFC.
Goodison was not a nice place in the late seventies.
Went to all of these grounds late 70's early 80's , worst away was Newcastle in the after game holding pens , bit naughty at Chelsea but the rest all ok , As a Luton fan the rougher days came after the Luton away fan ban. In the mid 80's all away games were dodgy for Luton fans probably more hated than Millwall then & not for our reputation.
Too right Tom,I lived in North London during the fan-ban era & I'd say we might've been more hated than any club in the history of football.What made it worse was a lot of us younger Town fans were against the whole idea of it,partly coz we knew it was an outrageous injustice,partly coz KR had all the atmosphere of a graveyard while it lasted.I wonder if you remember how many of us were willing to sign-in opposing supporters as guests,I did it several times,David Evans was a vile chairman eh COYH from Poole
MILLWALL WAS THE TOP DOGS IN 70S ENGLAND
Laughable not including the City Ground…….Forest were Absolutely way ahead of 3 quarters of these grounds..Wolves (in their words) received their worst away day battering at the City Ground…Cardiff,small fry back in the 70s never showed,likewise Stoke…Plymouth Argyle,1st match of the season 1975,brought one of best mobs I’ve seen at the City Ground,easily 6/7 thousand,big geezers too,all out the ground before half time….
I could name so many more,but 100% the 2 most lawless grounds in the Midlands were Birmingham City,and Forest.. I’ve no idea where you get your info from,but you obviously were not there back in the day…And no mention of Pompey..Laughable.
@@rebelcityred1624 I remember hearing about that game though I was not there It was said about 300 Plymouth fans many with green paint on there faces ran through Nottingham city centre before the game. So in the ground Forest ran across the pitch and chased them out of the ground. Plymouth fans had to climb down over the back of the old Cop stand Colwick road end to escape out of the ground.
billy big bollox forest lol, small club then and now.
@@rebelcityred1624 I think the league Cup final 1979/80 could also have been a bad day for Wolves. Forest's Mad Squad all wearing their green bomber jackets ran them all over out side wembley near the tube station before the game.
I went to the city ground in the 70's with Cardiff, and we won 1-0.
There was only about 200 of us at the most, ( which was unusual, as we normally had a great following away).
After we scored, Forest attacked us from all sides, and we nearly ended up on the pitch.😂😂😂
@@richardbrown8099 Yes I was at that game you got completely encircled and Forest fans attacked . I hope you were OK it looked very nasty. It was around 1975 then there was no segregation in the old East Stand they did the same thing to about 80 West Brom fans the game before Cardiff .So I think the police used a rope for a while until they could put up fences to make an away fans section .
Perfect
Liverpool and millwall was the only place my assole opened like an elevator door fucking crapped myself
West Brom have taken Wolves kop end(used to be North bank) in the 70's i was there.
Alright mate. Was impressed with your knowledge about Rangers taking the Stretford End. Know someone who was there, never stops about it. And as a Hearts fan we took a couple of blocks in their govan Stand. Not their main Copeland but was a result considering the numbers..
Also although not inside the Den, I know the CCS (Hibs) tanked Millwall 93 or 94. Anyhow I enjoyed.
I am in my 8th decade. The Hibees was a friendly and no Millwall expected Hibs to show. Wasn't even a consideration so no Millwall early on though one understands that there were some late arrivals when word spread through South East London.
Millwalllllllllll:)
They didn’t take the Stretford End.
One clown on a Rangers forum claimed they had a pipe and flute band on there, why on earth do people believe this rubbish
We're you there? I wasn't but my mates dad was. He's no liar. Multiple others have reported the same. The guy that did the video was correct. How could he possibly have heard of it with all his research. Look I hate the old firm. But back in the day every English club wanted them for pre season games or testimonials because of their support. Many people from different clubs will tell you stories about their hoard of fans wrecking their towns and so on.@@mancunited3845
@@mancunited3845lol