Old gits terrace legends

[charliegeorgewhocanhitem]

That brings back some memories. And sometimes the lights wouldn't work either! Fond memories of the transport police warning us to pull the shutters down when we passed somewhere notorious for throwing bricks through windows. Also, many times getting back into Euston or St Pancras late on a Saturday night - to find Cockney Reds or Millwall waiting for us! Still, we normally outnumbered them!


I remember one time coming back from Wolves about 1975 and after getting stoned by Wolves fans up on some hill near a church on our way to the station, our train then had to pass through Aston station on the way back, unfortunately Villa had played at home that day and the platform was full of Villa fans, needless to say, our train went back to Euston sans a few windows that night.
I also remember the cocney reds waiting for us a few times and always enjoyed the site of the bastards getting chased up the Euston road by a train full of gooners.

[charliegeorgewhocanhitem]

Forgot to mention does anyone remember when Villa won the league at Highbury in 81 and tried to celebrate on the pitch and we wouldn't let them?

What a great day that was, Pele doing a lap of honour before the game and being appauded all the way by 55,000 fans then the clock end geezers who'd obviously been displaced into the north bank due to Villa getting the whole clock end duping the old bill into thinking they were Villa fans and getting escorted into the Villa fans who found out very shortly afterwards that the clock end had got back to their rightful place in the ground. I remember not letting the Villa fans celebrate very well, I think we were actually on the pitch at the end before they were and there was no way they were coming any further

[charliegeorgewhocanhitem]

Do you also remember an away game at Villa in the League Cup. One of those (like Bolton - 1-1 draw - & Boro 1-4 defeat in the FA Cup) where EVERYONE decides to go. Think we had the end, plus half the side. It was mental. Must have been getting on for 15000 gooners up there. We drew, but lost the replay (or maybe it was 2nd leg) at home.


I remember that Villa away game very well, it was a league cup quarter final and you're right, I think every gooner who ever went to away games was up there that night, 15,000 could even be a conservative estimate, we were all over the place that night and it was the height of Charlie Nicholas mania so we went absolutely mental when it was him who put us 1-0 up. typical of those days tho, we let in an equalizer and lost the replay 2-1 at home. I remember that Boro cup game which I missed, not sure why coz I used to go all the time in those days but was'nt that the day that Boro fans were throwing darts into the Arsenal section and some guy got one in the head or am I getting my memories mixed up here?

[charliegeorgewhocanhitem]

Sorry Guys
I known you want some more athmosphere, but I don`t see any reason to rate Holigans as legends.


Behave yourselves

I understand your point Jesper but if you grew up at a certain point in English history and were into footy, fashion and music then what happened on the terraces was all part of some kind of growing up ritual and the leading faces on the terraces were, rightly or wrongly regarded as famous/legends/whatever. Just think of this as a bunch of old boys remembering their past. Nowadays of course, we're all very sensible and calm

[dbrien]

I remember the peanuts guy because he always said 'peanuts peanuts get yer peanuts' and then when we won the league he changed his selling ploy to 'peanuts peanuts get yer league championship peanuts.

I also remember the football special to Man City in the league cup, we got stuck at Crewe and the police said that the game was to be delayed, we then got into Manchester and had double decker buses take us to the ground where we found the game wasn't delayed and we were one nil down. I think we got in with ten minutes to go before half time. Our extra support in the second half must have helped because we won 2-1. Allinson scored I think. I got home fully late and I had school the next day.

I also remember QPR away on their astro when we won 1-0 (Allinson again) and my mate and me stood on our school bags to see. When we got to the tube, just as the doors closed the QPR fans (bushwhackers?) ran at the doors. We were pressed up against the glass shitting ourselves and the train driver thought it would be a fun idea to open the doors a little and then shut them. This bloke was telling me how he was going to slit my throat and I only had a door between us. I was as white as Perry Groves legs until the train moved off and I suddenly became a hard nut! My mate was scared that they might recognise our school badges from our blazers and come and get us!

I also remember West Brom away where we were 2-0 down, came back to draw 2-2 which clinched a UEFA cup spot only for the Heysel Stadium tragedy putting paid to that. My Dad was worried as he heard there was a fire at a football ground but not which one and he thought it was ours. Turns out it was Bradford.

[N22Gooner]

A current legend i'd say would have to be Maria "Come on you Gunners, come on Arsenal"

I'll never forget the first time i heard it nearly shit myself you can hear her all over the stadium.

Here she is in austria http://dnevnik.hr/naslovnica/vijesti/sp ... _60607.php

[stats]

Oh no not her
She use to be near me in the East upper at Highbury
Yesss she's very loyal (i really want to know how she can afford it at 64 years of age in which she told me at Everton) but she is crap at songs & is soooo out of tune which makes it funny but she should work on it
At Highbury when she sung some fans like myself shouted shut up which was a brillant laugh for fans, so wand them up by doing it louder which everyone was belly laughing

[MK Gould]

We were pressed up against the glass shitting ourselves and the train driver thought it would be a fun idea to open the doors a little and then shut them. This bloke was telling me how he was going to slit my throat and I only had a door between us.

Reminds me of a "friendly" we played at Chelsea (might have been Mickey Droy's testimonial??). On the tube on the way back I was - like you - standing next to the door. Pulled into a station, no bother. Then just as the doors were closing a fist came through and caught me square on the jaw! Happy days.... !

I also remember the cocney reds waiting for us a few times and always enjoyed the site of the bastards getting chased up the Euston road by a train full of gooners.

I could never understand what they got out of it. Unless they had a fetish for being chased, tripped and beaten!

Sorry Guys I known you want some more athmosphere, but I don`t see any reason to rate Holigans as legends.

Don't get me wrong - I wouldn't want to go back - and would be horrified at the thought of some of the things that happened then happening now. The world has moved on - thank god! BUT, you also can't rewrite history! The memories have to be seen in context. Denton, Jenkins were our heroes/leaders/protectors in a time of war! You can't judge them for what they did then, by the standards of today! I've heard my dad talk nostalgically about unpleasant things that happened in WW2 (including him & his brother throwing german incendiary devices off the roof of Morgan Mansions, just off Holloway Road). For him, they are great memories, albeit that I'm sure he wouldn't want to do it again!

[DB10GOONER]

I agree. I detest hooliganism; it very nearly killed the game I love.

But you have to look on things in the proper context. It was just what happened back in the day.

Also I think the stories of hooligan behaviour back in the 70's and 80's show just what a seriously f*cked up world we live in now. Back then it was a bit of a punch up at worst, but mostly it was about charging the Home End. Now days it seems that the handful involved in it are actually out to kill people. They carry knives and in places like Turkey and South America, guns.

I'm not saying what went on years ago was light weight, there were deaths (like that poor Gooner kid that was stabbed to death by Sham scum) and some serious beatings on occassion, but in the majority of cases it was a bit of a run at the oppo, a few punches and kicks and then regroup and brag about your exploits.

I remember being on a school footy trip to old shatford to watch Liverpool and manure (don't ask) and it was going off everywhere around us . I saw one guy get knocked spark out and the two sides seperated and held back the more eager lads amongst them so the hurt guys mates could pick him up and get him out of there. There was some form of a code of honour, I suppose.

Now days, the gits involved in it seem to be mostly vicious little chavs out to really f*ck someone up.

I'm glad the hooligan stuff in and around the grounds is mostly gone, but there is no harm in people reminiscing about the old days. People like Denton were heroes to scared young kids on the away trips. And it is part of the History of the game's culture whether we like it or not. Personally I like to read stories and tales from the old days. There is no harm in the telling of tales.

Don't ask me how or why I formed these opinions - and I'll tell ya no lies!!

[Gooneroonie]

Loving this thread lads...

What do you think the old school would think of the **** steaming up the holloway road before both games last season taking the piss. Fair enough they left it late enough to make sure most were in the ground, but it still annoys me now.

I don't want to go back to the days of people getting really hurt on a regular basis, but would still like to think there are enough supporters willing to stand their ground if we are being invaded by scum!!!

[U.F.G Anfield '89]

generally in my opinion if a few guys want to kick the shit out of eachother then that's their business as long as they do it somewhere away from me, what pisses me off is when a bunch of nasty little chavs attack women and kids, remember those scenes after we won the league as shite hart lane in 2004. The police always just let it happen when they should be going into the spuds in full riot gear, when some coppers go upside their brainless heads with riot batons most of the spineless twats will fuck off for good and shit themselves every time they think of trying something like that again.

[Ben-gooner14]

I havn't exsperienced anything like this as my first game was carling cup but again my cousin told me that at places like shite hart lane it's best to wait for a big group of arsenal supporters and mingle with them and not go out on your own of in a small group.

[All_Arsenal_1886]

i remember in 2002 when arsenal had their trophies paraded round the streets and everyone was celebrating in the streets some dumb ass sp*rs supporters tried to pick a fight with a few lone gooners then all of a sudden there must of been about 50 of us chasing them down the road

[Ben-gooner14]

Haha, that's cheered me up bit blotto, to many late nights.

[stats]

I'm not allowed to go to certain grounds in London due to the fans causeing trouble most of the time
Stamford Bridge (i really want to go this season as it's the day after my birthday), Upton Park (someone wants me to go with him though this season), The New Den (If we ever play Millwall) & The Lane
I can go to all the grounds overwise across the country my Dad has told me via the supporters club (coach trips)
Now that you've said about those nasty spurs wanker fans at the Lane no wonder my Dad is right, he went to the 2005 derby & they never showed up