Old gits terrace legends

MK Gould · Post by **MK Gould** » Thu Jul 26, 2007 8:31 pm

charliegeorgewhocanhitem - You are in grave danger of sounding like someone who DOES think we should wait for Spuds on Holloway Road! And maybe for the next match at the lane we should sell tickets by invitation only - Jenkins, Denton or the young pretenders! What do I fucking know. Maybe you have the right idea.....

!

Spuds away to me meant rare goals for Champagne Charlie Nicholas, Brady's salute to the Shelf when we won 5-0 & premature tannoy announcement in 87! Oh, & I was also there when we lost 0-5.....!

charliegeorgewhocanhitem · Thu Jul 26, 2007 8:48 pm

MK Gould wrote:charliegeorgewhocanhitem - You are in grave danger of sounding like someone who DOES think we should wait for Spuds on Holloway Road! And maybe for the next match at the lane we should sell tickets by invitation only - Jenkins, Denton or the young pretenders! What do I fucking know. Maybe you have the right idea..... !

Spuds away to me meant rare goals for Champagne Charlie Nicholas, Brady's salute to the Shelf when we won 5-0 & premature tannoy announcement in 87! Oh, & I was also there when we lost 0-5.....!

Well if I heard that we'd chased the spuds all the way back down the Seven Sisters Rd I would'nt exactly be shedding any tears

but I'm an old man now

so would'nt really advocate it. I'm just having fun reminiscing about my youth and days gone by.
Agree about the games, Rocky scoring the winner in the 87 replay, what a night that was, and that tannoy announcement, I'll forever be grateful to the twat who made that. I think from that moment on we were destined to win that tie. The 5-0 and the "silent Spurs" song, what a fitting way to celebrate christmas

Fortunately I missed the 5-0 defeat, my lift turned up too late and there was no time to get to shite heart lane on the train, sometimes fate plays some wonderful tricks

I also fondly remember the one where everyone was wearing the "Spurs boss is caught kerb crawling" T-shirts and waving blow up dolls at poor old Pleaty during a 2-1 win, waaaay too many more memories of victories there to go on

gus ceasar is a legend · Thu Jul 26, 2007 9:11 pm

I started going properly mid to late 80s so kind of a generation out from you guys!

God Im enjoying reading your stories!

I know some of them are ahem.... "wrong" but god Im jealous I wasn't there!

MK Gould · Post by **MK Gould** » Thu Jul 26, 2007 9:18 pm

Oh, the blow up dolls! I'd forgotten about them! They were bouncing around behind the goals with the stewards trying to round them all up! Brilliant! These days you wouldn't even be allowed to bring them in.

Do you also remember "we beat spurs with 6 reserves and alan (Sunderland, I think) scored again..."?

My "debut" at WHL was a 2-2 draw around 76. Think we'd been 2-0 up.

charliegeorgewhocanhitem · Thu Jul 26, 2007 9:27 pm

MK Gould wrote:Oh, the blow up dolls! I'd forgotten about them! They were bouncing around behind the goals with the stewards trying to round them all up! Brilliant! These days you wouldn't even be allowed to bring them in.

Do you also remember "we beat spurs with 6 reserves and alan (Sunderland, I think) scored again..."?

My "debut" at WHL was a 2-2 draw around 76. Think we'd been 2-0 up.

Oh yes, I was at the "6 reserves game" and it was Sunderland, he always liked a goal or two against them, I think the other one was scored by Paul Vassean and I remember Paul Davis making his debut in that one and taking the piss out of Ardiles, Hoddle and co

I recall some bugger keeping me awake singing that 6 reserves song in the hotel room next to me in Ostend the night before the 1980 cup winners cup final. I think your debut might have been on a Boxing Day, I was at one about that time and Willie Young, who played for them at the time got sent off. Little did we know that he'd be joining us a few months later. I think "Supermac" scored both our goals that day.

Wrexham Gooner · Post by **Wrexham Gooner** » Fri Jul 27, 2007 12:17 am

charliegeorgewhocanhitem wrote:
MK Gould wrote:Oh, the blow up dolls! I'd forgotten about them! They were bouncing around behind the goals with the stewards trying to round them all up! Brilliant! These days you wouldn't even be allowed to bring them in.

Do you also remember "we beat spurs with 6 reserves and alan (Sunderland, I think) scored again..."?

My "debut" at WHL was a 2-2 draw around 76. Think we'd been 2-0 up.

Oh yes, I was at the "6 reserves game" and it was Sunderland, he always liked a goal or two against them, I think the other one was scored by Paul Vassean and I remember Paul Davis making his debut in that one and taking the piss out of Ardiles, Hoddle and co I recall some bugger keeping me awake singing that 6 reserves song in the hotel room next to me in Ostend the night before the 1980 cup winners cup final. I think your debut might have been on a Boxing Day, I was at one about that time and Willie Young, who played for them at the time got sent off. Little did we know that he'd be joining us a few months later. I think "Supermac" scored both our goals that day.

I remember that very well. Got locked out with my Dad and Grandad a Scunthorpe steel worker. Some spurs twats had a go when we got back to the car... Grandad 5 Spurs 0. We ended up watching Brentford

Wrexham Gooner · Post by **Wrexham Gooner** » Fri Jul 27, 2007 12:20 am

Does anyone remember Palace away in about '79? The team of the 80's. We lost 1-0 but of a crowd of 50000 I reckon we'd taken at least 30000 probably more. Couldn't move in the away end, and we had a huge chunk of the home end. Simply a case of Arsenal here Arsenal there Arsenal every.........

Wrexham Gooner · Post by **Wrexham Gooner** » Fri Jul 27, 2007 1:42 am

I also remember great games like Chelsea away in '79 Supermac's and Peter Bonettis last games - only 1-1, but it was on the Monday after the 79 cup final.
Brighton away I think 1980 - their first game in the top flight - we won 4-0 ish and ruled the Goldstone.
Many of my early memories were of supporting Arsenal at some very ordinary games, and it was almost a rite of passage to say that you were there at an often dull game. Those of us old gits put our time in and we can really say that we have appreciated the Wenger years and also the better part of the Graham years. To you who are new or were bought up in a time of bounty perhaps you will never understand why the North Bank cheered Spartak Moscow's 5th goal against us in the uefa cup in 1980 whatever it was.
When times are lean you learn to cherish the good moments however few and far between. Leeds Utd in a league cup game at Highbury in 1978/9 ??
my memory fails me except the score 7-0 to the Arse. There was also a 5-0 away win at Elland Road around about that time when Leeds were pretty much our bogey team. Hard to believe now I know.
300 replays against 3rd Division Sheffield Wednesday in 79 or 3? semi final replays against Liverpool in 1980. I still remember Brian Talbot hitting the bar against them in the last minute of the first semi- as I was in the Liverpool end that day at Hillsborough- even then you could see that things weren't right with that end.
And yes things weren't right with football then either, with the so called epidemic of football hooliganism. But what I do remember is the camaraderie of going to games with your mates and your fellow gooners and the knowledge that we all stood together. Most of us weren't there for the aggro, but took great comfort from the knowledge that there were those of us there who were and would look after us if things took a bit of a turn.
So good days and bad days yes, but I know that both types of day out helped me through a difficult time in my life.
So I'll raise a glass to Denton et al, and remember that away from home we're all Clockend !!

Post by **DB10GOONER** » Fri Jul 27, 2007 7:25 am

Wrexham Gooner wrote:I also remember great games like Chelsea away in '79 Supermac's and Peter Bonettis last games - only 1-1, but it was on the Monday after the 79 cup final.
Brighton away I think 1980 - their first game in the top flight - we won 4-0 ish and ruled the Goldstone.
Many of my early memories were of supporting Arsenal at some very ordinary games, and it was almost a rite of passage to say that you were there at an often dull game. Those of us old gits put our time in and we can really say that we have appreciated the Wenger years and also the better part of the Graham years. To you who are new or were bought up in a time of bounty perhaps you will never understand why the North Bank cheered Spartak Moscow's 5th goal against us in the uefa cup in 1980 whatever it was.
When times are lean you learn to cherish the good moments however few and far between. Leeds Utd in a league cup game at Highbury in 1978/9 ??
my memory fails me except the score 7-0 to the Arse. There was also a 5-0 away win at Elland Road around about that time when Leeds were pretty much our bogey team. Hard to believe now I know.
300 replays against 3rd Division Sheffield Wednesday in 79 or 3? semi final replays against Liverpool in 1980. I still remember Brian Talbot hitting the bar against them in the last minute of the first semi- as I was in the Liverpool end that day at Hillsborough- even then you could see that things weren't right with that end.
And yes things weren't right with football then either, with the so called epidemic of football hooliganism. But what I do remember is the camaraderie of going to games with your mates and your fellow gooners and the knowledge that we all stood together. Most of us weren't there for the aggro, but took great comfort from the knowledge that there were those of us there who were and would look after us if things took a bit of a turn.
So good days and bad days yes, but I know that both types of day out helped me through a difficult time in my life.
So I'll raise a glass to Denton et al, and remember that away from home we're all Clockend !!

Excellent post WG.

I'd nearly forgotten what it was like when the highlight of our season was beating the spuds, the mancs, the mousers or Sham. I too remember some awful f*cking games in the 70's and 80's (80's in particular

).

I'm not critical of the younger fans that have only really known the success of GG or Aw.

Just a little jealous, I suppose!

But then again, as you say, it was like a rite of passage back then. It also makes the successful seasons all the more sweeter...

MK Gould · Post by **MK Gould** » Fri Jul 27, 2007 7:34 am

Wrexham gooner - Great post. Your name reminded me of the cup tie (5th round?) at Wrexham in 79 when we won 3-2. A car load of gooners (I didn't know them, but you didn't need to!) were killed in a crash on the way home. Effected me at the time, and never left the memory! Guess most peoples memory was the defeat!

For the game at Brighton, the media were predicting a massive sell out - which still didn't stop it being pay on the gate). We ended up leaving at 6am in my Hillman Imp. Got as far as Three Bridges and the engine overheated! Dumped the car at side of road and legged it to the station. Made the game with considerable time to spare (yes, think it was 4-0) and by the time we got back to the car it had cooled down and was ready for the journey home.

Sheff Wed (old 3rd division at the time) in 79 went to 5 games. I went to Hillsboro for the 1st, and Highbury for the 2nd (think Brady equalised in the last minute). The next 3 were all played at "neutral" Leicester City. Bollox were they neutral - they hated us as much as Wednesday! I missed the 1st two owing to the train strikes that were on at the time. The 3rd one (or should that be 5th?) attracted the biggest crowd at Filbert Street for years, & we finally overcame them (2-0, or maybe 3-1).

Hagbard 23 · Post by **Hagbard 23** » Fri Jul 27, 2007 7:50 am

I first saw the mighty Gooners as a six year old way back in that famous year of our Lord 1971.
I remember Charlie George's hair and thought he looked so cool!

My favorite time running with the boys was in the early eighties.

Do any of you old gits remember whistling Tom Hark on away trips.
I used to love that. It still gives me goose bumps.

Was anyone at West Brom away in about 81 or 82 ?
I wont go into details for fear of legal action,

, but wasn't that a fun day out.

Halcyon days indeed.

charliegeorgewhocanhitem · Fri Jul 27, 2007 7:52 pm

Wrexham Gooner wrote:Does anyone remember Palace away in about '79? The team of the 80's. We lost 1-0 but of a crowd of 50000 I reckon we'd taken at least 30000 probably more. Couldn't move in the away end, and we had a huge chunk of the home end. Simply a case of Arsenal here Arsenal there Arsenal every.........

Yes I was there but alas, outside the ground, I was one of 1000s locked out that day and tried to watch from a corner of the ground slightly higher up where you could see a small section of the pitch but in the end went to a boozer

charliegeorgewhocanhitem · Fri Jul 27, 2007 8:08 pm

Wrexham Gooner wrote:I also remember great games like Chelsea away in '79 Supermac's and Peter Bonettis last games - only 1-1, but it was on the Monday after the 79 cup final.
Brighton away I think 1980 - their first game in the top flight - we won 4-0 ish and ruled the Goldstone.
Many of my early memories were of supporting Arsenal at some very ordinary games, and it was almost a rite of passage to say that you were there at an often dull game. Those of us old gits put our time in and we can really say that we have appreciated the Wenger years and also the better part of the Graham years. To you who are new or were bought up in a time of bounty perhaps you will never understand why the North Bank cheered Spartak Moscow's 5th goal against us in the uefa cup in 1980 whatever it was.
When times are lean you learn to cherish the good moments however few and far between. Leeds Utd in a league cup game at Highbury in 1978/9 ??
my memory fails me except the score 7-0 to the Arse. There was also a 5-0 away win at Elland Road around about that time when Leeds were pretty much our bogey team. Hard to believe now I know.
300 replays against 3rd Division Sheffield Wednesday in 79 or 3? semi final replays against Liverpool in 1980. I still remember Brian Talbot hitting the bar against them in the last minute of the first semi- as I was in the Liverpool end that day at Hillsborough- even then you could see that things weren't right with that end.
And yes things weren't right with football then either, with the so called epidemic of football hooliganism. But what I do remember is the camaraderie of going to games with your mates and your fellow gooners and the knowledge that we all stood together. Most of us weren't there for the aggro, but took great comfort from the knowledge that there were those of us there who were and would look after us if things took a bit of a turn.
So good days and bad days yes, but I know that both types of day out helped me through a difficult time in my life.
So I'll raise a glass to Denton et al, and remember that away from home we're all Clockend !!

I was at all the games you mention here, great to know that I'm not the only old git here

The same season we won 4-0 at Brighton we alsp played them away in the league cup, it happened to be on my 21st birthday but I chose to spend it on a very rainy night in Brighton to watch a 0-0 draw but I mostly remember 1000s of us being in their end and the tannoy announcer actually asking any policemen who could hear from outside the ground to come in to help the poor Brighton fans who were leaping over the fence to get out of their own end due to so many gooners being in there. The 7-0 at home to Leeds in the league cup in the same season is a great memory, I watched it in the Clock End right next to the fence and police cordon next to the Leeds fans, you should have seen the looks on their faces at the and as we celebrated

You've reminded me of the Talbot lob in the final minute which could have saved us from all those days off work and replays in 1980 and you're right, you could see even then the problems at the Leppings Lane end.
I'll raise a glass with you mate, to Johnny Hoy, Jenkins, Denton et al who gave of themselves to the cause. Arsenal til I die.

charliegeorgewhocanhitem · Fri Jul 27, 2007 8:27 pm

A long shot here coz I don't know many others who have acknowledged this guy existed but does anyone remember Terry Steel? He was rumoured to be the ace North Bank face in the 70s between the time of Johnny Hoy and Jenkins. I don't remember anything about the guy apart from the name and a letter in the NME (New Musical Express) a few weeks after we lost the FA cup quarter final 2-0 to the shams in 75 that read, "An open Letter to all West Ham Fans, piss off", written by a certain T. Steel of N5. I know this coz I cut that letter out and stuck it on my bedroom wall but I could be the only person on the planet who actually remembers this fact, I guess that makes me extremely sad but proud to be so LOL.
Have a good weekend to anyone going to the home ground for the home ground cup against PSG and Inter, I'll be there, maybe the excitement aint so great for me nowadays but the love for The Arsenal is as strong as ever

charliegeorgewhocanhitem · Fri Jul 27, 2007 8:29 pm

A long shot here coz I don't know many others who have acknowledged this guy existed but does anyone remember Terry Steel? He was rumoured to be the ace North Bank face in the 70s between the time of Johnny Hoy and Jenkins. I don't remember anything about the guy apart from the name and a letter in the NME (New Musical Express) a few weeks after we lost the FA cup quarter final 2-0 to the shams in 75 that read, "An open Letter to all West Ham Fans, piss off", written by a certain T. Steel of N5. I know this coz I cut that letter out and stuck it on my bedroom wall but I could be the only person on the planet who actually remembers this fact, I guess that makes me extremely sad but proud to be so LOL.
Have a good weekend to anyone going to the home ground for the home ground cup against PSG and Inter, I'll be there, maybe the excitement aint so great for me nowadays but the love for The Arsenal is as strong as ever