Better than the good old days

The first time I ever saw a blade of green grass at a professional football ground was from the top of the Kippax. The first roar from a crowd I ever heard that made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck was on the Kippax.The first time I was thrown forward down the steps feeling exhilarated and terrified at the same time, as a goal was scored, was on the Kippax. The first time I ever saw real violence at a football match was on the Kippax. The first time I cried at a football match was on the Kippax.( Colin Bell's comeback v Newcastle 1975/6) and then again ( Luton 1982) I also shed a tear when Dickov scored at Wembley and when Sergio brought home the title so it wasn't confined to Maine Road.

Having said that for me The Kippax was visceral. Formative. Community. I belonged then. I belong now because of that.That is why I am a Blue. That is why I stuck with City through thick and thin. That is why I celebrated like a bastard when Dickov scored. When Sergio scored. Because I stood on the Kippax. It's part of my history. Part of my life. Part of my story. Something I will hold dear until the end of my days. The Kippax was fucking brilliant. It's in my blood and I love that I got to be a part of that. Today we are in a different world, not just football wise but everywhere.Sometimes I miss it. I miss the fucked-upness of it all.
 
Last edited:
I liked the days when players were players and it wasn't just about how much can your agent get you!
 
dasein said:
Some people might know this but I have a Rag father in law, and the last time we talked he blamed me for causing the 'problems of football', (money, greed, Sky, crappy fans, no pride, no loyalty etc etc), he said all this is my fault for buying a season ticket. I argued that there are still some great things about football today. He challenged me to name 1 thing that is better now than in the 'good old days', so I said David Silva.

So put some thought into it and name something, anything that makes football better now
Click to expand...
if you are talking about the very basics of the game then football is crap these days. its played , and refereed, by over paid mard arse prima donna's. tv has totally ruined a proper fans match day . sunday, monday even bloody friday night games are all completely against what the game is all about. everybody now cashes in on the cash cow. as soon as fixtures are announced (by the tv companies, football no longer has a say) the price for flights, trains and hotels go through the roof. fly to benidorm 60 quid, draw Valencia, 260.sky themselves slam us for "sports package" funny that includes Dave, Gold and all kinds of kids channels. we can no longer stand up, i like to sit as i'm getting on but i'd like the choice.we can't have a pint, i dont bother but i'd like the choice. games are now played till the team sky want to win score. i prefered it when at 20 to 5 every game stopped, in those days half time was 10 mins but i dont mind giving the 15 mins but when full time comes let us get off. you can argue that the money has brought us silva, berkamp, zola and co but you know we did have Bell,Charlton, Finney and co who by the way were as good as anything around today.(might give you Messi). on the plus side, erm, erm, nope, can't think of any. oh, women are made more welcome, although my mum was at Maine Rd with us 9 times out of 10, so maybe not even that.
 
Blue Tooth said:
The first time I ever saw a blade of green grass at a professional football ground was from the top of the Kippax. The first roar from a crowd I ever heard that made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck was on the Kippax.The first time I was thrown forward down the steps feeling exhilarated and terrified at the same time, as a goal was scored, was on the Kippax. The first time I ever saw real violence at a football match was on the Kippax. The first time I cried at a football match was on the Kippax.( Luton 1982) and the second ( Colin Bell's comeback v Newcastle)The Kippax was visceral. Formative. Community. I belonged then. I belong now because of that.That is why I am a Blue. That is why I stuck with City through thick and thin. That is why I celebrated like a bastard when Dickov scored. When Sergio scored. Because I stood on the Kippax. It's part of my history. Part of my life. Part of my story. Something I will hold dear until the end of my days. The Kippax was fucking brilliant. It's in my blood and I love that I got to be a part of that. Today we are in a different world, not just football wise but everywhere.Sometimes I miss it. I miss the fucked-upness of it all.
Click to expand...

The King's comeback was three and a half years before the Luton game!
 
Better:
1. competing with Barca rather than ManUre.
2. Excellent style of play as a result of our owners investment.
3. Investment in the local community
4. LVG following Our Davey.

Worse:
1. loss of siege mentality (outside the media bias thread!)
2. Lack of local players in the squad
3. Poor atmosphere compared with promotion chasing seasons in the 80s with Leeds, Chelsea, Sunderland, Necastle and the Sheffield teams often in the same division. The atmosphere at Maine Road was often poor for top flight games!
4. Loss of Swales comedy value!
 
Blue Tooth said:
The first time I ever saw a blade of green grass at a professional football ground was from the top of the Kippax. The first roar from a crowd I ever heard that made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck was on the Kippax.The first time I was thrown forward down the steps feeling exhilarated and terrified at the same time, as a goal was scored, was on the Kippax. The first time I ever saw real violence at a football match was on the Kippax. The first time I cried at a football match was on the Kippax.( Luton 1982) and the second ( Colin Bell's comeback v Newcastle)The Kippax was visceral. Formative. Community. I belonged then. I belong now because of that.That is why I am a Blue. That is why I stuck with City through thick and thin. That is why I celebrated like a bastard when Dickov scored. When Sergio scored. Because I stood on the Kippax. It's part of my history. Part of my life. Part of my story. Something I will hold dear until the end of my days. The Kippax was fucking brilliant. It's in my blood and I love that I got to be a part of that. Today we are in a different world, not just football wise but everywhere.Sometimes I miss it. I miss the fucked-upness of it all.
Click to expand...


I much prefer things now - as I am older and can afford more, but the spirit of this post very much echoes with me. This was of course before they rebuilt the Kippax, after which the stand lost much of that 'intensity' with the core support spread over 3 tiers. We have never recovered that.
 
Bill said:
if you are talking about the very basics of the game then football is crap these days. its played , and refereed, by over paid mard arse prima donna's. tv has totally ruined a proper fans match day . sunday, monday even bloody friday night games are all completely against what the game is all about. everybody now cashes in on the cash cow. as soon as fixtures are announced (by the tv companies, football no longer has a say) the price for flights, trains and hotels go through the roof. fly to benidorm 60 quid, draw Valencia, 260.sky themselves slam us for "sports package" funny that includes Dave, Gold and all kinds of kids channels. we can no longer stand up, i like to sit as i'm getting on but i'd like the choice.we can't have a pint, i dont bother but i'd like the choice. games are now played till the team sky want to win score. i prefered it when at 20 to 5 every game stopped, in those days half time was 10 mins but i dont mind giving the 15 mins but when full time comes let us get off. you can argue that the money has brought us silva, berkamp, zola and co but you know we did have Bell,Charlton, Finney and co who by the way were as good as anything around today.(might give you Messi). on the plus side, erm, erm, nope, can't think of any. oh, women are made more welcome, although my mum was at Maine Rd with us 9 times out of 10, so maybe not even that.
Click to expand...
Bill why can't the fookers at Uefa get the teams who have qualified for Europe and get the qualifying games played after the CL final. The draw is then made a week later. Then the fans have got all feckin summer to organize travel. It pisses me of that when the draw is made you have a few weeks to arrange travel. The draw is all about the Uefa big wigs jolly boys gang bang.
 
Well from my stand point.

1. Content: You can watch pretty much any match your want and whenever you want. Man City matches when I first became a fan were hard to find on TV if non existent. Going back to the 80's and 90's, football on American TV was non-existant.

2. Quality of Competition: Whether your watching the PL, MLS or the Nowegeian Goat Herders League, you will find trained pro footballers of some kind. As a kid, my father took me to see local NASL club. The squads were made up of amateurs, the field was Astroturf and your three foreign ringers disappeared with their passports.... now scouting has taken the game to a grand level.

3. Fanship: Clubs can pull in fans from everywhere. People who identify with clubs and follow them religiously can communicate together. If you followed any team outside your country before The Internet, it was usually a big club or an inherited one.
 
Last edited:
Blue Tooth said:
The first time I ever saw a blade of green grass at a professional football ground was from the top of the Kippax. The first roar from a crowd I ever heard that made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck was on the Kippax.The first time I was thrown forward down the steps feeling exhilarated and terrified at the same time, as a goal was scored, was on the Kippax. The first time I ever saw real violence at a football match was on the Kippax. The first time I cried at a football match was on the Kippax.( Luton 1982) and the second ( Colin Bell's comeback v Newcastle)The Kippax was visceral. Formative. Community. I belonged then. I belong now because of that.That is why I am a Blue. That is why I stuck with City through thick and thin. That is why I celebrated like a bastard when Dickov scored. When Sergio scored. Because I stood on the Kippax. It's part of my history. Part of my life. Part of my story. Something I will hold dear until the end of my days. The Kippax was fucking brilliant. It's in my blood and I love that I got to be a part of that. Today we are in a different world, not just football wise but everywhere.Sometimes I miss it. I miss the fucked-upness of it all.
Click to expand...
Weird as fuck as only last night I was thinking of the first night match and how bright and green the pitch looked. Night matches always had a different aura about them.
 
dasein said:
Some people might know this but I have a Rag father in law, and the last time we talked he blamed me for causing the 'problems of football', (money, greed, Sky, crappy fans, no pride, no loyalty etc etc), he said all this is my fault for buying a season ticket. I argued that there are still some great things about football today. He challenged me to name 1 thing that is better now than in the 'good old days', so I said David Silva.

So put some thought into it and name something, anything that makes football better now
Click to expand...

Thank your father in law for fan violence, for supporters being treated like animals by the police and for the cages that fans were enclosed in until 96 people perished at Hillsborough. You can also thank him for terraces being turned into rows of seats, which led to admission prices rocketing.

What a terrible father in law.
 
mcfc1632 said:
I much prefer things now - as I am older and can afford more, but the spirit of this post very much echoes with me. This was of course before they rebuilt the Kippax, after which the stand lost much of that 'intensity' with the core support spread over 3 tiers. We have never recovered that.
Click to expand...
Times have changed. I enjoy the experience too these days but there is a difference. Spirit was a good choice of word.
 
Good old days my arse. If you youngsters (anyone under 63) had stood on the Kippax in the pissing rain before it had a roof with no money left to pay the transfer to Platt Lane as you had spent your last 3p to leave your bike in a back yard, well then you would not go on about the feckin good old days. Do I sound like my dad going on about the kids corner at Hyde Rd or my uncle John giving it large about some guy called Max Woosnam if so sorry its time for my cup of complan.
 
Manc in London said:
Thank your father in law for fan violence, for supporters being treated like animals by the police and for the cages that fans were enclosed in until 96 people perished at Hillsborough. You can also thank him for terraces being turned into rows of seats, which led to admission prices rocketing.

What a terrible father in law.
Click to expand...

Haha, top post :D


Things that are better than x years ago, hmmm....

-Tactics have evolved decade by decade
-Training methods
-Condition of the athletes
-David Silva's career choices
-The prevention of post-playing career injuries
-Global connection of all things football
-Pitch and playing conditions
-Tolerance for various prejudices, most notably racism, sexism and homophobia
-Role-models in general e.g. football now being a discipline that discourages things like drugs and alcohol


I think I'm done.
 
You should of just head butted the **** and jumped all over his head. It's not like the marriage is going to last with a cock sucker like that as a father in law. Go on lad, fill your boot's!!
 
dawlish dave said:
Good old days my arse. If you youngsters (anyone under 63) had stood on the Kippax in the pissing rain before it had a roof with no money left to pay the transfer to Platt Lane as you had spent your last 3p to leave your bike in a back yard, well then you would not go on about the feckin good old days. Do I sound like my dad going on about the kids corner at Hyde Rd or my uncle John giving it large about some guy called Max Woosnam if so sorry its time for my cup of complan.
Click to expand...
It were 3d in them days, sonny. the "p" didn't come in until 1971. February 15th, to be exact. I know because I worked as a bank cashier in those days. Teachers were the worst - they couldn't understand this new-fangled money!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Unread Posts

Don't have an account? Register now and see fewer ads!

SIGN UP
Back
Top