The Junior Blues.....

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Mad Eyed Screamer

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What a fantastic thing the Junior Blues was..... the bi monthly newsletter with members birthdays in.... a silk scarf and the meetings at the old social club. The birthdays of members were read out at half time.... great days as a kid.
At one time the only club with such an organisation. Why the hell was it allowed to cease?

Loved it when we went to grounds with a shit home following and up would go the cry ''We've got more in the Junior Blues, do dah, do dah....''

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I posted about the Junior Blues meetings a few days ago on the thread about the sad passing away of Kath Clarke (wife of ex City player Roy who used to run the social club). I loved getting to meet the players, watching the cartoons they had on and getting a birthday card from the president; Big Joe then Alex Williams in my time i think. It would probably all be a bit tame for this generation of kids but it would be good if there was some kind of supporters club. Was it a Peter Swales brainchild or was it from Big Mals first stint? I do remember being the largest of it's kind in the country and a source of pride for the club.
 
Loved going at the old social club, where else are you going to see your heroes drinking and smoking, what year did it all start, remember going from 1980 with me dad(that might have been its first year)think I've still got my first jnr Blues membership card in the attic.
 
I am still emotionally scarred by the Junior Blues... You see i sent off for the membership form, but no one in my family would fill it in and pay for it *cries* :(
So i sent off again, still no one would fill it in... and again.. You see the pattern emerging?! I was told what do you want that for, we wouldn't be able to take you to many of the meetings. I said i just want to be a Junior Blue. Complete bastards my family!!!!!!!!

I'm over it now ;)
 
It was great being a member, I remember the silk scarf, I used to tie it to my wrist when I went in the platt lane end. Every area had a different player as their mentor, I played for our team. We were called 'Owen' obviously after Gary. We used to finish second in the league every season, always pipped to the title by Barnes!
 
I did 9 Junior Blues Pantomime's in row as kid from 89 through to 98 (I think!). They were great fun to do, especially at the old Social Club, in front of at least 500 people all packed in. Getting to perform on stage with god knows how many players (& well known City fans) over the years. Huge part of my life growing up, doing the panto's meant rehearsing pretty much every Sunday from about September onwards & more as you got closer to doing which meant you spent a lot of time at the social club/Maine road.

Shame they don't still do them, I could imagine Kolarov being perfect for a part somewhere!

Some great people spent a lot of time running the Junior Blues over the years, but as like most things City related in the late 90's, it turned into an utter balls up at times as the club couldn't be bothered with it (turning up to help at a monthly meeting at the top of the Kippax & no one knowing anything about it springs to mind!)

A great way of kids getting to meet the players, who would spend ages signing autographs afterwards & taking part in games etc...
 
daveyboybluemoon said:
I did 9 Junior Blues Pantomime's in row as kid from 89 through to 98 (I think!). They were great fun to do, especially at the old Social Club, in front of at least 500 people all packed in. Getting to perform on stage with god knows how many players (& well known City fans) over the years. Huge part of my life growing up, doing the panto's meant rehearsing pretty much every Sunday from about September onwards & more as you got closer to doing which meant you spent a lot of time at the social club/Maine road.

Shame they don't still do them, I could imagine Kolarov being perfect for a part somewhere!

Some great people spent a lot of time running the Junior Blues over the years, but as like most things City related in the late 90's, it turned into an utter balls up at times as the club couldn't be bothered with it (turning up to help at a monthly meeting at the top of the Kippax & no one knowing anything about it springs to mind!)

A great way of kids getting to meet the players, who would spend ages signing autographs afterwards & taking part in games etc...
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Went to a few with my kids.... one at Gracie Fields Theatre in Rochdale and one at Levenshulme Palais - Cheesey was involved in both I recall.
They also had cinema days when I took my kids to see the latest Disney release. One such day was at the Odeon in town and Uwe Rosler turned up with Roy and Kathy Clarke
 
God, this brings back memories. I was a member from the start untill I was about 14, in 1979, IIRC. Still got my autograph book somewhere. Can still remember getting Peter Barnes' signature- totally star struck, he was wearing a white suit!

Does any one here remember the Junior Blues section in the Platt Lane, last block next to the Kippax corner? I used to sit in there with my mates, half the time not watching the game just dicking about watching the fighting in the Kippax (this was before The Cage and segregation) and longing to get in the singing section.

Cup games when the likes of the Rags and Liverpool got that entire corner of the Kippax were great. Giving 'em two fingers and acting like 10 men. I'm sure the Kippax used to acknowledge us at some points of the game and ask us for a chant.

At some point, I graduated to the Kippax, at first with the old fella, then I discovered beer and cigs as did most of my mates. From that point on, I don't think I ever watched a game sober. In fact I still cant do it now!

Happy days.
 
They were the days!! My dad got all 5 of us(who were old enough) junior blues memberships circa 1981 ish..I was 7 or 8 and it was like winning the lottery. Used to get birthday cards signed by big Joe and uncle Harry Goodwin..I can't tell you the bone on I got when I got my first card in the post. A few years later around 1984 I was one of the kids who held up a welcome back Joe banner ( well, indivisual letters) on the pitch when he came back with Brighton. Also held up a join the junior blues banner too..r kid was about 15 at the time and I was about 11, he felt a right ****, a bit like Rodney Trotter in that groovy gang episode, but my dad made him go. Didnt go to that many meetings on a Sunday morning due to being on the other side of Manchester in Moston, but the ones I did go to were like a episode of crackerjack. I also remember my mates at school being mega jealous that I was in it. Great days.
 
kippaxkid74 said:
I am still emotionally scarred by the Junior Blues... You see i sent off for the membership form, but no one in my family would fill it in and pay for it *cries* :(
So i sent off again, still no one would fill it in... and again.. You see the pattern emerging?! I was told what do you want that for, we wouldn't be able to take you to many of the meetings. I said i just want to be a Junior Blue. Complete bastards my family!!!!!!!!

I'm over it now ;)
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Ha ha!!! Mate, I don't know how or why my dad joined all us up because he is one tight fucker!! He must of got them in a dodgy way I reckon.
 
Colin_Bell said:
I have copy of one the newsletters they did with two page spread of birthday announcements, Let me know if your interested in it Phil and will send it on
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I'm after one newsletter, would be for either late April / May / June / July 1986. Has a photo of the youth team taken at The Swamp before the first leg of the Youth Cup.

Her is a copy of the picture I am after. If anyone can send me a better copy that would be appreciated :)
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At the time it was ground breaking, not sure the year it started, but pretty sure my mum enrolled me in the first year, and we went to the first big meeting at the Free Trade Hall (if memory serves me right).
 
Happy birthday to sheryl barber, martyn shepley, Andrew burt, lee jones, nicholas stout, Jonathan sanderson, andrew westrup, David kilburn.
 
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