Two anecdotes summing up City in the 80's

[Sir peace frog]

You’d be walking to the ground from the Beehive and the team mini bus containing the players would come flying round the corner from that school at ten to three

lee the head grounds man used to drive that mini bus,he would drop the players off park the mini bus then meet us near the players entrance with our tickets,once when he was running late we met him as usual outside the players entrance and he said he will take us another way(last minute an all) the other way was straight across the pitch,the pitch was flattened mud,i was shitting it thinking I was going to slip on my arse infront of a full maine road,it was the leeds fa cup game think we got twatted 5-2

 

[Clevers]

Can remember going to the ticket office to buy tickets for an away game at Ipswich. The programme said they were on sale until 4:30 on the Friday. When I got to the ticket office at about 3:30 I was informed that unsold tickets had been returned on the team coach that had left at lunchtime.

I did get to the match which was memorable because it was Bill Williams one and only game for us after joining from Stockport. He left to go back to painting and decorating.

Does anyone else remember the section in the official programme called "The Captain's Log" One week Brian Gayle wrote about how he bought some anaglypta wallpaper on the way home from training.

 

[Mozzer]

That used to piss me off, losing Saturday morning overtime to queue up for ticket only away games then finding out you could pay on the gate when you got there.

 

[Midlands Blue]

I was a bt engineer in the early 90's and covered both moss side and trafford. Kendal was City manager then.
I had a job at Maine Rd one day. Went to the tiny reception where there was a little grey haired old lady. Told her why I was there and she said she'd get Tony to show me where the main junction box was. Couple of minutes later (after I'd been offered tea and toast) Tony Book appeared and took me to where the lines came in. Fault wasnt there so we began wandering around under the main stand where all the offices were looking for another junction box. Bumped into Kendal, then in a tiny office buried deep was Jimmy Frizzel sat at a desk. I was gobsmacked, not just at seeing behind the scenes and meeting the manager, ex managers and player but the fact that two ex-managers were still in the background. Surely not healthy for the club?
Couple of months later, fault at the swamp. Two uniformed girls on a reception like that of a decent hotel, sign in, security called and taken straight to where I needed to be. Security stayed so couldn't take a dump in the corner. No tea or toast either.
Difference in the professionalism of the two clubs was stark.

 

[Tbilisi]

Can remember going to the ticket office to buy tickets for an away game at Ipswich. The programme said they were on sale until 4:30 on the Friday. When I got to the ticket office at about 3:30 I was informed that unsold tickets had been returned on the team coach that had left at lunchtime.

I did get to the match which was memorable because it was Bill Williams one and only game for us after joining from Stockport. He left to go back to painting and decorating.

Does anyone else remember the section in the official programme called "The Captain's Log" One week Brian Gayle wrote about how he bought some anaglypta wallpaper on the way home from training.

Remember Gayle more or less turned his page into a DIY section as he never played.

 

[Bluster]

Vassell missing an 80th min pen to equalise against the rags to cap it off.

A big part of me wanted him to miss, not that there was much chance of any other outcome when Vassell had time to think. I quite liked the fact that we had statistical confirmation that every were as bad as my eyes could see.

 

[Abattoir Blue]

We had the required points to get tickets and then as we applied for season tickets for the following year were able to get another ticket each.

It was a shambles. I remember going down on the saturday around 8 and saw a few mates further ahead. Pretty sure it was cup final day or another match as we joked we would probably miss it, not realising it was around 7/730 when we finally got our tickets

I had away from Manchester so had given up my season ticket in 1998. I still went to about 16 games home and away - but knew I had no chance of getting a Wembley ticket in 99.

However, my sister's boyfriend had 4 family season tickets. They queued up for 4 hours for theirs...but the girl behind the counter forgot to stamp them - so they went to the back of the queue, and queued for another 6 hours for 4 more! Got me to the game though...

 

[peter.evans]

Really enjoyed reading the anecdotes in this thread. Brilliant. The 80s were pretty grim but it makes us appreciate What s happening to our great club even more and if any set of fans deserve it then it's us. As others have said Swales was the root of all our problems. A disaster of a chairman but I remember somebody tried to get a campaign going I think it may have been at the time of the second relegation in 87, and there was a one sheet letter handed out with the heading "The case against Peter Swales ". I think it was the last home game v Southampton ? What struck me was that by this time I had had enough and was ready to join any fans revolt against our Cuban heeled chairman but there seemed to be a lot of apathy amongst the fans and many still in support of Swales, which I found quite staggering. I suppose some thought there was nothing we could do about it. He should have been forced out then but it took another seven years before he was finally ousted.

PS that Bournemouth game summed everything up. Remember the beach ball bouncing around on the Kippax ? Then good old Luther Blissett with his 97th minute penalty ! Happy days !