15 Years ago today

[Didsbury Dave]

I seem to remember Bradford city were one of the clubs who sent us down and their whole stadium were singing 'are you watching Mancheater?'. Wasn't Alan ball manager of the teams who capitulated? Portsmouth maybe?

Other way round. Bradford capitulated to an Alan Ball managed Portsmouth and lost 4-0.

Fair enough. I know ball had some part to play. Can anyone remember who sung 'are you watching Manchester'? It definitely happened.

 

[Blue Streak]

I seem to remember Bradford city were one of the clubs who sent us down and their whole stadium were singing 'are you watching Mancheater?'. Wasn't Alan ball manager of the teams who capitulated? Portsmouth maybe?

Other way round. Bradford capitulated to an Alan Ball managed Portsmouth and lost 4-0.

Fair enough. I know ball had some part to play. Can anyone remember who sung 'are you watching Manchester'? It definitely happened.

Huddersfield perhaps? weren't they involved in some way? either them or Port Vale.

 

[Didsbury Dave]

Other way round. Bradford capitulated to an Alan Ball managed Portsmouth and lost 4-0.

Fair enough. I know ball had some part to play. Can anyone remember who sung 'are you watching Manchester'? It definitely happened.

Huddersfield perhaps? weren't they involved in some way? either them or Port Vale.

Every part of my jaded memory is telling me it was at the Bradford game and it was the whole crowd. It made the news at the time. I can even remember the phrase 'ghoulish' being used.

In a box somewhere I have an MEN and a Times from that day, and also from the day after the gillingham and Blackburn games. I've retread them a few times. I think one of those discusses the chant.

I even remember the front page headline in the MEN: 'city go down fighting' with a shot of the scrapping in the Brittania stadium. The Times described it as.a 'Mexican Wave of Violence ' at kick off and that's what it was like. The game kicked off and fighting just spread right around the stadium like a fire. I can remember sitting in their expensive seats, and lots of other blues around me had let on too, and every head seemed to be strained around looking for city fans when we scored.

City lads charged them on the bridge after too. Wasn't all one way.

 

[Blue Streak]

Well thought I'd add my story of this fateful afternoon as me and my brother were in the away end. The day started with us getting the train from Manchester down to Stoke and then being herded onto a double decker bus right underneath the away stand. On the journey down 'tit's out Jackie' managed to spill a poor fella's drinks all over the show as she was already 'three sheets to the wind'

Remember in the away end the bars were serving beer in plastic pots with the City badge on them and this struck me as odd?

Sat next to a right evil bastard who when we knew we were going down spent 10 minutes trying to break his seat before taking the nasty jaggered shard of plastic in his hand and leaving with the declaration he was 'off to do the Stoke fans'

Obviously saw all the Blues on the pitch and many succeeded in making it to the away end.

After the game was absolute bedlam with bricks, bottles and anything else in sight being tossed about. Again I saw 'tits out Jackie' pissed up sat on the floor screaming to anyone who cared to listen? although most of us were diving for cover.

Then the most unsavoury moment of the afternoon when several Blues approached King of the Kippax's Dave Wallace who (probably unwisely) was trying to sell his mag after the game when emotions were running high and they turned him over. Not good.

Finally the silence on the train on the way back to Manchester as the reality set in as to what had actually just happened to our beloved club once we had escaped the violence.

Dark, dark afternoon.

 

[Didsbury Dave]

Funny you should mention the silence.

Our entire car journey home was the same, no one made an utterance. The depression and despair was just dreadful. I can still remember what a shock it was.

 

[Gaylord du Bois]

Haven't we been told by a few on here that we shouldn't remember the past, it's only the here and now that counts.

Many,many times my friend.

 

[MCFC Fort Worth]

15 years ago??? It feels much longer with everything that has happened over the last 5-6 years. Amazing.