30th April 1994 - The Kippax's Last Stand

[Lavinda Past]

Fucking hell...embarrassing!!!!

All about opinions mate. The game has changed dramatically since 1992 imo. It started to leave traditional fans behind a long time ago.

 

[Mancity1980]

I’d have loved to have stood on The Kippax but was yet to go to a match due to my age. What was it like?

Unless you were 6 foot 4 you couldn’t see the near side of the pitch, when the masses left you had to careful you didn’t get winded by the stair rails you couldn’t see, when Niall Quinn scored a brace against the rags you lost your mate in the mayhem - I loved it!

 

[theres only one carlito]

When God asks me what I did with my life?

“I stood on the kippax!”

 

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

Interesting that players remember the Kippax and talk about it almost as much as we fans. I heard an interview in French with Ali Benarbia in which he basically said that when it was rocking there was nothing else like it that he experienced in his career.
This whole discussion leads me directly to think how important it is to get the North Stand development right. Nothing will ever replace the Kippax, of course. But if handled correctly it could go some way to reconstituting that atmosphere we generated on good days (and I can remember plenty of flat ones when the Kippax, up to then as quiet a mouse, would start chanting “Celtic, Rangers, Celtic, Rangers, Celtic, Rangers” and on and on out of sheer boredom. I remember going to an end of season game against, I think, Sunderland. Utterly meaningless. We got beat, I think. And I got drenched, because I was nearer the front than I usually was and the prevailing wind was pushing the squalls of rain onto all of the front rows. I invaded the pitch at the end, though, so at least that was good (the one time I did).
It's taken me a long time to feel that the Etihad is some kind of home. But when it was really rocking the other night, against Arsenal, I looked round and felt it. I definitely did.

 

[Corky]

Ali Benarbia

The North Stand was the noise maker when he was here.

 

[Corky]

So did I mourn , losing 1-0 and the after match celebrations were piss poor

Having a mediocre pub tribute band first up was ridiculous, just because of Blue in their name and no other reason.

 

[blue b4 the moon]

Commit No Nuisance

 

[J.G.Blue.]

Great photos mate,lots of memories,it was my second home for about twenty five years.

I was just going to post the same, it was a dark, sometimes miserable & sometimes very cold place but at times it could be the best place in the world to watch football & it felt like my second home, I really miss the place.

 

[cyan]

I’d have loved to have stood on The Kippax but was yet to go to a match due to my age. What was it like?

It was the experience of being in a crowd as it moved and responded. When it was busy and the game was thrilling it was finding the best way to see what was happening - peering around or over and learning to use the movement to work you way into a better spot. I think on games like the 5-1 where there was just this enormous surge and the goal went in and you had to move with it. So there is a physicality about it all - and the close proximity of many people - it won't suit everyone - but if it does, then I guess the nearest equivalent now is being in the mosh pit of a concert and being part of a living moving crowd.

It also allowed you to find your own space - as others have said, do you want to be near the away fans or up high or down close. It doesn't matter whether a seat is available or what view you can afford - your find your own place. That also meant it was easier to bring a mate along, introduce people to watching City. Some of the group I still go with were introduced by my brother when he went to Manchester Poly - they were football fans who just wanted to see a game - 30 years on they are City fans.

I cant actually remember my first game in the Kippax. We had grown up in the Platt Lane, but I stopped having a season ticket in 79 as I was going to University - so would then head into the Kippax whenever I was home. At first I would stand right up at the back somewhere on the half way line - I was their to see Trevor Francis score a wonder goal v Wolves to put us top of the league, I spent some time over at the corner near the North Stand - I was there for the Charlton promotion match - but eventually found a spot on the halfway line about half way back and that became our meet up point.

On a quiet game you could move with the game - or head towards the exits and then wait ready for a quick getaway. So as David White raced away to score the 10th I was walking down the Kippax alongside him for a perfect view of the moment.

When we had to buy tickets for the new Kippax we picked as close to equivalent as we could to our normal spot - half-way line front of 3rd-tier, As did a number of the regulars in that spot - many are still there and I still don't know their real names!

 

[Sir peace frog]

I've dug out this picture from the day.
Me with my eldest, aged 2 years and 3 months, and in a sling on my chest is my youngest aged 11 weeks.
I took her out of the sling and placed her tiny legs on the terrace floor - both my girls being 4th generation Blues to stand on The Kippax
View attachment 77221

they must of been so proud of their dad on that day,standing them on the kippax with you looking like a fullkit wanker :)