Yes what a cold night that was but we won 1-0 Royle scored.Do you remember the next round Newcastle away won 3-1 loads of gordies in city end.
The rope, how ridiculous was that, also the copper on the raised platform, he was just cannon fodder.The rope separating Blues from the rag scum down the Kippax one game, it lasted about 2 minutes after kick off!!
Yes indeed the gillams wythenshawe were in that little entourageRemember that rope down the kippax very well. Think it was the night utd got in city end then they ended up surrounded at the top of the kippax
Paddy O'neil, Les Cracknell, the Muir Bros, Les Tate, Tiny, George Maguire and Bulldog were all involved in rucks with opposition fans home and away early to mid 60s, told me many a tale of the early days, one was a big kick off with rags in the old Robin Hood pub, no messing about it was knuckle dusters, pint pots chairs and anything to hand, police only turned up when City had finished with them lolI'm finding these recollections really interesting (if that isn't the wrong term to use). Being too young to attend away games in the 70s, I'm keen to know of the earliest City games (home or away) of when hooliganism was witnessed by anyone present ? I know most people associate the rise of hooliganism with the 70s but I think it started in the mid to late 60s (remember seeing tv footage of a Derby v Rags game circa '68 of fans fighting on the terraces with virtually no police present). I know it's slightly off thread but would be interested to know anyway...
Ahh. The Belle Vue bus stop boys. Happy days.Wolves away around '77/78. Ended up taking a spare seat on the Donald Francis organised Cool Cat's coach. Up until then, I'd been round the periphery of football hooliganism, largely at Derby games and the occasional ambush of Utd fans coming off the 53 bus at Belle Vue. This was very, very different. I was like a goldfish in a tank of basking Piranha's. The fighting started when the coach stopped (on purpose), so everybody could pile off and lay into Wolves fans outside a pub. It was more dangerous to stay on the coach than it was to get off - anyone who stayed on was guaranteed a kicking whereas if you got off, you at least had a chance of avoiding one. A couple of more similar 'combat stops' happened, then it went off on the coach car park and to top it all, the there was a battle with Cardiff fans at Sandbach services. Back in Manchester, Donald gave a pep talk to the coach and congratulated them on their 'performance', particularly against Cardiff, then it was into Piccadilly Gardens to catch the remaining Utd fans who hadn't yet caught their train back to London. Never forgotten it and I can assure anyone that by comparison, pretty much anything you see today is like a a group of 12 year old girls having a playground spat. The MIBs on steroids wouldn't have lasted 30 seconds against this lot.
some big names there,a lad i know who travelled with them ,said city were the top firm ,as well as the best team,at that time,Paddy O'neil, Les Cracknell, the Muir Bros, Les Tate, Tiny, George Maguire and Bulldog were all involved in rucks with opposition fans home and away early to mid 60s, told me many a tale of the early days, one was a big kick off with rags in the old Robin Hood pub, no messing about it was knuckle dusters, pint pots chairs and anything to hand, police only turned up when City had finished with them lol
Heard violence at London games was common in the 20s and 30s, not sure if true though but the usual suspects were WHU and Millwall and surprisingly Orient
Correct, fuckin MIBs pussys, we had to fight George Lyons RIP Newton Heath mob and Banana Bobs little rag firm every time we just wanted a pint in Town, rags they might have been but they were real handy fuckers, a blue walked all the way home to Ancoats to arm himself with a hammer, came back and ran into Yates's bottom of Oldham St and layed into the Newton Heath lot, got a bit of Strangeways for it but is still nicknamed 'Hammer' to this dayWolves away around '77/78. Ended up taking a spare seat on the Donald Francis organised Cool Cat's coach. Up until then, I'd been round the periphery of football hooliganism, largely at Derby games and the occasional ambush of Utd fans coming off the 53 bus at Belle Vue. This was very, very different. I was like a goldfish in a tank of basking Piranha's. The fighting started when the coach stopped (on purpose), so everybody could pile off and lay into Wolves fans outside a pub. It was more dangerous to stay on the coach than it was to get off - anyone who stayed on was guaranteed a kicking whereas if you got off, you at least had a chance of avoiding one. A couple of more similar 'combat stops' happened, then it went off on the coach car park and to top it all, the there was a battle with Cardiff fans at Sandbach services. Back in Manchester, Donald gave a pep talk to the coach and congratulated them on their 'performance', particularly against Cardiff, then it was into Piccadilly Gardens to catch the remaining Utd fans who hadn't yet caught their train back to London. Never forgotten it and I can assure anyone that by comparison, pretty much anything you see today is like a a group of 12 year old girls having a playground spat. The MIBs on steroids wouldn't have lasted 30 seconds against this lot.
Before the game, the same City lads were ambushed as we walked past the scarborough arms near leeds station. At least that's what they thought! Big mistake. the pub also needed a refit as well.Daffy, Brian Slater RIP and Scotty with their little mob were brilliant that day, they turned up in a furniture removal van right outside that pub near the ground, the back went up and they all piled out and chased Leeds around the pub grounds and up and down the road they never knew what hit them, don't know why they didn't go home in it but seen them all marching all the way back to the station holding their own against a huge Leeds mob, they were laughing and looked as though they were enjoying themselves, rum fuckers all of them
remember that. a crazy day.Correct, fuckin MIBs pussys, we had to fight George Lyons RIP Newton Heath mob and Banana Bobs little rag firm every time we just wanted a pint in Town, rags they might have been but they were real handy fuckers, a blue walked all the way home to Ancoats to arm himself with a hammer, came back and ran into Yates's bottom of Oldham St and layed into the Newton Heath lot, got a bit of Strangeways for it but is still nicknamed 'Hammer' to this day
Few missing off there blue balls they became the kippax tasties early seventies made up of predominantly longsight chapsPaddy O'neil, Les Cracknell, the Muir Bros, Les Tate, Tiny, George Maguire and Bulldog were all involved in rucks with opposition fans home and away early to mid 60s, told me many a tale of the early days, one was a big kick off with rags in the old Robin Hood pub, no messing about it was knuckle dusters, pint pots chairs and anything to hand, police only turned up when City had finished with them lol
Heard violence at London games was common in the 20s and 30s, not sure if true though but the usual suspects were WHU and Millwall and surprisingly Orient
The Halfway House Longsight mob!Few missing off there blue balls they became the kippax tasties early seventies made up of predominantly longsight chaps
Majority used to hang out at the midway & meet up along the way ending up more often than not at the birch villa where John n Chris lived I was a bit younger Marie Muir knocked about with us for a whileThe Halfway House Longsight mob!
I did mean the Midway honest, knew it was Halfway or Midway to Stocky lolMajority used to hang out at the midway & meet up along the way ending up more often than not at the birch villa where John n Chris lived I was a bit younger Marie Muir knocked about with us for a while
Hahaha they were good days I was only young but was looked after was scary though wasn't allowed to give it legsI did mean the Midway honest, knew it was Halfway or Midway to Stocky lol