"A Major Concern" & Crowd Control at Maine Road

[Gary James]

I don't know if this is of any interest to you at all Gary but one of those blocks of seating was down to my Dad who was the Managing Director of a seating firm near Warrington at the time. The other block was from a rival firm based in the West Midlands At the final game of the season when we relegated Sunderland the Sunderland fans chucked a few on the pitch and me, my Dad and Jimmy Frizzell took a stroll across later to look at the damage. Turns out the concrete had given way. Anyway it had a happy ending as my Dad got the contracts to reseat the bottom of the North Stand, the Umbro/Platt Lane Stand and finally the Kippax.

Very interesting - do you have any documentation and photos connected with the installation? I always like to add the stories to the cold facts.

 

[Didsbury Dave]

I have shinned over the Kippax fence, Charlton 85. The advertising hordings made a nice tummy slide to ease my landing on the hallowed turf.

 

[Always Ali]

I have shinned over the Kippax fence, Charlton 85. The advertising hordings made a nice tummy slide to ease my landing on the hallowed turf.

I walked on loads of shoulders to get on the pitch that day - Great memories!

 

[Gary James]

It was questioned whether fences ever did appear in front of the Main Stand. As well as the reference earlier to a photo in "Manchester The Greatest City" I've dug out these from the same day.

This was 1988 I think (as I was in the Main Stand for a couple of games that year): <a class="postlink" href="http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150135617717816.285215.289818652815&saved#!/photo.php?fbid=10150209905952816&set=a.10150135617717816.285215.289818652815&type=1&theater" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set= ... =1&theater</a>

The fences later went higher and were angled inwards.

For those who talked of the Full Members Cup on another thread, I've also posted a few images connected with that in my research folder on facebook - <a class="postlink" href="http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150135617717816.285215.289818652815" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set= ... 9818652815</a>

I'll add that to the FMC thread as well.

 

[Sheikh Rattle n Roll]

These are photos I took of photos....sorry scanner playing up!

I am not sure which this match is, but was near end of season, may have been Oxford???...as you will see, there was a bit of a pitch invasion from the Main Stand.

Another glorious view of The Kippax-

And from the same match against the Rags, the Main Stand without any fencing. You will see the fence stop at J Block-

The first time I recall the fences going up was in the 70's in the UEFA cup games. They were then taken down for league matches if I recall correctly???<br /><br />-- Fri Jun 17, 2011 10:36 am --<br /><br />

It was questioned whether fences ever did appear in front of the Main Stand. As well as the reference earlier to a photo in "Manchester The Greatest City" I've dug out these from the same day.

This was 1988 I think (as I was in the Main Stand for a couple of games that year): <a class="postlink" href="http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150135617717816.285215.289818652815&saved#!/photo.php?fbid=10150209905952816&set=a.10150135617717816.285215.289818652815&type=1&theater" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set= ... =1&theater</a>

The fences later went higher and were angled inwards.

For those who talked of the Full Members Cup on another thread, I've also posted a few images connected with that in my research folder on facebook - <a class="postlink" href="http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150135617717816.285215.289818652815" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set= ... 9818652815</a>

I'll add that to the FMC thread as well.

They must have added the fence to the Main Stand as a token gesture (much smaller fence!!!) after complaints by those of us elsewhere in the ground being treated like second class citizens!

 

[Gary James]

It was questioned whether fences ever did appear in front of the Main Stand. As well as the reference earlier to a photo in "Manchester The Greatest City" I've dug out these from the same day.

This was 1988 I think (as I was in the Main Stand for a couple of games that year): <a class="postlink" href="http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150135617717816.285215.289818652815&saved#!/photo.php?fbid=10150209905952816&set=a.10150135617717816.285215.289818652815&type=1&theater" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set= ... =1&theater</a>

The fences later went higher and were angled inwards.

They must have added the fence to the Main Stand as a token gesture (much smaller fence!!!) after complaints by those of us elsewhere in the ground being treated like second class citizens!

Just checked... my photo was from 25/2/89 (City 2 Plymouth 0) and I've got others from earlier that season showing the fencing.

Also, images of the 10-1 in 1987 clearly show the fencing in place.

I've not checked 1986-87 yet, but it seems likely that the Main Stand fence was erected either as the 1986-87 season progressed (perhaps because of the Swales Out demos?) or following relegation.

I'm not entirely convinced the Main Stand fencing was later increased to the hieght it eventually reached at the other stands now. My image shows it at the lower level (the other fences had an angled top above the straight fence) - the Hillsborough disaster changed thinking, so it's unlikely the fence would have been increased between Feb and April 89.

Pretty certain the fencing wasn't in place before 1987 - those images of the derby must have been from the ones in the mid 80s. I included photos of the Main Stand during the 1985-86 derby in "The Pride Of Manchester" and it was not fenced then.

 

[Didsbury Dave]

It was questioned whether fences ever did appear in front of the Main Stand. As well as the reference earlier to a photo in "Manchester The Greatest City" I've dug out these from the same day.

This was 1988 I think (as I was in the Main Stand for a couple of games that year): <a class="postlink" href="http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150135617717816.285215.289818652815&saved#!/photo.php?fbid=10150209905952816&set=a.10150135617717816.285215.289818652815&type=1&theater" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set= ... =1&theater</a>

The fences later went higher and were angled inwards.

For those who talked of the Full Members Cup on another thread, I've also posted a few images connected with that in my research folder on facebook - <a class="postlink" href="http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150135617717816.285215.289818652815" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set= ... 9818652815</a>

I'll add that to the FMC thread as well.

Interesting photos from that Plymouth game. You can see THe Platt Lane 98% empty. Also, going back to our earlier conversation about how City used the away section of the Kippax, I think there are City fans in the open/corner bit but not the paddock.

 

[Gary James]

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150135617717816.285215.289818652815&saved#!/photo.php?fbid=10150209905952816&set=a.10150135617717816.285215.289818652815&type=1&theater" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set= ... =1&theater</a>

Interesting photos from that Plymouth game. You can see THe Platt Lane 98% empty. Also, going back to our earlier conversation about how City used the away section of the Kippax, I think there are City fans in the open/corner bit but not the paddock.

Good spot but I think they are actually Plymouth fans stood on the open bit. I've other images from that game somewhere, and I reckon this was a fairly decent crowd for Plymouth to bring up (still only a few hundred in total, spread around the PL Stand & the corner). The crowd was 22,451.

I've also got images from a similar angle of the FAC game V Leicester the previous Jan. I know it was a Cup game, but it looks like Leicester were in both sections as well.

The covered 'traditional' away section was closed by the looks of it.

 

[liamctid]

My mate who's a Chelsea fan was talking to me about this game the other day as someone he knows had done a blog about it:

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.plainsofalmeria.co.uk/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.plainsofalmeria.co.uk/</a>

For anyone not arsed about the link...

Already promoted, Chelsea were now closing in on the Division 2 title, which would be the club’s first trophy of any kind since 1971. The next game was away at Man City the next Friday night. It was live on BBC1 and there were concerns this, coupled with the game being on Friday night, might affect the Chelsea travelling support, concerns that were totally unfounded.

Euston early on Friday afternoon was chock full of Chelsea, catching a mix of specials and service trains. Alcohol had been banned from specials since the legendary Bolton 76/77 trip (to be the subject of a later reminiscence all of its own) but in those days alcohol was banned from all trains that might contain football fans and a list of all such dry trains was displayed at mainline stations.

When we got to Manchester Piccadilly about 18.00 they didn’t initially have enough coaches to take us all on to Maine Road so we had to hang round the station for ages before getting to the ground. We had got seats in advance, which turned out to be in the main stand at the very far left of the Chelsea section. Even City fans (e.g. Mickey Francis in ‘The Guvnors’) reckon Chelsea took 7,000 out of a crowd of 21,700 and I reckon it was more like 8-9,000. Truly magnificent support.

Chelsea won comfortably 2-0 (here are the goals and a small pitch invasion) <a class="postlink" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOFeoWjMLBM&feature=related" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOFeoWjM ... re=related</a> and our block was kept in afterwards. This was OK, until we realised the away terraces were emptying and, worse, so were the Chelsea seats further up our stand. For reasons never explained (and I tried asking police and stewards) our block (a couple of hundred at most) was kept in for 20 minutes or so and let out onto the darkening streets of Manchester. It became very clear, very quickly, that whatever escort there was had gone and we were on our own with no idea where we were going. There were City fans milling around and chanting, and the five of us tried to merge in with them. Unfortunately one of our number, Pete, was wearing a Chelsea sweat shirt (bad enough), had a number 3 crop (worse) and walking with a stick after getting injured playing football (worse still).

The police were, predictably, unsympathetic. “Just go up that alley, lads and follow the crowds” was the suggestion of one bright spark PC when asked how we should get to Piccadilly station. That alley was dark and long, and we could guess what (or who) was waiting at the other end. Somehow we managed to lose two of our number (including our limping man in the sweatshirt) while shuffling round outside the ground in the confusion.

After wandering round for about half an hour avoiding alley ways, fretting more and more and wondering how the hell to away from the area safely and get home that night at all, eventually the three of us found a main road and, joyfully, a car park full of Chelsea coaches next to a large pub. We found a coach with empty seats, paid the organiser a fiver each and got on. I recognised a few faces and it was clear some had battled their way back to the coaches and were very hyped up. We were just very relieved to have reached safety. A few beers and things got more relaxed, and I got home about 4am. Hopalong Pete and his sidekick had managed to get a normal bus to Piccadilly and got on a half empty Chelsea special. God only knows how some Chelsea got home that night

 

[Didsbury Dave]

21,700 with all those Chelsea?

No way.