That was a great piece Phil. I was Chairman of the Chadderton Branch at the time and did a follow up to your piece in the next publication, centred on the vote regarding Swales and then the resignations of officials and the formation of The ‘Independent Supporters Association’ (ISA), of which I was elected first Chairman.@BringBackSwales
I'm pretty sure I was at the supporters club meeting when the vote was taken to ban the London branch.
Only one delegate from each branch could vote so I wasn't involved in the actual vote but I was against it and spoke against it. In fact yes I was there because I just remembered that everyone unable to vote had to leave the room while the voting took place!
I maybe wrong but think Kevin Cummins had something to do with the newsletter?
I recall there was an olive branch not to ban them if the officials from the London branch stood down and were replaced by new officials, presumably ones prepared to toe the line...... this was rejected and the ban took place.
I didn't rejoin the supporters club after that and a few years later when writing for the fanzine Blue Print, I produced my best headline writing a scathing piece about the supporters club under the title "The Little (Closed) Shop Of Horrocks"
Yes we did, by the time it was dark, I remember the line snaking in and out of the North Stand.Pretty sure I did 11/12 but I reckon I got to queue inside the ground after about 7.
Tickets were also available over the phone, that's how we got ours. I remember it well, I was at work on my phone in a queue whilst my mate was at home on his. After a long wait we managed to get 4.Utterly ridiculous looking back. The internet wasn't widely used back then but surely a better way could have been found. I laugh when fans complain that the club doesn't listen to them now. Incidents like this are a stark reminder they didn't really give a fuck about us back then either. Remember, in those days we were on the bones of our arse and they desperately needed our support, but we were still treated with contempt.
Tickets were also available over the phone, that's how we got ours. I remember it well, I was at work on my phone in a queue whilst my mate was at home on his. After a long wait we managed to get 4.
Yeah it could have been a case of continually dialling and not a queue. We definitely got them by phone in the end, no doubt by pure luck.Trust me I phoned constantly over and over and just got the engaged tone. I was working in the back office on the ship at the time and had complete access to the outside line. Everyday I did this from when the office opened to when it shut. I had it on speakerphone while I worked. After being cut off I immediately redialed. I never got anywhere near a queue. Did anybody else here buy tickets over the phone???
I was confusing the Taylor Report (Hillsborough) with the Poppelwell Inquiry which had followed the Bradford Fire@Scaring Europe to Death
Maybe @Gary James can help.
The Hillsborough disaster was only a few weeks before the Bournemouth game but I seem to recall instantly capacities of large terraces were cut. That's why I think the capacity went from 52 to 48 in between the two games.
Happy to be corrected.
Tickets went on open sale at Gillingham. I drove round the M25 and paid cash for mine from their ticket office. No queues, no questions and seemingly as many as you reasonably wanted.Gillingham - average gate around 6000 - allowed season ticket.hokders to buy up to 10 tickets each and anyone with a Kent postcode could buy a ticket.
Lots also spilled over the perimiter wall of the kippax into the area between the wall and blue railing fence. Anyone remember when and why the front of the Kippax was later fenced in?I was in the Maine Stand, hundreds without a seat, sat and stood on the steps...how did that happen ?
11 and a half for me, got served at 23.15 after arriving later than planned due to Friday night refreshments. Remember on the day it had apparently been announced online season tkt holders could buy an extra ticket with 2 cup game ticket stubs which some knew about and others didnt.Over 11 hours for me.
Frank Clark had a hangdog lookReading this thread I briefly mistook Frank Horrocks for the guy with sort of a hangdog look who did the specials with Cheesy but then remembered he was called Howard I think. Anyone remember him ?
Julian Wood moved to London in about 1979 or 1980. A few of us kipped on his floor before and after the 81 FA Cup final.Hi MES, I think I know you, were you in the Leicester and Rugby branch and used to talk about Gordon Smith a lot?! Yeah I think Kevin was on the committee, the controversial newsletter editor was I think called Julian Wood. I wasn’t on the committee so wasn’t in that meeting but I was told by a lad that was there that Horrocks stated to the meeting that if the vote went in favour of London staying he would quit, so then the vote became not about London going but about Horrocks staying. Because of that the vote went against and the London branch was expelled.
Edit: different Kevin, I think Kevin Cummins was in the branch after I left it. I think there was a Kevin Whelan on the committee in my day
Howard YatesReading this thread I briefly mistook Frank Horrocks for the guy with sort of a hangdog look who did the specials with Cheesy but then remembered he was called Howard I think. Anyone remember him ?
Gate fiddling was the last thing on the police's mind back then!Julian Wood moved to London in about 1979 or 1980. A few of us kipped on his floor before and after the 81 FA Cup final.
I lost touch with him in the late 80s but I heard he emigrated to Israel about 20-25 years ago.
The play-off final ticket distribution was a joke. 35,000 tickets and just 10/12 windows at the ticket office. We were favourites to beat Wigan so should have prepared by bringing in a load of staff and sold tickets at some of the stadium turnstiles. It ain't rocket engineering but Bernard was bloody useless.
As for the crowd figure manipulation debate I will ask the question I always ask: Each turnstile was fitted with a non-resettable counter so the actual crowd could be calculated. The police could easily find the true attendances and I can't believe they would allow mass fraud to continue if the offence was repeated as often as claimed.
Possibly, but it's alleged to have gone on throughout the Swales era and you'd think a rag copper or two would have sought to drop us in the brown, smelly stuff.Gate fiddling was the last thing on the police's mind back then!
Maybe they were in on the deal too ha ha who knows!Possibly, but it's alleged to have gone on throughout the Swales era and you'd think a rag copper or two would have sought to drop us in the brown, smelly stuff.
Ryan Giggs?Given this precedent of a thread.
Should be interesting reading when a certain manager from Trafford obliges.
Yes we did, by the time it was dark, I remember the line snaking in and out of the North Stand.