Better than the good old days

I used to love the match day experience at Maine Road.

Meet my dad and pals in the George in cheadle, packed with blues, at 1 ish. Leave the pub at 2.35, whizz to the ground and park right on the forecourt dropping the old bloke on duty £3. Sat in our seats for 2.58.

Whilst the football for us at times was turgid I still had some very special times there and very special childhood memories too. It wasn't all bad and I still say to this day I had better times and laughs than my red mates.

Straight out after the game, in the car and back in the George for 5.10.

I wouldn't change our current situation for the world but I loved going Maine road, the whole thing, day, experience was amazing and no ones having those memories off me.


Going back even further to when I was 7/8/9 my dad was a regular in the Junction Pub, cheadle hulme (now Platform 5). Back in those days it was a proper Wild West pub and loved going in before going the match and watching all the characters. It was a proper blue pub (as was cheadle hulme in those days). Go in, random blokes climbing in the car who decided the last minute to go to the game (pay on the gate).

Frank clarkes newsagents on Worcester road at night waiting for pink final to arrive.

Sorry for rambling, just opened up a whole load of memories for me :)
 
Rather give a grown up a fiver than some kids a quid. Or not maybe.

Edit: (for parking)
 
I remember my dad taking me to a barbers shop called Arties you could buy anything from there. Came out with a great leather coat and a suit length. Think it was on Claremont Rd. Then off to the match. First memory was of all players George Heslop. Christ how things have changed. Just wish I could take the old chap along now he would have loved it.
 
tiggsywiggsywoo said:
I remember my dad taking me to a barbers shop called Arties you could buy anything from there. Came out with a great leather coat and a suit length. Think it was on Claremont Rd. Then off to the match. First memory was of all players George Heslop. Christ how things have changed. Just wish I could take the old chap along now he would have loved it.
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Haha! Arties. More fencing than Balmoral!
 
No stupid charge on betting which was to pay for facilities and not a tax at all, so no coincidence when it got scrapped exactly the same time as betting tax.

No queues needed for tickets.

No more moving games for Yom Kippur!
 
KnaresboroughBlue said:
I enjoyed them at the time I suppose but as you say, pretty much everything is better now.
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Same here...your right almost everything is better now, the good old days really were actually the dark ages, but those days had something that I cant put my finger on, something that is definately missing now, that makes the question of which was the better time a little less clear cut than perhaps it should be.

Maybe it was togetherness when it came to the fans, we generally had that, Everyone generally had each others back, that is absolutely not the case nowadays.
 
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dasein said:
Some people might know this but I have a Rag father in law, and the last time we talked he blamed me for causing the 'problems of football', (money, greed, Sky, crappy fans, no pride, no loyalty etc etc), he said all this is my fault for buying a season ticket. I argued that there are still some great things about football today. He challenged me to name 1 thing that is better now than in the 'good old days', so I said David Silva.

So put some thought into it and name something, anything that makes football better now
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l
So basically since the scum have become shit its our problem. Tell him to grow a pair cause some time soon he will defiantly need them in the lower reaches. Feckin scummy wankers. Have a couple of yrs around 5th and they cry wolf.fook em.
 
purplenose said:
Same here...your right almost everything is better now, the good old days really were actually the dark ages, but those days had something that I cant put my finger on, something that is definately missing now, that makes the question of which was the better time a little less clear cut than perhaps it should be.

Maybe it was togetherness when it came to the fans, we generally had that, Everyone generally had each others back, that is absolutely not the case nowadays.
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Good post mate. May I venture what we all might miss about Maine Road is our youth ? I loved the Sergio moment but it didn't beat St James Park in 1968 !! It was because I was 15 I expect , who knows ?
 
The facilities around the ground not having to do hopscotch to avoid the horse and dog shit down that alley towards Platt Lane.

Catering facilities not having to buy one of the ropey horse burgers out of the tin boiled up from one of them carts from the bloke with the woodbine hanging out of his mouth with the long fag ash about to drop and fall into your bun.
 
mac said:
l
So basically since the scum have become shit its our problem. Tell him to grow a pair cause some time soon he will defiantly need them in the lower reaches. Feckin scummy wankers. Have a couple of yrs around 5th and they cry wolf.fook em.
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Everything is shit because they are shit and who's owners are sucking the life out of the club.
 
Mike D said:
The facilities around the ground not having to do hopscotch to avoid the horse and dog shit down that alley towards Platt Lane.

Catering facilities not having to buy one of the ropey horse burgers out of the tin boiled up from one of them carts from the bloke with the woodbine hanging out of his mouth with the long fag ash about to drop and fall into your bun.
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Can better that. Got a mouse burger from the stall at the back of the Kippax! When the guy pulled the burger out, attached to the tongs was a dead mouse. I know I should have taken it, being an extra helping, but declined the offering for some strange reason.

Yes, the good old days, eh?

Also, where I park on Clayton Lane, so I can go in the Grove, I still get pestered by kids on bikes (BMX is so 80s) to look after my car. I always, very politely, say "no thanks", and, so far, my car is still intact.
 
remember when the team would roll up in a minibus looking all pleased with themselves about 15 minutes before kick off after having a kick about in a local school gym.....ycmiu....wonder which amateur came up with that idea.....
 
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