Hooliganism and Violence Maine Road 80's/early 90's

Stephen230 said:
All those things were certainly factors in countering it. But I think the one single biggest factor in changing people’s attitude was Hillsborough.

I think a lot of people lost their appetite for causing trouble at football, overnight after watching that.
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Possibly a lot did , however trouble still went on, the 5-1 at Maine Road in September 1989 some six months after Hillsborough, and the return fixture at Old Trafford in February 1990, saw some of the worst outbreaks of violence during and after Derby matches . I seem to recall the Crown and Kettle pub on the corner of Great Ancoats Street was closed for some time having been extensively damaged after the OT derby that season following clashes between City and United .
 
bernard o'silver said:
... I seem to recall the Crown and Kettle pub on the corner of Great Ancoats Street was closed for some time having been extensively damaged after the OT derby that season following clashes between City and United .
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and they still haven't fixed the ceiling..!! ;0)
 
Kippax77 said:
Yeah probably.
I found myself going to Shelley's in Stoke, Hard Times in Huddersfield, Eclipse in Coventry etc etc as well as following City everywhere.
So probably too fooked to fight in the 90s.
The 80s were raw, undiluted terrace/club warfare.
Looking back at 55 now I'm still glad I lived through so much
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Ah....Shelleys...the chaos in Knutsford services that always ensued on the way bay from there was legendary, lots of Microdots, Super Smileys and the rest..Great days, still be tripping come 3pm
 
Stephen230 said:
Think it’s the same anywhere. Not just football.

I’ve walked in pubs and can just tell within seconds that there’s a ‘it’s about to kick off’ vibe about the place.
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So true. And the problem is when you walk into a pub like that you have to stay for at least one drink because if you just turn turtle the locals will smell the fear. Drink up quick and then get out as if you are a local.
 
bernard o'silver said:
Possibly a lot did , however trouble still went on, the 5-1 at Maine Road in September 1989 some six months after Hillsborough, and the return fixture at Old Trafford in February 1990, saw some of the worst outbreaks of violence during and after Derby matches . I seem to recall the Crown and Kettle pub on the corner of Great Ancoats Street was closed for some time having been extensively damaged after the OT derby that season following clashes between City and United .
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Still one of the biggest and best Blue pubs in Manchester though.
 
AJ71 said:
This one was notorious, a young lad died.

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I witnessed as sickening incident at Birmingham I think it was late 80's / early 90's it was a night match, I went with a work mate KY, after the game we turned left instead of right hoping to avoid trouble, and found ourselves being chased by a couple of hundred Birmingham fans, at the top of the road the Police were putting City fans into a Police escort back to the New Street Station.
The Police wanted to leave us about 200yds from the Station it felt so dodgy but a senior officer made them march us all the way in to the Station.
They had delayed the train for us we all had to queue up train ticket or not.
We were inside the ticket office not 2 minutes after we had started queuing a fella just in front of me reached forward making a slashing movement the scream was awful, about 3 of them ran for the doors and got out they had slashed a City fan down the right side of his face, a really sickening experience I still think of the poor fella today scarred for life by shithouses.
The Birmingham fans were in our escort all the way to the station.
 
failsworthblueboy said:
I witnessed as sickening incident at Birmingham I think it was late 80's / early 90's it was a night match, I went with a work mate KY, after the game we turned left instead of right hoping to avoid trouble, and found ourselves being chased by a couple of hundred Birmingham fans, at the top of the road the Police were putting City fans into a Police escort back to the New Street Station.
The Police wanted to leave us about 200yds from the Station it felt so dodgy but a senior officer made them march us all the way in to the Station.
They had delayed the train for us we all had to queue up train ticket or not.
We were inside the ticket office not 2 minutes after we had started queuing a fella just in front of me reached forward making a slashing movement the scream was awful, about 3 of them ran for the doors and got out they had slashed a City fan down the right side of his face, a really sickening experience I still think of the poor fella today scarred for life by shithouses.
The Birmingham fans were in our escort all the way to the station.
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So many slashings back then.............to be fair City infiltrated escorts all the time.


oooo errr mrs
 
They were dark times back then & no amount or romancing about it or glorifying it or looking at it through rose tinted glasses can change the fact that ordinary people in many towns & City's were terrified when away fans came calling
Pubs were smashed up ,women & children were left cowering in fear with fans running riot
Trains were wrecked on a regular basis costing 10's of thousands of pounds to repair
Every match day saw coaches up & down the country bricked with windows put through & the people on the coaches left terrified
Fans were killed & seriously injured just because they supported certain clubs
Women & children who were only out shopping were injured in various skirmishes
Shops,service stations ,off
off licences were ransacked on a regular basis
Police,Stewards & innocent bystanders were injured every week
I'm no shrinking violet and have been involved in some stuff mainly in the 70's but some on here are portraying ,hooligans,firms ,mobs ext as latter day Robin Hoods which couldn't be farther than the truth
Looking back & watching old clips & newspaper cuttings
It's like " What the Fu*k" were we thinking ?
Any way just glad that fans ( most of the time) can go to games without fear of getting smashed in the head by a brick ,battered or getting the shit kicked out of them just because they supported a different club
 
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cyberblue said:
They were dark times back then & no amount or romancing about it or glorifying it or looking at it through rose tinted glasses can change the fact that ordinary people in many towns & City's were terrified when away fans came calling
Pubs were smashed up ,women & children were left cowering with fans running riot
Trains were wrecked on a regular basis costing 10's of thousands of pounds to repair
Every match day saw coaches up & down the country bricked with windows put through
Fans were killed & seriously injured just because they supported certain clubs
Women & children were injured in various skirmishes
Shops,service stations ,off
off licences were ransacked on a regular basis
Police,Stewards & innocent bystanders were injured every week
I'm no shrinking violet and have been involved in some stuff mainly in the 70's but some on here are portraying ,hooligans,firms ,mobs ext as latter day Robin Hoods which couldn't be farther than the truth
Looking back & watching old clips & newspaper cuttings
It's like " What the Fu*k" were we thinking ?
Any way just glad that fans ( most of the time) can go to games without fear of getting smashed ,battered or getting the shit kicked out of them just because they supported a different club
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Great post and sums it up perfectly.
 
failsworthblueboy said:
I witnessed as sickening incident at Birmingham I think it was late 80's / early 90's it was a night match, I went with a work mate KY, after the game we turned left instead of right hoping to avoid trouble, and found ourselves being chased by a couple of hundred Birmingham fans, at the top of the road the Police were putting City fans into a Police escort back to the New Street Station.
The Police wanted to leave us about 200yds from the Station it felt so dodgy but a senior officer made them march us all the way in to the Station.
They had delayed the train for us we all had to queue up train ticket or not.
We were inside the ticket office not 2 minutes after we had started queuing a fella just in front of me reached forward making a slashing movement the scream was awful, about 3 of them ran for the doors and got out they had slashed a City fan down the right side of his face, a really sickening experience I still think of the poor fella today scarred for life by shithouses.
The Birmingham fans were in our escort all the way to the station.
Click to expand...
I think this might have been 85 mate. Definitely a night game at St Andrews, it was reported on local radio, probably Piccadilly at the time, that a City fan had been stabbed/slashed. Remember it because a couple of non City supporting mates got in touch as they thought it might have been me!!
 
failsworthblueboy said:
I witnessed as sickening incident at Birmingham I think it was late 80's / early 90's it was a night match, I went with a work mate KY, after the game we turned left instead of right hoping to avoid trouble, and found ourselves being chased by a couple of hundred Birmingham fans, at the top of the road the Police were putting City fans into a Police escort back to the New Street Station.
The Police wanted to leave us about 200yds from the Station it felt so dodgy but a senior officer made them march us all the way in to the Station.
They had delayed the train for us we all had to queue up train ticket or not.
We were inside the ticket office not 2 minutes after we had started queuing a fella just in front of me reached forward making a slashing movement the scream was awful, about 3 of them ran for the doors and got out they had slashed a City fan down the right side of his face, a really sickening experience I still think of the poor fella today scarred for life by shithouses.
The Birmingham fans were in our escort all the way to the station.
Click to expand...
A lad that used to drive us to a lot of away games got split up when finally arrived at the car back of his pants were covered in blood a Scouse **** had taken a knife to his back.
We got him to Warrington where he spent the night two pints of blood and twenty two stitches.
I always swore I would take revenge but didn't have it in me to use a knife.
But certainly kicked the shit out of a few of the vermin when they turned up at M R
 
beehive_bob said:
I think this might have been 85 mate. Definitely a night game at St Andrews, it was reported on local radio, probably Piccadilly at the time, that a City fan had been stabbed/slashed. Remember it because a couple of non City supporting mates got in touch as they thought it might have been me!!
Click to expand...
All those Birmingham away games in the 80’s all merge into one for me but that might have been the game when we all came out to be greeted by bricks from wasteland behind our end.
 
beehive_bob said:
I think this might have been 85 mate. Definitely a night game at St Andrews, it was reported on local radio, probably Piccadilly at the time, that a City fan had been stabbed/slashed. Remember it because a couple of non City supporting mates got in touch as they thought it might have been me!!
Click to expand...
Could well have been 85 mate thank you, horrible incident.
 
cyberblue said:
They were dark times back then & no amount or romancing about it or glorifying it or looking at it through rose tinted glasses can change the fact that ordinary people in many towns & City's were terrified when away fans came calling
Pubs were smashed up ,women & children were left cowering in fear with fans running riot
Trains were wrecked on a regular basis costing 10's of thousands of pounds to repair
Every match day saw coaches up & down the country bricked with windows put through & the people on the coaches left terrified
Fans were killed & seriously injured just because they supported certain clubs
Women & children who were only out shopping were injured in various skirmishes
Shops,service stations ,off
off licences were ransacked on a regular basis
Police,Stewards & innocent bystanders were injured every week
I'm no shrinking violet and have been involved in some stuff mainly in the 70's but some on here are portraying ,hooligans,firms ,mobs ext as latter day Robin Hoods which couldn't be farther than the truth
Looking back & watching old clips & newspaper cuttings
It's like " What the Fu*k" were we thinking ?
Any way just glad that fans ( most of the time) can go to games without fear of getting smashed in the head by a brick ,battered or getting the shit kicked out of them just because they supported a different club
Click to expand...
Great post. And gets to the crux of the matter.

I have always maintained that anyone who went rampaging as part of a mob was a complete coward and I have a simple test for anyone who still insists on glorifying the good old days of beating up women and children for sport:
If you were walking round town on a Saturday in the off season and saw a 6’4”, well-built 25 year old walking around wearing an opponents football shirt would you go up to him and offer him a straight, one to one, fight? If not (and let’s be very honest, none of these members of “a firm” would dream of ever having a fair fight - they only fight when they outnumber their opponents 4 or 5 to one) but you would fight him during the season if you had five lads with you for every one one of him, then you’re a bully and a coward.

The number of people you hear, even today, trying to claim that they never went looking for it but only joined in because they were “protecting their fellow fans” is a joke. I’d respect them more if they told the truth “well, I’m a bit of a coward in normal life (nothing wrong with that by the way, it’s called being normal), but when I have 100 fellow lads around me I quite like beating the shit out of young kids and women, older dads and that, and I bloody love smashing up shops and businesses and dragging the name of our club through the mud, cos, you know, “the 80’s” and that, but when I come up against someone of similar stature, in similar numbers, what I do right, is jump
about a lot with my arms outstretched and then run like fuck away as fast as I can, smashing up shops and passersby as I flee as fast as my knuckles can drag me”

The fact that this thread exists on this forum, and I’m certain in similar guises on pretty much every other clubs forums, is depressing.

The truth is that hooligans were, are, and always will be, shithouses, bullies, and cowards. One of the very very very few things I have ever been able to give credit to the conservative governments of the 80’s was the way they destroyed in large part the “firms”. Including our own.
 
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