The cool cats

[Didsbury Dave]

I used to go to away games in the late 70's on Yelloways coaches from Middleton with a mate (we are females).

Used to be wild at times - Donald used to travel with them occasionally - my memory was that he seemed really quiet and inoffensive. I must have been really naiive! - mind you was only 17/18!

When I read Mickey Francis;s book Guvnor's I was amazed to read all about Donald's antics.

I remember being at the FA cup game at Elland Road when we were winning and the Leeds fans invaded the pitch and the Police had to put horses on the pitch.

getting out of the ground and back to the coaches was challenging to say the least. I remember some of the lads from the coach along the road looking out for us to make sure we got back to the coach.

Are you confusing Donald Francis with Daft Donald? Totally different characters.

 

[IOWBlue]

Ive seen Donald in a suit in the Main Stand, the other Donald, erm....havn't. ;)

 

[Eds]

Daft Donald, he of 'can you borrow me 10p' fame...

Remember travelling with Donald Francis and three double decker Selecta coaches to Wembley for the FMC final against Chelsea and Donald declaring after the match that 'we'll sort these fuckers out at our place'

 

[Lavinda Past]

Don't know much about them, but a red mate of mine, big hairy arsed builder/biker/bouncer, ex irish army(so not soft) told me a story about UTD getting battered and chased around leeds and were trying to get on a train, were shitting themselves, when a group of 20 or so cool cats(must,ve been playing in Yorkshire too) were fighting whilst walking to the station, WALKING! My mate said the coolest thing he ever saw was a massive Leeds skinhead running up to 1 of them eyes bulging, and the "leader just butted him out cold without breaking stride, or looking back to see his handywork! Pretty Cool IMO! I've never got involved in any of that stuff, can't see the point!!

The cool cats crew at Leeds were all black as I recall but it was near 40 years ago

They were all coal miners Rasc. Didn't have time for a shower before t'match.

 

[njmcfc1894]

I used to work door at Roses Bar in 98 before it got closed down by licencing and it was City's boozer after home/away matches, got to know alot of the younger lads as they were around my age, even went to court with them for The Blob Shop trial in 2001 when my mate GW got sent down, Daft Donald was there for the case winding everyone up, City and United ended up brawling on the concourse haha.

Some good lads who i still drink with now, alot of them left it all behind, City rebuilt their firm around 97 and these Younger lads were the core of it, the year of Joe Royle promotion they were getting mither at every home and away game, dont think they had a name to be honest unless one of the guys on here knows different.

Working the Doors it was a good ally to have as well, my mate GW would know who was in towm, would warn me ie 40 Huddersfield in the Waldorf and the big one was always Stoke being transferred from Piccadilly to Victoria, City would always be around Shudehill for that haha .

 

[Hung]

My abiding memory of this lot was an away game at Wolves around 1978. I was in a queue at Piccadilly Station to get a ticket for the service train when Donald came up to the queue and said he had a couple of seats on their coach which was a few quid cheaper than the train. He had two coaches laid on parked in the undercroft at Piccadilly. I can remember that both coaches had a hand painted 'Kool Kats' board with the City crest on in the back window of the coach. To cut a long story short, it was fucking mayhem. Driving into Wolves, we drove passed a boozer with a bunch of Wolves skinheads outside, the coaches stopped about 100 yards up the road, Donald ordered everybody off and then both coach loads charged back up the road to the pub and laid into the Wolves fans. This was the general theme of the day, culminating with a mass brawl on the bridge at Sandbach services with Cardiff fans on the way back, who'd been to Old Trafford for a cup game. There were hundreds of the fuckers and it ended up with a fighting retreat up the hard shoulder as the coaches pulled away. On arrival back in Manchester, the coaches dropped us off at Piccadilly because, in the words of Donald, 'United's cockney's will be waiting for trains, so we can give it to them before they leave', which was exactly what happened. I was 17 then and I'm 53 now and I've never forgotten it. I didn't know Donald that well, but I what I did know was that he was as game as fuck.

At the end of it, I felt like I'd been an extra in the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan. Didn't go on their coach again.

 

[bezer57]

Was it not the KKK ? Shore it was the Kippax kool kats ! I used to run with a guy call bulldog he always had a sheep skin coat on we used to meet in the magic city arcade which was at the bottom of the ramp of Piccadilly station ! Had some mad days away !!! Lol . Oh to be young again !! .

 

[Skip Donoghue]

My abiding memory of this lot was an away game at Wolves around 1978. I was in a queue at Piccadilly Station to get a ticket for the service train when Donald came up to the queue and said he had a couple of seats on their coach which was a few quid cheaper than the train. He had two coaches laid on parked in the undercroft at Piccadilly. I can remember that both coaches had a hand painted 'Kool Kats' board with the City crest on in the back window of the coach. To cut a long story short, it was fucking mayhem. Driving into Wolves, we drove passed a boozer with a bunch of Wolves skinheads outside, the coaches stopped about 100 yards up the road, Donald ordered everybody off and then both coach loads charged back up the road to the pub and laid into the Wolves fans. This was the general theme of the day, culminating with a mass brawl on the bridge at Sandbach services with Cardiff fans on the way back, who'd been to Old Trafford for a cup game. There were hundreds of the fuckers and it ended up with a fighting retreat up the hard shoulder as the coaches pulled away. On arrival back in Manchester, the coaches dropped us off at Piccadilly because, in the words of Donald, 'United's cockney's will be waiting for trains, so we can give it to them before they leave', which was exactly what happened. I was 17 then and I'm 53 now and I've never forgotten it. I didn't know Donald that well, but I what I did know was that he was as game as fuck.

At the end of it, I felt like I'd been an extra in the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan. Didn't go on their coach again.

Haha 3 rucks against 3 different clubs in a day, that's some baptism of fire

 

[nw42]

Was it not the KKK ? Shore it was the Kippax kool kats ! I used to run with a guy call bulldog he always had a sheep skin coat on we used to meet in the magic city arcade which was at the bottom of the ramp of Piccadilly station ! Had some mad days away !!! Lol . Oh to be young again !! .

It was just Kool Kats as far as I knew back then, as for bulldog, cotton wool in his ears is what I remember, he'd downgraded to a donkey jacket by the mid 70's, he was a game fucker though.

Great days the 70's best time of my football watching life bar none.

 

[billfromthehill]

I remember them in the early eighties waltzing through the kippax shouting
Black hash black ash as a young kid I thought they was looking for there mate called ash

Ycnmiu lol