The cool cats

[pete from rochdale]

Yeah. I went along with my schoolmate whose cousin was one of the top City lads at the time( Alan Dodd who posts on here as Doddy)
Can also remember Les Cracknell,Les Tate and George and Barry McGuire going to Picc Station to give the departing WHU fans something to remember their visit to Manchester.
I seem to remember the WHU firm at the time being called The Mile End Bootboys. Probably morphed into the infamous ICF.

I remember Johnny Muir , Les Cracknell from Langley and of course Les Tate from IIRC Gorton from the very early 1970's. A good lad was Johnny Muir. Big Tony Valente was another good lad from Langley then too. Les Cracknell got a bollocking from a lot of city fans after he knifed about 3 Chelsea fans at the ECWC night match in 1971 down there. The cops were trying to provoke us all night at thet game by purposely pushing fans down the terracing and picking on little lads for arrest.Including my little brother, who was only 13 then. Even the bloody newpapers ran that story about Les Cracknell. What more need to be said about Les Tate ? We got off the train at Nottingham about 1970/71 and there were bloody hundreds of Forest fans on the lookout for us outside the station. It was an absolute riot getting to Forests ground over the river. Les Tate was one of the first 'into action' and headbutted some Forest fan into the Trent. It was grim and vicious in those days and we needed lads like Les Tate . The worst I saw and was involved in was at Newcastle in either 1971 or 1972, the 'footie specia'l ran us around to the Manors station. It was a pitched battle all the way there to St James park and all the way back after the game. Lots of the trains windows got bricked.

We also had Ronnie, the oldest skinhead in town. He used to turn up to every home game and some aways.


In those days, the cockneys hardly ever left Lahndan. It was only the cockney reds who who used to travel, and no one knew where they stood with that lot - even the reds didn't trust them entirely.

 

[Scottyboi]

It's time for all you old fogeys to get back together and show how it's done at madrid haha.

 

[gordondaviesmoustache]

It's time for all you old fogeys to get back together and show how it's done at madrid haha.

One last hurrah before most of them develop arthritis.

 

[Ban-jani]

One last hurrah before most of them develop arthritis.

That’s rich

 

[gordondaviesmoustache]

That’s rich

You want some?

 

[Ban-jani]

You want some?

No thank you Pal

 

[paulchapo]

You want some?

Careful there's a bloke in Wealdstone got your number.

 

[gordondaviesmoustache]

Careful there's a bloke in Wealdstone got your number.

He’s a curious looking fellow.

 

[paulchapo]

He’s a curious looking fellow.

Ha ha he certainly is!

 

[paulchapo]

In those days, the cockneys hardly ever left Lahndan. It was only the cockney reds who who used to travel, and no one knew where they stood with that lot - even the reds didn't trust them entirely.

I don't remember West Ham fetching large numbers but Chelsea used to. I remember loads of battles in the Kippax in the 1971 ECWC semi final. They also brought shit loads in the second division when they won it, the Lee Dixon up front team. I remember playing them at Maine Road when they had been banned from taking away fans. Standing outside I heard this chant growing louder. " The Chelsea united will never be defeated." Then they appeared, about 50 strong all in donkey jackets and docs marching in perfect formation like a fucking army. They were game in those days.