Ha, I remember seeing the same from Preston one time vs Northampton (Trevor Morley's last year). They were like a military unit, a lot of casualties afterwards mind you. I don't think they'd thought it through too well, they attacked the home supporters coming out of the Hotel End, they really took a good hiding that nightI 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.
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.
Yeh fair play paul, your absolutely right. My older brother , big Frank from Rochdale was about 6ft 3ins tall , 17 stone, and in them days always wore a boiler suit from working at Holroyds engineering, Rochdale, and for some daft reason wore a bus conductors hat. He was loud as fook at matches. Anyway, he often had a 2in King Dick spanner in his boiler suit. Your quite correct, when we played Chelsea in the other leg they brought a lot, and who did kick off. My brother wielded his spanner when it all kicked off. IIRC it kicked off on the then open end. My brother is now 73. I believe that Les Tate is still active around Gorton. Les Tate is a mate of a mate of mine, who served in the British Army, like I did.
I was a young teenager back then and the scrapping started at the back of the Kippax and ended upnat the front. It was going off in other parts of the ground as well. A rag mate who lived on my road told me Chelsea bossed the swamp one night game in the early seventies, even marching up to the Stretford end and attacking the rags queuing to get in.
But they never got in. League cup against them around the October the following year same thing happened and they got batteredApril 1983 West ham had about 100 lads in our main stand. 10 minutes from the end all left on masse to try and get in the Kippax.not seem many mobs try that.
Paul I think you mean the KERRY DIXON up front team(Lee Dixon was an Arsenal player about 10 years later). I would agree with you that the Chelsea mob that night @1984 was the biggest and most "tasty" I ever saw at Maine Road. After the game I ended up in The Wilton Arms in Rhodes,Middleton and it was full of triumphant Chelsea fans. I kept a very low profile in there that evening.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.
Paul I think you mean the KERRY DIXON up front team(Lee Dixon was an Arsenal player about 10 years later). I would agree with you that the Chelsea mob that night @1984 was the biggest and most "tasty" I ever saw at Maine Road. After the game I ended up in The Wilton Arms in Rhodes,Middleton and it was full of triumphant Chelsea fans. I kept a very low profile in there that evening.
Was that not the first ‘Live’ game on Sky or was that later?Paul I think you mean the KERRY DIXON up front team(Lee Dixon was an Arsenal player about 10 years later). I would agree with you that the Chelsea mob that night @1984 was the biggest and most "tasty" I ever saw at Maine Road. After the game I ended up in The Wilton Arms in Rhodes,Middleton and it was full of triumphant Chelsea fans. I kept a very low profile in there that evening.
I ended up at the front of that WHU firm as it was escorted by the police down Lloyd Street on the way back into town. They were constantly looking over their shoulders and scanning the side streets waiting for an impending attack from City fans which never came.April 1983 West ham had about 100 lads in our main stand. 10 minutes from the end all left on masse to try and get in the Kippax.not seem many mobs try that.