The pink

[NPBlue]

When I was a nipper in the 60's, I was blooded on football down at Moss Lane, Altrincham, I remember some old bloke walking around the perimeter of the pitch half way through the second half screeching out 'Half time scores, Chronicle, Chronicle'.

I never saw the paper in question, but it's funny what you can recall from your childhood, and I remember that.

Was there a lorry printing out papers with the half time scores in Golf Rd, like the lorry printing out the full time scores after the final whistle at Maine Rd?

I've no idea, but I recall, later in life, standing in the local newsagents shop waiting for the yellow van to arrive and 'The Pink' being delivered.

It was required reading at the time.

 

[Joycee Banercheck]

fucking love the pink in that yellow and black van. gizza pink, mate! awesome

 

[Jacquie]

I bought the yellow MEN vehicle which had the mobile printing press in it, with my partner a few years back and we converted it into a camper van. Does anyone know of any photos of this vehicle when it used to wait outside the ground? It would be wonderful to find out more about the vehicles history.

 

[fredmont]

It was six of clock in Blackley too. My old man used to send me out. I can picture it as if it was yesterday, queuing outside the door of the paper shop. When I got to read it I would mull over the results and league tables for hours.

 

[yeseye]

I used to get mine on 'the front' in moss-side which was awash with dealers .
'What you after lad, brown?'
'Nah, Pink'
Then the van would roar up and a bundle would fly out often landing in a puddle .
Great memories!

 

[Barcon]

My Dad used to send me to the shop to get it.
God forbid I fucked about on the way to the shop. It would be sold out and I'd get a bollocking if I did.
Seem to remember it costing a tanner.

 

[Abattoir Blue]

My Dad used to send me to the shop to get it.
God forbid I fucked about on the way to the shop. It would be sold out and I'd get a bollocking if I did.
Seem to remember it costing a tanner.

I used to get sent to Forbuoys on Great Moor for it when we played away (we'd pick up one on way home from matches at Maine Road). I was allowed a 10p mix for my troubles. There was an art though...you didn't want you go too early and having to hang about trying to read the magazines without getting told off...but like you said, too late and you'd miss out.

 

[Mad Eyed Screamer]

I bought the yellow MEN vehicle which had the mobile printing press in it, with my partner a few years back and we converted it into a camper van. Does anyone know of any photos of this vehicle when it used to wait outside the ground? It would be wonderful to find out more about the vehicles history.

you still got it?

 

[remember arthur mann]

"Half time scores, racing results" ! Racing results were also a must in The Pink, what about The Green ?

 

[moenchengladbach blau]

Moved this to the History forum if no one minds.

I remember waiting outside the newsagents on Middleton Road, just by Crumpsall Lane, for the van with The Pink to arrive. There would be a crowd outside and everyone would pile in to ensure they got one. That was the quickest way to catch up on match reports, particularly if it was an away game you hadn't been to. But we did that even in the way home from Maine Road.

The timescale didn't allow for the greatest quality and some of the misprints were legendary. All of us of a certain age will remember "Colin Bell hit the bar with a rocket of a shit from 25 yards" and I also remember a report of (I think) a derby match when someone was carried off injured which said "...was carried off with a suspected broken Jimmy Nichol".

There was a similar one when Liverpool gave us the usual tanking and it I think it was the fourth goal, a penalty. ' X rubbed City's nose in it, putting a low shit in the bottom corner.' We sent the clipping to Esther Rantzen for her show but they never showed it and never returned the clip.

Do you or anyone else remember the Green as well? One was from the Evening News and the other the Evening Chron. I think the Evening News was the Green but adopted the pink paper after merger.

 

[moenchengladbach blau]

"Half time scores, racing results" ! Racing results were also a must in The Pink, what about The Green ?

Just asked about the Green. My vague memories are in my post to PB.

 

[Dogtanian]

Bought it every week until it moved to Sundays

 

[BrianW]

I lived in Crawley for a time and got my Dad to send me the Pink via post every week. It was the only way to read about City as the local papers were all about shit like Arsenal and so on.

 

[spiny]

The Evening News was broadsheet and printed the Green in the same format. The Evening Chronicle was tabloid and printed the Pink in the same format. The Green and MEN were seen as more pro City and The Pink and Chron as more pro United although both teams featured prominently. When they merged in 1963 they became the broadsheet Manchester Evening News and tabloid Football Pink.

 

[yeseye]

I lived in Crawley for a time and got my Dad to send me the Pink via post every week. It was the only way to read about City as the local papers were all about shit like Arsenal and so on.

Ffs, how long would that take?

 

[moenchengladbach blau]

The Evening News was broadsheet and printed the Green in the same format. The Evening Chronicle was tabloid and printed the Pink in the same format. The Green and MEN were seen as more pro City and The Pink and Chron as more pro United although both teams featured prominently. When they merged in 1963 they became the broadsheet Manchester Evening News and tabloid Football Pink.

Thanks. I have had many an argument about that as people do not think the MEN changed from green to pink.

And then to red in due course!

 

[urmston]

My best ever day for going to get the Pink was when City won the league in 1968 when I was nine.

The headline was 'City Champs'.

My mum told me to get two copies and loads of sweets and pop too, and we all waited up for my dad to get back from Newcastle.

 

[Jacquie]

you still got it?

My ex partner still has the vehicle yes

 

[Gary James]

The Evening News was broadsheet and printed the Green in the same format. The Evening Chronicle was tabloid and printed the Pink in the same format. The Green and MEN were seen as more pro City and The Pink and Chron as more pro United although both teams featured prominently. When they merged in 1963 they became the broadsheet Manchester Evening News and tabloid Football Pink.

It's true that the Pink was the Chron's sports paper and Green was MEN's but I disagree about the bias. The Chron was in its early days owned by a City chairman and he ensured it had a blue bias, and in response MUFC gave the MEN an office on their ground and it became established as THE paper for Red news. That disparity continued as far as most were concerned into the 60s. As City struggled, the Chron also struggled and was taken over by the MEN. But, as the Chron's Pink was more popular than the MEN's Green they retained the Pink.

Of course, all newspapers would claim they were not biased towards either Manchester club, but the Chronicle's blue ownership and MEN's office at United suggest otherwise. Cheers.

 

[Gary James]

if you missed the Pink there was also the Empire, a bloke used to walk down the street (about 9 o clock in Withington) bawling at the top of his voice. Billy Meredith was always in the queue on Burton rd in the early sixties.

Must have been the fifties - Meredith died in 1958. Cheers