It all kicked off in Bristol (Merged)

[SeaMillsRed]

34 minutes ago, CyderInACan said:

Very loud, weren't they. 

thats because there were lots of squaddies there for a fight

 

[SeaMillsRed]

1 hour ago, BobBobSuperBob said:

Not Play Offs POHH - was final game of season and Sheff Untited were promoted and came en masse - many in fancy dress if you recall !!!

yes that was the game, they had more than us it seemed that day

[East Yorkshire CideRed]

2 hours ago, Markman said:

Same as Elm Park I think - if Groups want to have a fight so be it just keep it away from others -  from what I recall at Elm Park it was pretty nasty before during and after,  but one of the worst things was the stupid "yooths" lobbing load and loads of bottles indiscriminately into our away fans from the houses behind the ground  

- funny though I remember it pretty well but our defeat to Grimsby on an Autumn Tues night back in 1998 (or thereabouts) I can recall next to nothing................(Fish and Chips were good)

A fellow City fan came & sat next to me & my Grimsby supporting mate on the train from Sheffield to Cleethorpes as we headed to that very match back in 1998. He was absolutely mullered and I never saw him in the away end. We assumed he must've fallen asleep somewhere. It wasn't you was it?!

[forbespm]

As an 80,s survivor of city away games I,d be most interested in reading this.I still don't understand how I survived ayresome park!and other scary venues!

[Markman]

29 minutes ago, East Yorkshire CideRed said:

A fellow City fan came & sat next to me & my Grimsby supporting mate on the train from Sheffield to Cleethorpes as we headed to that very match back in 1998. He was absolutely mullered and I never saw him in the away end. We assumed he must've fallen asleep somewhere. It wasn't you was it?!

:laugh: - even worse I had driven from a meeting in Birmingham - so no beer and then the long drive back to Somerset - and it WAS a long drive :laugh:

[Tin Soldier]

55 minutes ago, forbespm said:

As an 80,s survivor of city away games I,d be most interested in reading this.I still don't understand how I survived ayresome park!and other scary venues!Ayresome 

Ayresome Park and Millwall Old Den when certain City fans sprayed up there ground the night before, and the following home game at AG were some of the maddest days I witnessed.  I was only a nipper in those days but the adrenaline rush was massive. 

Have been told, apparently these games are gonna be in the book? Should be a good read hopefully as certain CSF names were very "active" in those days.

[slartibartfast]

On 7/1/2016 at 21:36, Tall King Blox said:

18 minutes ago, GasDestroyer said:

Ayresome Park and Millwall Old Den when certain City fans sprayed up there ground the night before, and the following home game at AG were some of the maddest days I witnessed.  I was only a nipper in those days but the adrenaline rush was massive. 

Have been told, apparently these games are gonna be in the book? Should be a good read hopefully as certain CSF names were very "active" in those days.

There was "life" BEFORE the CSF, you know !

 

[RedRock]

St Andrews when we beat them 4-1 if memory serves me correctly was a bit of an epic. Think we upset the natives that day somewhat!

Assume the Warsaw matches will feature, as well as the awesome trip to the City Ground for that semi-final.

Millwall at home in the early 80's was the worst I've ever witnessed. Chaos.

[cityloyal473]

The book can't go out with that blatant spelling mistake can it?

[REDOXO]

2 hours ago, cityloyal473 said:

The book can't go out with that blatant spelling mistake can it?

No. But that is ok! Who is going to read it other than those that were there and later generations who want to no (yes that was deliberate!) Lets face it the first editions are worth the most and I want mine signed!!

The writer needs to cut his teeth and god bless him for having a go. Pointing out the difference between your and you're is pretty classless when all your saying is nah nah nah nah nah!

I want a copy so someone PM me when I can get one!

[shelts]

Maybe we can get the book serialised here on OTIB 

[Atticus]

So a hooligan will be profiting from being said thug??

Oh that's super eh. A sado that needs to show he is a "man" by being violent to other people regarding ******* football.

Pathetic.

 

 

[Bristol Rob]

Can people stop posting spoilers. I'd hate to find out how the story ends.

[shepton red]

6 hours ago, Atticus said:

So a hooligan will be profiting from being said thug??

Oh that's super eh. A sado that needs to show he is a "man" by being violent to other people regarding ******* football.

Pathetic.

 

 

Would you read a book about how the Krays or the Great Train Robbers?

[Akira]

6 hours ago, Atticus said:

So a hooligan will be profiting from being said thug??

Oh that's super eh. A sado that needs to show he is a "man" by being violent to other people regarding ******* football.

Pathetic.

 

 

I could be wrong here, but hasn't he just got accounts from members of the CSF, what happened back in the day etc? And he's just put it all together and made a book? I don't think he's an actual member, unless I'm mistaken. 

 

Either way, criminals over the years have had, as much as we hate it, fascinating stories to tell, and I'd be interested to know what happened back then, to hear accounts of what it was like, from the people involved. 

 

[Malaggro is back]

On 01/07/2016 at 16:17, richwwtk said:

My views on firms/hooliganism are known on here well enough and I'm sticking to my vow to not get involved in arguments about it any more but the one thing I really don't get is the obsession with trainers. Are Adidas SL 72's a particularly rare one or something? What makes one better than another?

No Adidas SL 72's are not rare. I just particularly like them.

Rarity does play a part in desirability but it's more what floats your boat that is important.

I have a soft spot for suede trainers and like certain trainer shapes more than others. It is a bit of an obsession. Some people collect stamps, others spot trains. I collect and wear trainers. Some collect and never wear trainers.

[Nogbad the Bad]

On 7/3/2016 at 04:32, REDOXO said:

16 hours ago, REDOXO said:

As the guy said perhaps memory is subjective.

However I got to the match stood on the side terrace with City fans behind the dugouts as I remember on the half way line  and saw a few people walk around from the other side and around behind the goal during the game, but they got nowhere close. Unless I don't remember what happened next because I was beaten senseless there was no actual fighting where we were standing while the match was in progress, if I missed pre match issues, I can not say as it seems I missed them. As you say lucky me! 

What I remember most about the day was the Daily Mail stating that Bristol City supporters had attacked a few Casuals fans and the state of thuggery in English football...A complete fiction in my recollection!

I have been to many games with more going on from what I saw, but if it was early who knows. My lucky day maybe!

 

 

You're right about there being no memorable bother while the match was in progress RO, but you evidently did indeed miss the pre match 'issues' - if you'd seen them you wouldn't have forgotten.

Maybe the 2 young lads who were attacked in the toilets were late arrivals as well, hence their naivety in thinking they could walk through that end to get to the bogs on the opposite side, all the while resplendent in their City scarves as well if I remember the reporting in the EP correctly.

I agree when you say you've been to many games with more going on - the riots at Swindon, Reading, Plymouth, and Newport for instance - and there were certainly games where City fans came away with more serious injuries - Luton at home, Cambridge and Bradford away - but for actual unimpeded fighting between 2 large groups charging at each other on an unfenced terrace Corinthian Casuals is up there with the worst I've seen. Certainly inside a ground anyway.

Have to add that motley collection of Millwall fans were the most bizarre bunch I've ever seen at a football match. Black and white and varying from a tubby 4ft dwarf to a skinny bloke who looked about 7ft. tall and every size and shape inbetween. From skinheads to others with shoulder length hair, the only thing they seemed to have in common was they were all really scruffily dressed. The sight of them entering the ground in 2's and 3's and us City fans gradually becoming aware of them as they grouped up to become 100+ strong and then just staring silently over at us to the increasing excited animation of some of our own fans was almost surreal, and in many ways those few minutes of growing realisation of what was to come were as memorable as the view of the ensuing battle itself.

All in all I'll always remember Corinthian Casuals for the trouble, but also for being a crap match with a completely unexpectedly nasty brooding atmosphere, and a pretty grim day all round.

 

 

 

[REDOXO]

3 minutes ago, Nogbad the Bad said:

You're right about there being no memorable bother while the match was in progress RO, but you evidently did indeed miss the pre match 'issues' - if you'd seen them you wouldn't have forgotten.

Maybe the 2 young lads who were attacked in the toilets were late arrivals as well, hence their naivety in thinking they could walk through that end to get to the bogs on the opposite side, all the while resplendent in their City scarves as well if I remember the reporting in the EP correctly.

I agree when you say you've been to many games with more going on - the riots at Swindon, Reading, Plymouth, and Newport for instance - and there were certainly games where City fans came away with more serious injuries - Luton at home, Cambridge and Bradford away - but for actual unimpeded fighting between 2 large groups charging at each other on an unfenced terrace Corinthian Casuals is up there with the worst I've seen. Certainly inside a ground anyway.

Have to add that motley collection of Millwall fans were the most bizarre bunch I've ever seen at a football match. Black and white and varying from a tubby 4ft dwarf to a skinny bloke who looked about 7ft. tall and every size and shape inbetween. From skinheads to others with shoulder length hair, the only thing they seemed to have in common was they were all really scruffily dressed. The sight of them entering the ground in 2's and 3's and us City fans gradually becoming aware of them as they grouped up to become 100+ strong and then just staring silently over at us to the increasing excited animation of some of our own fans was almost surreal, and in many ways those few minutes of growing realisation of what was to come were as memorable as the view of the ensuing battle itself.

All in all I'll always remember Corinthian Casuals for the trouble, but also for being a crap match with a completely unexpectedly nasty brooding atmosphere, and a pretty grim day all round.

 

 

 

Yep the match was awful! I was just thinking about it when I saw your post, horrible bobbly pitch and all that train noise. Over 30 years ago. Why do we always show our age?

[Grey Fox]

I was at that match at Dulwich but with a different viewpoint to most of you. I went with my girlfriend who wanted a seat, so I bought tickets in the seated stand directly across from the covered terrace holding our fans. Did not witness any problems outside the ground, however I did notice a gang of up to a 100 at most starting to group behind one of the goals. City were out in force that day, to enjoy a day out in London and a few FA cup goals against a non league team, so our covered terrace was fairly full. The Millwall group then charged, probably expecting our supporters aka England v Russia to bolt, clearly our more vigorous followers had spotted the Millwall group , and it being terracing (not seats) had moved to that side of the stand. The Millwall group then got trapped in the corner of the stand and as it became more apparent they were taking a pasteing more City followers joined the attack. The problem then was that as no one had expected trouble at this match there were hardly any police or St john's there, so by the time police reinforcements arrived the Millwall thugs were in a bad way with some carried out on stretchers.

Despite this being a less than romantic date I've been married to the girl I took to the game that day for over 30 years, say ahh 

[NOTBLUE]

3 hours ago, Grey Fox said:

I was at that match at Dulwich but with a different viewpoint to most of you. I went with my girlfriend who wanted a seat, so I bought tickets in the seated stand directly across from the covered terrace holding our fans. Did not witness any problems outside the ground, however I did notice a gang of up to a 100 at most starting to group behind one of the goals. City were out in force that day, to enjoy a day out in London and a few FA cup goals against a non league team, so our covered terrace was fairly full. The Millwall group then charged, probably expecting our supporters aka England v Russia to bolt, clearly our more vigorous followers had spotted the Millwall group , and it being terracing (not seats) had moved to that side of the stand. The Millwall group then got trapped in the corner of the stand and as it became more apparent they were taking a pasteing more City followers joined the attack. The problem then was that as no one had expected trouble at this match there were hardly any police or St john's there, so by the time police reinforcements arrived the Millwall thugs were in a bad way with some carried out on stretchers.

Despite this being a less than romantic date I've been married to the girl I took to the game that day for over 30 years, say ahh 

Ah! the first time I ever saw a Millwall brick,how can a newspaper hurt so much.

[Tall King Blox]

8 minutes ago, NOTBLUE said:

Ah! the first time I ever saw a Millwall brick,how can a newspaper hurt so much.

Our ma called em firelighters !

[NOTBLUE]

5 minutes ago, Tall King Blox said:

Our ma called em firelighters !

I take it she wasn't a 'wall fan then.

[Tall King Blox]

3 minutes ago, NOTBLUE said:

I take it she wasn't a 'wall fan then.

No, she stagnated after dark side of the moon 

[Tall King Blox]

Burnden park circa 1975 was a corker........pre CSF but mayhem ( think the dates about right, might of been earlier )

[bs16bcfc]

On 03/07/2016 at 04:32, REDOXO said:

Oh c'mon. Anyone who was actually at Dulwich knows nothing hardly happened for that game against Corinthian Casuals. Urban legend. Oh Yeah. The battle of Elm Park. You mean we rioted behind the goal and TC came on and said stop or we are taking our ball home. Hardly a battle. They all stayed away and left it to the Police to take it on. Millwall are just a bunch of noise at home. It's away they like to make a show. We sat in the home end and side a few times at the Den and the new den.   One game with CB radios a thousand years ago and more bloody legend about their turf. Just me!

Who remembers the four idiot Forest fans in the cup who got the living shit kicked out of them and half of Notts constable had to drag them out. You hear some on here and it was if they infiltrated the away end. Yeah four tossers with a death wish. God I could go on. 

Looking forward to to the book spelling mistakes or not. 

 

Your memory is rather poor as 2 good friends of mine ended up in hospital, 1 with serious knife wounds.

 

The year we all left school.

[Portland Bill]

5 hours ago, Grey Fox said:

I was at that match at Dulwich but with a different viewpoint to most of you. I went with my girlfriend who wanted a seat, so I bought tickets in the seated stand directly across from the covered terrace holding our fans. Did not witness any problems outside the ground, however I did notice a gang of up to a 100 at most starting to group behind one of the goals. City were out in force that day, to enjoy a day out in London and a few FA cup goals against a non league team, so our covered terrace was fairly full. The Millwall group then charged, probably expecting our supporters aka England v Russia to bolt, clearly our more vigorous followers had spotted the Millwall group , and it being terracing (not seats) had moved to that side of the stand. The Millwall group then got trapped in the corner of the stand and as it became more apparent they were taking a pasteing more City followers joined the attack. The problem then was that as no one had expected trouble at this match there were hardly any police or St john's there, so by the time police reinforcements arrived the Millwall thugs were in a bad way with some carried out on stretchers.

Despite this being a less than romantic date I've been married to the girl I took to the game that day for over 30 years, say ahh 

I think some of them would have suffered with gravel or cinder rashes!! If I remember rightly the side we were in had railway sleepers as terracing and the corner where it went right off was full of stones/gravel/cinders.

Most of this got thrown at our south London friends and then a few beatings were dished out. 

[slartibartfast]

2 hours ago, Portland Bill said:

I think some of them would have suffered with gravel or cinder rashes!! If I remember rightly the side we were in had railway sleepers as terracing and the corner where it went right off was full of stones/gravel/cinders.

Most of this got thrown at our south London friends and then a few beatings were dished out. 

Yes, for a minor non-league ground ,that side was very large (a sort of gravel and grass Bob Bank). I well remember the Wall marching round the open end like army ants, not missing a step, even though City were pouring down on them from a great height ( a bit like racing cyclists using the top of the velodrome to gain speed). The thing that sticks in my memory was the dust/gravel storm when the two mobs collided !

[Norn Iron]

21 hours ago, Nogbad the Bad said:

All in all I'll always remember Corinthian Casuals for the trouble, but also for being a crap match with a completely unexpectedly nasty brooding atmosphere, and a pretty grim day all round.

 

 

 

What an interesting thread this is.

Great points being made for and against buying this book. 

As it has already been pointed out in a previous post, many fans travelling to away games, were unaware of what was going on 'behind the scenes'.

I was normally on Coach 2 from 1981 until 1984 when driving to games became the favourite mode of transport. Coaches were taken to the ground and then given a Police escort on the return to the nearest motorway.  So, "Trouble, what trouble?" was the norm, Millwall being the exception.

The Millwall stoning of our CATS Coach and the subsequent slow return journey will always remain with me! Bizarrely, forgetting the incidents in the ground during the game, what I remember most is what happened before kick off/fence climbing!   Being a speedway fan, I went and looked around the remains of the track behind the Old Den!

I was at the Corinthian Casuals game but was standing on the other side. 

I must have been really naive during the 80's as I was unaware of the CSF. TV progammes were highlighting other 'firms' such as WHU's Inter City etc but I knew nothing about BCFC's 'firm'. 

I doubt if the Halifax away game in the early 80's gets a mention in this book. I'll always remember it for the couple of CATS coaches arriving at Shea At lunchtime.  Those that wanted,  took the nearest pub.....to drink!  4 pints of Webster Yorkshire Bitter later and I was ready for the match! At half time, we also took their home end but their fans took the away. No fighting was  necessary as we all walked around and through a gate! The Shea was also a speedway venue.  I was really happy!

As I said,  I must have been really naive. I think I'll have to buy the book!l

[ralphindevon]

On 3 July 2016 at 17:26, Nogbad the Bad said:

REDOXO I've seen you dismiss this before.

I was there and the fighting was some time before KO - if you have no memory of it I can only assume you weren't in the ground yet.

We were on the side terrace and watched as a motley group of perhaps 100 or so gradually assembled behind the goal to our left and stared across at us.

We didn't know who the hell they were but some City fans obviously did because when they started to slowly move across their terrace towards ours dozens of City fans charged down the terracing to meet them head on in the corner.

As Sir Colby says it's all subjective but to me scores of men punching and kicking each other until eventually separated by police is a fairly violent confrontation, and worthy of note.

A couple of other things that exemplify the goings on of the day: The EP reported on the Monday how 2 young City fans (15 year olds iirc.) were slashed in the toilet during the match, one of them hospitalised, after naively going through the Millwall fans to use the only facilities on the opposite terrace and being attacked inside. There were no bogs in our stand if you remember - most of us pissed down the bank behind the stand.

Also a friend of mine was arrested as we were leaving the ground (long story) and carted off in a police van. We had to find the station he'd been taken to and when we eventually found it, not only did we find out he'd been beaten up on the way ( a sign of the stress the police were under that day perhaps?) but also that he was amongst many detained during the afternoon.

To me it was a bloody rough match, with a horrible atmosphere outside afterwards, and if you managed to leave the ground, and the area, unaware of all the 'aggro', lucky you, but I can assure you it's no urban myth.

 

Only just seen this thread. 

Im with you on this Nogbad. Whenever I get asked the most frightening time supporting city through those hooligan years, it always surprises people that my answer is away to Corinthian Casuals at Dulwich Hamlet.

i can remember a young kiddy, about 13 years old, coming into a pub full of City and announcing we were all gonna get a hiding. We all laughed until we got outside and saw a load of tooled up Millwall fans. 

Me and a mate just ran into someone's back garden to escape. Once I'd seen baseball bats and knives I was out of there.

i also remember the guy who's face was like a patchwork doll on the coach home. We barely got a few miles before we had to drop him at a hospital he was struggling do much. 

There was certainly a brawl during the game too but nothing like what had gone on outside. I must admit, it was about a year or do before I watched City in London again. 

[ralphindevon]

@REDOXO 's point about not thinking much went on at Dulwich is quite interesting. It does depend on where you were and what time you were there at and before games.

ive arrived at pubs where everyone's talking about chaos a few minutes before and also heard about mass brawls after we left.

I remember once in a pub in Huddersfield, having some great banter with the locals, when us 4 City fans got up to leave, a policeman was at the door saying all fans had to stay inside as there was fighting going on and City fans were trying to attack the pub. We didn't like to say we were City fans, so just went back inside to our new found Huddersfield supporting chums.