Getting your own back on the Bristol evening post

[Port Said Red]

59 minutes ago, RoystonFoote'snephew said:

I used to do the same. But of all the football publications it’s Goal! Magazine I miss. I threw them all out (along with a load of old football programmes) many years ago in an argument with my mother about tidying my room. Most of the football programmes were from a friend of my fathers, had nothing to do with City, and were in a sorry state but I had every issue of Goal, including the pilot issue, and they were in good order. I wish I had them now. 

Did the two merge at some point? I have a vague memory of Shoot! Incorporating Goal or something like that?

[Midlands Robin]

Mum and Dad read the WDP when I was a little 'un so didn't need to buy a paper for the fixtures. Then at the first game of the season I'd pick up the little wallet sized fixture list the club printed from the shop behind the Williams stand. It always had the 400 pound a minute, minimum 35 minutes, club call number on the back of the leaflet. Happy times. 

[CodeRed]

51 minutes ago, Red DNA said:

When the van was late it all got a bit edgy...as you watched it come down Daventry Rd you’d be worried there weren’t enough Green ‘Uns on board so you had to really elbow your way in when they were eventually unloaded. 

.......late van!

Fortnightly ritual when City were away, no radio commentaries back then (mid 1960's)......you might have glimpsed the score from the BBC Grandstand if you'd been at home and caught the teleprinter.....................otherwise you didn't even know if we had won or lost.  So down to the newsagent (on Shirehampton Road/Sea Mills lane in my case) who stayed open late for the Green 'Un delivery, normally about 6pm and about 20 or so blokes and lads hanging around outside clutching the right money (5d I think?)  - by 6.10 everybody getting anxious, what if the van doesn't turn up?  Have we got time to leg it to another shop? probably not!  Eventually we'd see the van pull up - driver flings a pile of papers tied up with string down in the doorway.....we all grab one and fling the money in the newsagents hand and leg it home. Agony if we'd lost but buzzing if we'd won (and Rovers had lost!) and reading every word. 

[pillred]

24 minutes ago, southvillekiddy said:

Dear Darkside,

indeed we live in a different galaxy. I refer you and others interested back to a time when the BEP wasn't reviled and its sports writers weren't considered ignorant and biased, a time when people had virtually only one source of getting precious new information about our Club and that was the Post. As to it's sports writers, I'm talking mainly about the splendid Peter Godsiff. Godsiff described his time at the Post as "the golden age of Sports writing" . I associate this with the 60s when I started watching City. This is an OTIB topic from 2009 which starts off about Richard Latham

https://www.otib.co.uk/index.php?/topic/119142-richard-latham/

 

Don't forget Graham Russell, he was the true city fan, always thought Peter Godsiff leaned towards the gas.

[TBW]

I still don't understand why anyone gets excited for fixture releases. We play everyone twice, why does it matter who we have on day one, day 30, boxing day or one the last day?

I mean, I understand wanting to see the fixtures but why the rush and big deal about it?

[RiverRed]

1 minute ago, TBW said:

I still don't understand why anyone gets excited for fixture releases. We play everyone twice, why does it matter who we have on day one, day 30, boxing day or one the last day?

I mean, I understand wanting to see the fixtures but why the rush and big deal about it?

I guess it's the anticipation of planning away days etc.

[TBW]

2 minutes ago, RiverRed said:

I guess it's the anticipation of planning away days etc.

If you're a teenager as per the original poster though, chances are you're not making too many away day trips. Especially not planning that far in advance as a kid.

[slartibartfast]

21 minutes ago, pillred said:

Don't forget Graham Russell, he was the true city fan, always thought Peter Godsiff leaned towards the gas.

He was actually a Bournemouth & Bosombe Athletic (as it was then ) fan.

[RiverRed]

20 minutes ago, TBW said:

If you're a teenager as per the original poster though, chances are you're not making too many away day trips. Especially not planning that far in advance as a kid.

Maybe. There's also the fact that the publication of the fixture list is the first calling of the new season, followed by players returning to pre-season training, the friendlies etc. It's all part of the transition into the new season.

[Rudolf Hucker]

When I was a lad (all together now!) I remember the Green Un and the Pink Un but I was too young to know (or care about)  the answers to these questions:

• What were the differences between the two papers?
• Why were there two papers?
• Presumably the publisher's were different?
• When did th Pink Un end?

[Nogbad the Bad]

2 minutes ago, Rudolf Hucker said:

When I was a lad (all together now!) I remember the Green Un and the Pink Un but I was too young to know (or care about)  the answers to these questions:

• What were the differences between the two papers?
• Why were there two papers?
• Presumably the publisher's were different?
• When did th Pink Un end?

I always got the Green'un from about 1970 but don't remember the Pink 'un in Bristol.

Found it in Birmingham several times though after watching City at West Brom, Brum and Villa in the mid to late 70's.

By the time we'd got back to the car and away from the ground you could pick it up with a full match report at newsagents as you left Birmingham about 45 minutes after the game finished.

Good read down the motorway on the way back!

[Rudolf Hucker]

36 minutes ago, CodeRed said:

Fortnightly ritual when City were away, no radio commentaries back then (mid 1960's).

When City were playing away, my brother and I would go to Ashton Gate to watch the reserves so that we could hear loudspeaker scoreflashes from wherever the first team was plot. There was always a healthy crowd watching the reserves which included the likes of Ian Broomhill, Peter Spiring, Mike Hooper, Gary Collier etc. I remember being at AG when City won 1-5 at Sheffield Wednesday (no idea what year that was) and the announcer was as incredulous as the crowd as he reported each goal.

I certainly didn't anticipate remembering this when I woke up this morning!

[Rudolf Hucker]

6 minutes ago, Nogbad the Bad said:

I always got the Green'un from about 1970 but don't remember the Pink 'un in Bristol.

Found it in Birmingham several times though after watching City at West Brom, Brum and Villa in the mid to late 70's.

By the time we'd got back to the car and away from the ground you could pick it up with a full match report at newsagents as you left Birmingham about 45 minutes after the game finished.

Good read down the motorway on the way back!

I do remember buying the Pink Un in Birmingham but I always thought there was one in Bristol in the 60's?

[RedM]

35 minutes ago, TBW said:

If you're a teenager as per the original poster though, chances are you're not making too many away day trips. Especially not planning that far in advance as a kid.

I remember the importance of finding out when we were playing the Gas, Swindon etc. Also if we were home or away on Boxing Day, Family get together to get out of if we were home.  So mainly local derbies and bragging rights as a youngster rather than away days.

[Nogbad the Bad]

2 minutes ago, Rudolf Hucker said:

I do remember buying the Pink Un in Birmingham but I always thought there was one in Bristol in the 60's?

Pretty sure there was, but slightly before my time as regards the regular Saturday night ritual of queuing at the newsagents post match.

Seems to have survived a fair bit longer in Birmingham than here.

Of course they covered all the Midlands teams, and with really detailed reports, so it was a fair old read and great value for money.

 

[Major Isewater]

2 hours ago, Oh Louie louie said:

Think the green un stopped about 6 years ago?

It also had the local league results .

My neighbour was manager of Winscombe and I would often be asked to read out the results to him whilst he drove us home after the game.

The first time I ever saw a colour television was when Winscombe played away at Paulton Rovers ! 

I didn’t realise that the Pink Panther was really pink. 

[TBW]

8 minutes ago, RedM said:

I remember the importance of finding out when we were playing the Gas, Swindon etc. Also if we were home or away on Boxing Day, Family get together to get out of if we were home.  So mainly local derbies and bragging rights as a youngster rather than away days.

But who organises all those things in June?

[Nogbad the Bad]

5 minutes ago, RedM said:

I remember the importance of finding out when we were playing the Gas, Swindon etc. Also if we were home or away on Boxing Day, Family get together to get out of if we were home.  So mainly local derbies and bragging rights as a youngster rather than away days.

Got to be a home match on Boxing Day, absolutely vital for some respite from at least one day of the Christmas rigmarole!

[Oh Louie louie]

Happy memories.

There was a teacher in ashton park school called mr alway, he was a big leeds united fan.

The fa cup draw was done on monday or tuesday afternoons then i think?

He would put the radio on for the draw.

That was a massive thing then.

[CodeRed]

1 hour ago, TBW said:

I still don't understand why anyone gets excited for fixture releases. We play everyone twice, why does it matter who we have on day one, day 30, boxing day or one the last day?

I mean, I understand wanting to see the fixtures but why the rush and big deal about it?

Check your online security mate.......looks like @Robbored has hacked into your account!

[Rudolf Hucker]

31 minutes ago, Major Isewater said:

It also had the local league results .

My neighbour was manager of Winscombe and I would often be asked to read out the results to him whilst he drove us home after the game.

The first time I ever saw a colour television was when Winscombe played away at Paulton Rovers ! 

I didn’t realise that the Pink Panther was really pink. 

Saturday evenings during the cricket season, having to phone the scores through to Bill Mountjoy so that it could possibly get into the Stop Press or at least into Monday's Evening Post!

[redysteadygo1]

52 minutes ago, Rudolf Hucker said:

I do remember buying the Pink Un in Birmingham but I always thought there was one in Bristol in the 60's?

Yep, Pink Un was the Evening World's sports paper. Must have went when the EW closed in 1962.

[RoystonFoote'snephew]

54 minutes ago, Rudolf Hucker said:

I do remember buying the Pink Un in Birmingham but I always thought there was one in Bristol in the 60's?

There were Pink ‘Uns in various parts of the country, including Birmingham. Locally, there was a Pink ‘Un in Bath linked to the Bath Evening Chronicle. 

[Lanterne Rouge]

1 hour ago, TBW said:

I still don't understand why anyone gets excited for fixture releases. We play everyone twice, why does it matter who we have on day one, day 30, boxing day or one the last day?

I mean, I understand wanting to see the fixtures but why the rush and big deal about it?

I think it`s just something that sticks with you no matter how old you are or how long you`ve been supporting City. I got excited as a fifteen year old about Fixture Day and still do a bit.

 

['Orns]

2 hours ago, Bristol Rob said:

Remember my paper round...

£3.60 a week (Started on £3.20 mind!)

But, when added to pocket money, meant a day rider, a Mickey Finns lunchbox and standing in the EastEnd.

Happy days.

 

4 hours ago, Port Said Red said:

Who remembers Shoot! magazine? Getting the cardboard league tables one week and then collecting the little cardboard tabs for each team, then updating the positions of all of the teams each week, was a big part of my childhoood.

Mickey Finn's and Shoot league ladders

Best. Thread. Ever.

[sticks 1969]

1 hour ago, TBW said:

I still don't understand why anyone gets excited for fixture releases. We play everyone twice, why does it matter who we have on day one, day 30, boxing day or one the last day?

I mean, I understand wanting to see the fixtures but why the rush and big deal about it?

How many of the BIG 6 TEAMS games will actually be played on the dates that come out on the fixture lists ? I bet it’s less then 50% time sky have there say 

[RedM]

1 hour ago, TBW said:

But who organises all those things in June?

The well organised forward planners. Nowadays it’s all about getting vital holiday booked in with work. 

[WhistleHappy]

After match leaving Ashton Gate on a packed, smoky & steamed up  No 9 (green Virtute et Industrial Bristol Omnibus ) full journey to Hanham bus depot... short walk to Chris Crowes (yes, THE Chris Crowe) newsagents shop opposite the Blue Bowl.

By the time we got there from Ashton the Green Un's were usually already in.... Living at Cadbury Heath at the time, had a fair walk, down lanes and across fields from Stone Hill …

Reading the Green Un's match reports, news about City, checking league table placings and other results (plus enjoying a frequent laugh at the expense of the latest Rovers awayday experience )  certainly shortened the trek home. 

Good Times  

(occasionally we were a little early for the Green Un delivery at Hanham so we'd go the long way round, sticking to the main road bypassing the shortcuts across the fields, and walked to Longwell Green and pickup our paper from Wellings newsagent shop, on Shellards Rd, by the time we got there the delivery had usually arrived.) 

 

By the way, getting back to the Evening Post a few years earlier, was anyone else a member of Peter Post's Pillar Box Club? :laugh:  

[redysteadygo1]

3 hours ago, 42nite said:

Wooten with his Bobby Charlton comb over.

At one stage I did the lot, evening round, morning round, Sunday round, and collecting Friday night and Saturday morning. 

Couldn't do that now!   

Bloody collecting boys on Saturday mornings must have pocketed most of the Christmas tips money that was intended for the delivery boys and by the time Wotton took his share and it was split between the rest we probably got about 10% .

[redysteadygo1]

3 hours ago, Bristol Rob said:

Remember my paper round...

£3.60 a week (Started on £3.20 mind!)

But, when added to pocket money, meant a day rider, a Mickey Finns lunchbox and standing in the EastEnd.

Happy days.

Evening round 10/-, that's 50p in new money. Huge increase when I went mornings to 12/6d, that's 75p with double the number of papers and starting at 6.00. am. Sunday's with the big thick editions was 5/- that's 25 p.