Nogbad the Bad

The actor Norman Bowler was a regular, used to sit in the window seat as you went in. Just to the right of the bar was a framed match report of City beating Liverpool 1-0, in December ‘78 I think.

I was a pre match regular at the Plume for years, remember the Owd Roger in the winter. Great pub, always busy, couldn’t believe it when it closed down. For the Forest game though we were in the Tap and Barrel, kept on getting another pint in assuming it would be called off at any minute and had to run down to AG in the end.

Not if you've got the nasty flu bug I've had. If so It'll be quite a while before you feel well enough to get out and about and certainly not within 48 hours. Hopefully you've got something more minor and make that miraculous recovery.

A few weeks means several to me, i.e. more than 2, probably 3, but 4 at the very most. 5 is more than 'a few' afaic.

Definitely, it was played every time City won.

Remember this game well, but although not a big draw as opponents it was actually quite a good Bolton team with the likes of Worthington, Reid, Morgan and McNab. City won well that day but the involvement and roar of the crowd was evident throughout, whether for a good tackle, a close miss, or the anticipation and celebration of a goal. Really miss the old AG atmosphere. P.S. Motson did insist on calling us just 'Bristol', didn't he.

A fine moral tale Phil and good for you that you seem to have only positive memories of BGS. As for me, having sworn never to return, I relented when my wife was interested to view it at an Open Doors day a few years ago. The Great Hall, where of course we had assemblies and school meals, was accessible and what a hugely impressive historic building it is, even more so than I remembered. I recognised an old history teacher, a very elderly Mr Revil, as being on hand as a guide. Just behind where Dr. Mackay stood at assemblies, there is now a large painting of him in his honour. I'd recommend a similar visit to anyone, ex-pupil or not, but especially anyone who might benefit from exorcising a few demons of the past! If you look on google earth there have been incredible changes and extensions since we were there, including a remarkable reinvention of what remained of the field after the 6th Form Centre was built and a huge gym/sports centre at the bottom of the field, where the cricket nets were. Also most of the houses opposite on Elton Road appear to be incorporated into the school now whereas it was only 1 or 2 for 6th form use in our day. Didn't get to see what the old gym, and 'Fives' courts, are now. To keep it City related it's extraordinary how many keen City fans were at BGS, especially considering it was a Rugby only school and if you were any good it very often meant playing on Saturday afternoons, whether inter House, or for the school. A number I knew at BGS have been regulars at AG ever since and are still STH's now.

Not sure the home game was actually all ticket, but there were priority vouchers given to those attending a match v Oxford iirc. Hence a 26k crowd. No tickets in advance for the replay as far as I remember. We just travelled up and took our chances on the day, gaining access to Elland Road at the first turnstile that presented itself while keeping a low profile.

As someone who requested a change back some time ago - and btw. quickly received enough 'likes' to make it a 'popular' post - I agree with Silvio. It might not be important in the wider scheme of things but it's evidently important to many of us in terms of our enjoyment of the forum and I hope, after their deliberations, the mods decide to go with the majority view and reinstate things as they were. The 'very small number of people throwing their toys out of the pram' are not Silvio and the likes of me who want a return to how things were, and imo worked so well, but those very few who demanded change where none was needed in the first place and were quickly responded to. It's really nothing to do with 'whinging' or a need to 'grow up', and you are under no obligation to read this thread if it evokes such emotion in you that you feel the need to be rude to a fellow poster.

As things stand 75 readers of the thread have been moved to say they agree with Scrumpy by positively rating his OP, with just 5 indicating that they don't. Pretty overwhelming agreement with Scrumpy's view.

All those threads fall into 'football chat', the title and point of the main forum and the Nige and Scott threads are among the most popular in terms of recent views and replies. Can't see a Bolasie thread so it must have been moved elsewhere for some reason. You can probably guess how I voted too!

Yep, but hard to believe he was widely detested with such a comparatively tame nickname - Aubrey the Strawberry - at a time when many nicknames passed on through the years were very personal and quite nasty. I've mentioned there were a few unpleasant teachers but it's fair to say many others were very friendly and fascinating characters with interesting lives pre BGS. Mike Booker officiated at my entrance exam and was a great ambassador for the school. As we were there at about the same time do you remember 'Piggy' Butler?

Think she must have gone by my time. I only remember the 1, in the 6th form. Mrs. Anderson iirc, about 40 and while perhaps not a great beauty she had a good figure and her confidence must have boosted by the many admiring looks from the female starved boys.

The change to create that new forum was made without a poll, in response to just 1 or 2 posters. Really no need for a poll now imo, just change it back to how it was when just about everybody was happy with it.

The name that springs to mind for Rudolph is Mr. Hamilton.

Sounds like you were indeed fortunate Phil, I had personal experiences to back up @cidered abroad's assertion there were a number of bullies who posed as teachers. Some of it I have never forgotten but no point going into any detail half a century on. We had what, up to a thousand boys, and maybe 80-100 male teachers, a set up that hadn't changed for hundreds of years, and neither had many of the dingy classrooms with their rows of old desks. Mind you the unpleasantness wasn't all one way, I can remember one teacher with a very large bulbous red nose, rumoured to be the result of torture by the Japanese during the war, getting terrible stick, and a very inoffensive maths teacher known as 'piggy' who was greeted with a cacophany of snorts and 'oinks' whenever he entered the classroom. I can't imagine the change in atmosphere when girls were allowed in but it must have been very, very different. On the subject of housemasters mine changed from Bunny Warren to Ian Rolling (also my form master) during my time there and I gather he went on to become something of a 'Mr.Chips', putting in about 40 years before retiring in 2007.

I was given this Beryl Cook print of locals in the snug at one of my favourite pubs, the Nova Scotia. Now framed and ready to go up.

Ridiculous this isn’t on the main forum. Can we have our old football chat forum back for the New Year please? It was far better all in one place and hardly anybody wanted it divided up like this.

Bit of a concern but perhaps less so these days with 3/4 subs being used most games meaning 6/8 players can be on the pitch for well under the full match. I've also often heard players say they prefer games to training and in many instances it doesn't take much more out of them. Anyway, let's hope tiredness isn't an issue and we're at least as fresh as Brum tonight.

Mr Osborne was still there when I started at BGS in 1969, he become a Housemaster iirc. You're right about some of the teachers - some right oddballs with sadistic tendencies looking back, although there were some really excellent ones too like Mr. Booker, Mr. Dehn, Mr. Trott and my Housemaster Bunny Warren. Often saw the Sergeant, who used to dish out the 'beatings', at AG.

As someone who spent the Division 1 days stood in the open section just as you got in the East End - but wasn't part of the City mob - I remember numerous incursions into the EE by away fans. All the London teams in particular it was expected and eagerly anticipated with a great mob of City fans assembled at least an hour before the game. Spurs I remember sauntered in at about 2.15 as if they owned the place, smiles all over their faces arrogantly looking over towards the middle of the EE, until the mob they were apparently looking for descended on them unexpectedly, all hell broke loose, and they were booted out, literally, within a couple of minutes, and far from smiling. As you say as a young non participant it all added to the day's excitement and entertainment.

I saw most of the way games that season. Luton was a fairly uneventful 0-0 on a drab November day, about the only highlight being Jimmy Mann hitting the bar at our end from about 40 yards. City fans led out from their end before the game, and Luton fans making themselves known in our end during the game leading to quite a brawl on the terrace. A fantastic team to follow, still consider every one of them a hero..

One of the best away games ever. 4,000 City fans for an evening game and about the loudest, non stop, support to get the team through that 2nd half that I can ever remember.

Well, I'd forgotten the retaken penalty. 'The Throstles were a goal to the good after just 11 minutes, Shaw unable to hold a Bryan Robson effort, Ally Brown darting in to convert the rebound. But it was from hero to villain for Ally ten minutes later from City won a penalty for a Brendon Batson handball. As Ritchie stepped up to take the penalty, Ally chucked a snowball at him to put him off and he missed the penalty, it hit the post. The referee let them retake it and Peter Cormack stepped up and scored.'

I was there and came across this photo taken from our view in the away section. West Brom, with Bryan Robson, Cyrille Regis and a near unplayable Laurie Cunningham won the game 3-1. West Brom had special boots to help with the Wintry conditions apparently, City didn't, but no disgrace to lose to a very talented West Brom team who were flying under Ron Atkinson. Hard men on a hard pitch, big hostile crowd and vociferous support from the City fans packing out the away terraces. Football as it used to be, and we absolutely loved it.