80s away days

[irishfoxkev]

11 hours ago, bss9401 said:

met up with some Hinckley lads in Leicester the following night who were a big part of it and they were incredibly proud of themselves. It was the worst situation that I'd ever been caught up in. Hinckley, Cov and Leicester papers were all over it but neither us nor Cov were banned. It is a measure of how that sort of thing was almost expected and accepted in those times.

Used to travel from Nuneaton on Wainfleet coaches to home games and the odd away one in early 70’s and we would regularly pick up some of the Hinckley mob enroute....In those days they were one of the mobs that would fight fellow City fans to get the middle ground in the Kop....

[Guy]

Oxford away (FAC R3) 1988 - 2.0 defeat : the sight of fans chanting out aloud 'Leicester aggro' and scaling the Manor Ground's floodlights was fun - but less amusing were the plentiful amount of fans at the front of the away terraces just in front of us nearest the police (stewarding/safeguarding the away end's perimeters) having the hooligan element of away fans gobbing in the cop's faces. Nostalgic yet equally shameful times in football it has to be said...…..different times for sure....

[Aus Fox]

I remember being in the Cov end mid nineties, can’t remember the season maybe the first year we played in the Premier League.

I had a die hard Cov fan next to me telling me how he’s going to kill a Leicester fan tonight and he ****ing hates us, now I’m not a fighter at all and this bloke one punch I would have been gone.

Cov took the lead and we equalised just in half time I think, I managed to sit on my hands and just had a grin on my face.

i remember being busting for the loo, but thinking there’s no way I’m pissing in their toilets today, if anyone finds out I’m Leicester I’m dead.

Anyway they took the lead again in the second half. But Iwan Roberts I think equalised late on, I couldn’t hold it in and jumped in the air as if I was in the away end, anyway I looked around and at least half the stand had gone up too.

Leicester everywhere, this bloke suddenly went quiet when he realised he was surrounded by Leicester supporters a few of them way more up for a fight than me.

Great feeling, but I quickly sat back down again and let those who wanted to fight go for each other on the way out.

[hackneyfox]

11 hours ago, dayday said:

Small world, I still go football with Steve Warden, Ed Simmonds, Mark and Neil Beasley.

 

 

 

 

I know Mark and Neil not sure about Steve and Ed. Was Steve a Dustman?

[dayday]

24 minutes ago, hackneyfox said:

I know Mark and Neil not sure about Steve and Ed. Was Steve a Dustman?

Yes mate, still is

 

I see Lee McBain, Ian Addison and Rob Marson from time to time

[hackneyfox]

38 minutes ago, dayday said:

Yes mate, still is

 

I see Lee McBain, Ian Addison and Rob Marson from time to time

Tell them Gavin sends his best.

I see Addo occasionally, last time was in Bruges I believe, think we sorted him a ticket, we were all somewhat the worse for wear.

[Crazy Kop Corner]

I remember going to The Old Den in about 1991 in the F.A Cup 3rd round. I went with ALF - does anyone remember them?

 

Tony James scored for us after about 3 minutes. We then held out for over 80 minutes as Walshy and then Paul Ramsey were sent off only to let in 2 very late goals. At least one was scored by Teddy Sheringham. 

 

I remember the Millwall fans still wanting to attack the away end but the thing that stays with me was that a lot of our end were trying to get on the pitch as well. Absolute madness !!

 

I was also at the Hare Kristina riot at Ipswich in 91 which I thought was more funny than directly violent although I remember the away end trying to storm the pitch to get the match postponed as we were 3 - 1 down and facing the abyss of the 3rd division.

 

Definitely set the heart racing but I'm not advocating the old days by any means.

[49er]

On 11/04/2019 at 01:18, Guy said:

Oxford away (FAC R3) 1988 - 2.0 defeat : the sight of fans chanting out aloud 'Leicester aggro' and scaling the Manor Ground's floodlights was fun - but less amusing were the plentiful amount of fans at the front of the away terraces just in front of us nearest the police (stewarding/safeguarding the away end's perimeters) having the hooligan element of away fans gobbing in the cop's faces. Nostalgic yet equally shameful times in football it has to be said...…..different times for sure....

I was at that game. Two fans scaled the floodlight where the Leicester fans were. To escape capture, they did a swallow dive from about ten metres up into the crowd, where they were caught and made good their escape

[worth_the_wait]

The 80's could be a bit tasty at times.  But at least there was segregation, and the police normally knew what they were doing. Sort of.
 
The 70's were positively wild by comparison.  No proper segregation, police didn't have a clue, and magistrate fines were so small as to be a joke.  At many places it really was a free for all.   You got trouble, whether you wanted it or not.
 
Funnily enough, most dodgy away days would be somewhere you weren't expecting it.
 
At the "worst" places such as West Ham, Chelsea, Tottenham, Millwall, Leeds, Man Utd ... most people wouldn't take too many liberties.  A good proportion of the City hooligan/lads/blokes element would often have weddings to go to (or couldn't afford it, or out shopping with wives), when we played these teams.  So there wasn't usually too much trouble.
 
The Forest/Derby/Cov local games were high risk and had the potential for mass trouble, with 1000's of City lads making the short trip (and visiting every pub en route).  But the police were usually out in force, so trouble wasn't quite as common as you might expect.  
 
It was the next bracket down, where things often really kicked off ... places like Middlebrough, Portsmouth, Birmingham, Stoke, Bristol City, Luton, Preston.  And lots more.  Not places you would have necessarily expected it.

 

Apart from doing something really stupid, and getting yourself into trouble by going into the wrong end ... most of us, have found ourselves stuck in a war zone at some point.  Chelsea and Birmingham in 1979, and Millwall in 1985 are a few that spring to mind (in addition to others mentioned, such as Middlebro in 1988).  Playoff games at Portsmouth in 1993 and Stoke 1996, were also a bit tasty.
 
In he the late 60's, 70's and early 80's, there was often so much trouble ... it was easier to just list the games where you had no problems!  Norwich, Ipswich, Notts County and Orient spring to mind.   I'm sure there were a few others.   But I can't think of any. 

 

[Dr The Singh]

I miss the overt racism of those days compared to the covert racism of today.  Back in those days people told you what they thought of you.

[Chiltern Fox]

1 hour ago, Dr The Singh said:

I miss the overt racism of those days compared to the covert racism of today.  Back in those days people told you what they thought of you.

So true. 

[Izzy]

2 hours ago, Dr The Singh said:

I miss the overt racism of those days compared to the covert racism of today.  Back in those days people told you what they thought of you.

You could bet your bottom dollar that the first chant the away fans would sing to us is “Leicester’s full of Paki’s, Leicester’s full of Paki’s, la la la, la la la”. 

Every time. 

[Guy]

On ‎13‎/‎04‎/‎2019 at 18:35, 49er said:

I was at that game. Two fans scaled the floodlight where the Leicester fans were. To escape capture, they did a swallow dive from about ten metres up into the crowd, where they were caught and made good their escape

Yes, I think the cops were rather more preoccupied with stopping the unruly away contingent spilling onto the pitch that day and getting spat at in their faces from point blank range by some of the hooligans whilst doing so through the wired fencing! We were pretty poor that day I recall, although we were a bang average second division side playing a first division side at the time in 'those Pleat years'!

Edited 14 April 2019 by Guy

[49er]

45 minutes ago, Guy said:

Yes, I think the cops were rather more preoccupied with stopping the unruly away contingent spilling onto the pitch that day and getting spat at in their faces from point blank range by some of the hooligans whilst doing so through the wired fencing! We were pretty poor that day I recall, although we were a bang average second division side playing a first division side at the time in 'those Pleat years'!

I thin you are right about us being poor. I think that Steve Wilkinson played up front that day

[Guy]

5 hours ago, 49er said:

I thin you are right about us being poor. I think that Steve Wilkinson played up front that day

Yes, I think 'Deano' Saunders scored for them, once possibly twice even....we were dog poor that day and the team got boo-ed off the pitch big time..

[Dr The Singh]

10 hours ago, Izzy said:

You could bet your bottom dollar that the first chant the away fans would sing to us is “Leicester’s full of Paki’s, Leicester’s full of Paki’s, la la la, la la la”. 

Every time. 

Yeah but it wasnt nice be told by our own fans too 'foook off you paki bastard, your not welcome here' every home game.  And I loved 'pakis dont watch football..., Wtf are pakis doing here'.  

 

Now those same people just bite there lip, cus there are laws to protect us, but what does that do.....

[ozleicester]

Probably wrong, but as someone who watched this unfold from afar. It certainly makes for interesting reading.

[Jo Smith]

    Dr The Singh, I have been to Pakistan, the words and abuse I had reluctantly translated by my local friend were very ignorant and offensive. Then again it was not a City away game and you as a Sikh, may well have got worse. I only mention it because I was drinking wine through game of thrones and feel dead larey. In the Leicester 80s however, I lost a days pay because the Indian factory ladies would not work with a white man present, fixing shelves. My temp agency accepted it as a reasonable cultural quirk. Also remember visiting an "Afghani"  friends house and his mother telling him, in English to be fair, to "get this white man out of my house." the moment she saw us. He was very embarrassed.

    It works both ways Dr The Singh, its just that, from hazy memory, your posts tend to be abstract and non committal, like you are wounded and do not truly belong. I got wounded too mate, In a few 80s away games, being white did not save me.

 

Well,  reread this and realise that i have gone off on one and your point was very valid and I am a bit of a twat, still submitting it though, 

[Claridge]

3 hours ago, Dr The Singh said:

Yeah but it wasnt nice be told by our own fans too 'foook off you paki bastard, your not welcome here' every home game.  And I loved 'pakis dont watch football..., Wtf are pakis doing here'.  

 

Now those same people just bite there lip, cus there are laws to protect us, but what does that do.....

As I’m sure you know, the racism between Pakistanis and Indians is terrible as well. Doesn’t excuse what you experienced but racism is found in all communities

[Guest Markyblue]

4 hours ago, Dr The Singh said:

Yeah but it wasnt nice be told by our own fans too 'foook off you paki bastard, your not welcome here' every home game.  And I loved 'pakis dont watch football..., Wtf are pakis doing here'.  

 

Now those same people just bite there lip, cus there are laws to protect us, but what does that do.....

Leicesters casual crew in the eighties was very mixed with plenty of  black and Asian faces present. 

[Paninistickers]

It can't be painted any other way. City's support (like.most other teams) in the 80s and early 90s was hostile to non white faces. Despite the occasional active participant in fighting.

 

I can recall a young academy called Rob Alleyne being 'supported' by a guy in the terrace with a supportive 'come on xxxx'/or 'well.played xxxx' or 'good lad xxxx'.....the xxxxx in each case was a disgusting racist nickname (genuinely unrepeatable)

 

There was a reason the likes of Heskey and Dion Dublin never supported City as kids.

 

I think there was a sea change in the 1990s Wembley play off finals when coach loads of Asian lads attended and were largely welcomed as lads prepared to 'join in'

 

 

[Ted Maul]

6 hours ago, Dr The Singh said:

Yeah but it wasnt nice be told by our own fans too 'foook off you paki bastard, your not welcome here' every home game.  And I loved 'pakis dont watch football..., Wtf are pakis doing here'.  

 

Now those same people just bite there lip, cus there are laws to protect us, but what does that do.....

Hopefully make things a bit easier for the next generation, I suppose. That sort of culture doesn't go away overnight, but higher percentages of the generations which follow will grow up knowing it's not on.

[worth_the_wait]

It's perfectly understandable to want to tell people "how bad it used to be".  But we must also never stop telling people, just how much better it is now.

 

In the last Century, the liberal democracies were literally trying to wipe Germany and Japan off the face of the earth.  It was an apolcalyptic battle of annhilation, and they were our mortal enemy.  But that was then, and this is now.   Now they are our friends and allies.  It's a bit naff to go on and on about how beastly the Germans and Japanese were (Or more precisely, how nasty SOME of them were).   Yes, they were, but they're not now.  It's wonderful now.  I love the Germans and Japanese as much as anyone.
 
Yes, there was a lot of racism about many years ago.  I suspect this was also true of every country in the world.  But massive strides have been made to eradicate it, and the present day is utterly unrecognisable from how it used to be.   It was bad, very bad, years ago.  But it's not now.  It's now, by and large, very good.
 
I can honestly say that in the last 20 years, I have not seen or heard a single racist incident in any public place ... at a football match, on a train or bus, in the street, in a pub or restaurant, at my workplace.   Absolutely nowhere, and I do get out and I do also have my ears and eyes open.  
 
In the real world, racism is simply not acceptable, and tolerated.   Obviously there will always be the occasional isolated incidents.  I'm afraid that the nature of the occasional bigoted idiot.  But that doesn't reflect on the overwhelming vast majority of decent people.

 

<I say "real world", as the anonymous virtual world of un-social media is a totally different matter.   That's a cesspit of propaganda, lies, vitriol, insults, and every other negative action you can think of.  I genuinely have no idea how you stop people posting disgusting comments online ... especially as you can effectively hide your IP Address via the dark web, if you really want to.>

 

[Dr The Singh]

6 hours ago, Markyblue said:

Leicesters casual crew in the eighties was very mixed with plenty of  black and Asian faces present. 

Yeah when I was a kid they were the older gen, and grew up with a few, and they were always around should something kick off.  Those guys had there click, very few in numbers and made no impact in the general.  

 

[Dr The Singh]

7 hours ago, Claridge said:

As I’m sure you know, the racism between Pakistanis and Indians is terrible as well. Doesn’t excuse what you experienced but racism is found in all communities

Sure, totally agree, but when India play Pakistan at cricket, I don't see the same racist abuse at a cricket match.

 

In the 80's and 90's football grounds allowed the open abuse of all kinds, and accepted it.  The police would stand and just shrug there shoulders or even worse laugh In your face.

 

The racism and hatred is also different, India and Pakistan hate each on a much deeper level due to history, but they in general accept each other, drink, eat and can socialise.  It's no inhumane, it's more like a family dispute.

 

The racism I've been subjected to is one of non acceptance and disassociation because of my colour, it's a very inhumane attack.

 

We're generations away from racism.  I was at the forest match 5 seasons ago with DavieG and Thracian, we were outside the forest ground, in open public hot racist abuse from a group of forest fans, the hatred they showed, they hated my colour more then they hated Leicester City.