A Request For The Older Generation

[Mr B]

Hey, although I said in the title that this is a request for the older generation, help from all areas is welcome if you know places to access relevant information, or have any it is all warmly welcomed.

Basically, I am writing my third year History dissertation on this question, "To What Extent Did The Experience And Behavior of Leicester City Supporters, During Games and Outside, Differ Between The Years 1960 To 1989?".

I was wondering whether any of you would be able to help me out, whether you personally remember these years and have your view on the topic (all views welcomed as differing opinions are good, maybe we could meet and discuss it?), or have access to information that has this (references needed), or have family or friends that can remember the period.

I have access to a lot of old club programmes, as well as Leicester Mercury articles, however these are very vague in reference to supporters, so I am trying to access all possible information I can get for the topic.

I am also open to information relating the wider English game at the time, as some broad knowledge to put in at the start could help make a better argument.

If you can help I would be most grateful, and thanks in advance.

[MikeyT]

I'm sure DavieG/Thracian could give you some great information on this. Worth asking them.

[mikey54]

I can go back to 1965 - good memories

[Mr B]

I can go back to 1965 - good memories

Do you mind if i pm you in the next few days, maybe with some questions or just a general enquiry?

[jonthefox]

I go as far back as 74, if thats any help. 49p to get in then ..incredible.

[Mr B]

I go as far back as 74, if thats any help. 49p to get in then ..incredible.

Same question as above, is it ok if i pm you in the next few days?

[davieG]

60's

The biggest difference was no segregation and fans 'getting on' with each other. There was plenty of banter but it all had a friendly, derogatory, jokey edge to it none of it was nasty, vindictive, hateful or aggressive.

Even though there was lots of banter and plenty of singing you could actually applaud a decent bit of play from the opposition without being attacked by your own fans

The majority all stood, the only sitting at Filbert St was the Main Stand but there was a decent sized standing area in front of the stand.

No adverts on shirts or around the perimeter of the ground

No names on shirts

No subs

Teams numbered 1 to 11

No warm ups by the team on the pitch at least

Teams entered the pitch separately so you could cheer / boo them

I was never aware of an player diving or making a meal of injuries even though he boots they wore must have hurt.

You could pass the ball back to the goalkeeper to pick up

No going off when you were injured to come back straight on again

Quick free kicks, none of this 5 minute setting up we see nowadays

At Leicester the players trained on the car park and often arrived by bus or walking like and with the fans

Apart from ST holders it was pretty much pay on the gate on a first come first served basis.

Most fans travelled by bus or bike, bikes were parked down the entries of the local terraced houses for a 'penny'

I'm pretty sure I remember being able to walk around the perimeter of the ground and change stands at half time.

No electronic scoreboards - to know the half time results you needed a programme with a list of games that corresponded to a numbered board displayed on the perimeter of the pitch.

Very little if any TV or radio commentaries - I remember watching Real Madrid beat Eintracht Frankfurt 7-2 in the European Champions Cup at the YMCA several weeks after the game on a Cine Real set up.

You could buy the Sports Buff up town around 6pm after the game for the full results and a report of the game.

Trust that's the sort of thing you were after I believe all of that had changed by 1989. If I think of anything else I'll post it.

[Wycombe Fox]

What DavieG said

Wow DavieG thanks for all of that. Brought back some memories. I used to love the manual scoreboard system where selected fixtures were designated a letter in the matchday programme and at half-time someone would come out and put scorecards against the letters.

Other memories;

The refs always wore black.

The keepers always wore green until Shilts went all 'catwalk' with Admiral.

Everyone wore Stylo Matchmaker boots.

Only Umbro made kits.

Only Gola made physio's bags.

[jonthefox]

Same question as above, is it ok if i pm you in the next few days?

aye, nay bother.

[bluebeau]

60's

T

[b].

You could buy the Sports Buff up town around 6pm after the game for the full results and a report of the game.

Don't forget 'The Green 'un'. This was The Leicester Mercury's Saturday early evening sports paper. I think it used to hit the shops around 6.00pm and all of the football results were in it, plus reports of several matches. Fantastic how they got it out on the streets so quickly. The street newspaper vendor would be shouting out "GREEN UN, GET YER GREEN UN !!!"

That's when The Mercury was a decent paper & a proper local paper.

There was no booze on sale in the grounds, & as Davie G says, never any trouble, even though the 2 sets of supporters were standing right next to each other.

I used to take my son to the home matches, we stood in front of the main stand, packed in like sardines Sometimes I would stand with my back to the wall that seperated the seats from the terraces, & my lad would be sitting on my shoulders.

Also, the crowd on the terraces would allow the small kids to come to the front of the crowd so that they could see, & you knew your child would be perfectly safe..

Before the start of the game, when the players had come out onto the pitch, the supporters would sing or shout out one by one the name of each player, right thru the team, & as their name was called the players would wave back to the crowd, great times!

[stockyfox]

My dad first took me to watch City in late 1949. I was six! Over the years, I was in the Wing Stand (Filbert St. end) or stood on the terrace of the main stand or occasionally stood behind the goal on the terrace of the double decker stand.

There was no segregation of fans but there again, there was rarely a great influx of visiting fans. The principal pre-match attraction was the Salvation Army Brass Band (about 8 to 10 or so - it varied) playing Sousa marches for about 20-30 mins before kick - off and of course, they finished with the Post Horn Galop as the City ran out, usually to the Kop end.

One of the features of Filbert Street was that in the main stand, especially when say City had a corner or had been pressing, we would stamp our feet on the wooden flooring. It could be like thunder and was quite awesome. I remember one day in the late 90's, I wasn't actually at the match because I was visiting my dad who was very poorly in the Royal Imfirmary. City were playing Leeds - the game when Hasselbaink missed the penalty. As I went back to my car, the cheering and the thunder from the continuous stamping was deafening. The nearest we get to it today is Lee Jobber's drum!!!

In the 50's, there was always a loyal following of 25 to 30 thousand. One of the biggest crowds was March 1960 when just under 39,000 watched us lose 1-2 to Wolves in the 6th Round of the FA Cup. In the 5th round, we had beaten WBA 2-1 and just under 38,000 were at that game. The support City had in each game during the 1961 route to Wembley was phenomenal. Having avoided a banana skin in beating Oxford Utd, who had just changed their name from Headington Utd when25,000 turned up, the 4th round opponents were Bristol City. The first game had to be abandoned at half-time because of a totally water-logged pitch. The game was replayed under floodlights, City played in an all white strip and looked absolutely magnificent scoring five with one reply from the Robins.

I'm looking for a repeat tonight!!!!!!!!

The 5th round we had to go to Brum. Over 53,500 were there to see a 1-1 draw but near enough 42,000 yes, forty two thousand packed Filbert St to see us win the replay 2-1. Then just under 39,000 saw us draw at home with Barnsley and just over that same figure saw us win the replay at Oakwell.

Then it was the marathon semi-final v Sheffield Utd. Over 52,000 saw the first game on a glorious sunny afternoon at Elland Road. About 500 City fans missed the first half, having been delayed on the M1. They had to sit round the perimeter of the pitch when they were eventually allowed in.

Then 43,500 saw the 0-0 stalemate aet in the first replay at Forest and 4 days later, at St. Andrews, we achieved a memorable 2-0 victory in front of just over 37,000.

But going to Wembley was something else. I was in the South Grand Stand, Row 31, seat 54. High up, behind the corner flag, My ticket cost a whopping fifteen shillings (75p in today's money) OK, we lost 2-1 but if Len Chalmers hadn't been injured in the 21st minute with Ken Keyworth having to revert to full-back (no subs were allowed then), it could have been so different. But it was an historic occasion with Tottenham Hotspur and Danny (Shredded Wheat) Blanchflower getting the double and at least, I can say 'I was there'. Naturally, we were disappointed but we were so proud of out team even so.

[AmyLGK]

wow I'm LOVING reading your memories - please keep them coming!

When did games start having subs then?

[Mr B]

wow I'm LOVING reading your memories - please keep them coming!

When did games start having subs then?

From my reading for this topic, it seems like around the 65/66 seasons when each team were allowed 1 substitute (correct me if i'm wrong). Not sure when it became like it is today.

Also thanks for all your replies people, they have been absolutely brilliant. Keep them coming .

[AmyLGK]

ALSO - did players REALLY do those running throw-in's where they did a somersault before throwing the ball!?!?

[mikey54]

Mr B - yes, feel free.

DaveG's comments certainly brought back memories.

I'll always have fond memories of my early days down at Filbert Street. (standing at the front of the Kop, feet soaking wet - the toilet facilities back then weren't what they are today)

My first recollection of violence in football was, ironically, a friendly game against Glasgow Rangers - 1965/66? A scary experience to say the least.

The state of the Filbert Street pitch in the late 60's - the games would be abandoned today (unless they were being televised by Sky).

The aroma of horse liniment,

The characters in the game - so many of them

[AmyLGK]

I'll always have fond memories of my early days down at Filbert Street. (standing at the front of the Kop, feet soaking wet - the toilet facilities back then weren't what they are today)

OH GOOD LORD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Out of interest - did many women used to go to games at that time? Obviously we're bought up thinking football is watched and loved mainly by men, up until recently - but I wonder what the reality was.

[davieG]

Mr B - yes, feel free.

DaveG's comments certainly brought back memories.

I'll always have fond memories of my early days down at Filbert Street. (standing at the front of the Kop, feet soaking wet - the toilet facilities back then weren't what they are today)

My first recollection of violence in football was, ironically, a friendly game against Glasgow Rangers - 1965/66? A scary experience to say the least.

The state of the Filbert Street pitch in the late 60's - the games would be abandoned today (unless they were being televised by Sky).

The aroma of horse liniment,

The characters in the game - so many of them

I think it was a wee bit later than that? I was there in the popular side / east stand - I've never seen so many beer bottle flying through the air, it wasn't violence between opposing fans though I was mixed in with thousands of LCFC/Rangers fans with my girlfriend/wife to be and we never felt threatened.

Forgot about the pitches and the bogs and they played on snow, ice and waterlogged pitches,

[surrifox]

well in the 1960s we had a manger- Matt Gillies . No one doubted that he was in charge of the club after all the Directors and owners appointed him and you just accepted that situation .( You might have more chance if you didnt like the manager of the local branch of Woolworths of writing to Head Office demanding he be replaced) .If you thought he wasnt doing a good job then tell someone who cares

Eventually after he took us to a couple of FA Cup finals and a few league cup wins and built an attractive comfortably placed 1st division side his star waned and sensing blood the disaffected began to talk openly about having him replaced and eventually he was- by fan power. Managers came and went until Jimmy Bloomfield arrived at the club and using his London connections assembled a team of gifted but flawed characters in the early 1970's. This produced possibly the most fulfilling, attractive and memorable period in the clubs history - no trophies just some brilliant memories. In 1977 I was stopped outside the ground along with other fans and asked to sign a petition to get Bloomfield out. (to my shame I signed it). He was gone within weeks and we got the LCFC equivalent of Newcastle's Shearer or Liverpool's Dalglish ie the fan's favourite former City legend Frank McClintock to manage the club , which as it turned out was metaphorically a bit like saying to Gary Glitter "I'm just popping down the pub for a couple of hours would you mind keeping an eye on the kids".

No matter, we saw he was crap, binned him and had a season in division 2 to reflect on the wisdom of urging ill advised and populist appointments on the board. By now the genie was well and truly out of the bottle, the growth in the confidence of fans to influence the board was by now quite apparent and the board ran scared. Fan power nearly saw off the saintly Martin before he got started and although this was post 1989 you probably get what I'm driving at

[mikey54]

I think it was a wee bit later than that? I was there in the popular side / east stand - I've never seen so many beer bottle flying through the air, it wasn't violence between opposing fans though I was mixed in with thousands of LCFC/Rangers fans with my girlfriend/wife to be and we never felt threatened.

Forgot about the pitches and the bogs and they played on snow, ice and waterlogged pitches,

You may be right, but I'm sure we won 1-0 with a goal from Dougan

[mikey54]

You may be right, but I'm sure we won 1-0 with a goal from Dougan

18th February 1967 - 1-0 (Dougan)

[Bellend Sebastian]

This is fascinating.

I think the image of football in a lot of people's minds is dominated by the colour television era and what went before that (apart from possibly the 1966 World Cup) is pretty much unknown to those that weren't alive then, which is a bit strange given that you've got the best part of a century of football history before that period.

There was an interview a year or so back in the Mercury with some very old fella who'd been a City supporter all his life, and that was really interesting. It's hard enough to get your head around the fact that there was a point there was no segregation and no bother (which some on here are old enough to remember) but this old chap was recalling the era before the crowd started singing at games, the sort of thing you would think had always happened.

Mikey, you said that the first time you experienced violence at a game was in the mid 60s. Did this sort of thing quickly become commonplace or was it more gradual? My other question to the older posters (forgive me if I'm hijacking the thread, I'm just really interested) but during what period did you enjoy going to games the most?

[mikey54]

Re the Glasgow friendly, after the match there were fights all over the place, the coach I was on got pelted with bricks. I was 13 at the time and it was scary !!

I always liked watching the results come up on the teleprinter (BBC Grandstand). There were no live updates, radio coverage or anything - as far as I can remember - so the first inkling we'd get of the results were on the Beeb - oh and the final scores would start coming in at 4.40pm, not 4.55pm as they do these days.

FA Cup - all the games were played on a Saturday with a 3.00pm kick off

[mikey54]

Still thinking back to the old days - so heres an interesting poser.

In 1979, Arsenal won at Filbert Street, but Leicester didn't lose. Some of you older ones should be able to remember why

[Webbo]

Still thinking back to the old days - so heres an interesting poser.

In 1979, Arsenal won at Filbert Street, but Leicester didn't lose. Some of you older ones should be able to remember why

Was that the oft replayed FA cup tie with Sheff Utd?

[stockyfox]

Not Sheffield United but Sheffield Wednesday! Arsenal finally beat them 2 - 0 (22nd Jan '79) in an FA Cup 3rd Round tie, 4th replay! having drawn the 2nd Replay 2 - 2 (15th Jan) and the 3rd replay 3 - 3, (17th Jan), all three games being played at Filbert St!