Ultras!

[KiTChener]

[QUOTE=choirboy;1190523]

Originally Posted by monkey hanger

Aye..... when Stanley resigned form the league in 1962 I was only Ten!
I still had to get my football fix though, so one Saturday late in the season I got on the Manchester bus in Melbourne Street. When I got off in the centre of Manchester I 'used my initiative' and spotted some red and white scarves and just followed them! Three miles and over an hour later after a very long walk I eventually arrived at Old Trafford! I went into the Stretford End which was as Monkey Hanger describes and it was simply awesome! I remember being carried around in the 'Sway' by the bigger folk around me. I remember too that when blokes need a pee they just did it on the terraces with a little circle opening up around them to allow them to off load their recycled ale! I also remember on one or two occasions that when someone fainted in the Stretford End they simply lifted them up and passed them overhead down to The St John's Ambulance volunteers down at the front!
When I got home at about 7.30 pm my Mum really gave me a rollicking but I think secretly that my Dad was quite impressed with my determination and resourcefulness!
I continued to go to Old Trafford for a few years and eventually found the local bus service to save me the long walks! The days of "Best, Law and Charlton" were wonderful and I thought that the atmosphere there was fantastic.
Seated Stadia had to happen because of the stupid actions of hooligans but is perhaps still appropriate for the larger grounds in the Premier League. I love the atmosphere in the Clayton End and I hope that we are able to maintain standing at our smaller grounds!

Ahh, memories! Great, aren't they!
I am a little older than you,Choirboy, and, as I have probably said on here before, my first experience of 'proper' football was watching, on black & white TV, (or, non-colour as I believe I must say these days!) the FA cup finals of '55 & '56.
My first taste of watching 'live' was at Bloomfield Road, when I had a week's holiday with a friend from school, who was lucky enough to have an Aunt & Uncle who lived in Bispham!

Can't remember for the life of me who they were playing, or the scoreline, just remember vividly being passed, person to person, (not exactly overhead, as at Old Trafford), until we youngsters were eventually sat on the actual touchline for the duration of the game! All I remember from that experience was 'what a poor viewing position that was!'

From that game, living in Manchester, I went the opposite way to you, & gravitated to Maine Road... I well remember having weekly spending money of Half a Crown (2 shillings & sixpence, 12 & a half P in today's money)& that was spent regularly on a Saturday afternoon visit to to watch the poor relations! My hero in those days was Bert Trautmann, but, so many names from those past days are still remembered, the likes of centre-half, Dave Ewing, who could boot the ball over the stands... in those days, still much bigger than our Cowshed! Jack Dyer, our winger, who used to turn out for Lancashire CC in the close season. Joe Hayes, Ken Barnes (whose son played for City many years later), Roy Paul, captain for so many years, I could go on & on, I can probably, if tasked to, still recite the line-up for the '56 cup final!

The following season, I went to Old Trafford, along with hundreds, if not thousands of City fans, to give support to United in their first game after Munich.... again, cannot remember the opposition, or scoreline, just the emotions of the occasion....

Sorry If I've gone on a bit, it's just that your post stirred up so many memories...

Note to oneself... must write them all down before it's too late!!

[DAV007]

eric whalley was right

you wouldnt pay the stewards at stanley with washers

[deeayess]

[QUOTE=monkey hanger;1190513]

Originally Posted by Lord Didsbury

I must say it's the best way I can think of, apart from winning games, to get people to the ground. I know it's not to everyone's taste (my parents hate the drum, although my dad takes his hearing aid out now so can put up with it) but I think it's great being in a noisy, singing crowd.
More of a community spirit if it's done without too much bad language or too much aggression.



used to love going to grounds where you got a mass of singing swaying hordes where you stood still and ended up twenty feet nearer the front. proper atmosphere and even a poor game and defeat was offset by the experiance. the old den at millwall was worth the admission price just for the atmosphere alone, but sadly those days are over with all seater grounds, elf and sadie etc. at least i was born early enough to be part of the old scene which i,m sure a lot of younger fans would crave for.

I served my time on the terraces at Ibrox, Parkhead and Hampden and although it was a great atmosphere it was also dangerous. I can remember leaving games and your feet didn't touch the ground and your only option was to go with the flow.

You always knew the newbies because they would come in and stand leaning on the crush barriers whereas the old hands stood in front of them. They soon learned after a goal was scored .

I also remember that the worst feeling was in the Rangers end at Parkhead or Hampden when Celtic scored and you saw them jumping around then the sound hit you a second or so later. That silence was a horrible feeling.

[Lord Didsbury]

Deeayass- that's a very good observation re the second of silence.

[monkey hanger]

[QUOTE=deeayess;1190572][QUOTE=monkey hanger;1190513]

I served my time on the terraces at Ibrox, Parkhead and Hampden and although it was a great atmosphere it was also dangerous. I can remember leaving games and your feet didn't touch the ground and your only option was to go with the flow.

my ex wife was born near parkhead and used to go with her dad in the 50,s and told me similar tales but was never frightened by it. she tried a few games with me and said it was boring after the parkhead or should i say parkheed experiances.

[Lord Didsbury]

My formative years were mostly in the boys pen at Elland Road. No surges there although some of the harder ones would go over the wall if there was a pitch invasion.
Prior to that I'd stand on a stool in front of a crush barrier. Once we got to the ground late, stool was placed in the middle of the masses....Duncan McKenzie broke through to score....next thing I knew was being picked off the floor with my stool in pieces.

Elland Road was less about crushed fans and colour and more about intimidating noise. Especially when Man U played, as I think Ferguson and his former players have written about. They have managed to keep a decent atmosphere there now because all the fans that want to sing and stand up have moved into the stand opposite the kop.

Never really went to away matches. So haven't experienced what it's like in comparison at a lot of other grounds. Probably for the best - stayed in one piece that way.

[monkey hanger]

Never really went to away matches. So haven't experienced what it's like in comparison at a lot of other grounds. Probably for the best - stayed in one piece that way.[/QUOTE]

wise move i think as your old boys on and off the pitch were as popular as adolf hitler in a concentration camp.

[deeayess]

[QUOTE=monkey hanger;1190605][QUOTE=deeayess;1190572]

Originally Posted by monkey hanger

I served my time on the terraces at Ibrox, Parkhead and Hampden and although it was a great atmosphere it was also dangerous. I can remember leaving games and your feet didn't touch the ground and your only option was to go with the flow.

my ex wife was born near parkhead and used to go with her dad in the 50,s and told me similar tales but was never frightened by it. she tried a few games with me and said it was boring after the parkhead or should i say parkheed experiances.

I was usually there as an away fan and in them days it was usually along with around 20000 others in that end. We called it many a thing other than parkheid but not many I can repeat on here