[Archived] For those of a certain vintage

[longsiders1882]

Not sure if this is the right place for this and either way I hope nobody minds me posting this.

It's really aimed at those who were watching football from pre the mid 70's, the link is to an article about a review of a book on Jimmy Adamson - The Man Who Said No To England.

Though obviously a Burnley thing I know many football fans, certainly in this area, had an admiration for Adamson - no matter how begrudged - so I thought you might find the review and maybe even the book interesting.

Again my apologies if this is the wrong forum or the posting offends anybody but I know quite a few on here go back to the days when football was an altogether different sport.

http://www.thefootballnetwork.net/main/s37/st183386.htm

(PS: No I'm not involved with the book or on a commission or cut)

[dave birch]

I'm from that vintage Longsiders, in fact my late F-I-L was an avid Bumley supporter. Fortunately my wife has an intense dislike of sport in general, thus avoiding any in house confrontation.

I've never been one to have a hatred of Bumley. Coming from SMC we had lots of guys from the Burnley district, and it was always good banter, nothing that led to fisticuffs.

I can remember Burnley having the best of scouting networks, they got some cracking players over the years, and then the money moved in.

The funniest memory I have of Burnley is Ray Pointer (and his running style), he was running down the right channel, head down, not looking where he was going, and just (just) stopped himself going base over apex over the low wall that surrounded Ewood at the time.

[longsiders1882]

I missed all those great years, I just caught the end of the 70's - wasn't pointer the Blonde Bombshell? My Aunty had a huge crush on him back in the day.

Every Burnley and Rovers fan I know from back in that time says the same thing - intense rivalry, great banter but nothing over the top or untoward - with the infamous ones who went to one ground one week and the other the next if 'their team' was playing away. I guess the rise of the hooligans in the mid/late 70's ruined all that.

[den]

http://www.claretsmuseum.com/wallpointer.html

[jim mk2]

You missed the really great Burnley era of approx 1958 - 75 when the club produced a never-ending stream of top-class players. You might be surprised to hear this but when we were in decline post the 1966 relegation era there were lot of Rovers fans who went to Turf Moor when Rovers were away to get their fix of first division football. We always supported the opposition of course but privately we were jealous and saw Burnley as carrying the flag for Lancashire town teams after the likes of Rovers, Bolton and Preston fell into decline.

Adamson was a very fine player by the way, as were the likes of Pointer, Connelly, Morgan, Coates, Thomas and James. Bryan O'Neill was a dirty so-and-so though - saw him have a few dust-ups with Billy Bremner !

[riverside returns]

As an ex SMC also, I do recall the mini rivalry between the Burnley lads and us Blackburn lads but as Meadows and others have stated, it was just banter and fun until the late seventies and the advent of hooliganism. My first visit to Turf Moor was the boxing day game in 1977 and it was fabulous game and day. Yes of course there was a little aggro but nothing overtly serious. Saw worse later on in the 70s and early 80s at places like sheffield both clubs, blackpool, bolton et al.

I agree, it is sport and this stupidity and belief that we cannot live together is ridiculous.

[47er]

  On 10/09/2013 at 09:59, jim mk2 said:

You missed the really great Burnley era of approx 1958 - 75 when the club produced a never-ending stream of top-class players. You might be surprised to hear this but when we were in decline post the 1966 relegation era there were lot of Rovers fans who went to Turf Moor when Rovers were away to get their fix of first division football. We always supported the opposition of course but privately we were jealous and saw Burnley as carrying the flag for Lancashire town teams after the likes of Rovers, Bolton and Preston fell into decline.

Adamson was a very fine player by the way, as were the likes of Pointer, Connelly, Morgan, Coates, Thomas and James. Bryan O'Neill was a dirty so-and-so though - saw him have a few dust-ups with Billy Bremner !

Also Martin Dobson from Gt Harwood I think.

[longsiders1882]

Dobbo a Great Harwood lad? I never knew that.

[jim mk2]

I thought he was Clitheroe. Maybe went to CRGS

[Neil Weaver]

  On 10/09/2013 at 12:32, jim mk2 said:

I thought he was Clitheroe. Maybe went to CRGS

Don't know where he lived, but definitely went to the grammar school - I was in the (cricket) first XI and bowled him in the Old Boys game one year.

[thenodrog]

  On 10/09/2013 at 09:23, longsiders1882 said:

I missed all those great years, I just caught the end of the 70's - wasn't pointer the Blonde Bombshell? My Aunty had a huge crush on him back in the day.

Every Burnley and Rovers fan I know from back in that time says the same thing - intense rivalry, great banter but nothing over the top or untoward - with the infamous ones who went to one ground one week and the other the next if 'their team' was playing away. I guess the rise of the hooligans in the mid/late 70's ruined all that.

We weren't even segregated in the 60's. Imagine that now.

[riverside returns]

  On 10/09/2013 at 16:44, thenodrog said:

We weren't even segregated in the 60's. Imagine that now.

Pathetic really when you think about it. I thought this was just a game. Some need to get a reality check and stop making it more than it is. Rugby fans mix, cricket fans mix, it is about time we got back to football fans mixing in standing room stadia.bring football back to the masses.

[McClarky]

Looks like a fascinating read. Lets get Saturday out the way and we can perhaps look at it a bit more objectively.

[longsiders1882]

  On 10/09/2013 at 17:51, riverside returns said:

Pathetic really when you think about it. I thought this was just a game. Some need to get a reality check and stop making it more than it is. Rugby fans mix, cricket fans mix, it is about time we got back to football fans mixing in standing room stadia.bring football back to the masses.

As they say, all it takes for evil to prosper is good men to do nothing - in the face of the violence of the 70s and 80s I think a lot of us good men did nothing, understandably because we'd have been half murdered.

Oh and I hear the Leeds chapters are very good reads.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

I remember a group of women going to Rovers with home made scarves. One half blue and white the other half claret and blue with the players names picked out. I presume they also went to Burnley.

I don't know when the rivalry became a war. It was always lively in the sixties without people trying to kill each other. I've been to Burnley v Rovers on the coach from Rochdale, forty nine Burnley fans and me in my blue and white scarf. No problem. Now some prick would want to make a name for himself.

[thenodrog]

  On 10/09/2013 at 19:47, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

I remember a group of women going to Rovers with home made scarves. One half blue and white the other half claret and blue with the players names picked out. I presume they also went to Burnley.

I don't know when the rivalry became a war. It was always lively in the sixties without people trying to kill each other. I've been to Burnley v Rovers on the coach from Rochdale, forty nine Burnley fans and me in my blue and white scarf. No problem. Now some prick would want to make a name for himself.

What a chance you missed Tyrone!

[Proudtobeblue&white]

  On 10/09/2013 at 14:41, Neil Weaver said:

Don't know where he lived, but definitely went to the grammar school - I was in the (cricket) first XI and bowled him in the Old Boys game one year.

Aye, he was on the board as 1st X1 footy captain, just like me some years later, and god I was so in awe! I've gone on to play for Manchester Poly 1st, and Grindleton! Lol

[47er]

  On 10/09/2013 at 14:41, Neil Weaver said:

Don't know where he lived, but definitely went to the grammar school - I was in the (cricket) first XI and bowled him in the Old Boys game one year.

Correction--- Dobson came from Rishton. Too close to Ewood, what went wrong?!!

[JohnD]

  On 10/09/2013 at 16:44, thenodrog said:

We weren't even segregated in the 60's. Imagine that now.

After the toss and at half time respective fans walked through the riverside to get behind the goal at the opposite end

[longsiders1882]

How on earth could it change so much?

I only remember the segregation on the longside when there even needed to be a no mans land!

My dads best friend was a big Rovers fan and I spent hours talking to him about football in general and our respective clubs in particular - he simply didn't understand what had happened to the clubs and supporters he'd known as a boy and young man.

[AJW]

society changed ... not the clubs longsiders .... why cant you leave your doors unlocked any more ? why cant kids play out and be safe any more ? I wont be as old as you , ive always known the relationship to be "spikey" at best , but being from Accrington i have a lot of friends workmates neighbours even family members who are Burnley fans and apart from the obvious banter its all good natured

Funny story ...... after the end of the awful 0-0 fa cup game couple years ago i was giving some burnley fans some right grief in the Bob Lord stand as they were walking out , a mate who i played footy with was behind them , at which point i stopped giving the Nescafe signal , waved and shouted .... " Alright Dave!!!" .... then carried on abusing

[Fife Rover]

Without going into the boring details of how it came about, I found myself in January 1949 having to up-sticks and move from our home in Preston and move into a small general shop in Stoneyholme Burnley.

As a consequence of this I also found myself becoming a temporary Burnley supporter, and this situation continued until we moved to Blackburn in the summer of1950. So as a regular at Turf Moor on the then totally open Longside I was genuinely entertained by a very good and consistent 1st Div team. I can still remember that team and it never changed a single player in over a full season.

Strong, ....Woodruff, Mather.....Atwell, Cummings, Bray........Chew, Morris, Spencer, Potts, Hays.

What a team that was.

My worst memory of that period was the Easter home game for Burnley against Blackpool in 1950 (with Mathews, Mortensen etc).

I arrived at the turnstiles at the Cricket Field End at my usual time and found the queues stretching for hundreds of yards at every turnstile.

I did eventually get in after missing all except the last few minutes of the 1st half, but was then confronted by a mass of bodies that were absolutely unable to move in any direction, and I had to start to struggle my way up to the top of the Longside. It took me about 20 mins to get somewhere close to the top, but then it was absolutely physically impossible to get any further in any direction, and by then it was well into the half-time break.

So there I was stuck and unable to move any further up or sideways even, and I could not see any sign of the pitch from there, so I had to just stay and put-up with the situation. When the 2nd half began, I still could quite literally not see anything other than the backs of people all around me who were all in the same predicament. We very occasionally got a quick glimpse of the ball when it was skied high enough, but that was quite literally ALL that I ever managed to see of that match, and at some point about halfway through the 2nd half the exit gates were opened and several thousand people were able to make their way out, myself included eventually.

Not a very happy experience, and a total waste of 9d. (9 pence).

[JohnD]

  On 11/09/2013 at 22:48, Fife Rover said:

Without going into the boring details of how it came about, I found myself in January 1949 having to up-sticks and move from our home in Preston and move into a small general shop in Stoneyholme Burnley.

As a consequence of this I also found myself becoming a temporary Burnley supporter, and this situation continued until we moved to Blackburn in the summer of1950. So as a regular at Turf Moor on the then totally open Longside I was genuinely entertained by a very good and consistent 1st Div team. I can still remember that team and it never changed a single player in over a full season.

Strong, ....Woodruff, Mather.....Atwell, Cummings, Bray........Chew, Morris, Spencer, Potts, Hays.

What a team that was.

My worst memory of that period was the Easter home game for Burnley against Blackpool in 1950 (with Mathews, Mortensen etc).

I arrived at the turnstiles at the Cricket Field End at my usual time and found the queues stretching for hundreds of yards at every turnstile.

I did eventually get in after missing all except the last few minutes of the 1st half, but was then confronted by a mass of bodies that were absolutely unable to move in any direction, and I had to start to struggle my way up to the top of the Longside. It took me about 20 mins to get somewhere close to the top, but then it was absolutely physically impossible to get any further in any direction, and by then it was well into the half-time break.

So there I was stuck and unable to move any further up or sideways even, and I could not see any sign of the pitch from there, so I had to just stay and put-up with the situation. When the 2nd half began, I still could quite literally not see anything other than the backs of people all around me who were all in the same predicament. We very occasionally got a quick glimpse of the ball when it was skied high enough, but that was quite literally ALL that I ever managed to see of that match, and at some point about halfway through the 2nd half the exit gates were opened and several thousand people were able to make their way out, myself included eventually.

Not a very happy experience, and a total waste of 9d. (9 pence).

I was at the recent Morecambe v Newcastle match which was a sell out and was amazed at how much room everyone had compared to the (g)olden days.