BRFC - The Nostalgia Thread

[A Northern Horde...]

Did they parade the ECWC at Ewood Tyrone..never knew that.

[Riversider28]

8 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

I was there Den. My abiding memory is of Blanchflower looking back over his shoulder to see where Bryan had gone once he'd beaten him for the umpteenth time. I think that was the game when Bill Nicholson decided Danny had finally run his race and it was time to find a successor, which they did in Alan Mullery.

We'd beaten them easily the preceding May at Ewood 3-0 when before the game they paraded the " European Cup Winners Cup " that they'd just won around the ground. That was Matt Woods final game for the club before he emigrated to Australia. Being the final home game there was the usual invasion of small boys at the end of the match and I got to slap Matt and a few others on the back as they went off.

There's a photo somewhere of Matt being presented with a leaving gift from the directors after the game - a canteen of cutlery !

I was at Matt’s final game. I remember it mainly for getting accidentally whacked in the face with a rattle as I climbed over the wall with all the other kids to get on the pitch. By the time I got home a huge lump had appeared over my eye and my mum was convinced I must have been in a fight and threatened to stop me going to Ewood again. 
I’ve had a lot more painful visits since then without getting hit in the face, but still go back for more. That’s life being a Rovers supporter, I guess.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

22 minutes ago, A Northern Horde... said:

Did they parade the ECWC at Ewood Tyrone..never knew that.

Yeah, before the game. They ran around the running track with it to really good applause. First British team to win a major European trophy. It felt more of a British achievement then with a team full of English, Irish, Scots and Welsh players.  We all identified more with British teams in Europe then. I remember watching the final, they absolutely hammered a very good Spanish team, Athletico Madrid ?, about 5-1. Spurs then were like Liverpool or City are today, full of class players. Everyone an international apart from the right back, Peter Baker. I always felt sorry for him but England caps had to be earned then and Jimmy Armfield was England's right back and captain at the time.

After we'd let them parade the cup Rovers absolutely took them to the cleaners winning in a stroll. They'd no answer to our attacking play, We'd 3 young local lads playing 8,9,10 that night in Byrom, Pickering and Ferguson that were unstoppable. I remember walking away from the ground thinking " With those three up front the future is really bright ".  Dougie was playing on the right wing for once so Danny Blanchflower probably thought he was in for a quiet night, until Fergie got running with the ball !

Edited October 9, 2020 by Tyrone Shoelaces

[den]

11 hours ago, renrag said:

Thanks Tony! It’s often just a case of finding the trigger to bring them back to mind. I think I’m the only one left of the dozen or so who went to that particular match together. It was so much better going to away games then. No segregation, fans mixing and chatting before and after games, without any trouble. In fact in the next round at Burnley, we pulled a 3 goal deficit back in the last 17 minutes. I travelled there and back on the train, packed with both sets of fans, and there was plenty of banter but no aggravation. 

In those days home fans and away fans used to change ends either at kick off or at half time to stand behind the goals their teams were attacking, never any trouble.

What would happen if rovers were at home tomorrow against Burnley and the fans crossed on the riverside? Wouldn’t be pretty would it ?.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

1 hour ago, den said:

In those days home fans and away fans used to change ends either at kick off or at half time to stand behind the goals their teams were attacking, never any trouble.

What would happen if rovers were at home tomorrow against Burnley and the fans crossed on the riverside? Wouldn’t be pretty would it ?.

I was about 12 when I first started going on my own to Ewood. There was a group of much older teenage girls that I used to see on the Riverside. A few of them had hand knitted scarves, half in Rovers colours and half in Burnley colours, with the names of their favourite players picked out in contrasting threads, Peter Dobing, Ray Pointer etc. They obviously went to Ewood one Saturday and Turf Moor the next. Imagine that now.

I had a group of about 5 mates who played for the school football team. All of us had teams we supported. Me Rovers, a pal Burnley, other two Everton and Blackpool, one lad 'City. After playing on Saturday morning it'd be " Where are we going this afternoon ? " We didn't bother going home to get changed or anything. We'd always go to a local game, Rovers, Bolton, Burnley, Utd, City, Bury, Oldham. I managed to twist their arms to come to Ewood pretty often. The team of the early 1960's was very easy on the eye for the neutral.

Edited October 9, 2020 by Tyrone Shoelaces

[47er]

48 minutes ago, den said:

never any trouble.

Rarely trouble Den! I remember a game v Liverpool and there was quite a bit of it! Exactly halfway across the Riverside where they met us!

[den]

Yeah @Tyrone Shoelaces I went on Ewood obviously, but PNE with a mate very regularly. Also went to watch Burnley a few times in the days of Leighton James, Paul Fletcher, etc.

A question for anyone. When I mentioned fans changing ends, did it happen anywhere else because I can’t recall it happening on any other ground?

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

1 hour ago, den said:

Yeah @Tyrone Shoelaces I went on Ewood obviously, but PNE with a mate very regularly. Also went to watch Burnley a few times in the days of Leighton James, Paul Fletcher, etc.

A question for anyone. When I mentioned fans changing ends, did it happen anywhere else because I can’t recall it happening on any other ground?

I think it did, It certainly did at Rochdale. When I went to a neutral " away " ground I wasn't particularly bothered about which team I watched so I tended to pick a spot and stay there. I believe the term for it was " migration ".

The first time I saw it disregarded was a game against Liverpool. Their lot had all been in the Blackburn End for the first half and at half time they all climbed over the boundary wall en masse and made their way directly down the pitch to take over the Darwen End !

There was always trouble when we played them. I was in the Blackburn End behind the goals in one game were we'd just taken a 3-2 lead after being 0-2 down at one point. A Rovers fan near me was celebrating enthusiastically when a really old guy stood next to him, who was obviously pissed up, just turned around and head butted him. Then it all kicked off.

Edited October 9, 2020 by Tyrone Shoelaces

[oldjamfan1]

23 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

I think it did, It certainly did at Rochdale. When I went to a neutral " away " ground I wasn't particularly bothered about which team I watched so I tended to pick a spot and stay there. I believe the term for it was " migration ".

The first time I saw it disregarded was a game against Liverpool. Their lot had all been in the Blackburn End for the first half and at half time they all climbed over the boundary wall en masse and made their way directly down the pitch to take over Darwen End !

There was always trouble when we played them. I was in the Blackburn End behind the goals in one game were we'd just taken a 3-2 lead after being 0-2 down at one point. A Rovers fan near me was celebrating enthusiastically when a really old guy stood next to him, who was obviously pissed up, just turned around and head butted him. Then it all kicked off.

Surely not Tyrone? There must be some mistake here, Liverpool are always the victims remember.

[oldjamfan1]

Actually, Tyrone's story has jogged my memory of another incident in a Rovers v Liverpool game. It was a cup game at Ewood in the early 90s (perhaps the Atkins last minute own goal game?).

Anyway at the time I was in charge of rent collection at Blackburn Council and occasionally would come across tenants at Rovers games who I had crossed paths with 'in a professional capacity'. Up until then the worst incident had been when a dickhead bloke came up to me in a pub before an away game in Bournemouth (of all places) and called me all the arseholes under the sun for sending him a warning letter. Even his mates told him it wasn't the time or place for it.

However, at this particular game I was stood at the Riverside end of the Blackburn End with my dad and a mate and I could see a couple of blokes giving me the evil eye so I said to my mate that we should be wary of them as I thought I recognised one of them as a tenant. 

Liverpool had a centre half called Glen Hysen playing for them that day and he took a dive over in that corner, at which my mate shouted "Typical scouser, get up you cheating b@st@rd". The 'tenant' marched over and said "What do you mean typical scouser" to which I said "If you have a problem with that then you're in the wrong end pal". He retorted with "Who asked you, you bald b@st@rd". My dad, who would have been about 60 at the time and was about 5' 4" and 9 stone wet through, suddenly head butted the guy without even taking his hands out of his pockets, The fella bounced backwards down the terrace and didn't return, and we just carried on watching the game.

At half time I asked my dad what had possessed him, and he simply said "He can say what he wants about your bald head but me and your mother were married when you were born son".

Edited October 9, 2020 by oldjamfan1

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

On ‎09‎/‎10‎/‎2020 at 12:17, oldjamfan1 said:

Surely not Tyrone? There must be some mistake here, Liverpool are always the victims remember.

The first time I went to Old Trafford I " Migrated " from one end to another at half time. No problem. A 3-0 win with another Bryan Douglas midfield masterclass.

In the relegation season of 1965-66 we got a 2-2 draw there. I was in the end opposite the Stretford End ( Scoreboard End then ? ) with the rest of the Rovers fans. Rovers got a corner and whilst everybody was waiting for it to be taken I saw one of those old dimpled pint glasses come sailing out from the back and it lands on the cross-bar ! Of course it shattered into loads of pieces of glass. The game was held up whilst the ground staff cleared the pitch. Nobby Stiles had to be held back by other players from going into the crowd to find out who had thrown it ! All the Rovers fans were telling him to " Come and get us " !

We were really poor that day and with about 10 minutes left we were 2-0 down and going nowhere. We eventually got a corner and as it came over the Utd keeper made a bee line for Mike England and just punched him in the head with the ball nowhere near. I think something had been going on throughout the game.  He didn't wait to be sent off, he just started walking off right away. Of course it was an obvious pen which Mike Harrison slotted away as per usual.

From being 2-0 down it was 2-1 and a man up, game on all of a sudden. With about 5 minutes left Paddy Crerand tripped Harrison about 30 yards from goal out on the left. Free kick. Crerand made the fatal error of walking away from the free kick with his back to the ball. Harrison tried to take the free kick really quickly before he was fully standing. He miss kicked the ball slightly and it hit Crerand on the back of his shoulder and looped gracefully over David Herd in the United goal. Hilarious. We'd really robbed a point. I was very quiet on a coach full of angry Mancs on the way back to Rochdale. 

Edited October 10, 2020 by Tyrone Shoelaces

[simongarnerisgod]

were any of you older fans at the blackpool game when the ammonia was thrown at their fans?

[frosty]

3 hours ago, den said:

In those days home fans and away fans used to change ends either at kick off or at half time to stand behind the goals their teams were attacking, never any trouble.

Question - how did it go from this to the dark hooliganism days just a few years later in the 70s and 80s? 

[simongarnerisgod]

3 minutes ago, frosty said:

Question - how did it go from this to the dark hooliganism days just a few years later in the 70s and 80s? 

it was a phase of youth behaviour,just like the mods and rockers of the 60`s,the hooliganism had largely ceased by the late 80`s when the acid house craze began and young lads decided it was preferable to hug everyone than be chased across a terrace with the threat of getting your head kicked in

[Riversider28]

On match day mornings, my mates and I used to have a kick about at the side of The Fernhurst pub with two oak trees conveniently growing as goalposts. One Saturday, a group of Everton youths turned up and we thought there was going to be trouble. However, they asked if they could challenge us to a game which was, amazingly, played in a very friendly way. After about 45 mins we ended the game and the Everton lads thanked us for the game and wished us well for the season. I was amazed at how well they behaved, not like “typical Scousers” I had heard about. However, as they walked away they spotted a full crate of milk outside of the corner shop and promptly helped themselves to a pint or two each and walked off along Bolton Rd. 
They were “typical Scousers” after all. 
 

[den]

32 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

The first time I went to Old Trafford I " Migrated " from one end to another at half time. No problem. A 3-0 win with another Bryan Douglas midfield masterclass.

In the relegation season of 1965-66 we got a 2-2 draw there. I was in the end opposite the Stretford End ( Scoreboard End then ? ) with the rest of the Rovers fans. Rovers got a corner and whilst everybody was waiting for it to be taken I saw one of those old dimpled pint glasses come sailing out from the back and land on the cross-bar ! Of course it shattered into loads of pieces of glass. The game was held up whilst the ground staff cleared the pitch. Nobby Stiles had to be held back by other players from going into the crowd to find out who had thrown it ! All the Rovers fans were telling him to " Come and get us " !

We were really poor that day and with about 10 minutes left we were 2-0 down and going nowhere. We got a eventually got a corner and as it came over the Utd keeper made a bee line for Mike England and just punched him in the head with the ball nowhere near. I think something had been going on throughout the game.  He didn't wait to be sent off, he just started walking off right away. Of course it was an obvious pen which Mike Harrison slotted away as per usual.

From being 2-0 down it was 2-1 and a man up, game on all of a sudden. With about 5 minutes left Paddy Crerand tripped Harrison about 30 yards from goal out on the left. Free kick. Crerand made the fatal error of walking away from the free kick with his back to the ball. Harrison tried to take the free kick really quickly before he was fully standing. He miss kicked the ball slightly and it hit Crerand on the back of his shoulder and looped gracefully over David Herd in the United goal. Hilarious. We'd really robbed a point. I was very quiet on a coach full of angry Mancs on the way back to Rochdale. 

Yes, I was there too.

 I was at OT in the early sixties when Rovers right back Keith Newton was up against a lively, very young outside left. George Best I believe his name was. He did okay for himself I guess? I’ve a feeling that might have been in Bests debut season of 1963. Remember seeing Best in that game - he really was something else. He could do the lot even at 17 years of age. 
 

 

Edited October 9, 2020 by den

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

19 minutes ago, Riversider28 said:

On match day mornings, my mates and I used to have a kick about at the side of The Fernhurst pub with two oak trees conveniently growing as goalposts. One Saturday, a group of Everton youths turned up and we thought there was going to be trouble. However, they asked if they could challenge us to a game which was, amazingly, played in a very friendly way. After about 45 mins we ended the game and the Everton lads thanked us for the game and wished us well for the season. I was amazed at how well they behaved, not like “typical Scousers” I had heard about. However, as they walked away they spotted a full crate of milk outside of the corner shop and promptly helped themselves to a pint or two each and walked off along Bolton Rd. 
They were “typical Scousers” after all. 
 

That Liverpool game in the early Sixties when they invaded the pitch was the first time I'd seen anybody " Steaming ". About 20 to 30 Scouse teenage lads just piled into a little sweet shop near the ground and they came out loaded up with Kit-Kats and Mars bars etc, they must have emptied it !

 

[Stuart]

17 hours ago, renrag said:

Thanks Tony! It’s often just a case of finding the trigger to bring them back to mind. I think I’m the only one left of the dozen or so who went to that particular match together. It was so much better going to away games then. No segregation, fans mixing and chatting before and after games, without any trouble. In fact in the next round at Burnley, we pulled a 3 goal deficit back in the last 17 minutes. I travelled there and back on the train, packed with both sets of fans, and there was plenty of banter but no aggravation. 

You do wonder what it was that changed all that. Politics?

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

20 minutes ago, Stuart said:

You do wonder what it was that changed all that. Politics?

Another thing that was great then was you could just walk on to 99% of games. Football was really accessible. Like I said earlier we'd decide at Saturday dinner time which game we were going to and just jump on the bus or train to wherever we fancied. For kids It was really cheap as well. I've been to 4 games in a week with my paper round money. Most weeks I'd go to two games. The coach firms in Rochdale were always running coaches to random games. I'd be going home from school past their booking offices and I'd see a coach going to England U-23's v Yugoslavia U-23's at Old Trafford, buy a ticket, dash home for some tea and then off to the game. It was a great time to be a young football fan.

 Imagine a Rochdale coach firm running a coach to a Blackburn V Spurs night match these days !

Edited October 9, 2020 by Tyrone Shoelaces

[rigger]

After a home game I was always drawn to the Ribblesdale booking office near the hake boat on the Bouly, to see how much it would cost me to get to the next away game.

 

[simongarnerisgod]

when the premier league was formed they immediately set about marketing the game to the middle classes,the bigwigs at the top realised they spend more,don`t cause any trouble and don`t begrudge paying stupid prices for tickets and merchandise,it took a decade or so but they have succeeded,the game at the top is not a game of the working class anymore and the premier league do not give a flying **** about the rest of english football

[arbitro]

1 hour ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Another thing that was great then was you could just walk on to 99% of games. Football was really accessible. Like I said earlier we'd decide at Saturday dinner time which game we were going to and just jump on the bus or train to wherever we fancied. For kids It was really cheap as well. I've been to 4 games in a week with my paper round money. Most weeks I'd go to two games. The coach firms in Rochdale were always running coaches to random games. I'd be going home from school past their booking offices and I'd see a coach going to England U-23's v Yugoslavia U-23's at Old Trafford, buy a ticket, dash home for some tea and then off to the game. It was a great time to be a young football fan.

 Imagine a Rochdale coach firm running a coach to a Blackburn V Spurs night match these days !

Yes Tyrone just deciding on the hoof to go to a game wasn't the hassle it is today. I remember one Saturday and I was playing in the Darwen Amateur League and our game was called off around 1.30. As Rovers were away several of us decided to go to Old Trafford to see them play West Brom who had a great side at that time. We paid on the gate and saw the best game I have ever seen live. It was 5-3 to West Brom and the football was as good as it gets. Without the ability to have paid on the day we would have gone back to the pub.

[Stuart]

1 hour ago, simongarnerisgod said:

when the premier league was formed they immediately set about marketing the game to the middle classes,the bigwigs at the top realised they spend more,don`t cause any trouble and don`t begrudge paying stupid prices for tickets and merchandise,it took a decade or so but they have succeeded,the game at the top is not a game of the working class anymore and the premier league do not give a flying **** about the rest of english football

The fact thing is, it used to be cheap and accessible and absolutely packed.

I imagine Hillsborough changed the game more than the PL. The answer wasn’t seating only but crowd management. That in itself became political. Easier to save a few arses in the establishment by blaming the working class football fan.

I’m interested in that middle part though. Post big crowds (or small crowds) who were largely friendly foes and the riotous mobs. Thatcher crushing the unions and using football management tactics to demonise the working man? Or militant anti-Tories finding it easy to bait police at matches? Or something else?

Something changed that took away the fun and made it serious.

[simongarnerisgod]

4 minutes ago, Stuart said:

The fact thing is, it used to be cheap and accessible and absolutely packed.

I imagine Hillsborough changed the game more than the PL. The answer wasn’t seating only but crowd management. That in itself became political. Easier to save a few arses in the establishment by blaming the working class football fan.

I’m interested in that middle part though. Post big crowds (or small crowds) who were largely friendly foes and the riotous mobs. Thatcher crushing the unions and using football management tactics to demonise the working man? Or militant anti-Tories finding it easy to bait police at matches? Or something else?

Something changed that took away the fun and made it serious.

maybe we can look at italia 90 and gazza fever,it brought football out of what the press called the dark 80`s and gave itself an invitation to be popular again,as soon as the money men moved it changed,now it`s packed,not cheap and not accesible,i really can`t understand why the bubble has`nt burst

[Herbie6590]

The season starts here...