Following Arsenal in the early 80`s

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Redarmy
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Joined: Mon Mar 09, 2015 6:45 pm
Location: Avenell Road

Re: Following Arsenal in the early 80`s

Post by Redarmy »

HighburyPaddy81 wrote:Great read.

In the first post you're referring to an Arsenal-Luton league game at Kenilworth Road in 1984, and we actually didn't draw, we won 2-1.
West Ham's game at Birmingham wasn't called off that day, as far as I'm aware their train broke down in Luton so they decided to get off to infiltrate the Arsenal mob, (West Ham lost 3-0 anyway)
Their was about 2,000 of them, and some Gooners got kicked senseless on the terrace, but as mentioned, after a long battle, Arsenal ran them outside the ground (this was only about 18 months after one of theirs had stabbed John Dickinson to death).
Regarding the Arsenal-Celtic beanies, half the North Bank used to wear them in the 1980s if it was cold. My old man has a half and half one with both crests on it, and it's yellow-green, and he also used to have the one that was half red as well.


In fact I even saw a bloke, who took his top off one day to reveal an (the proper) Arsenal crest tattooed above one nipple and a Celtic crest above the other, and more recently I've seen an older lad I know, who usually goes to the George or the Bailey for our home games, with the proper Arsenal cannon tattooed to one hand, and a Celtic crest on the other (not the same person).




Regarding the cup game at Brighton in 1988, apparently it kicked off and both mobs were at it for an hour or so down by the pier, although I wasn't there, I only started doing aways around 1997-98, when I was about 16,17, so I wouldn't have seen as much violence as most of ye, although right up until 2002 it wasn't uncommon to see a bit of a jolly old ruck but it seemed to really die down with us after around 2007 although that applies for just about every club.

I'll share a story from 1967,Arsenal were playing Rangers in a pre-season game at Highbury. The attendance that day was 36,500, not bad at all for a pre-season game (remember we were beginning what would be our 15th consecutive season without a trophy).We won the game 3-0, with Sammels getting a brace and Johnston scoring the other.

Islington had a massive first and second generation Irish population at the time, and before the game the local residents and the Rangers supporters were taunting one another in a sectarian way.
Rangers ended up going onto the North Bank, and there was constant fighting between the Arsenal and the Rangers mobs for the full of the 90 minutes, the Old Bill were fucking useless back then as they wouldn't have been prepared for anything like what happened, especially at a pre-season game, and seeing as the heyday of the football hooligan wasn't until the early 1970s. The injured were all carried down the North Bank towards the pitch, behind the goal for treatment. In total about 40-50 were brought to hospital as a result of the clashes. The first-aid men were busy on the North Bank that day!
The following Arsenal programme led with:
''Incidents such as the one which occurred on the North Bank terrace when we played Rangers cannot be tolerated and unless strong action is taken the terraces of football grounds will be occupied only by thugs; decent people will stay away. Although on this occasion the trouble was caused by a group of Rangers' supporters there was enough evidence from last season for us to know that it could happen again''
There were plenty arrested and the Islington Gazette described the behaviour as ''nothing short of shocking and tantamount to a national disgrace”
Boxing promoter Frank Warren said ''The first time I saw fighting at The Arsenal was during a match against Rangers and it was diabolical, they were slinging bottles at one another and it was all happening in the North Bank. The Glasgow Rangers supporters were in there, and that was the first sign of seeing any hooliganism, I come from a rough part of Islington anyway. You're not going to say you're not used to seeing it, but for football it was the first time that I was in where it happened”


Following the game Arsenal banned the sale of bottled and canned beer as well as beverages in the ground. Rangers were singing (and they probably still do sing)
''Matt Busby said to Bill Shankly,
Have you heard of the North Bank Highbury,
Shanks said no, I don't think so,
But I've heard of the Rangers aggro”


Also, a certain Alex Ferguson was playing that day. Dennis Hill-Wood vowed after the game that Rangers would never be invited to Highbury again. Celtic played friendlies at Highbury in 1980 and 1986, and Rangers were back again in 1989.
This time hey caused thousands of pounds worth of damage as they trashed the concourse and the toilets, outside the Clockend.
Rangers played Arsenal in 1963 at Highbury and they were in the away end but apparently spent the day throwing potatoes with razor blades in them at the Arsenal fans, so it was no surprise really when it kicked off in 1967.
I was at the Luton game, yes there was a major scuffle (Arsenal not kicked senseless) but was very even in the ground, old bill got involved and West Ham were escorted out....FOLLOWED by the Arsenal mob, fucking hundreds went outside to carry it on......i stayed to watch the game we won

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