It's all a load of Cannonballs in here! This is the virtual Arsenal pub where you can chat about anything except football. Be warned though, like any pub, the content may not always be suitable for everyone.
SammyDroppedHisShorts wrote:The first time i came to the top of the stairs i saw my love.....yes the big beautiful lush green field with whitewashed lines and in the distance...the clock end....oh the clock end
however, the pitch had a brown tint to it and the red and white kitted out players look imperious.....then the noise...the roar, nothing today matches it....the surge forward and the explosion of utter delirium when the ball hit the oppos net....
The smells were often sick....fags, piss, beer and the odour de B.O
BUT
it was Highbury, the North Bank and home....
fuck the prawns, the wonder of you, the diamond club, the sixty thousand seats.....nothing will ever ever surpass the heart beat getting faster when you reached the top of those stairs......nothing....the old men who remember the 30s, 40s and 50s would struggle to get to the bottom from the turnstile, but all would leap those stairs to the top knowing what was there to behold....and nothing made a man happier (or boy) when the whistle was blown and 90 minutes of theatre began....a quick glance to the ABCDEFGHI board for scores and the songs....the North Bank songs...the crush barriers and the peanut man.....
And lofty from East Enders walking around!
God I miss the old north bank. Some days I was shitting myself though as a 14 year old I couldn’t believe what I was seeing and hearing, the noise is nothing like what we have now.
I remember one match in particular against Sheffield Wednesday when we beat them 7.1 It got so crazy that some guy everyone called Slap head picked me up and put me the other side of the barrier where there was a slight drop down into a walk way. I just stood there and watched the pure fucking pandemonium in front of me “lets go fucking mentalâ€
Gillespie Road entrance: As mentioned before bogs halfway up the steep bank of stairs, right to the WS, left to the roof.
Sliding doors at the back of the NB which were opened during the week to allow the pitch to blow-dry.
Under the NB was the green shed selling McEwans, Bovril, ready salted crisps and wagon wheels for what I can remember. Populated at half-time by some of the more boisterous members of the NB.
Avenall Road entrance: again steep bank of stairs also walkway to the schoolboys enclosure. Also home to the 'cage' where I ended up a few times. Back in the 70s plod used to like having a pop at some of us at the very back, they'd wade in with truncheons drawn, whack a few fans and drag a couple out. Take us downstairs where we had to give our details and then they'd lock us in the cage until the game was over.
There is a picture of quite a few of us lloking out the the bars of the gate. The walls were about 15' high from what I can remember.
Reg Niseth wrote:Gillespie Road entrance: As mentioned before bogs halfway up the steep bank of stairs, right to the WS, left to the roof.
Sliding doors at the back of the NB which were opened during the week to allow the pitch to blow-dry.
Under the NB was the green shed selling McEwans, Bovril, ready salted crisps and wagon wheels for what I can remember. Populated at half-time by some of the more boisterous members of the NB.
Avenall Road entrance: again steep bank of stairs also walkway to the schoolboys enclosure. Also home to the 'cage' where I ended up a few times. Back in the 70s plod used to like having a pop at some of us at the very back, they'd wade in with truncheons drawn, whack a few fans and drag a couple out. Take us downstairs where we had to give our details and then they'd lock us in the cage until the game was over.
There is a picture of quite a few of us lloking out the the bars of the gate. The walls were about 15' high from what I can remember.
Reg Niseth wrote:Gillespie Road entrance: As mentioned before bogs halfway up the steep bank of stairs, right to the WS, left to the roof.
Sliding doors at the back of the NB which were opened during the week to allow the pitch to blow-dry.
Under the NB was the green shed selling McEwans, Bovril, ready salted crisps and wagon wheels for what I can remember. Populated at half-time by some of the more boisterous members of the NB.
Avenall Road entrance: again steep bank of stairs also walkway to the schoolboys enclosure. Also home to the 'cage' where I ended up a few times. Back in the 70s plod used to like having a pop at some of us at the very back, they'd wade in with truncheons drawn, whack a few fans and drag a couple out. Take us downstairs where we had to give our details and then they'd lock us in the cage until the game was over.
There is a picture of quite a few of us lloking out the the bars of the gate. The walls were about 15' high from what I can remember.
What was the cage?
As i've said it had walls about 15' high and a barred gate just like an ol' fashioned cell door. we were imprisoned until the end of the game then let go on our way.
This thread has been done a million times but I'm still enjoying reading the stories on it!!
My first time on the NB was in the 91 season against the mousers and was also my first game over. I'll never forget walking up the stairs and seeing the pitch for the first time - it sent the hairs on the back of my neck on end.
The NB had it's quiet days even then but when the place was rocking it was amazing. The chants back and forth between the NB and the CE used to be great too. Never enjoyed the games I saw in the east or west stand as much as those from the NB and the CE. Although in later years the CE started to get a bit full with superfans... I remember the charlton game in 2006(?) and there were a few of the CE booing our own fans in the west stand for starting a chant! And it wasn't "stand up if you zzzzzzzzz..." either.
DB10GOONER wrote:This thread has been done a million times but I'm still enjoying reading the stories on it!!
My first time on the NB was in the 91 season against the mousers and was also my first game over. I'll never forget walking up the stairs and seeing the pitch for the first time - it sent the hairs on the back of my neck on end.
The NB had it's quiet days even then but when the place was rocking it was amazing. The chants back and forth between the NB and the CE used to be great too. Never enjoyed the games I saw in the east or west stand as much as those from the NB and the CE. Although in later years the CE started to get a bit full with superfans... I remember the charlton game in 2006(?) and there were a few of the CE booing our own fans in the west stand for starting a chant! And it wasn't "stand up if you zzzzzzzzz..." either.
A million times? Twice or three times now by me!!!
I remember the charlton game in 2006(?) and there were a few of the CE booing our own fans in the west stand for starting a chant! And it wasn't "stand up if you zzzzzzzzz..." either. 
