Back in 1979...

[QuartzGooner]

Pat Jennings sometimes played without gloves and sometimes with gloves (apologies for the photo of the cockerel)

[Herd]

The 1979 Season was a fucking long one for me and I missed 2 games only but for the life of me I cant remember which ones ,they were domestic as I went to all the euro ones !

Fernabache away was scary as they where firing guns into the air when the teams came out .
Magdeburg was funny 50 fans and a tiny place and ground which was having a sort of carnival when we were there
Gothenburg was great we went by ferry I made a fortune selling Chivas Regal to a dentist I met in the first leg and smuggled 70 bottles into Sweden with a little help from my friends !
Juventus was a brilliant night but tough getting out we had to jump the travel club buses to get back to the station having been under siege for 2 hours after the match .
Brussels was great until we lost then all hell broke loose !
Wolves and Boro and failing to get to Europe was a tragic end to the season !

[DB10GOONER]

Pat Jennings sometimes played without gloves and sometimes with gloves (apologies for the photo of the cockerel)

I've already answered that question. Do try and keep up, Quartz.

[Bradywasking]

Arsenal went out of the 1978/79 UEFA Cup to Red Star Belgrade , I remember the Match of the Day the following Saturday showing Arsenal and concentrating on Jennings's gloves which were a gift from the Red Star Keeper.

I know we have heard the stories but how bad was the trouble after Brussels final in 1980? I know Turin had to be scary after the semi.

[Herd]

Turin was bad from the moment we got off the overnight train from Paris .
Some got chased around at 1100 hrs outside the ground which then was the shithole communale abt a 30 min walk from the station.
We had been sniped at all day by the locals who were mainly Torino fans but then as the Juve mobs descended from all over Italy it got worse . When we got to the ground 2 hours early and they tried to put us in a stand Under the main Juve bit from which we were told missiles, piss and anything they could throw at you came on top so we instead made a break for an upstairs corner section which we held and manned the stairs allowing no one to pass .
It was a good move and whilst we had to defend the stairs all night we kept it together and the stand had high fences to stop missiles .
After the match the Juve fans were setting fire to the stands and gathering outside ,so much so we couldn't get out.
We tried many times but were driven back by thousands of raging Italians !
After about 2 Hours we tried for the 20th time and as it all looked like it was going to go pete tong this man took out a gun and fired over the heads of the Juve mob who scattered into the shadows .
Turns out he was a plain clothed Copper !

The Travel Club had gone by coach 2 of them I think and the Police were not keen on us walking back to the station so they reluctantly agreed to ship us back to the station under armed guard (thank fuck ).

Brussels was robbed blind for 3 days then wrecked after we lost ,you had to feel fro the poor Spaniards who were innocent and got terrorized after the flimsy fence got pulled down and Arsenal invaded the seats .

That day they let Arsenal in both ends as the Spaniards hadn't sold many standing tickets ,the ground was falling apart and the tragedy that occurred in 85 came as no surprise to anyone who had been in that shithole of a ground !

[VAVAVOOM 14]

^ Great story, Herd.

Always enjoy reading about bygone Arsenal years - wish I could've lived them...

[QuartzGooner]

Pat Jennings sometimes played without gloves and sometimes with gloves (apologies for the photo of the cockerel)

I've already answered that question. Do try and keep up, Quartz.

Ah, but in your haste to appear up-to-date you missed that someone had missed your answer and so out of courtesy and historical accuracy I provided a new answer and visual evidence to answer the belief that Jennings was "Pre-gloves".

Not very diligent of you, guess half-term has had you running round theme parks or some such?
Then again, should not be too tiring, would have thought that most of the rides would be barred to you by the height restriction?

[DB10GOONER]

Pat Jennings sometimes played without gloves and sometimes with gloves (apologies for the photo of the cockerel)

I've already answered that question. Do try and keep up, Quartz.

Ah, but in your haste to appear up-to-date you missed that someone had missed your answer and so out of courtesy and historical accuracy I provided a new answer and visual evidence to answer the belief that Jennings was "Pre-gloves".

Not very diligent of you, guess half-term has had you running round theme parks or some such?
Then again, should not be too tiring, would have thought that most of the rides would be barred to you by the height restriction?

[Clash]

I'm probably gonna be a minority here judging by the above comments (and to some extent I am talking about something before my time) but does anyone agree that it was not the right decision to buy Pat Jennings?

Before Jennings Arsenal had Jimmy Rimmer, who according to some older fans I know almost single handedly prevented Arsenal being relegated. He then went on to win the title and European cup with Aston Villa. A great keeper in his prime.

Jennings didn't want to leave Spurs but they wanted him gone because they thought he was past his prime. He may have proved them wrong to some extent by how long he went on for but for me he wasn't that great in his time at Arsenal. More to the point, I am not convinced that his heart was in it. He says himself he is a Spurs man and he was back there as a coach soon after retiring.

Maybe that Oxford game in 1984 has turned me against him but it wasn't his only mistake. I seem to recall commentators saying ''a rare mistake there by Jennings'' on such a regular basis that it was not at all rare.

Jennings was a nice guy but is calling him one of Arsenal's greatest keepers really justified? Or is his greatness one of those myths in the game because people like to see him playing for Arsenal as us getting one over on Spurs?

( Or as its now 28 years after he retired should I let it go ?! )

[DB10GOONER]

I'm probably gonna be a minority here judging by the above comments (and to some extent I am talking about something before my time) but does anyone agree that it was not the right decision to buy Pat Jennings?

Before Jennings Arsenal had Jimmy Rimmer, who according to some older fans I know almost single handedly prevented Arsenal being relegated. He then went on to win the title and European cup with Aston Villa. A great keeper in his prime.

Jennings didn't want to leave Spurs but they wanted him gone because they thought he was past his prime. He may have proved them wrong to some extent by how long he went on for but for me he wasn't that great in his time at Arsenal. More to the point, I am not convinced that his heart was in it. He says himself he is a Spurs man and he was back there as a coach soon after retiring.

Maybe that Oxford game in 1984 has turned me against him but it wasn't his only mistake. I seem to recall commentators saying ''a rare mistake there by Jennings'' on such a regular basis that it was not at all rare.

Jennings was a nice guy but is calling him one of Arsenal's greatest keepers really justified? Or is his greatness one of those myths in the game because people like to see him playing for Arsenal as us getting one over on Spurs?

( Or as its now 28 years after he retired should I let it go ?! )

Jennings was quality. We deffo got him after his absolute prime but he was still brilliant. I watched Arsenal coverage in Australia at the time and so I watched every single second of us that was on MOTD etc and tbh I do not recall the commentators regularly saying that. Certainly no more than any other keeper.

[Bradywasking]

Open to correction on this but I seem to remember that Jennings was being released by Spurs and he had the choice of Arsenal or Ipswich but he chose Arsenal to minimise the effect on his family regarding schools etc. He could have played against us in the 1978 Cup Final rather than for us.
Jimmy Rimmer was a consistant keeper who was restricted to one England Cap because of Clemence, Shilton and Corrigan. Gossip at the time suggest Rimmer was a very unpopular player in the dressing room. Think it was alluded to in at least one auto-biography.
One quirky fact about Rimmer is that he won two European Cup medals despite playing only a total of eight minutes in the two finals.

[Clash]

Maybe that Oxford game in 1984 has turned me against him but it wasn't his only mistake. I seem to recall commentators saying ''a rare mistake there by Jennings'' on such a regular basis that it was not at all rare.

Jennings was a nice guy but is calling him one of Arsenal's greatest keepers really justified? Or is his greatness one of those myths in the game because people like to see him playing for Arsenal as us getting one over on Spurs?

( Or as its now 28 years after he retired should I let it go ?! )

Jennings was quality. We deffo got him after his absolute prime but he was still brilliant. I watched Arsenal coverage in Australia at the time and so I watched every single second of us that was on MOTD etc and tbh I do not recall the commentators regularly saying that. Certainly no more than any other keeper.

Fair enough mate, you probably have a better memory of it that I do.

Thinking about it again the actual quote I recall hearing a lot was '' an uncharacteristic mistake there by Jennings'' ... but maybe it wasn't as regular as I remember it being. All keepers make them of course so fair point but this has always stuck in my mind about Jennings for some reason.

Open to correction on this but I seem to remember that Jennings was being released by Spurs and he had the choice of Arsenal or Ipswich but he chose Arsenal to minimise the effect on his family regarding schools etc. He could have played against us in the 1978 Cup Final rather than for us.
Jimmy Rimmer was a consistant keeper who was restricted to one England Cap because of Clemence, Shilton and Corrigan. Gossip at the time suggest Rimmer was a very unpopular player in the dressing room. Think it was alluded to in at least one auto-biography.
One quirky fact about Rimmer is that he won two European Cup medals despite playing only a total of eight minutes in the two finals.

Interesting about Rimmer being unpopular, I've never heard that about him before. Maybe helps explain why he was replaced.

Jennings says here why he left Spurs and who was in for him:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMo3ix-sIMw

[DB10GOONER]

Yeah Jenno was/is/always will be a self-proclaimed scummer and so I'll never have any real affection for him.

Still, he was a great keeper for us.

[Bradywasking]

Yeah Jenno was/is/always will be a self-proclaimed scummer and so I'll never have any real affection for him.

Still, he was a great keeper for us.

Actually met him outside Highbury before the NLD in 1995 , asked who he was supporting and he replied that he was working for Tottenham at that time...so Tottenham ...

[DB10GOONER]

Have met Bob Wilson on a few occasions outside Highbury and once in a Club Level Bar where my bro and I were lucky enough to get our photos taken with him. What an absolute gent and a legend the man is. Time for everybody, polite, humble, courteous, very charismatic in person. Have my photo framed on the wall at home.