
Old gits terrace legends
- charliegeorgewhocanhitem
- Posts: 1919
- Joined: Sat Jul 21, 2007 8:49 am
- Location: Sunny Essex
just looking through old posts, and saw this one. johnny hoy...well my dad was a bit of a "troublemaker" over the arsenal early 70s, when he said that we had the best mob about at that time. at the liverpool champions league quarter final he was talking about the old days, and his name was mentioned. one very interesting story about a trip to manchester for peter marinello's debut. as some have said, he disappeared up to newcastle in the mid 70s and some thought he had died, but others on the herd say this isnt true and that he was at the 2003 cup final v southampton.
- QuartzGooner
- Posts: 14474
- Joined: Tue Jan 29, 2008 12:49 pm
- Location: London
Johnny Hoy was an Islington bloke, maybe someone will know if he is still around?
There is a good Arsenal book called Memories and Marble Halls by David Sims, where a guy called Ken Banham writes about his experience of going to games with Johnny Hoy and Putney and other people. He lists his "Mob" in that book by name.
It was before my time though, though does anyone remember a bloke called "Miller" who was a bit of a handful?
Sad to see people talking about the late Denton/Dainton on earlier threads.
I was not involved in any aggro myself by the way, but being a regular on the North Bank you used to pick up a bit on who was who etc.
There is a good Arsenal book called Memories and Marble Halls by David Sims, where a guy called Ken Banham writes about his experience of going to games with Johnny Hoy and Putney and other people. He lists his "Mob" in that book by name.
It was before my time though, though does anyone remember a bloke called "Miller" who was a bit of a handful?
Sad to see people talking about the late Denton/Dainton on earlier threads.
I was not involved in any aggro myself by the way, but being a regular on the North Bank you used to pick up a bit on who was who etc.
I remember going to Chelsea in the mid 80s with a couple of mates from work - we were all 18. One of my mates was Chelsea & the other was Everton (??!!) and they convinced me to stand in the shed.
I spent 90 minutes shitting myself (I'm not built to fight) especially when I could hear the Chelsea fans asking each other if they thought I was a gooner. Anyway, the game finished 1-1 and I got out unscathed. We made our way to Fulham Broadway tube as the Arsenal fans were kept in for 30 minutes or so as was normal back then.
We waited ages for a tube by which time the Arsenal fans had been let out and were at the tube station, but held back by the locked gates. They could see my mate's Chelsea scarf and were telling us in no uncertain terms what they were going to do to us and just to show us how strong they were they managed to uproot the ticket collectors box and pass that around above their heads.
I thought "I don't fucking believe it, I'm going to end up on the wrong end of a pasting from my fellow supporters".
Eventually our tube comes in, we get on and the doors take forever and a day to close. As they close, the gates are opened and the Arsenal fans fly across the platform banging on the windows as we pull out.
Never been back since.
Does anyone remember going to Leicester in 84/5. We won 4-1 but there was a pitch invasion by Arsenal fans. It turned out that Leicester fans were lobbing bricks into the Arsenal end from outside the ground. They had to go on the pitch to get away from the bricks.
I spent 90 minutes shitting myself (I'm not built to fight) especially when I could hear the Chelsea fans asking each other if they thought I was a gooner. Anyway, the game finished 1-1 and I got out unscathed. We made our way to Fulham Broadway tube as the Arsenal fans were kept in for 30 minutes or so as was normal back then.
We waited ages for a tube by which time the Arsenal fans had been let out and were at the tube station, but held back by the locked gates. They could see my mate's Chelsea scarf and were telling us in no uncertain terms what they were going to do to us and just to show us how strong they were they managed to uproot the ticket collectors box and pass that around above their heads.
I thought "I don't fucking believe it, I'm going to end up on the wrong end of a pasting from my fellow supporters".
Eventually our tube comes in, we get on and the doors take forever and a day to close. As they close, the gates are opened and the Arsenal fans fly across the platform banging on the windows as we pull out.
Never been back since.
Does anyone remember going to Leicester in 84/5. We won 4-1 but there was a pitch invasion by Arsenal fans. It turned out that Leicester fans were lobbing bricks into the Arsenal end from outside the ground. They had to go on the pitch to get away from the bricks.
Pretty sure I remember Johnny Hoy from the 1970/71 season. Didn't he used to wear a white coat of the butchers variety with Arsenal slogans and logos paited all over it ?
I walked past him one day as he was chatting in a friendly fashion to the plod, manning turnstiles at the North Bank enterance in Avenell Road.
I walked past him one day as he was chatting in a friendly fashion to the plod, manning turnstiles at the North Bank enterance in Avenell Road.
- charliegeorgewhocanhitem
- Posts: 1919
- Joined: Sat Jul 21, 2007 8:49 am
- Location: Sunny Essex
I thought this thread was long gone and forgotten aboutRob wrote:Pretty sure I remember Johnny Hoy from the 1970/71 season. Didn't he used to wear a white coat of the butchers variety with Arsenal slogans and logos paited all over it ?
I walked past him one day as he was chatting in a friendly fashion to the plod, manning turnstiles at the North Bank enterance in Avenell Road.

- QuartzGooner
- Posts: 14474
- Joined: Tue Jan 29, 2008 12:49 pm
- Location: London
Not sure if it was the same game but I remember Chelsea about 87? or 88? when Denton nicked a Chelsea hat and started running around Earls Court tube pretending to be a Chelsea fan.goonerak wrote:I remember going to Chelsea in the mid 80s with a couple of mates from work - we were all 18. One of my mates was Chelsea & the other was Everton (??!!) and they convinced me to stand in the shed.
I spent 90 minutes shitting myself (I'm not built to fight) especially when I could hear the Chelsea fans asking each other if they thought I was a gooner. Anyway, the game finished 1-1 and I got out unscathed. We made our way to Fulham Broadway tube as the Arsenal fans were kept in for 30 minutes or so as was normal back then.
We waited ages for a tube by which time the Arsenal fans had been let out and were at the tube station, but held back by the locked gates. They could see my mate's Chelsea scarf and were telling us in no uncertain terms what they were going to do to us and just to show us how strong they were they managed to uproot the ticket collectors box and pass that around above their heads.
I thought "I don't fucking believe it, I'm going to end up on the wrong end of a pasting from my fellow supporters".
Eventually our tube comes in, we get on and the doors take forever and a day to close. As they close, the gates are opened and the Arsenal fans fly across the platform banging on the windows as we pull out.
Never been back since.
- highburyJD
- Posts: 4982
- Joined: Thu Jan 04, 2007 6:36 pm
- Location: Highbury
Did they used to sell cheese rolls on the trains...?MK Gould wrote:Lastly - what about Judy & Jill - the two women who could be seen every other week at London mainline stations, dressed in red & white, selling tickets for the football specials.
We'll have to start a regular, where are they now spot!
there where two oldish ladies who did mid-late 80's
(mother and daughter)
I think its one of them that shouts
come - on - you - gunners
- QuartzGooner
- Posts: 14474
- Joined: Tue Jan 29, 2008 12:49 pm
- Location: London
The one who shouts is called Maria, has the loudest voice!highburyJD wrote:Did they used to sell cheese rolls on the trains...?MK Gould wrote:Lastly - what about Judy & Jill - the two women who could be seen every other week at London mainline stations, dressed in red & white, selling tickets for the football specials.
We'll have to start a regular, where are they now spot!
there where two oldish ladies who did mid-late 80's
(mother and daughter)
I think its one of them that shouts
come - on - you - gunners
Cheese rolls? It wouldn't surprise me! It would have been late 70's to early 80's as by the mid 80's I was on the normal trains or in the car. And they must have been in their mid 40's then so would be at least 65 now!highburyJD wrote:Did they used to sell cheese rolls on the trains...?MK Gould wrote:Lastly - what about Judy & Jill - the two women who could be seen every other week at London mainline stations, dressed in red & white, selling tickets for the football specials.
We'll have to start a regular, where are they now spot!
there where two oldish ladies who did mid-late 80's
(mother and daughter)
I think its one of them that shouts
come - on - you - gunners
Rob wrote:Pretty sure I remember Johnny Hoy from the 1970/71 season. Didn't he used to wear a white coat of the butchers variety with Arsenal slogans and logos paited all over it ?
I walked past him one day as he was chatting in a friendly fashion to the plod, manning turnstiles at the North Bank enterance in Avenell Road.
yes that was the time in which he was about. my dad said we used to be unreal as a mob back then, and he still talks about the old days nearly every bloody day, some great stories, just a shame i wasn't around for the days of the terraces.


- charliegeorgewhocanhitem
- Posts: 1919
- Joined: Sat Jul 21, 2007 8:49 am
- Location: Sunny Essex
I've heard from a lot of older guys (yes there are a few older than meTomo wrote:Rob wrote:Pretty sure I remember Johnny Hoy from the 1970/71 season. Didn't he used to wear a white coat of the butchers variety with Arsenal slogans and logos paited all over it ?
I walked past him one day as he was chatting in a friendly fashion to the plod, manning turnstiles at the North Bank enterance in Avenell Road.
yes that was the time in which he was about. my dad said we used to be unreal as a mob back then, and he still talks about the old days nearly every bloody day, some great stories, just a shame i wasn't around for the days of the terraces.![]()


- Cambridge Dustman
- Posts: 52
- Joined: Wed Jun 25, 2008 8:26 pm
Sounds like one of the Arsenal supporters from (Sawbridgeworth I think) Paul Hood known to us as Hoody. His cousin was a complete animal but they both loved their football and followed the team home and away. Lost touch with Hoody many years back when I moved to Cambridge. he used to drink in the Silver Bullet. Worked in the meat trade at Smithfield before his eye accident.MK Gould wrote:Jenkins was no urban legend! He's older than Denton - and white (Denton is black). He looked as mean as fuck. Huge guy and one eye that sort of looked in a different direction to the other (maybe glass?). Denton was "the man" in the early to late-eighties. I think Jenkins may have been more late 70's, although he was certainly still around well into the 80's. My memory was that Denton was quite approachable, liked a joke (rumour had it that he joined the National Front!) and would chat about football (unlike some of his mates). Jenkins? Never spoke to the guy - he just scared the beejesus out of me!DB10GOONER wrote:He reckoned he knew Denton but that Jenkins was an urban legend. Then again, the old Irish girl reckoned that Jenkins used to drink in the Tavern. So who knows...
- Cambridge Dustman
- Posts: 52
- Joined: Wed Jun 25, 2008 8:26 pm
MK Gould wrote:That brings back some memories. And sometimes the lights wouldn't work either! Fond memories of the transport police warning us to pull the shutters down when we passed somewhere notorious for throwing bricks through windows. Also, many times getting back into Euston or St Pancras late on a Saturday night - to find Cockney Reds or Millwall waiting for us! Still, we normally outnumbered them!charliegeorgewhocanhitem wrote:I remember countless other football special trips in the 70s when we were allowed to get on with crates of beer then get shunted up a siding for an hour for no apparent reason with no heating on a freezing day in winter and the carriages getting smashed up.
Never once saw us win at Anfield though. Been up many times, but closest was a 0-0 midweek draw in the League Cup (we lost 0-3 in extra time - and little scallies outside were throwing rocks in at us!). Nice!
I was lucky enough to get a job with British Rail, so upgraded to intercity in the early 80's - some interesting characters on there, and (for good or bad) it meant that you weren't escorted to the ground once at the other end!!
Are you the chap with gingerish hair? used to hang around with Dave Baker from Harlow?