As we're unlikely to see terraces again at football, this is the virtual equivalent where you can chat to your hearts content about all football matters and, obviously, Arsenal in particular. This forum encourages all Gooners to visit and contribute so please keep it respectful, clean and topical.
I always remember Paul Mariner's reaction when he came out to the NB, he definitely loved the attention but then again he had come from Ipswich Brian Marwood was another one who arrived well into his career but he got the whole thing too - I think those guys appreciated the adulation that bit more coming from smaller clubs.
i was on the NB at the same time. the songs would start about two o'clock with most of the wings still half empty but the topside and middle slowly getting going.
Lee Dixon would always give us the thumbs up too. Adams the double thumbs each week and by 2.30 it was rammed under there, everyone swaying and the anti-spuds chants going right across, the first time a chant went right across the wings, the topside and middle would applaud.
on a good day, by 2.55 your ears would be ringing from the echoes.
one of the loudest games i remember was the Norwich 4-3 game after Hillsborough. it was deafening and then we had the minutes silence and the silence spooked the pigeons on the pitch to fly off all at once. well spooky.
happy days.
Remember all that only too well, turning up early to do the whole pre-match routine....that's long since died away. Happy days indeed. We used to stand in the upper middle part where the songs and crowd surges used to be, great fun and all part of falling in love with the Arsenal and Highbury. We occasionally had a wander into the Clock End just for a change of scenery now and then.
I have a lasting memory of some fu.cker setting off fireworks in the NB in November around 83/84 at half time (Uptown Girl playing) and just hearing the whizz of the bloody things before they exploded. Just hoping that they weren't coming in our direction
The other incident which sticks with me and was a one off was a match when we were winning and it was all going a bit daft in the middle and some genius of a cop - must have been a new Sgt/Insp decided to put a stop to the surges and deployed a line of cops facing up towards the crowd with the barriers to their backs Everybody and their auntie knew what was going to happen if we scored again so we pisssed off and managed to squeeze past the cops and under the barrier. 10 minutes later and we score again and sure enough it happened. As the crowd infront of us surged forward we casually stepped forward and turned to watch the mayhem behind us as everyone piled forward into the cops. Nobody seemed to get nicked but it was a bit close for comfort and of course the embarrassed line of cops were removed pronto after that - funny to watch.
That sort of top cop lack of footy knowledge meant that a Hillsborough was always a possibility at football....all you needed was a few scousers and a clueless cop. Christ those cu.nts have got a lot to answer for, they ruined football for us back then and future generations
Fair play Jock
In my opinion for atmosphere best days were even before that, do you remember the bar at the back?
So many memories, yeah it was deafening at times, as someone said above we made the atmosphere, Cup night game against Chavs at 5:00 pm it was packed with continuous singing 60,000 there, countless memories
Loads of banter, and real characters not fuckers with Lattes and iPads all been gentrified and sterilised.
Sounds like you have a few years on me mate. I do remember the bar, if you can call it that Never really used it as it took near military planning to get a drink before the second half started. I'm just glad I had the chance to grow up on the terraces at Highbury rather than at an all seater Highbury or much worse the bowl. Yup, the money men stole our football from us and the memories are all we are left with.
Great memories mate. Did you become a clockender in the all-seater days when the Clock End became the place to be?
The post Hillsborough Norwich game was a 5-0 win but you're right the 4-3 game was a cracking atmosphere and one of the games that made me love the Graham era so much. It was the game with the brawl at the end after we won it with a last minute penalty in front of the North bank
Jock - the middle of the North Bank was split into the " topside" up the back, and "the middle" below it. Below the "middle' was where i think the originally Gooners/ later the Herd stood if they weren't at the bar at the back. there was certainly some older, tougher lads below the Middle that us teenagers knew not to mess with.
I was Topside and the two groups used to sing at each other before kick and at half time and at RipRoar too lol. to get the atmosphere going - " we're the topside, we're the topside, Topside Highbury..." and they'd respond " we're the Middle, we're the Middle, Middle, Highbury" back and forth louder and louder as people piled, until one group switched to one of our main songs and either the whole end would belt it out and it would be brilliant, or it would be too early and it would fall flat and the Topside and Middle would boo and hiss and we'd go back to the back and forth, or start singing at the players.
Good recall that man......but your a topsider "We're the middle, we're the middle, we're the middle Highbury" We used to stand to the right of the railings that ran front to back as you faced the pitch. How I used to look forward to going back after the summer. Tomorrow we'll rock up about 12.25
Great memories mate. Did you become a clockender in the all-seater days when the Clock End became the place to be?
The post Hillsborough Norwich game was a 5-0 win but you're right the 4-3 game was a cracking atmosphere and one of the games that made me love the Graham era so much. It was the game with the brawl at the end after we won it with a last minute penalty in front of the North bank
Jock - the middle of the North Bank was split into the " topside" up the back, and "the middle" below it. Below the "middle' was where i think the originally Gooners/ later the Herd stood if they weren't at the bar at the back. there was certainly some older, tougher lads below the Middle that us teenagers knew not to mess with.
I was Topside and the two groups used to sing at each other before kick and at half time and at RipRoar too lol. to get the atmosphere going - " we're the topside, we're the topside, Topside Highbury..." and they'd respond " we're the Middle, we're the Middle, Middle, Highbury" back and forth louder and louder as people piled, until one group switched to one of our main songs and either the whole end would belt it out and it would be brilliant, or it would be too early and it would fall flat and the Topside and Middle would boo and hiss and we'd go back to the back and forth, or start singing at the players.
Good recall that man......but your a topsider "We're the middle, we're the middle, we're the middle Highbury" We used to stand to the right of the railings that ran front to back as you faced the pitch. How I used to look forward to going back after the summer. Tomorrow we'll rock up about 12.25
Yeah earlier than that it was North, East, South and West London
I'm not saying I'm much older than you lot but I had a thing for Jon Samels/George Eastham & Joe Baker. When they sold Geoff Strong to Liverpool I cried (a bit). The North Bank had a real character named Bill Baily - anyone remember him ??. In those days I can't remember anyone wearing team colors on match days !!. Just plastic coats & big boots.
Now for this weeks game - 2-1 to the Arsenal.
I'm not saying I'm much older than you lot but I had a thing for Jon Samels/George Eastham & Joe Baker. When they sold Geoff Strong to Liverpool I cried (a bit). The North Bank had a real character named Bill Baily - anyone remember him ??. In those days I can't remember anyone wearing team colors on match days !!. Just plastic coats & big boots.
Now for this weeks game - 2-1 to the Arsenal.
You beat me Ray...to be fair their were so many characters at the time...when did you start going, this must be late 1960s right?
Of course we look back and remember all the good times, but todays Emirates customer match day experience is a world away
I'm not saying I'm much older than you lot but I had a thing for Jon Samels/George Eastham & Joe Baker. When they sold Geoff Strong to Liverpool I cried (a bit). The North Bank had a real character named Bill Baily - anyone remember him ??. In those days I can't remember anyone wearing team colors on match days !!. Just plastic coats & big boots.
Now for this weeks game - 2-1 to the Arsenal.
Remember those players well. Jon Sammels great striker of the ball. George Eastham with spindly legs but great left foot. My schoolboy hero Joe Baker whose autograph was always valued as he never gave many. Followed him, Geordie Armstrong and "Bomber" Skirton into the Wimpy bar at Finsbury Park after training as a kid to get autographs and hid under their table before being thrown out by the manager.
I'm not saying I'm much older than you lot but I had a thing for Jon Samels/George Eastham & Joe Baker. When they sold Geoff Strong to Liverpool I cried (a bit). The North Bank had a real character named Bill Baily - anyone remember him ??. In those days I can't remember anyone wearing team colors on match days !!. Just plastic coats & big boots.
Now for this weeks game - 2-1 to the Arsenal.
You beat me Ray...to be fair their were so many characters at the time...when did you start going, this must be late 1960s right?
Of course we look back and remember all the good times, but todays Emirates customer match day experience is a world away
You boys have got at a decade on me. I was 3 when Sammels left the Arsenal You guys paid old money to get into the NB
Joe Baker my first boyhood hero , his spat with Ron Yeats and the great smell of Brut . Memories of the North bank.
Yes indeed. Joe i think finished his career at Raith Rovers. Won one two caps for England but was a Scot at heart. Remember he sent his wife to Scotland when the baby was due to make sure the kid qualified to play for them if the opportunity arose!
I'm not saying I'm much older than you lot but I had a thing for Jon Samels/George Eastham & Joe Baker. When they sold Geoff Strong to Liverpool I cried (a bit). The North Bank had a real character named Bill Baily - anyone remember him ??. In those days I can't remember anyone wearing team colors on match days !!. Just plastic coats & big boots.
Now for this weeks game - 2-1 to the Arsenal.
You beat me Ray...to be fair their were so many characters at the time...when did you start going, this must be late 1960s right?
Of course we look back and remember all the good times, but todays Emirates customer match day experience is a world away
You boys have got at a decade on me. I was 3 when Sammels left the Arsenal You guys paid old money to get into the NB
Joe Baker my first boyhood hero , his spat with Ron Yeats and the great smell of Brut . Memories of the North bank.
Yes indeed. Joe i think finished his career at Raith Rovers. Won one two caps for England but was a Scot at heart. Remember he sent his wife to Scotland when the baby was due to make sure the kid qualified to play for them if the opportunity arose!
That's tantamount to child abuse Know the name but nothing about the guy. Apparently he was born in Liverpool but spent his childhood in Scotland so I guess you'd cling to anything to avoid being cast as a mickey. Interesting to see that he came to us from Torino where he played with Dennis Law for the year they both spent out there.
Joe Baker my first boyhood hero , his spat with Ron Yeats and the great smell of Brut . Memories of the North bank.
Fuuuuccckkk! I'd forgotten about that . .. and the smell of hot dogs (with Onions) . I used to pinch my older brother's (came in small green bottles with silver tops) .. my first game was February 1967 FA Cup game beat Cardiff (Replay) 2 - 0. Ian Ure was a something of a Beast ie: liked to kick the opposition. I got his autograph on a picture of the team that was in the local paper... which I still have.
Only lived in London for 3 years - But it was long enough for me to become an Arsenal fan, my Father was a Military Instructor based in London, then he was (we) moved to Cyprus...
"The club has reconsidered and drums are banned from inside the stadium".
Problem solved
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Well, seeing as this has been a decent transfer window; though of course only time will tell and deals have been don to strengthen the team with both purchases and getting shot of some of the deadwood - (still hoping mustafi, elneny & xhaka will go) perhaps people will be less keen to call for Kroenke to leave
Ah the good old days
Everybody and their auntie knew what was going to happen if we scored again so we pisssed off and managed to squeeze past the cops and under the barrier. 10 minutes later and we score again and sure enough it happened. As the crowd infront of us surged forward we casually stepped forward and turned to watch the mayhem behind us as everyone piled forward into the cops. Nobody seemed to get nicked but it was a bit close for comfort and of course the embarrassed line of cops were removed pronto after that - funny to watch.
