Kop leaders! Where have they gone?

[South Bucks]

Wasn't ManU and Leeds just sheer numbers and getting their early?

Yes. I was at a Leeds night match (maybe the same one, might have been when we lost 4-1 but not sure) and a Manure Saturday match when the away fans would arrive en mass 2 hours before kick off, hide their scarves while entering and then occupy the heart of the kop. The cops and stewards did little to stop this. The united ites would then arrive a few minutes before kick off and surround them and there would be a ding dong of charges and counter charges all game long and all sorts of stuff being thrown, a bit scary. If they'd not arrived so early I doubt this would have happened. Scraps all the way back to the station of course.

 

[seanbeenstattoo]

How did you know ?

He's from Rotherham.
Never posts before 23.00 and is clearly absolutely batfaced on every occaision.
Claims to have played with every rock demi God in the history of contempary music.
Owns a HUGE property in Surrey.
Has the most high powered job in computing after Bill Gates.
His partner makes Cindy Crawford in her prime look like a Bulldog chewing piss of a nettle.

Work it out for yourself Holmes.

 

[cahill]

He's from Rotherham.
Never posts before 23.00 and is clearly absolutely batfaced on every occaision.
Claims to have played with every rock demi God in the history of contempary music.
Owns a HUGE property in Surrey.
Has the most high powered job in computing after Bill Gates.
His partner makes Cindy Crawford in her prime look like a Bulldog chewing piss of a nettle.

Work it out for yourself Holmes.

Sounds like a fantasy island merchant to me

 

[cahill]

Wasn't ManU and Leeds just sheer numbers and getting their early?

I think it was a case of the police getting them into the ground asap in order to try and contain them. In those days supporting Man Utd wasn't as uncool as it is today, these days if you ask someone with a non Mancunian accent why they support them they fall over themselves to explain that their long lost second cousin four times removed once lived in Salford. As a consequence back in the 60's 70's they were all over the place, you could pay at the turnstile and go wherever you wanted. Leeds in 72 and 74 were I think on the verge of winning the League and we always seemed to,play them at Easter so they brought thousands.

Newcastle used to come on the kop but they were big daft drunken sods who just wanted a fight

One that stands out for me was the 3-2 West Ham match the " quality goal...." etc from Currie and it was kicking off near me all through the match, the West Ham dudes seemed older, bigger and included a lot of black lads which was unusual back then, anyone remember that ?

Early 1970's there was always masses of trouble everywhere, it became normalised really and was really edgy when you went away if you got sussed.
I used to go to loads of Leeds home games having been born there and always went with the away fans as I fucking hated Leeds with a vengeance. Put me in some awkward spots but having a Yorkshire accent came in handy

 

[Lane Ender]

Yes well, I remember Leeds taking the Shoreham kop - it was a night match in the early 70's and I was most surprised to walk up them steps to the top of the kop and have my scarf snatched from around my neck and be given a fat lip. The Blades fans had been exiled to an area of the kop nearer towards where the South Stand is now - and the Leeds fans were rampant in their domination of our prime territory.

I remember Newcastle United fans having a good go too. They were present in big numbers and started throwing bottles of Newcastle Brown Ale (what else?) up at the roof of the kop so they smashed and showered us all in broken glass.

Oh them were they days eh? You just don't get the same quality of hooliganism at matches these days. I blame the tinterweb and mobile phones. All the violence is carefully orchestrated now and occurs in shopping precincts or motorway service stations or distant places. They've ruined it! Although I was never one to go to a match looking for a punch-up I used to enjoy watching it. It was fun! But now that spectacle has been taken away from us, for good it seems?

I know some of you would like to see standing areas back on the terraces. So would I - you can fit more folks into a ground if they are standing rather than sitting and it leads to a better atmosphere imo. You can have sways and crushes and fall down several steps when we score, I used to love that an' all. But most of all, I'd like to see a return to non-segregated areas for supporters.

So, none of this "Home supporters only" or "Away supporters only". Let the supporters go where they want! And take down them gates that cut off one part of the ground from another. I used to love walking from the Bramall lane end, past the cricket pavillion, and onto to the kop at half-time to change ends so I could be nearest the goal United were kicking into. Bring it back! Let the supporters be free to wander around the ground and stand, or sit, where they fancy! Let nature take it's natural course! Let's bring back turf wars on the terraces. It was more entertaining than the football sometimes.

Just about covered it with that CB.
As said previously the big clubs got on early but as soon as we got organised we'd turn it around at least hold our own.
When we went up from the 2nd division early 80s everybody had a go but I remember West Brom,Leicester and Southampton taking severe beatings

 

[cahill]

Yes. I was at a Leeds night match (maybe the same one, might have been when we lost 4-1 but not sure) and a Manure Saturday match when the away fans would arrive en mass 2 hours before kick off, hide their scarves while entering and then occupy the heart of the kop. The cops and stewards did little to stop this. The united ites would then arrive a few minutes before kick off and surround them and there would be a ding dong of charges and counter charges all game long and all sorts of stuff being thrown, a bit scary. If they'd not arrived so early I doubt this would have happened. Scraps all the way back to the station of course.

I was at the 1-4 game went with a group of Leeds as most of my family and mates supported them, think that was at Easter ( Monday) and we played them at Elland Road on the Tuesday and lost that 2-0, Leeds were a great side if not dirty those days. Following season we played them 3 times including the 6th round FA Cup, I think Woodward went in the net after Hodgy was injured and we one 1-0, or have I imaged that one as well ?

 

[cahill]

Just about covered it with that CB.
As said previously the big clubs got on early but as soon as we got organised we'd turn it around at least hold our own.
When we went up from the 2nd division early 80s everybody had a go but I remember West Brom,Leicester and Southampton taking severe beatings

Southampton tried to take the kop at 2-30pm on our first match back in the old first division August 1971. I remember West Brom and Leicester fans on the kop around 1967

 

[seanbeenstattoo]

Sounds like a fantasy island merchant to me

Yep. That's about the size of it

Originally Posted byGeetarman
The least arrogant guy in the world if you knew me. But he's a pig, so therefore you will fight his corner. I'll ask you again, do you think that there is a gap between myself and MSN. That is not me being arrogant. Stating facts. If I were to tell you what my last weeks work schedule was that would be arrogant.
I hardly think begging in a Rotherham City Centre underpass,scavenging for discarded fast food in dumpsters and finding enough dry cardboard to sleep on with your inflatable sex doll constitutes "work". But you're 100% right on one thing.
Your arrogance is off the Richter scale.
ReplyReply With Quote

His recent modest,rational Waltermittyism and my response.

 

[EddieColquhoun]

When we went up from the 2nd division early 80s everybody had a go but I remember West Brom,Leicester and Southampton taking severe beatings

We never went up from the 2nd division in the 80's. Do you mean early 70s?

 

[Silent Blade]

I was at the 1-4 game went with a group of Leeds as most of my family and mates supported them, think that was at Easter ( Monday) and we played them at Elland Road on the Tuesday and lost that 2-0, Leeds were a great side if not dirty those days. Following season we played them 3 times including the 6th round FA Cup, I think Woodward went in the net after Hodgy was injured and we one 1-0, or have I imaged that one as well ?

Yes we lost 4-1 at home and lost 2-0 away in Easter 1967

From what I read

Woodward replaced the injured Alan Hodgkinson (who dislocated a finger stopping a Lorimer shot) in the 9th minute of the Sheffield United v Leeds United match (11.11.67). Woodward made two brilliant saves from Albert Johanneson and at the end of the match got a standing ovation from the crowd for a fine display and keeping a clean sheet.

 

[Grecian2000]

David Ford has never scored against us in a competitive game. The only time Wendy beat us by 1-0 in the 1960s was at the Lane in Sept 1967 (Ritchie the scorer)

Think you need to read his post again Silent.
He's talking of being there for a match AGAINST Derby and not a derby match!

 

[Grecian2000]

From what I read

Woodward replaced the injured Alan Hodgkinson (who dislocated a finger stopping a Lorimer shot) in the 9th minute of the Sheffield United v Leeds United match (11.11.67). Woodward made two brilliant saves from Albert Johanneson and at the end of the match got a standing ovation from the crowd for a fine display and keeping a clean sheet.

Strangely, if you read Hodgy's biography he mentions the game, names the score and Mick Hill as the scorer BUT makes no mention at all of him hardly playing. I found it quite odd.

 

[Silent Blade]

Strangely, if you read Hodgy's biography he mentions the game, names the score and Mick Hill as the scorer BUT makes no mention at all of him hardly playing. I found it quite odd.

There were other inaccuracies in Hodgy's autobiography. His ghost writer is a Stoke fan which was a big mistake. Should have been someone like Andy Pack who would have corrected Hodgy I think

 

[Silent Blade]

Think you need to read his post again Silent.
He's talking of being there for a match AGAINST Derby and not a derby match!

Just re-read. Rather confusing! David Ford never played for Derby!

 

[Lane Ender]

We never went up from the 2nd division in the 80's. Do you mean early 70s?

Yes aplogies

 

[Grecian2000]

There were other inaccuracies in Hodgy's autobiography. His ghost writer is a Stoke fan which was a big mistake. Should have been someone like Andy Pack who would have corrected Hodgy I think

Indeed. The one where he says we were relegated in '68 after playing West Ham was particularly galling.
To be fair, the Leeds match isn't so much inaccurate (he doesn't mention making any saves or anything) as an omission!

 

[Dnblade]

Yes we lost 4-1 at home and lost 2-0 away in Easter 1967

From what I read

Woodward replaced the injured Alan Hodgkinson (who dislocated a finger stopping a Lorimer shot) in the 9th minute of the Sheffield United v Leeds United match (11.11.67). Woodward made two brilliant saves from Albert Johanneson and at the end of the match got a standing ovation from the crowd for a fine display and keeping a clean sheet.

I was at that game when Woody went in goal,and remember Albert Johannson being about the first black player I'd seen at the Lane...think he was South African and went to York after Leeds.

 

[Grecian2000]

Just re-read. Rather confusing! David Ford never played for Derby!

I could be wrong BUT I read it as he went to the Sty to watch them play Derby and the outcome was a 1-0 HOME win with Ford scoring for the pigs.

 

[Silent Blade]

Indeed. The one where he says we were relegated in '68 after playing West Ham was particularly galling.
To be fair, the Leeds match isn't so much inaccurate (he doesn't mention making any saves or anything) as an omission!

He went into a long detail about George Best scoring against him at the Lane. He said it was in the 3-0 defeat in October 1967. Actually the scores were Aston, Kidd and Law.The only time Best scored against us at the Lane was in December 1964

 

[snootyfenooty]

I was at that game when Woody went in goal,and remember Albert Johannson being about the first black player I'd seen at the Lane...think he was South African and went to York after Leeds.

Digressing a bit from the OP but yeah, I remember Johanneson too, closely followed by Clyde Best at WHU, as being the trailblazers for black footballers. Fat Ron's trio of Regis, Batson and Cunningham usually get the credit for this, unfairly in my opinion.

Johanneson's was a tragic story, he hit the booze post-football and died penniless and prematurely in his fifties.

 

[Dnblade]

That's right he must have been about the first of that era,followed by Clyde Best and Cec Podd who was at Bradford City.

 

[cahill]

I was at that game when Woody went in goal,and remember Albert Johannson being about the first black player I'd seen at the Lane...think he was South African and went to York after Leeds.

I was also at the match, funnily enough remember it was shocking weather heavy rain and a muddy pitch, funny I remember stuff like that. Mick Hill scored the winner and the crowd taunted the Leeds fans with " you bought the wrong one " ( Mick that was)

Albert Johansen carried on living in Leeds. I believe died in squalid circumstances from alcohol abuse. Nasty stuff that alcoholl

 

[cahill]

He went into a long detail about George Best scoring against him at the Lane. He said it was in the 3-0 defeat in October 1967. Actually the scores were Aston, Kidd and Law.The only time Best scored against us at the Lane was in December 1964

We lost at home to both United and City 3-0. Loads of Man Utd fans on the kop. Sign that we were doomed that season. Had a good FA Cup run the famous Addison goal that was disallowed at Elland Road

 

[EddieColquhoun]

Southampton tried to take the kop at 2-30pm on our first match back in the old first division August 1971. I remember West Brom and Leicester fans on the kop around 1967

Being younger, I'm shocked that fans of these teams tried to take the kop.
From the 80's this became very rare but I did witness a group that has been referred to as "Cowens' mates" take the kop at West Brom just before the kick-off in '86.

 

[snootyfenooty]

We lost at home to both United and City 3-0. Loads of Man Utd fans on the kop. Sign that we were doomed that season. Had a good FA Cup run the famous Addison goal that was disallowed at Elland Road

It was the fucking Mancs who single handed started football hooliganism in the mid sixties when they started travelling in big numbers. I remember one night game at the Lane c1966 when they occupied the back half of the kop and we were shoved to the front. For the whole match we had to endure snooker balls, darts, coins and 1kg cast iron weights amongst other missiles raining down on us.

Hooliganism kicked off properly mid to late sixties when other teams fans mobbed up in equal numbers just to counter them. Then fans such as the scousers took it to a new level by introducing niceties such as stanley knives into the fray. By 1970 every fucker was at it.

There you are, the history of how football hooliganism started in two paragraphs!

 

[Bert]

It was the fucking Mancs who single handed started football hooliganism in the mid sixties when they started travelling in big numbers. I remember one night game at the Lane c1966 when they occupied the back half of the kop and we were shoved to the front. For the whole match we had to endure snooker balls, darts, coins and 1kg cast iron weights amongst other missiles raining down on us.

Hooliganism kicked off properly mid to late sixties when other teams fans mobbed up in equal numbers just to counter them. Then fans such as the scousers took it to a new level by introducing niceties such as stanley knives into the fray. By 1970 every fucker was at it.

There you are, the history of how football hooliganism started in two paragraphs!

But United pioneered acid chucking. Another first for The Blades.

 

[snootyfenooty]

But United pioneered acid chucking. Another first for The Blades.

And iron bars. Against their own fans.

 

[Silent Blade]

And iron bars. Against their own fans.

Jack?

 

[Silent Blade]

It was the fucking Mancs who single handed started football hooliganism in the mid sixties when they started travelling in big numbers. I remember one night game at the Lane c1966 when they occupied the back half of the kop and we were shoved to the front. For the whole match we had to endure snooker balls, darts, coins and 1kg cast iron weights amongst other missiles raining down on us.

Hooliganism kicked off properly mid to late sixties when other teams fans mobbed up in equal numbers just to counter them. Then fans such as the scousers took it to a new level by introducing niceties such as stanley knives into the fray. By 1970 every fucker was at it.

There you are, the history of how football hooliganism started in two paragraphs!

Saw a photo in a football annual of a Blade whose head was split open after a brick was thrown at him in the home game against Man U in Oct 1967. Been told that his name is Pete O'Brien

 

[Finn Keane o' Balmaqueen]

When it comes to the crux.
ALL football hooligans are cunts.