90/91 Season

[Kenilworth]

Posts like this always make me laugh. When I was in my early 20's going to games in 90-91, my dad used to say that football was spolt by having too much money in it and you didn't get the atmosphere that you got in the 50's and 60's... Plus ca change...

Quite right. In another 20 years time we will all be experiencing the game through some hologramatic simulant entity manifest through t'internet while we sit at home and press keypads to select the goal music of our choice and vote for who should come on as the next substitute and when.

You may mock Dazzler but things have changed a lot in 22 years - and they changed in the years between your Dad going to the Lane and you going regularly, of that I am certain.
From 20 years ago is it:
Safer? Yes, much safer from the hoolies - but less friendly at the same time.
More exciting? Not so sure - certainly not at out level.
Noisier? Yes, from the PA - not from the crowd.
More manufactured? Absolutely - and less spontaneity because of it.
Do we feel less enfranchised / more of a statistic? I certainly do.
Better value for money? I would say not - but then my Dad said that, probably same as yours (we are not too far apart age wise you and I)
Better quality product? Certainly more technical but not always as exciting.
Has all seater stadia improved the customer experience? For some, yes - for others, no (I still prefer to stand)

I still stand by my statement that I haven't experienced a really decent atmosphere, home or away, after the relative success within the Warnock years and Ken Junior says the same. That's more than 6 years ago. Ouch!

 

[Coily]

I remember that game at Villa Park, and you are right. We played very well and certainly did not look like a bottom of the table side that had onlygot a grand total of 4 points.

When Vinny Jones equalised in the second half you'd have thought we'd just won the league. The away end went absolutely berserk. Mind you it was our first goal in what felt like about nine hundred and ninety nine years!

I remember it really well. Jones glanced in the header and the fans went bananas culminating in a huge pitch invasion, and the only time I've ever run on the pitch. And from there we looked all the way like we were going to win, but then Villa scored and Duffield missed a one-on-one in the last few minutes which was just typical of our season.

The Sunderland nightmare the week before, featuring Beesley and Rostron's Chuckle Brothers impressions before Gabbiadini said 'ta' and scored twice, was a low point. At that time I think we'd resigned ourselves to a quick return back to Division 2, but that was already in air the week before at Old Trafford with the singing of "We'll meet again" as we were being beaten easily there.

Even after winning a few games, I think we all thought we were still knackered. When we lost at Man City - featuring the four second booking for Jones followed by a red when he'd missed Peter Reid by a mile - no-one would have imagined the run we then went on. To be clear of relegation with four games to go was an amazing achievement.

Can't decide whether 89/90 or 90/91 was my favourite!