Ken Furphy

[Mustela Putorius Furo]

Remember us going to Everton coming back from 2-0 down to win 3-2 which halted their title charge we took our full allocation and I got in their terrace and regretted that choice after jumping up and down after Currie netted the winner also nearly got ambushed under a railway tunnel on way to brum ground heard a load of scuffling turned round and coppers had intercepted a bunch of brum fans who were going to jump us .

Don't recall there being "allocations" in those days. You simply turned up and paid to get onto some standing area - or seats if you were early enough. With no formal segregation it was easy to end up in the wrong place....

By convention, away fans typically chose to go on the opposite end to the home teams "popular end". But that too would be full of the home teams fans as well. It didn't automatically mean bother... most supporters would stand alongside another clubs fans without problems unless they were there "mobbing up" specifically for trouble. However, at Villa in the Cup game it seemed like everyone at the ground from both clubs went there to fight until a football match broke out.

I remember being gutted cos KF had got me believing we were gonna win the cup that year - all part of the hype to get the following that day.

 

[blade too long]

Don't recall there being "allocations" in those days. You simply turned up and paid to get onto some standing area - or seats if you were early enough. With no formal segregation it was easy to end up in the wrong place....

By convention, away fans typically chose to go on the opposite end to the home teams "popular end". But that too would be full of the home teams fans as well. It didn't automatically mean bother... most supporters would stand alongside another clubs fans without problems unless they were there "mobbing up" specifically for trouble. However, at Villa in the Cup game it seemed like everyone at the ground from both clubs went there to fight until a football match broke out.

I remember being gutted cos KF had got me believing we were gonna win the cup that year - all part of the hype to get the following that day.

I meant it was a goodly following , if you avoided the Gladys end you could go most places kind of remember some away fan turnstyles but ticketing then was nearly non existant , remember being one of 20-25000 locked out at old trafford the day best scored that goal in 72 ish got off the coach and asked why so many in coach park they said it was queue, remember being turned away at QPR once sold out

 

[Mustela Putorius Furo]

I meant it was a goodly following , if you avoided the Gladys end you could go most places kind of remember some away fan turnstyles but ticketing then was nearly non existant , remember being one of 20-25000 locked out at old trafford the day best scored that goal in 72 ish got off the coach and asked why so many in coach park they said it was queue

October 2nd, 1971.... something like 6 minutes to go to achieve our longest ever unbeaten run i think... then up pops best..
(part of the Stretford end closed as punishment for some disorder i believe... hence so many locked out.)

 

[Silent Blade]

His first game was at West Ham on 20/9/75 when our record was P7 W0 D1 L6, so we can't blame Cliff for the awful start

That is him on his debut and I saw that photo before I saw him play in a reserves match in October 1975

 

[Lane Ender]

Don't recall there being "allocations" in those days. You simply turned up and paid to get onto some standing area - or seats if you were early enough. With no formal segregation it was easy to end up in the wrong place....

By convention, away fans typically chose to go on the opposite end to the home teams "popular end". But that too would be full of the home teams fans as well. It didn't automatically mean bother... most supporters would stand alongside another clubs fans without problems unless they were there "mobbing up" specifically for trouble. However, at Villa in the Cup game it seemed like everyone at the ground from both clubs went there to fight until a football match broke out.

I remember being gutted cos KF had got me believing we were gonna win the cup that year - all part of the hype to get the following that day.

No mobile phones
No organization
Just turn up and see what happens

 

[Silent Blade]

That pretty much nails it then.

Calvert, Franks, Guthrie, Garbett, Bradford and Field on the field together is a nightmare waiting to unfold.

Furphy also signed David Irving from Everton on loan!

 

[blade too long]

51 758 was the official gate only 4000 below capacity shut 2 sections apparently

 

[Silent Blade]

Watched the Birmingham match on pay to view tele , with me dad , in our front room ,were you had to put the money in the slot . At the time i remember we didn't have a telephone , and we still had a outside loo. Also perhaps i didn't appreciate how good the blades were at that time .

How things change in the world and not always for the better.

UTB

The Birmingham match on pay tv (with coin slot) was the League Cup quarter final in December 1966. we lost 3-2 after leading 2-1 at half time

 

[Mustela Putorius Furo]

That is him on his debut and I saw that photo before I saw him play in a reserves match in October 1975

superb away kit that one... when the club shop did it a few years ago, it always looked wrong.... do they still do it?

 

[Lord Bos of Eckington.]

That is him on his debut and I saw that photo before I saw him play in a reserves match in October 1975

Thats a bloody good looking away kit.

UTB

 

[Lord Bos of Eckington.]

The Birmingham match on pay tv (with coin slot) was the League Cup quarter final in December 1966. we lost 3-2 after leading 2-1 at half time

Apologies Silent Blade . Thanks for the correction .

UTB

 

[Silent Blade]

(part of the Stretford end closed as punishment for some disorder i believe... hence so many locked out.)

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2010/mar/17/manchester-united-home-anfield-1971

 

[Jonboy60]

And the best anchor man gone too. Brian Moore was brilliant.

Blades on last again.nothing changes.

 

[Mustela Putorius Furo]

51 758 was the official gate only 4000 below capacity shut 2 sections apparently

That makes sense.. they had what looked like a massive pitch-covering "Tarp" rolled up and dumped in the sections at the front, directly behind the goal.

 

[Blackheath Blade]

That pretty much nails it then.

Calvert, Franks, Guthrie, Garbett, Bradford and Field on the field together is a nightmare waiting to unfold.

I vaguely remember we went to Cardiff and beat them 6 - 1 and even Calvert scored !! That may have been the 1976 - 77 season after we'd been relegated.

 

[Kenilworth]

I vaguely remember we went to Cardiff and beat them 6 - 1 and even Calvert scored !! That may have been the 1976 - 77 season after we'd been relegated.

Wasn't Cec Coldwell in charge for that game - as a caretaker boss?

 

[Blackheath Blade]

Wasn't Cec Coldwell in charge for that game - as a caretaker boss?

Not sure Ken, i'm still in shock at that result, thirty odd years on !!

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

An interesting question Brownie.

In his one full season in charge he finished in our highest league position in my lifetime and, as such, he deserves some credit and I am obviously saddened by his death.

However, that isn't the whole story. He took over a very good team BUT with a board who make our present one look like Viv Nicholson (as your parents) on acid.
He made us far less entertaining to watch and he recruited Garbutt and Field a duo so poor it hurts me to mention them even today. He then broke the £100k purchase price barrier on a certain Chris Guthrie and was disposed of late October/November time with about three points in the bag (in other words we were doomed).
Add to that his efforts, in the previous year, to try and swap Tony Currie out to Leeds (for an aging Billy Bremner and Trevor Cherry), which the board balked at due to the unpopularity of the Elland Road team as a whole around these parts, and you will see he wasn't a 100% success by any means.
However, as with many cases since, he was better than his successor!

Nothing changes, taking over a good side lead to high expectations and Guthrie's signing was exciting but the team played like Blackwells and Guthrie was crap.

Never took to the bloke even though we were high in division one.

Fickle fuckers are football fans.

RIP Ken.

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

Wasn't Cec Coldwell in charge for that game - as a caretaker boss?

Cec - top bloke.

 

[Mustela Putorius Furo]

I vaguely remember we went to Cardiff and beat them 6 - 1 and even Calvert scored !! That may have been the 1976 - 77 season after we'd been relegated.

At the risk of being all "Darren"... 3rd december, 1977.


It stuck with me because there was no teleprinter that day, don't remember any radio coverage, and I was waiting for the results to be shown in the traditional way on Grandstand as the only way of finding out. As the first division results were being read out, I was imagining a picture of the div 2 results and the announcer reading out ours and had a crazy image of the score "Cardiff City 1 - 6 Sheffield United". I repeated it to myself with my eyes shut... then nearly dropped through the floor when bugger actually appeared exactly like that... Of course, its never happened again, as much as i try....

 

[Kenilworth]

Cec - top bloke.

Top top bloke. He used to wave to me every morning as I was walking to school and he was on his way to the Lane in his Audi

 

[Lane Ender]

Cec - top bloke.

Remember going to Sunderland when Cec was in charge lost 5-0 and got run all over

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

You are right its wrong to compare that era with this but I,m glad I had the pleasure to watch the Blade teams between early to mid 70s loved that era.

RIP Ken Furphy the manager of the best United side i ever saw.

I would say 1971 was the best and 1973 was the most entertaining

Just going to type '71 when I read yours Silent.

'71 was special.

 

[SouthEssexBlade]

I vaguely remember we went to Cardiff and beat them 6 - 1 and even Calvert scored !! That may have been the 1976 - 77 season after we'd been relegated.

Bizarre was was that run, 1977-78 by the way. That result in early December was followed by a 4-0 loss at Luton two weeks later. Then we won at Hull, drew with a good Spurs team only to then lose successive matches 5-1 home to Bolton, then away at Sunderland.

 

[Lane Ender]

Just going to type '71 when I read yours Silent.

'71 was special.

Yes it was brilliant year

 

[JJ Sefton]

At the risk of being all "Darren"... 3rd december, 1977.


It stuck with me because there was no teleprinter that day, don't remember any radio coverage, and I was waiting for the results to be shown in the traditional way on Grandstand as the only way of finding out. As the first division results were being read out, I was imagining a picture of the div 2 results and the announcer reading out ours and had a crazy image of the score "Cardiff City 1 - 6 Sheffield United". I repeated it to myself with my eyes shut... then nearly dropped through the floor when bugger actually appeared exactly like that... Of course, its never happened again, as much as i try....

It's one of a handful of results that a tiresome Cardiff fan I know starts moaning at me about whenever he's had a few pints.

 

[metalblade]

October 2nd, 1971.... something like 6 minutes to go to achieve our longest ever unbeaten run i think... then up pops best..
(part of the Stretford end closed as punishment for some disorder i believe... hence so many locked out.)

The capacity had been cut due to the building work at the old scoreboard end I was one of the first in the ground, even at 1.00pm the queue went from the away end to the Stretford end and back again, as soon as the gates opened everyone piled in so from being end of the line we ended up first in. The pre match entertainment was watching the coppers chasing fans of both teams who were climbing the scaffolding into the building site before jumping down into the crowd, it was estimated between 10,000 - 25,000 were locked out the majority being Blades, never seen anything like it.

 

[Mustela Putorius Furo]

It's one of a handful of results that a tiresome Cardiff fan I know starts moaning at me about whenever he's had a few pints.

My little "vision" works better as a tale told when I've had a sherbert or two where I can bore people with a more verbose and florid description. Even better if my victims have had a few too! In fact, it's essential.

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

The capacity had been cut due to the building work at the old scoreboard end I was one of the first in the ground, even at 1.00pm the queue went from the away end to the Stretford end and back again, as soon as the gates opened everyone piled in so from being end of the line we ended up first in. The pre match entertainment was watching the coppers chasing fans of both teams who were climbing the scaffolding into the building site before jumping down into the crowd, it was estimated between 10,000 - 25,000 were locked out the majority being Blades, never seen anything like it.

Only got a far as Quicks Ford, crowds were huge and our parents had no idea we'd gone, far more exciting than any trip to Wembley.

 

[Silent Blade]

At the risk of being all "Darren"... 3rd december, 1977.


It stuck with me because there was no teleprinter that day, don't remember any radio coverage, and I was waiting for the results to be shown in the traditional way on Grandstand as the only way of finding out. As the first division results were being read out, I was imagining a picture of the div 2 results and the announcer reading out ours and had a crazy image of the score "Cardiff City 1 - 6 Sheffield United". I repeated it to myself with my eyes shut... then nearly dropped through the floor when bugger actually appeared exactly like that... Of course, its never happened again, as much as i try....

That game kicked off at 2pm (cant remember why). My dad wrote to me saying that he thought the match was being kicked off at 3pm so he was wallpapering in my house and switched the radio just after 3pm. He nearly dropped the wallpaper he was holding when the commentator said "Tony Kenworthy has just put United 4up!"