I got punched in the face by a suited and booted Chelsea fan on the train home from SB. He was a proper city slicker with a copy of the FT and everything. He heard me and my mates swearing and leaped up and lumped me one screaming 'JVC, I'll ****ing give you JVC' What a nutter.
I also narrowly dodged a beating in the bar under the old West stand at Highbury against Man Utd. There was no segregation in the bar area. I was trying to duck under somebody's arm to go back up the steps and I knocked his elbow and spilled his pint, I turned round to see him land a punch on the guy behind me and within seconds the whole bar had kicked off and there were bits of wood flying around from hooligans ripping bits of the stadium apart.
I remember going to Stoke with my dad in the early 70's.We were at the station after the game waiting for a train to Crewe,there was an Arsenal football special on the opposite platform and a crowd of Stoke lads tried to have a go.The next thing the police released the dogs. You should have seen the ****s scarper
Were you at the Millwall game in 86 ? I think it was an FA cup tie. I was in the junior gunners enclosure with my Dad when it kicked off in the Clock End and Millwall tried to storm the pitch. I remember seeing the Coppers on Horses charging at those ****s and them desperately scrambling back over the barrier onto the terrace
I also remember going to SB with my some of my West Ham mates to see Chelsea v West Ham and a group of nutters from the ICF tried to take the Shed end and took an absolute pummeling, ****ing idiots I remember being **** scared that whole day. Chelsea v West Ham was always trouble. I also remember ducking sharpened up two pence pieces being hurled at fans in the clock end v Chelsea. My mate Blackie was a bit of hooligan and he was climbing the fence urging me to jump into the Chelsea fans with him. He's the nicest bloke you could meet today, settled down became a dad and now works as a swim instructor with disabled kids.
Happy yet sad days lads, had loads of grief back in the day in the Clock End, Fulham Broadway, Euston etc etc, but many moons ago our footie special on the way to Colchester for a league cup tie got attacked by Millwall when no one was expecting it, there was a big kick off and the traindelayed . Always hated going to Spurs, the 7 sisters was a twat of a place, but London was always hard going for us, from Euston to West Ham was a nightmare back then.
They were pretty dark days when you look back, but I can't deny enjoying the thrill of it all back then. I never really got into any fights although I did get a couple of light kickings just by virtue of being there egging it on. Also getting randomly lumped in the face by that Chelsea fan as described above. Euston was always a flashpoint as there were so many travelling fans going up and down the country, as was Kings Cross. But honestly the worst place was the old Den, that ground was a complete ****hole and their fans were animals. I used to live a few miles down the road in Lewisham, so I'd get a bus back home, usually full of Millwall fans too. In some ways it would have been easier to have ****ed off back up to the city to get a train up Norf
In answer to both of you, Millwall played Everton at Goodison on the same day we played Man City at Anfield(Wouldn't happen these day)and Millwall tried to take the Everton end(Gwaldys Street End)pre match and got totally battered, when the gates opened at three quarter time at our place thousands of scallys ran across Stanley Park to get stuck in(City fans got a walkover that day), the Millwall fans that never ended up in hospital got chased and a good kicking, there was a front page story in the echo on the Monday that 30+ Millwall had ended up in Walton hospital, but them ****s have long memories and are determined to get payback. Regards the Clock End back in the day, we all stuck together from Lime Street station all the way to the ground then in the ****ing Clock End the Gooners always managed to split us up into smaller groups and the attack. Back then it was proper war strategy.
That's the game gc, the police at the time said axes, knives and screwdrivers were used. I remember the day well, the Millwall fans wore white barrow coats with club graffiti written on and around midday there were loads of reds and blues in the Yankee Bar on Lime Street and a load of lads dressed in the said coats walked past singing songs, everyone in the pub ran outside and there was a big kick off, the police then escorted them to Goodison and that's were they met fellow lunatics that weren't gonna run just because of Millwall's reputation and then reality hit home for a fair few of them.
Sad but true, but they were the rules back then, an Evertonian mate of mine that was in the Gwaldys Street that day said about 2 bells a load of Millwall went behind the goal facing the crowd singing their songs and that's when they got what they got. Thank **** its all changed for the better now.
I used to think all the trouble was a bit of fun but as you say things have changed for the better now
Tbh if you got on a footy special, got off at an away game train station you had no choice than to be part of the fun/trouble GC but like I said London was a different kettle of fish due to the tube, got attacked by the chavs on the way to Shepherds Bush etc. #ihatedgamesinlondon
