Thread For The Over 40's Only

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Wasn't a supporter stabbed at the game at St. James' Park in 1969/70?

Yes, and the Sunday Sun next day showed the weapons found at the back of the Fulwell - they put them on display 2 pasting tables and the weaponry was frightening.

The Fulwell was there and was almost sick at the sight of all the casulaties being carted out with blood all owa the place as Sunderland tried to retake the Fulwell End.

Probably the nastiest day ever seen at RP.
 


Yes, and the Sunday Sun next day showed the weapons found at the back of the Fulwell - they put them on display 2 pasting tables and the weaponry was frightening.

The Fulwell was there and was almost sick at the sight of all the casulaties being carted out with blood all owa the place as Sunderland tried to retake the Fulwell End.

Probably the nastiest day ever seen at RP.

So was the stabbing at roker park? :confused:
 
Maybe it would be good to have an old timers thread.

All under 40's are barred from posting.

Perhaps we can have the over 40's giving their recollections on SAFC, their thoughts on the younguns and what they will go through based on our experience and what they think is the future of SAFC as we stand.

Could be some canny memories.....Millwall 1970's, WHU late 70's early 80's, Chelsea 1985, Roker Park etc.


Haway then, what's everyones top 5 as to who brought the biggest followings to RP and the year ?

Mags in 76-77 was the biggest I recall - easily 8/9000 in the Roker End plus odds and sods in paddocks and Clock Stand seats. Possibly 12000 in the 46000 crowd ??

Mags again 79-80 - not as many as 76-77 when they were going for UEFA qualification {which they got under caretaker turned proper boss Richard Dinnis} but must have been up to 10,000 in total ??

Man Utd 76-77 - were supposed to bring 15000 but ended up with about 5000 - beat them anarl.

Carlisle FA Cup in 92 ish - drew 1-1 - Ferguson for us - about 5000 of them.

Chelsea 75-76 - beat them 2-1 - Longhorn got the winner - about 4000 ??

Can never remember Liverpool, Everton, Man City, the 2 Sheffields, Leeds, Boro, Spurs, West Ham, Arsenal bringing more than 1000 - 2500 up. Could be wrong like.

So was the stabbing at roker park? :confused:

there was def' at RP and probably at SJP too as Sunderland daft uns tried to go in Leazes End - not a good idea.

Real bad times the late 60's/early 70's with them - wasn't good in 80's and 90's either but respective followings much reduced as capacities at both cut back from 50000 to 30000.

People who are over 40 years old post on here?

yep - 47.
 
Haway then, what's everyones top 5 as to who brought the biggest followings to RP and the year ?

Mags in 76-77 was the biggest I recall - easily 8/9000 in the Roker End plus odds and sods in paddocks and Clock Stand seats. Possibly 12000 in the 46000 crowd ??

Mags again 79-80 - not as many as 76-77 when they were going for UEFA qualification {which they got under caretaker turned proper boss Richard Dinnis} but must have been up to 10,000 in total ??

Man Utd 76-77 - were supposed to bring 15000 but ended up with about 5000 - beat them anarl.

Carlisle FA Cup in 92 ish - drew 1-1 - Ferguson for us - about 5000 of them.

Chelsea 75-76 - beat them 2-1 - Longhorn got the winner - about 4000 ??

Can never remember Liverpool, Everton, Man City, the 2 Sheffields, Leeds, Boro, Spurs, West Ham, Arsenal bringing more than 1000 - 2500 up. Could be wrong like.
Up until away followings became easier ie the PL, easier to travel etc. no one came to SAFc in any great numbers bar the Mags and Man United. Taking them out of the equation:

Portsmouth brought a fair following at the end of one season at RP, as did WBA. Other than that i'm strugglking really to think of any team in between 1974 and say 1998 who brought anymore than a couple of thousand - even that was a rarity.

chelsea brought a fair few up in the MKSF but it shows how few have doen so when we're down to trying to remembe rindividual matches.

about 500 to 1,500 was the norm really - as I remember it.
 
Haway then, what's everyones top 5 as to who brought the biggest followings to RP and the year ?

Mags in 76-77 was the biggest I recall - easily 8/9000 in the Roker End plus odds and sods in paddocks and Clock Stand seats. Possibly 12000 in the 46000 crowd ??

Mags again 79-80 - not as many as 76-77 when they were going for UEFA qualification {which they got under caretaker turned proper boss Richard Dinnis} but must have been up to 10,000 in total ??

Man Utd 76-77 - were supposed to bring 15000 but ended up with about 5000 - beat them anarl.

Carlisle FA Cup in 92 ish - drew 1-1 - Ferguson for us - about 5000 of them.

Chelsea 75-76 - beat them 2-1 - Longhorn got the winner - about 4000 ??

Can never remember Liverpool, Everton, Man City, the 2 Sheffields, Leeds, Boro, Spurs, West Ham, Arsenal bringing more than 1000 - 2500 up. Could be wrong like.



there was def' at RP and probably at SJP too as Sunderland daft uns tried to go in Leazes End - not a good idea.

Real bad times the late 60's/early 70's with them - wasn't good in 80's and 90's either but respective followings much reduced as capacities at both cut back from 50000 to 30000.



yep - 47.

Rangers brought loads for a friendly, think it was the 90's like, Gary Bennet testemonial? Mind it felt like a throwback to 70/70's...
 
Apart from Newcastle and Leeds I only remember Chelsea bringing a good following from the 70's onwards. They always gave a good account of themselves in the 'battles' on the Roker end terraces.
I always felt sorry for Blackpool, who once brought a lot of fans (in the 70's) as they could win promotion with a win, we had nothing to play for. We beat them and their fans were kicked out of the Roker (onto the pitch in some cases like Spurs a few years later).
 
I can also remember 2 lads watching a match from the roof of the Clockstand!

It might have been during the 1973 cup run at a guess.

With regards to Sunderland fans not having much of reputation for bother from the big lads, try reading Chelsea's 'Hoolifan' and the full chapter entitled 'Malice in Sunderland'. It's about that infamous first match of the season at Roker in 1975.

I was daft enough to go to the return match in the December and they certainly took their revenge in full (still mentally scarred by the experience!).
The one where Longhorn scored the winner? We won 2 v 1 IIRC. Hell on before the game in the Roker End. They all piled in about 2.15pm to 2.30pm and it all kicked off. I was only 14 and in the Re Childrens Enclosure with my sister.

someone mentioned earlier on the WHU match circa 1978 when they were encircled in the RE. They eventually sat down in the middle of the game and refused to budge. I subsequently, years later, got tlaking to an WHU fan who had bee in amongst them that day and he said that they sat down as a sign that they knew they were going to get battered.

the lad was right about the lasses in amongst them that day - skinheads, DM's etc.

Millwall came in 1978 and they were place din the middle of the Re as well. about 40 of them. The rest were in the Main Stand out of the way. The likes of Harry The Dog and Billy The wolf were leaning on the barriers next to the SAFc fans cadging tabs - they couldnt give a fuck.

Late 70's was the worst I knew for trouble, 1978ish was a nightmare, especially in London. Millwall was seriously bad for your health as were the usial suspects eg Chelsea, Spurs, WHU.

I also remember going to Orient when rowell missed his one and only competitive penalty (he also missed one against bthe Australian Federation in a RP friendly IIRC) and one of my mates got his eye blacked by an Orient fan about 2 hours before the kick off. Hell on that day as well. WHU fans were on the terraces and running battles ensued.

Rangers brought loads for a friendly, think it was the 90's like, Gary Bennet testemonial? Mind it felt like a throwback to 70/70's...
aye, forgot about that, hell on as well.

Apart from Newcastle and Leeds I only remember Chelsea bringing a good following from the 70's onwards. They always gave a good account of themselves in the 'battles' on the Roker end terraces.
I always felt sorry for Blackpool, who once brought a lot of fans (in the 70's) as they could win promotion with a win, we had nothing to play for. We beat them and their fans were kicked out of the Roker (onto the pitch in some cases like Spurs a few years later).
the Blackpool fans parked their buses on the sea front and some of them got chased onto the Beach and into the Sea.

I remember the Spurs game circa 1978 when they ran onto the pitch and refused to go back into the RE. IIRC this was in retribution to the year previous when we had gone to WHL for an end of season game and a lot of SAFC fans got a beating. A lad I know from CLS got chased and ran over. :eek:
 
The one where Longhorn scored the winner? We won 2 v 1 IIRC. Hell on before the game in the Roker End. They all piled in about 2.15pm to 2.30pm and it all kicked off. I was only 14 and in the Re Childrens Enclosure with my sister.

someone mentioned earlier on the WHU match circa 1978 when they were encircled in the RE. They eventually sat down in the middle of the game and refused to budge. I subsequently, years later, got tlaking to an WHU fan who had bee in amongst them that day and he said that they sat down as a sign that they knew they were going to get battered.

the lad was right about the lasses in amongst them that day - skinheads, DM's etc.

Millwall came in 1978 and they were place din the middle of the Re as well. about 40 of them. The rest were in the Main Stand out of the way. The likes of Harry The Dog and Billy The wolf were leaning on the barriers next to the SAFc fans cadging tabs - they couldnt give a fuck.

Late 70's was the worst I knew for trouble, 1978ish was a nightmare, especially in London. Millwall was seriously bad for your health as were the usial suspects eg Chelsea, Spurs, WHU.

I also remember going to Orient when rowell missed his one and only competitive penalty (he also missed one against bthe Australian Federation in a RP friendly IIRC) and one of my mates got his eye blacked by an Orient fan about 2 hours before the kick off. Hell on that day as well. WHU fans were on the terraces and running battles ensued.

aye, forgot about that, hell on as well.

the Blackpool fans parked their buses on the sea front and some of them got chased onto the Beach and into the Sea.

I remember the Spurs game circa 1978 when they ran onto the pitch and refused to go back into the RE. IIRC this was in retribution to the year previous when we had gone to WHL for an end of season game and a lot of SAFC fans got a beating. A lad I know from CLS got chased and ran over. :eek:
I'm no stranger to a bit of aggro meself like. I remember standing on the fence at the back of the Fulwell end, buying some peanuts for a tanner and then promptly pelting them back at the peanut man. Nowt shy about me. Like I say, they dont grow cabbages in my back garden for nowt.
 
I'm no stranger to a bit of aggro meself like. I remember standing on the fence at the back of the Fulwell end, buying some peanuts for a tanner and then promptly pelting them back at the peanut man. Nowt shy about me. Like I say, they dont grow cabbages in my back garden for nowt.
:eek::eek::eek:
 
I didnt understand his post either. Most people in the 70's will have seen a load of violence at matches. It doesnt mean they took part though.


Peanuts and Cabbages?? Beats me!!
I don't think many people actually went looking for a tear up it just seemed to sort of happen!! Living down south in the 80's I attended more away games than home and the London games especially got a bit hairy. Never looked for trouble but inevitably you had to fight your way out of grounds as at Spurs in 85.
Wasn't aversed to running as well mind you when the opportunity arose!!
 
My best season was in 1988/89 wehn we had the g force, good attacking entertaining footy.
 
Random memories -

1st game lost 1-0 at home to Burnley late '72 I think..

Cup run in '73, Tony Tones in defence and watson at centre forward v Notts County(?), Corrigan's mistake at Maine Road, the atmosphere at the Man City replaY, Guthrie's goal against Luton, not seeing much of the Final as I was 6 and everyone was a giant...Leeds fans chucking a brick at the car as we drove back home, those massive rosettes, Vic Halom's was my pride and joy

Leeds fans stopping our car and spitting on us and trying to burn our scarves outside Elland Road after Bremner's testimonial in '74 (?), my dad asked a copper to do something only for him to walk away...being terrified at City Ground and at Preston @75/76...getting a punch in the face and my scarf nicked at half time at Turf Moor about 76..

How good a side we were when Elliot, Arnott and Rowell started playing...Arnott was sublime at times..Tony Towers getting sent off regularly and kissing one of the opposition to diffuse a probable scrap...Rod Belfiits utter ineptitude, Danny Hegan's disappearance, the bloke next to us in the Clock Stand whose catch phrase was 'Malone, you big stiff!'...

Having to stand in the Boro end at Ayresome Park on my own, I was about 10 ...Boro won 2-0, always losing at home to the 2 Bristol sides, sitting on some spikes at Oxford when we needed a point to go up IIRC only for their centre-half to score a 30 yarder, being allowed fish and chips on the way home after night matches from that place behind the Roker End...
 
Can anyone remember the 'cages' in the Fulwell End and when they were removed ?

must have been removed before 73 as def' not there then.

Whilst in my loft looking for undisputed proof of Hansen, camE across 78-79 season when we played West Ham {the year they sat down on the terraces} and there's a crackin picture of a big 'no mans land in the Roker - wonder why that was !!

Also in Footy Echo 1977 v Boro, when Sunderland bagged the 4th, Argus reported that cries of ''Easy easy'' rang around RP and I remember it and we miles adrift at the bottom :lol:



My Dad and his pals were there at both games in 66-67 when we did the double and the normal sharing of hip flasks went on with Geordies and Mackems mingling nee bother. There was probs some isolated bother with the normal hotheads.

67-68 was when it started to turn nasty as the skins culture was taking over as was the in thing to do i.e. end taking.

68-68 was the first real serious bother - Mags wreched buses in the old Fulwell bus depot. Massive battle at top of Roker Baths Road where landlord of Cambridge said warring fans behaved like animals, trouble in town centre and Newcastle went in Fulwell and got turfed out. It's been nasty ever since.

Echo reported that before the 1-0 Cummins game, the Imperial Vaults and Continental got shut after fans did battle inside. Can't remember them ever coming in to town but remember them taking over Roker, playing footy on Cliff Park etc.

They were def in town when we played them one good friday, think it was 2-2, i got stitches after hit by a bottle in the continental 1978 I think
 
Random memories -

1st game lost 1-0 at home to Burnley late '72 I think..

Cup run in '73, Tony Tones in defence and watson at centre forward v Notts County(?), Corrigan's mistake at Maine Road, the atmosphere at the Man City replaY, Guthrie's goal against Luton, not seeing much of the Final as I was 6 and everyone was a giant...Leeds fans chucking a brick at the car as we drove back home, those massive rosettes, Vic Halom's was my pride and joy

Leeds fans stopping our car and spitting on us and trying to burn our scarves outside Elland Road after Bremner's testimonial in '74 (?), my dad asked a copper to do something only for him to walk away...being terrified at City Ground and at Preston @75/76...getting a punch in the face and my scarf nicked at half time at Turf Moor about 76..

How good a side we were when Elliot, Arnott and Rowell started playing...Arnott was sublime at times..Tony Towers getting sent off regularly and kissing one of the opposition to diffuse a probable scrap...Rod Belfiits utter ineptitude, Danny Hegan's disappearance, the bloke next to us in the Clock Stand whose catch phrase was 'Malone, you big stiff!'...

Having to stand in the Boro end at Ayresome Park on my own, I was about 10 ...Boro won 2-0, always losing at home to the 2 Bristol sides, sitting on some spikes at Oxford when we needed a point to go up IIRC only for their centre-half to score a 30 yarder, being allowed fish and chips on the way home after night matches from that place behind the Roker End...

John Tones if I remember correctly. Went to Arsenal
 
Random memories -

1st game lost 1-0 at home to Burnley late '72 I think..

Cup run in '73, Tony Tones in defence and watson at centre forward v Notts County(?), Corrigan's mistake at Maine Road, the atmosphere at the Man City replaY, Guthrie's goal against Luton, not seeing much of the Final as I was 6 and everyone was a giant...Leeds fans chucking a brick at the car as we drove back home, those massive rosettes, Vic Halom's was my pride and joy

Leeds fans stopping our car and spitting on us and trying to burn our scarves outside Elland Road after Bremner's testimonial in '74 (?), my dad asked a copper to do something only for him to walk away...being terrified at City Ground and at Preston @75/76...getting a punch in the face and my scarf nicked at half time at Turf Moor about 76..

How good a side we were when Elliot, Arnott and Rowell started playing...Arnott was sublime at times..Tony Towers getting sent off regularly and kissing one of the opposition to diffuse a probable scrap...Rod Belfiits utter ineptitude, Danny Hegan's disappearance, the bloke next to us in the Clock Stand whose catch phrase was 'Malone, you big stiff!'...

Having to stand in the Boro end at Ayresome Park on my own, I was about 10 ...Boro won 2-0, always losing at home to the 2 Bristol sides, sitting on some spikes at Oxford when we needed a point to go up IIRC only for their centre-half to score a 30 yarder, being allowed fish and chips on the way home after night matches from that place behind the Roker End...

Believe that was Stokoes first game in charge. Got a photo of me patting him on the back as he walked out of the tunnel, but crap on computer and cant get it on here
 
There's a few references to Brighton away 1978 in this thread, a day that I'll never forget.

Living in Cambridge at the time and a member, together with my ex-wife, of the London and South SAFCSA branch, we got the train down from Cambridge to Kings Cross to meet up with the branch. Early Saturday morning around Kings Cross in those days was great craic, London branches of all sorts of clubs at all levels meeting up to catch their coaches to whereever. Anyway we were off to Brighton.

The coach, of 3 travelling, we were on just ordinary folk from 8 to 80 off to a footy match. We had set off in good time to have a stroll up the sea front, grab a pint or several and a bite to eat, then off to the match. On getting to the outskirts of Brighton around mid-day we were met by coppers on motor-bikes who escorted us to the sea front where we were told that we had half an hour to get something to eat and return to the coach, the police told the coach driver that those that were not back in time, tough luck. We were escorted up to the Goldstone and arrived at about 1 o clock, hardly anyone around, no turnstiles open. We were all searched on getting off the coach and my ex had a steel comb confiscated as an offensive weapon :roll:. So I say to this copper that we don't want to go into the away cage and want to sit in the main stand, he says there's no tickets left for the main stand, I say it's not a cup match v Liverpool/Man U etc, etc, can we go round to the ticket office and see what's what. He throws me into an upopened turnstile, his marra joins in and the pair of them beat the holy shit out of me. They walk on and me and my lass get to walk around to the ticket office to check out the main stand situation. The Brighton ticket office won't let us into the main stand, so it's the away cage or nowt. On the way around to the away cage we encounter a big group of Brighton arseholes in their smooth fashions of the time, and there's us in jeans etc. Some of these arseholes start roughing my lass up and I, still sore from the coppers laying into me, flip and wade into them. Result, another feckin' hiding.

The following day, Sunday, me hurting like hell all over I had to go down to A&E at Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge. 2 broken ribs, a broken nose and bruises all over. It didn't matter, we'd won the match.

Boy, wasn't I young and daft and wasn't following football back then a lot load of shite sometimes.
 
There's a few references to Brighton away 1978 in this thread, a day that I'll never forget.

Living in Cambridge at the time and a member, together with my ex-wife, of the London and South SAFCSA branch, we got the train down from Cambridge to Kings Cross to meet up with the branch. Early Saturday morning around Kings Cross in those days was great craic, London branches of all sorts of clubs at all levels meeting up to catch their coaches to whereever. Anyway we were off to Brighton.

The coach, of 3 travelling, we were on just ordinary folk from 8 to 80 off to a footy match. We had set off in good time to have a stroll up the sea front, grab a pint or several and a bite to eat, then off to the match. On getting to the outskirts of Brighton around mid-day we were met by coppers on motor-bikes who escorted us to the sea front where we were told that we had half an hour to get something to eat and return to the coach, the police told the coach driver that those that were not back in time, tough luck. We were escorted up to the Goldstone and arrived at about 1 o clock, hardly anyone around, no turnstiles open. We were all searched on getting off the coach and my ex had a steel comb confiscated as an offensive weapon :roll:. So I say to this copper that we don't want to go into the away cage and want to sit in the main stand, he says there's no tickets left for the main stand, I say it's not a cup match v Liverpool/Man U etc, etc, can we go round to the ticket office and see what's what. He throws me into an upopened turnstile, his marra joins in and the pair of them beat the holy shit out of me. They walk on and me and my lass get to walk around to the ticket office to check out the main stand situation. The Brighton ticket office won't let us into the main stand, so it's the away cage or nowt. On the way around to the away cage we encounter a big group of Brighton arseholes in their smooth fashions of the time, and there's us in jeans etc. Some of these arseholes start roughing my lass up and I, still sore from the coppers laying into me, flip and wade into them. Result, another feckin' hiding.

The following day, Sunday, me hurting like hell all over I had to go down to A&E at Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge. 2 broken ribs, a broken nose and bruises all over. It didn't matter, we'd won the match.

Boy, wasn't I young and daft and wasn't following football back then a lot load of shite sometimes.

I distinctly remember turning a blind corner and witnessing grown men ( probably 14 year olds ) brandishing handkerchiefs containing bricks at which point I legged it only to realise on further inspection that they were from Sunderland. Still, loved the trips down to the Goldstone if only to re-enact some of the scenes from Quadrophenia. ;)
 
My best season was in 1988/89 wehn we had the g force, good attacking entertaining footy.

Yes, those 1-1 draws against Man City, Stoke, WBA, Watford in a month and getting beat off Walsall at home were thrilling.

The season before was pretty good mind when we went up. ;)
 
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