Back To The Eighties

[TaksimRakiClub]

The Premeirship is going to have a bit of a retro feel to it next season with QPR, Norwich and Swansea in it.

 

Still, three decent footballing sides (from the bits and pieces I've seen of them) and all decent aways.

 

Loftus Road was always my favourite London away even with that fucking awful plazzy pitch.

 

You always felt like you were going to fall off the edge of the world before you actually got to Norwich but some fond memories of trips to Carrow Road. The 0-0 midweek in 1988 - in what was supposed to be our title clincher - was a ball-ache though. Had to leave it till Spurs on the Saturday and only four games to go but hey ho.

 

Had a couple of corkers away at Swansea in the FA Cup back in the day as well. The Vetch had to be one of the biggest toilets going and the natives were a bit lively but all good clean fun.

[Trucker Paddy]

Swansea is a trip I'm looking forward to, the ticket hunt has begun!!

[Iantn]

Does this mean we are gonna be boss again and win everything in sight?

[Trucker Paddy]

Does this mean we are gonna be boss again and win everything in sight?

 

That's the plan mate, the pieces are all falling into place

[GUS]

The Premeirship is going to have a bit of a retro feel to it next season with QPR, Norwich and Swansea in it.

 

Still, three decent footballing sides (from the bits and pieces I've seen of them) and all decent aways.

 

Loftus Road was always my favourite London away even with that fucking awful plazzy pitch.

 

You always felt like you were going to fall off the edge of the world before you actually got to Norwich but some fond memories of trips to Carrow Road. The 0-0 midweek in 1988 - in what was supposed to be our title clincher - was a ball-ache though. Had to leave it till Spurs on the Saturday and only four games to go but hey ho.

 

Had a couple of corkers away at Swansea in the FA Cup back in the day as well. The Vetch had to be one of the biggest toilets going and the natives were a bit lively but all good clean fun.

 

Agree with all that. QPR was my favourite London away. Probably because it wasn't as frightening as West Ham, Chelsea, Millwall, Spurs etc. Got locked out of Loftus Road once. Nicol scored the winner. Went on the Footy Special and because a load got locked out the next away game (Spurs) was either free or only a pound on the special. (Can't remember all the details but it was around 1983 or 1984)

 

Haven't got very many happy memories of Norwich away. Really long journey, went there twice lost 1 - 0 the first time and went to the 0 - 0 big let game you mentioned.

 

Swansea was a favourite away trip too. As you say The Vetch was a shed and the locals are a bit strange but enjoyable all the same. Saw Liverpool win every time I went there.

[Iantn]

That's the plan mate, the pieces are all falling into place

 

Get in. All makes logical sense to me.

[Red '84]

we´re gonna win the league!!!

[Maldini]

Good to see two footballing sides coming up in Swansea and Norwich. Might help us get some of our better kids on loan to them.

[Red Banjo]

Do we all have to wear shit tracky tops and fight the police again now then?

[The Bugged Out]

hopefully yes to both!

[derykw]

The Vetch Field was the worst ground I,ve ever been to. Ankle deep in piss in the toilets, fucking horrible.

[TaksimRakiClub]

The Vetch Field was the worst ground I,ve ever been to. Ankle deep in piss in the toilets, fucking horrible.

 

Yeah I remember the bogs from the 3rd Round FA Cup tie there in January 90. It was a wet day anyway and even the walls were fucking dripping.

 

Be a toss up between the Vetch, Bootham Crescent, the old Wimbledon ground at Plough Lane or The Manor Ground, Oxford for me.

 

Went to an FA Cup game in York in the mid-80s and they'd put straw on the pitch to insulate it against frost. Match survived the weather but for some reason they never bothered to take of all the straw. Place looked like Compost Corner.

[VladimirIlyich]

 

Yeah I remember the bogs from the 3rd Round FA Cup tie there in January 90. It was a wet day anyway and even the walls were fucking dripping.

 

Be a toss up between the Vetch, Bootham Crescent, the old Wimbledon ground at Plough Lane or The Manor Ground, Oxford for me.

 

Went to an FA Cup game in York in the mid-80s and they'd put straw on the pitch to insulate it against frost. Match survived the weather but for some reason they never bothered to take of all the straw. Place looked like Compost Corner.

 

Compost Corner,now that is a throwback to the eighties.

[Guest ian garro]

Yeah I remember the bogs from the 3rd Round FA Cup tie there in January 90. It was a wet day anyway and even the walls were fucking dripping.

 

Me and a few others got ran for what seemed like 3 hours that day, by hordes of locals making Apache noises. Started by walking into a pub, walking over to a few lads we recognised and being given "the eyes", so as not to let on and to get the fuck outta Dodge. By the time I got in the ground I thought I was having a heart attack, I'd ran so much.

 

Norwich on Barnes coaches for the 5th rd (I think - worst journey ever), game = shit.

 

QPR in the quarters that year as well wasn't it ? On a Sunday ? We took thousands down there. As we were walking out of the stand at the side, and old fella opened his window in the house opposite to tell us we'd drawn Palace in the semi - should we go through. Cue some loon answering back: "Shut up you pervert, what are you looking at anyway ?". Old fella protests his innocence, only to be met with a couple of thousand people singing "Sex case, sex case Hang him, hang him hang him !". He closed his window and drew his curtains...

[TaksimRakiClub]

Me and a few others got ran for what seemed like 3 hours that day, by hordes of locals making Apache noises. Started by walking into a pub, walking over to a few lads we recognised and being given "the eyes", so as not to let on and to get the fuck outta Dodge. By the time I got in the ground I thought I was having a heart attack, I'd ran so much.

 

Norwich on Barnes coaches for the 5th rd (I think - worst journey ever), game = shit.

 

QPR in the quarters that year as well wasn't it ? On a Sunday ? We took thousands down there. As we were walking out of the stand at the side, and old fella opened his window in the house opposite to tell us we'd drawn Palace in the semi - should we go through. Cue some loon answering back: "Shut up you pervert, what are you looking at anyway ?". Old fella protests his innocence, only to be met with a couple of thousand people singing "Sex case, sex case Hang him, hang him hang him !". He closed his window and drew his curtains...

 

Strange people the Welsh and they do like a barney.

 

Weird coincidence that - all three of this years promoted sides in the same Cup run.

 

Just had to check history.net. Norwich was actually in the fourth round with Southampton at Anfield in the fifth.

 

Didn't go to Norwich for whatever reason but was at QPR for the quarters. As you said we must have had 4 or 5 thousand there. Digger free kick one of the goals if my memory serves?

 

Missed the start at Villa Park thanks to the early kick-off and roadworks on the M6. What pissed me off even more was the late kick off in the other semi was the Munsters v Oldham at Maine Road which was surely the obvious candidate for the early start. Still - wouldn't expect anything else of the FA. Couldn't organise an orgy in a brasshouse.

 

Match was a heartbreaker and it was the hatrick end of season kick in the bollocks after the Wimbledon Cup Final and Arsenal in 1989.

[Guest ian garro]

Missed the start at Villa Park thanks to the early kick-off and roadworks on the M6. What pissed me off even more was the late kick off in the other semi was the Munsters v Oldham at Maine Road which was surely the obvious candidate for the early start. Still - wouldn't expect anything else of the FA. Couldn't organise an orgy in a brasshouse.

 

Match was a heartbreaker and it was the hatrick end of season kick in the bollocks after the Wimbledon Cup Final and Arsenal in 1989.

 

The semi at Villa is one of my worst footy experiences, barring the obvious. Got in 5 mins before half time, after running what seemed like miles from where the coach parked as the buses laid on had conveniently fucked off, thrown out at half time - God knows what for. Managed to get back in and wish I fucking hadn't really. Every time we discuss it, we always point to that game as the 'beginning of the end' so to speak, of that era. As you say, heartbreaking - we weren't used to losing semis !

 

You missed nothing at Norwich. A complete non-event of a day/game.

 

A cup run with visits to Swansea, Norwich, QPR - and the one that gives most problems getting to it is fucking Villa Park - which you can actually see from the motorway. Fucking rubbish.

 

Going back to worst grounds, I absolutely despised Brammal Lane. Broken pipes leaking piss in the away end... and in Yorkshire.

[Xherdan]

I guess I will have to grow a Mullet so.

[TaksimRakiClub]

Me and the lads have discussed the "begining of the end" on many occasions.

 

Normally its drink fuelled and at the end of the night's bevvying when everyone telling the old war stories like the Battle of White Hart Lane in March 80 and who got a hiding at Stamford Bridge in 82 etc etc.

 

Funny that a lot of them seem to revolve around FA Cup games but then there was definitely a different atmosphere around Cup games - the allocation was always big and the other mobs were always "up" for the Cup as it were.

 

Anyway - with the benefit of hindsight we have always tended to see the Arsenal title decider in 89 as the begining of the end. Despite the fact we added one more title and almost did the same to Arsenal a year later at Highbury when Ronnie Rosenthal turned the game for us there just didn't seem to be the same aura about the team in 89-90.

 

Funnily enough after the 90 title clincher against QPR we were in town celebrating - The Why Not? on Harrington Street - and the lad who sits next to me at the game turned to me and said "We're never going to do this ever again."

 

At the time we all thought he was losing it but he was bang on the money 21 years and counting. Hope to fuck he was wrong...............

[Guest ian garro]

Me and the lads have discussed the "begining of the end" on many occasions.

 

Normally its drink fuelled and at the end of the night's bevvying when everyone telling the old war stories like the Battle of White Hart Lane in March 80 and who got a hiding at Stamford Bridge in 82 etc etc.

 

Funny that a lot of them seem to revolve around FA Cup games but then there was definitely a different atmosphere around Cup games - the allocation was always big and the other mobs were always "up" for the Cup as it were.

 

Anyway - with the benefit of hindsight we have always tended to see the Arsenal title decider in 89 as the begining of the end. Despite the fact we added one more title and almost did the same to Arsenal a year later at Highbury when Ronnie Rosenthal turned the game for us there just didn't seem to be the same aura about the team in 89-90.

 

Funnily enough after the 90 title clincher against QPR we were in town celebrating - The Why Not? on Harrington Street - and the lad who sits next to me at the game turned to me and said "We're never going to do this ever again."

 

At the time we all thought he was losing it but he was bang on the money 21 years and counting. Hope to fuck he was wrong...............

 

You've got a point about the Arsenal game - it was like something broke that game. At the age I was, and barring the Wimbledon debacle, I just wasn't used to disappointments - it was unheard of. In reality, it was probably a mixture of Wimbledon, Arsenal and Palace that did for us - along with all the other mitigating factors of the time.

 

The thing about the Cup runs was definately the bigger allocation. It gave you a bit more swagger and meant other teams were a lot more up for it that usual.

 

The Why Not ? had a great jukie, if I remember ? Harrington St used to be great - Pen & Wig, Croc, Why Not ? and the Manhattan on the end !

 

Ask your mate what horse is going to win the Derby on Saturday for us !!

[TaksimRakiClub]

You've got a point about the Arsenal game - it was like something broke that game. At the age I was, and barring the Wimbledon debacle, I just wasn't used to disappointments - it was unheard of. In reality, it was probably a mixture of Wimbledon, Arsenal and Palace that did for us - along with all the other mitigating factors of the time.

 

The Why Not ? had a great jukie, if I remember ? Harrington St used to be great - Pen & Wig, Croc, Why Not ? and the Manhattan on the end !

 

Ask your mate what horse is going to win the Derby on Saturday for us !!

 

He's not clairvoyant or anything just a miserable cunt - he's the only man I know who went straight to bed after we got back into Taksim after Istanbul.

[Hermes]

Had a couple of corkers away at Swansea in the FA Cup back in the day as well.

 

The 4-0? I was sat next to Stan Boardman at that game. He was actually on Liverpool's books at one time and also featured prominently in the Kop during the famous Panorama programme.

 

 

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[Guest ian garro]

He's not clairvoyant or anything just a miserable cunt - he's the only man I know who went straight to bed after we got back into Taksim after Istanbul.

 

Ha !

 

Tell you what though, I wish I'd have appreciated everything a lot more than I did at the time. Following them all over the show was easy for me, when I think of it now, because I expected them to win all the time. Winning the League was just something that happened, wasn't it ? There was more of a reaction when we didn't win the bastard thing...

 

21 fucking years...

[TaksimRakiClub]

Yep - the Swansea FA Cup ties were the 4-0 in 82 and the 0-0 in 90.

 

One of the lads had a theory that Liverpool intentionally drew all away ties in the Cup just to make the gate money on the replay and the cunt wouldn't shut up about it after we beat them 8-0 four days later.

 

From memory the game in 82 was on the back of a 3-1 (?) home defeat to City which left us in 10th or 11th at the turn of the year and we still won the League.

 

I suppose the lack of appreciation at the time - even from elements of our own support was a natural consequence of taking it all for granted - similar to that "parade" thing the Mancs had on Monday watched by one man and his dog. It all came too easy for us and you knew that even on the rare occasions when we fucked up that we'd sort it out one way or another the following season.

 

And then the edifice started to crumble - Sir John Smith, Peter Robinson, Kenny walking out and Jocky retiring.

 

And then David Moores happened............

[Hermes]

Funnily enough after the 90 title clincher against QPR we were in town celebrating - The Why Not? on Harrington Street - and the lad who sits next to me at the game turned to me and said "We're never going to do this ever again."

 

At the time we all thought he was losing it but he was bang on the money 21 years and counting. Hope to fuck he was wrong...............

 

In terms of seasons, this is the longest stretch in our history without winning the league. Eleven in 18 years followed by none in 21 years, incredible.

[TaksimRakiClub]

In terms of seasons, this is the longest stretch in our history without winning the league. Eleven in 18 years followed by none in 21 years, incredible.

 

Old ground I know but Kenny should have been told to take the rest of the 90/91 season off and come back in the summer.

 

I'm assuming Souness - still the greatest pure CM I've seen - was a David Moores appointment and the seed was sewn.

 

The haste with which Souness ripped apart our last title winning team was fucking suicidal and something we've never recovered from.