WSF. The Origins Of Casuals In Brighton.

[Beach Hut]

It was the Deerstalker hat that got me wondering.

Pretty sure he did wear one from time to time

 

[Ernest]

I remember m s doing his bit for Anglo Dutch relations in Eindhoven in 1982. Still see him around town

 

[looney]

There was no fight just another of your lot talking shit.
f***ing twat.

Wasn't my lot talking shit you pleb it was a couple of Blackburn Rovers Scarfers who I met in the summer. Its only now that I am connecting the dots, now button it twerp while I read cavemans latest.

 

[Beach Hut]

I remember m s doing his bit for Anglo Dutch relations in Eindhoven in 1982. Still see him around town

Bad days, I remember Steve Foster egging us on once from a bar when there was a KO in Holland.

 

[Bevendean Hillbilly]

Wasn't my lot talking shit you pleb it was a couple of Blackburn Rovers Scarfers who I met in the summer. Its only now that I am connecting the dots, now button it twerp while I read cavemans latest.

The only pack you ever ran with was the cubs you dickhead.

 

[looney]

The only pack you ever ran with was the cubs you dickhead.

Did I say I was in a gang you hopelessly illiterate cretin?

My spellings of but at least I can read you fuckwad, I have got involved a few times in the past and no doubt could recognise a few but this was before my time.

 

[1 night only]

Good work a funny and revealing read,

Is this one punch merchant JL?

This lad who whacked him had a reputation for knocking people unconscious with one punch. He did it in front of me at the Sea House one night after someone poked his finger into the Green Crocodile logo on on his Lacoste and asked
“does it fuckin’ bite?” He got his answer, though he couldn’t have known much about it.

 

[Dr. Notthenineo'clocknews]

them days eh? I was dragged up in Moulsecoomb in the 70's and some of the names mentioned are all coming back to me, however the blast from the past was that Martin Crellin, Corelli I used to call him, I think he had a brother as well who also used to get involved at Palace, he had a beard, i was always wary of any hooligan member who had a beard! (we had one once,1984, don't know his name, ginger bloke, was mates with LB) i'm rambling now.....

 

[brighton bluenose]

"another time we invaded a game at selhurst park. It was around ‘82 palace home to blackburn rovers last day of the season. It was decided this would be an ideal game to infiltrate selhurst park and cause mayhem. At brighton station we were an easy 100 lads. At preston park another forty. It had been planned for weeks in advance i remember an older guy beaky a local face had been involved with the planning. It was all cloak and dagger nonsense with splitting up diversions at east croydon and selhurst park to confuse the ob. The first kick off was at east croydon. A palace firm was spotted on another platform and were called out the fight spanned across several platforms with scuffles breaking out everywhere. I saw a distress flare go whizzing across me to a fence where some palace fans were climbing out. It was pandemonium. A by-stander was pummeled for whacking someone with his briefcase and women were screaming. Beaky was furious. We had blown our cover already for a flash in the pan. But he need not have worried. What happened next at selhurst park would become infamous"

we met up at the turnstiles; some coming from thornton heath station some from selhurst as arranged. A few nods and we
went through. To our left was a large group of traveling fans and when all of our number was through we started to walk slowly along through the main stand near the touchline. Palace fans were singing. Some began looking. It wasn’t a full house but as we snaked along i could the sense the eyes of some of the home crowd trying to make sense of what they were seeing.
Quizzical looks were exchanged. As planned we kept walking. We moved along and eventually ended up on the opposite corner to where we entered. By this time it was clear that a few people had recognized some faces. The game started.

One of our firm d.s
spotted crellin, supposedly their top boy who he’d had previous with at a home game and broken his tooth, part of which stayed in his hand and went poison. At half time we walked back round to the food vendors. On the way back someone threw a cup of tea over a home fan and it kicked off.
.[/quote]
what actually happened was at half-time this lairy little cvnt walked all the way round the touch-line and said to one of bha's lads ;beaky ''m gonna stub this fag out in your eye' the bha fella said 'get on with it then you palace cvnt' and hey presto the cvnt got battered!!"!

 

[smudge]

Enjoying this little thread. If you are of a certain age it brings back memories.
Couldn't beat Palace away back then, f***ing quality.

 

[SussexHoop]

Whatever happened to Sonny Smith?

Last time I saw Sonny Smith was 1998/9 in the gym at Lancing Manor. Looked a bit older but still in good nick.

 

[Marlton & Hove Albion]

Just don’t ask me where that kind of behavior comes from. It’s probably latent in every human being on earth. Even you.

Speak soon.[/QUOTE]

I think it was the first time Chelsea came down. Two of my mates got caught and nicked on a roof top just off North St with half a dozen molotov cocktails (Unigate Full Cream and Four Star). It seems utterly bewildering now but 100% true. Two nice boys from Hollingbury turned terrorist.

I recall an away day to Peterboro in the FA Cup. Cold as all f*** and the game played with Orange Ball on a snow white pitch. Prior to Hillsborough with 5-6,000 crammed into that little terraced away stand. I was with the White Admiral "All Stars" and remember the Chief Cuntstable of Cambridgeshire boarding the bus 2 hours after the final whistle and telling us we were never again welcome. On the way home on the A1, most of the contents of the filling station was transported onto the bus (Big cans of 10W40, Boxes of Crisps, Windscreen Wipers you name it). Poor cashier gripping the till. Happy and splendidly stupid days.

Diadora BB Elite Gold, Fiorucci Jeans, Lacoste, Ellesse, Sergio Tachini, Burberry, so ridiculous. We all looked like Danny Dyer in "The Business". I'm quite sure no other country could or wanted to emulate a movement so odd. Young men of modest means thieving and spending every penny on clobber, to belong, desperate for recognition and respect. Ultimate insecurity and mindless thuggery.

The anthems of the 80's. Who needed Adam Ant, Echo & the B, Duran Duran?
'You'll never make the station", "You're gonna get your f***ing head kicked in", "Got left, right, left". "Give me a B......."

Testing your manhood on Friday nights when a big name was in town. Tottenham, Chelsea, Man U, Leeds.....the whole town seemed like a battle zone and we'd usually end up with the loss.

From along way away Brighton in the early 80s now feels like a movie set and me sat in the front row. Never really an actor, ice cream in hand and hoping it carried on forever.

 

[then and now]

Cavern. So far, so good. Grew up on the estate, went to Falmer with some of those mentioned already and many nights spent at the 67 Centre. Clarkes, Dawes, Lyons, Beaky....all the right names. The last mentioned (I recall) later involved in heavy stuff in Ulster. As someone not deeply participating in this (I loved the club too much and still do), it seemed that Moulsecoombe was an obvious breeding ground but that Woodingdean and Whitehawk were far more active in the football side of things. Paul Gent was always in and round especially after he buggered up his gift and chance to play.

I spent a mad summer (1981) with Eddie D and funny to think about that dance club on the second floor by the Astoria. Small bottles of Pernod tucked inside Diadora Track suit tops. What a funny old place that was.....and remember the Teddy Boy nights well. Not so much fun was Eddie's rage fueled desire to snack the shit out of any poor and unsuspecting French, German, Italian students (usually 2-3 at a time) randomly available. It all went too far several years after when he attacked a taxi driver one night (a free ride home not enough) and he moved to HM Lewes. There was never a deep love for The Albion, it was a vehicle for a good ruck with away fans in town.

I'd be interested in your perspective on some of the NF infiltration that was a regular theme (at least on the East Terrace - as we were closer to the Away Pen in the NE Corner) and whether that was about silly impressionable boys or more deep seated. And also about some of the neighbourhood pubs White Admiral, Hikers Rest, Bevendean Hotel if your memories and experiences intersect. Some of my most shameful away days began early inside these establishments, transported by White Transit (Special Brew Fueled) to a far away terrace. I was much more a voyeur and apparently still am.

I remember PG when he was told by Alan Mullery that all the reserves and youth team were travelling to palarse with the 1st team to watch the game, he told mullers he couldn't sit near the palarse fans and keep quiet so he was told to stay home, on the Sat morning himself with at least another 50 schoomers ( clarkes ,walkers,adams ect) were on the 9am train for norwood junction after some fun and games around norwood we went to the ground only for PG to be spotted by Graham Mosely our keeper at the time who pissed himself laughing at PG as he knew PG wasn't supposed to be at the game

 

[getofftheropes]

Intresting read mate,please keep up the good work.

 

[raymondbriggs]

Good read so far....next instalment please.....thought the Bosun had a crew back in the early 70's

This is true,with the burrell we ran the holmsdale at half time,a few chants of "millwall and Brighton"sent the scum into a full panic.

 

[26-10-02]

This is true,with the burrell we ran the holmsdale at half time,a few chants of "millwall and Brighton"sent the scum into a full panic.

You should have posted that on here
Fairy Story

 

[Dr. Notthenineo'clocknews]

I think it was the first time Chelsea came down. Two of my mates got caught and nicked on a roof top just off North St with half a dozen molotov cocktails (Unigate Full Cream and Four Star). It seems utterly bewildering now but 100% true. Two nice boys from Hollingbury turned terrorist.

I met a guy about 15 years ago in, of all places Boston USA he was living there, builder, claimed he got 2 years for that petrol bomb incedent the night before the Chelsea match, If I remember, his initials were SH

 

[Dr. Notthenineo'clocknews]

You should have posted that on here
Fairy Story

i'm not conviced that anyone on here gives a shit what you think is true or not

 

[26-10-02]

i'm not conviced that anyone on here gives a shit what you think is true or not

No you just want to carry on spouting shit.I hardly missed a game in the 80's and yes millwall often took the piss.But if some clown had been shouting your disgusting nickname I am sure palace would have made a better fist of it.Another thing millwall never waited till half time to clear the holmesdale.

 

[Marlton & Hove Albion]

I met a guy about 15 years ago in, of all places Boston USA he was living there, builder, claimed he got 2 years for that petrol bomb incedent the night before the Chelsea match, If I remember, his initials were SH

I'm sure quite a few have been reading this thread with the full conviction that most of it is just made up or at least embellishing. Those poor misguided lads got sent to a young offenders hotel for a stretch. Although they were mates, thank god they did get caught before they killed someone. Neither were WSF, so goes to show the level of insanity during that era. What a small world that you met one of them in Boston and got talking about it....