[Football] Your First Taste Of Football Hooliganism

[El Presidente]

Trying to remember the year we played at Fratton Park when it must have been one of the first games of the season as I remember it was quite warm (possibly 1991?). As typical Bohemian Brighton types, my friend (who is blond) was wearing a salmon pink Lacoste shirt and white shorts, and I was wearing a hooped Breton fisherman's top and had a full moustache. As we left the ground we encounterd a Pompey mob and thought we were going to get a kicking; instead they wolf-whistled us. Oh well, it may have damaged out masculine egos a bit, but at least we came out unscathed.

Hello sailor!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Dr Bandler]

Hello sailor!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Aye aye, skipper!

 

[Pretty pink fairy]

Given that [MENTION=11191]Pretty pink fairy[/MENTION] doesn't go to Albion matches and, at various times, has been banned from NSC for Racism, homophobia, glorification of football violence, holocaust denial, Nazi apologism and antisemitism, I think it would be a little unlikely that he would be 'stepping in to help' the vast majority of people on NSC if they were in trouble.

Out of interest, which one of those causes do you think [MENTION=1200]Harry Wilson's tackle[/MENTION] would have been supporting when he got into this trouble that Ppf 'would step in to help'

you know nothing about what i do or don't do though
regards
DF

 

[WATFORD zero]

Oh, OK then, I will give up trying to bring people together, and just join the ranks of the other warriors on here - x is good, y is bad, end of. That works well, as does your sarcasm in the face of a sincere attempt to show that everything is not as polarised as it appears to be on social media and in people's fevered minds. Even El Pres has said that PPF has seemed pleasant when he met him. Dark and light together - uncomfortable and messy, but often true. Hey ho.

Au contraire.

Having been a teenager and Albion supporter through the 70's, I am well aware what the first rush of testosterone can (and does do). After the mid 70's, add in a little alcohol and the adrenalin of being with your mates and getting involved, and I would be surprised if the majority (certainly from my era) weren't involved to some extent.

When I hit my early 20's though, I did feel like other things started taking priority over chasing other teenagers around threatening them. Playing Saturday and Sunday football meant I didn't get to see as much of the Albion through those years (although the ratio of 'Do you want some' to actual punches being thrown was very similar to Albion games) Those times are now distant memories and, like most, I like to reminisce sometimes (hence me reading this thread).

So it's certainly not 'holier than thou' and I'm fully aware of the various shades of grey involved.

It's just that I believe Ppf's sad infatuation with the distant past (amongst his other interests) is just a bit 'special'.

 

[Pretty pink fairy]

Au contraire.

Having been a teenager and Albion supporter through the 70's, I am well aware what the first rush of testosterone can (and does do). After the mid 70's, add in a little alcohol and the adrenalin of being with your mates and getting involved, and I would be surprised if the majority (certainly from my era) weren't involved to some extent.

When I hit my early 20's though, I did feel like other things started taking priority over chasing other teenagers around threatening them. Playing Saturday and Sunday football meant I didn't get to see as much of the Albion through those years (although the ratio of 'Do you want some' to actual punches being thrown was very similar to Albion games)

So it's certainly not 'holier than thou' and I'm fully aware of the various shades of grey involved. It's just that I believe Ppf's sad ongoing interests to be a bit 'special'.

I said i wasn't going to bother with this thread but as you've just slithered in i guess you're more obsessed with me than poor old H , carry on though
regards
DF

 

[Mr Bridger]

Trying to remember the year we played at Fratton Park when it must have been one of the first games of the season as I remember it was quite warm (possibly 1991?). As typical Bohemian Brighton types, my friend (who is blond) was wearing a salmon pink Lacoste shirt and white shorts, and I was wearing a hooped Breton fisherman's top and had a full moustache. As we left the ground we encounterd a Pompey mob and thought we were going to get a kicking; instead they wolf-whistled us. Oh well, it may have damaged out masculine egos a bit, but at least we came out unscathed.

That reminds me of when we played Portsmouth 2002 ( Guy Butters debut) to the left of us a group of Pompey fans had brought some handbags to the game and whenever we had a moan about free kicks or corners not going our way they held them up à la Reeves and Mortimer . Oooooooooo

 

[BN9 BHA]

I said i wasn't going to bother with this thread
DF

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Oh, OK then, I will give up trying to bring people together, and just join the ranks of the other warriors on here - x is good, y is bad, end of. That works well, as does your sarcasm in the face of a sincere attempt to show that everything is not as polarised as it appears to be on social media and in people's fevered minds. Even El Pres has said that PPF has seemed pleasant when he met him. Dark and light together - uncomfortable and messy, but often true. Hey ho.

Mate, I appreciate your attempts to be the NSC Henry Kissinger. Before I realised what I was dealing with I came close to offering the bloke a go on my spare ticket when he was griping about the costs at the Amex. That was just after I returned to NSC after a long absence. Only later, after seeing the new bans for trolling, and finding out what DR stands for, and why he is forced to be PPF, did I start thinking there may be some sort of problem. Subsequently, the only signs of empathy I have seen from him is when teaming up with someone else to mock the softer, more reflective elements of the NSC ‘community’. That’s what we see of him on NSC. If he’s different in ‘real life’ that simply makes him an internet troll, innit.

I'll keep 'Das Reich' (for actual ****'s sake) on ignore, thanks. I will occasionally note the rebukes posted by those who would rather inspect his oeuvre than ignore it, and I may throw in the odd bit of mockery or comment if I feel moved.

Dark and light is one thing. But we are not dealing with Hunter S Thompson, or Will Self, here, are we?

 

[Dr Bandler]

Mate, I appreciate your attempts to be the NSC Henry Kissinger. Before I realised what I was dealing with I came close to offering the bloke a go on my spare ticket when he was griping about the costs at the Amex. That was just after I returned to NSC after a long absence. Only later, after seeing the new bans for trolling, and finding out what DR stands for, and why he is forced to be PPF, did I start thinking there may be some sort of problem. Subsequently, the only signs of empathy I have seen from him is when teaming up with someone else to mock the softer, more reflective elements of the NSC ‘community’. That’s what we see of him on NSC. If he’s different in ‘real life’ that simply makes him an internet troll, innit.

I'll keep 'Das Reich' (for actual ****'s sake) on ignore, thanks. I will occasionally note the rebukes posted by those who would rather inspect his oeuvre than ignore it, and I may throw in the odd bit of mockery or comment if I feel moved.

Dark and light is one thing. But we are not dealing with Hunter S Thompson, or Will Self, here, are we?

OK, Harry, I respect your position on this. We all see things a bit differently, although most have the same good intentions underneath.

BTW I wish you would put the picture of Harry Wilson back as your avatar - it is probably the only place in the world he is remembered ("go on 'Arry"). I wonder if he is still alive.

 

[The Antikythera Mechanism]

Would that have been a certain Mr. Cousins?

That rings a very large bell!

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

OK, Harry, I respect your position on this. We all see things a bit differently, although most have the same good intentions underneath.

BTW I wish you would put the picture of Harry Wilson back as your avatar - it is probably the only place in the world he is remembered ("go on 'Arry"). I wonder if he is still alive.

Thanks.

I am not sure I still have that old photo. I have looked for others of the great man, but they are either Burnley, or his hair style is unacceptable. I'll have another look at some point. For now, I like the embracing figures - seems right for these days of social distancing.

 

[Jack Straw]

That rings a very large bell!

He was in the year above me. Always in the thick of the action!

 

[AmexRuislip]

Apart from the usual inbred dialect from the ICF, I first witnessed two drunk Albion fans arguing over something or rather, ended up in a scuffle with both being evicted from the NS

 

[Mackenzie]

Around 89-90 at home to Pompey. People from both sets of supporters occasionally spilling out on to the pitch to throw punches at each other, especially at the south end. I was 11/12ish and found it very exciting.

Was that the game where a dozen or so Pompey kicked out the wooden hoarding at the top of the East Stand causing the North Stand to run away?

 

[marlowe]

All of my experiences were around 77-78.

The scariest was a home match against Portsmouth on 6th April 1977. Pompey had just lost 4-0 so their fans were already more than a little upset and looking to even the score in some way.* I was 15 at the time and two post match incidents from that game are ingrained in my memory.

The first one was particularly gruesome and the worst thing I ever personally saw at a match. Walking down Goldstone Lane (behind the East Stand) after the game there were a few interspersed skirmishes going on between rival fans.

I then saw a small group of Portsmouth fans approach a solitary Brighton fan and then one of them smashed a bottle over the*Brighton fan's head before ramming the broken shard full into his face leaving it streaming with blood. A few moments later a female police officer was trying to attend to him. The Portsmouth mob who were still hanging around then walked up to the female officer and the bloke they'd just glassed and started trying to pull him away from her, telling her he was their mate and they'd look after him. He resisted their attempts to pull him away, screaming that it was them who'd glassed him, whereupon they quickly disappeared.

Things were still kicking off all around us and in the confusion I got separated from the mate I was with. I eventually ended up outside Hove station still trying to find him, but there weren't any Brighton or even Pompey fans in sight.

Still on my own I decided to walk back down the steps at the side of the old Cliftonville pub at the top of Goldstone Villas, but as soon as I turned the corner and took the first step down I walked staight into a mob of about 100 or more Pompey fans who were surging up the steps towards me. It was too late for me to try and turn and run back up the steps as I'd literally walked straight into them before I realised my predicament, so trying to run away wasn't a feasible option.

Trying desperately to hide the sudden fear and panic in my eyes, especially after the gruesome event I'd witnessed earlier, I instinctively* thought on my feet and took*advantage of the fact that the blue and white striped scarf I was wearing matched Pompey's own colours. I tried to look pleased to see them as they surged up towards me, and rather than try and turn and run which would have been foolhardy, I simply turned round and walked back up the steps with them as if I was one of them. It was a little disconcerting as this manoeuvre meant I was now at the head of their mob, leading the way like their newly self-appointed "top boy", albeit a not very convincing looking one.

The knowledge that they were all immediately behind me with some having also drawn up level was extremely unsettling. I had no idea if I'd raised any suspicions as they wondered who this upstart was who was now leading their way, but I didn't dare look around me as I didn't want to meet anyone's eyes so I kept my gaze fixed firmly in front of me. I was terrified that at any moment I would be rumbled and pounced upon and given the kicking of my life.

I did my best to immerse myself in the role I'd accidentally stumbled into and as we marched along I let out the occasional feeble chant of "Pompey" in my desperation to give a more convincing performance. It obviously worked as the hiding I was expecting at any moment never materialised.

After a while I managed to peel myself away from them, but finding the right moment wasn't easy. I had to make sure I wouldn't be noticed doing so otherwise I could have drawn attention to myself and put myself in even greater danger. I was a bit trapped as I felt safer sticking with them than trying to seperate myself from them, but it had to be done otherwise I would have ended up catching the train back to Portsmouth with them, and I didn't think I'd be able to carry off my subterfuge for an entire train journey all the way back to Hampshire.

Years later I was watching The Walking Dead on Netflix and it came to the scene where the survivors smeared themselves in zombie blood and entrails so they could walk undetected amongst the zombie hoards while making their escape. Watching that scene immediately evoked memories of my own walk with death 40 years earlier.

 

[Raleigh Chopper]

Brighton lad got seriously hurt after being pushed through a window in town ,Oldham lad called Spence warned Brighton that Oldham were on their way ,nasty
Regards
DF

How many coats did you manage to hold?
I remember there was a hooligan with the nickname ' The Cloakroom' wasn't you was it?

 

[Mexican Seagull]

In the late 60s when Albion weren't playing at home I used to go up to London with a mate to catch a game. We saw Fulham vs Leeds, at some stage a hoard of Leeds supporters (probably no more than 10) ran through the open terraces causing mayhem and stopped by my mate & I, "if you Leeds supporters you're coming with us, if you're ffffing Fulham we'll punch you in the teeth, what are ye we're Brighton Supporters we replied ehhhh? and they ran off.....

 

[Jack Straw]

All of my experiences were around 77-78.

The scariest was a home match against Portsmouth on 6th April 1977. Pompey had just lost 4-0 so their fans were already more than a little upset and looking to even the score in some way.* I was 15 at the time and two post match incidents from that game are ingrained in my memory.

The first one was particularly gruesome and the worst thing I ever personally saw at a match. Walking down Goldstone Lane (behind the East Stand) after the game there were a few interspersed skirmishes going on between rival fans.

I then saw a small group of Portsmouth fans approach a solitary Brighton fan and then one of them smashed a bottle over the*Brighton fan's head before ramming the broken shard full into his face leaving it streaming with blood. A few moments later a female police officer was trying to attend to him. The Portsmouth mob who were still hanging around then walked up to the female officer and the bloke they'd just glassed and started trying to pull him away from her, telling her he was their mate and they'd look after him. He resisted their attempts to pull him away, screaming that it was them who'd glassed him, whereupon they quickly disappeared.

Things were still kicking off all around us and in the confusion I got separated from the mate I was with. I eventually ended up outside Hove station still trying to find him, but there weren't any Brighton or even Pompey fans in sight.

Still on my own I decided to walk back down the steps at the side of the old Cliftonville pub at the top of Goldstone Villas, but as soon as I turned the corner and took the first step down I walked staight into a mob of about 100 or more Pompey fans who were surging up the steps towards me. It was too late for me to try and turn and run back up the steps as I'd literally walked straight into them before I realised my predicament, so trying to run away wasn't a feasible option.

Trying desperately to hide the sudden fear and panic in my eyes, especially after the gruesome event I'd witnessed earlier, I instinctively* thought on my feet and took*advantage of the fact that the blue and white striped scarf I was wearing matched Pompey's own colours. I tried to look pleased to see them as they surged up towards me, and rather than try and turn and run which would have been foolhardy, I simply turned round and walked back up the steps with them as if I was one of them. It was a little disconcerting as this manoeuvre meant I was now at the head of their mob, leading the way like their newly self-appointed "top boy", albeit a not very convincing looking one.

The knowledge that they were all immediately behind me with some having also drawn up level was extremely unsettling. I had no idea if I'd raised any suspicions as they wondered who this upstart was who was now leading their way, but I didn't dare look around me as I didn't want to meet anyone's eyes so I kept my gaze fixed firmly in front of me. I was terrified that at any moment I would be rumbled and pounced upon and given the kicking of my life.

I did my best to immerse myself in the role I'd accidentally stumbled into and as we marched along I let out the occasional feeble chant of "Pompey" in my desperation to give a more convincing performance. It obviously worked as the hiding I was expecting at any moment never materialised.

After a while I managed to peel myself away from them, but finding the right moment wasn't easy. I had to make sure I wouldn't be noticed doing so otherwise I could have drawn attention to myself and put myself in even greater danger. I was a bit trapped as I felt safer sticking with them than trying to seperate myself from them, but it had to be done otherwise I would have ended up catching the train back to Portsmouth with them, and I didn't think I'd be able to carry off my subterfuge for an entire train journey all the way back to Hampshire.

Years later I was watching The Walking Dead on Netflix and it came to the scene where the survivors smeared themselves in zombie blood and entrails so they could walk undetected amongst the zombie hoards while making their escape. Watching that scene immediately evoked memories of my own walk with death 40 years earlier.

That is a very good piece or writing.

 

[Guinness Boy]

The first season I started going regularly to away games was 87-88 in the Third Division. I've never been one for looking for trouble but that season it just found you over and over again. Southend away - went by coach with a mate from school but it still kicked off in the ground in the big corner terrace they used to have. Gillingham - fighting all around all the way back to the station and a big police escort at Victoria. Brentford - pubs already smashed up by the time I got to the ground, nearly trampled by one of the Met's horses on the way back to the station. Aldershot was chaos.

At home it kicked off all round the ground after a Friday night game against Northampton. Lots of stories about the Arsenal and Bristol Rovers games but for the first I was in the North Stand by 1.30 to get a good place and for the latter I was on the pitch afterwards with half the ground.

Probably nothing like as lively as it was in the 70s or anything but Brighton certainly seemed to have a reputation that season.

 

[Pretty pink fairy]

The first season I started going regularly to away games was 87-88 in the Third Division. I've never been one for looking for trouble but that season it just found you over and over again. Southend away - went by coach with a mate from school but it still kicked off in the ground in the big corner terrace they used to have. Gillingham - fighting all around all the way back to the station and a big police escort at Victoria. Brentford - pubs already smashed up by the time I got to the ground, nearly trampled by one of the Met's horses on the way back to the station. Aldershot was chaos.

At home it kicked off all round the ground after a Friday night game against Northampton. Lots of stories about the Arsenal and Bristol Rovers games but for the first I was in the North Stand by 1.30 to get a good place and for the latter I was on the pitch afterwards with half the ground.

Probably nothing like as lively as it was in the 70s or anything but Brighton certainly seemed to have a reputation that season.

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2lohm6
is this you
regards
DF