OriginalLondonLion offers something that I certainly never knew;
While we are waiting, why not sit back, relax, enjoy the World Cup and before that the European Cup Final, or Champions League Final?
Last season’s German away-day to Wembley was odd, this year is even more peculiar with a Capital City Derby taking place in the wrong Capital. So you might imagine that nothing that happened on May 26 1982 would still be unique – as far as I know it is.
There was a friendly atmosphere in Rotterdam between the Bayern fans and Villa, a welcome and sharp contrast to the Anderlecht game in Brussels. A German came up to me in the square where there had been a good natured kick about game in kit between the Villans and Bayern fans and asked if he could have my by then tatty copy of the Daily Telegraph. He offered me an upmarket German paper or a Bild Zeitung in return. I went for the rag because my German is schlecht. It had a list of reasons why Bayern had to win. One of them was that they had never lost a cup final in their history. Ho Ho – always a first time.
One other reason was such a surprise to me I had to get the German to translate it as confirmation. Villa would be the first team to win the cup with NO current International players! There are various ways of defining ‘current’ but if players who had not been in the starting 11 or subs for their country’s last international game is a reasonable definition then Bild was right. Needless to say I have been checking since and the Cup winners have always had at least one current international, Real and Athetico should have several.
I was at the Rangers game. For those who do not know, this was a “friendly” I think pre season or in a cup round hiatus. We got off the train from London at New Street, noticed something odd when there were no special buses to the ground and hailed a cab who refused to take us to Villa Park. The story of how many Jocks had turned up the night before and the damage done was all over Brum – but news to the London Lions. When we did get to the ground we found Rangers had taken over the Holte End. I never did understand how that happened, but you are the man to ask Bill.
The Gers (and Celtic) could make the trip for a couple of quid, as they had a massive following and more importantly, had a deal.
No doubt that deal was bent somewhere along the line, but whatever, it enabled them to travel in droves for pennies in today’s money.
A cheap trip down to fight the sassanachs, coupled with loads of whiskey?
And the Villa fans knowing better than to attend?
Yep, good question, asking who let them in.
It’s not as though they were in bloody disguise!
Apparently the rangers fans were outside causing trouble hours before the match started and that why they were let in as causing trouble outside. Villa fans had to go to old witton lane stand.
Just given the answer Oohah , your correct, it was a police instruction in what they did. OLL, Oohah, I asked for police to remove them off the holte I was told No, policy was no transfer in football ground, that’s why I took it on myself to open all doors with a steward on each door to let people out. It was definitely the police that caused that to happen, and we had other mad times in what they thought was right, I was not surprised in what happened at other grounds after that day.
Can see why Hillsborough happened now
Cheap public transport, full employment, higher standard of living, fairer distribution of wealth, higher levels of social mobility, free university… Oh the 70’s such terrible times,
As Billy Bragg song goes When did it fall apart? Sometime in the eighties,When the great and the good gave way To the greedy and the mean.
Thanks a bunch Maggie.
BWS – politics so early in the morning, you’ll need a lie down by lunchtime! lol
Lol. Got up with one on me mate.
Watch out Oohah and Badger, BWS got one on him.:-)
So has my Mrs, she just slammed the door and walked out…. But don’t worry i ran after her…. how dare she go for a walk without taking the dog.
Saddened…lol mate.
My Mrs ran off with my best mate…..I dont half miss him 🙂
Going away for a few seeks now. Will be reading but not posting. Hope you all have a great summer. Things better be looking more positive when I get home.
Take care, one and all!
P and P
TFTP……..(thing forward, thing positive)
Is that true about ur missus !!
Have a good one Langford, and lets hope its all sorted when you return !!!
You lucky sods, mine been with me for 53 years, I’ve tried every think to get shut, cleaned the house painted and decorated wash up made the beds , and she will won’t go.
Post from BWS Right lads and lasses sit down, pin back your lug holes take deep breath and get your heads around this.
Well I heard a rumour today the reason Randy’s selling is due to the club being under investigation for class A drugs use (or miss use – allegedly).
Now I thought the same as you are thinking, what a right load of old b*****ks but then I googled it and guess what comes out in the wash –
Apr 19, 2014.
A major football club in England has been rocked by a drugs scandal that has gone as far as the police and the English authorities, the Observer can reveal.
The police were called in to investigate after senior members of staff started suspecting some of their colleagues were regularly using class-A drugs inside the stadium. The allegations go to the top of the club and involve at least one high-profile figure with a considerable reputation within the sport.
(http://www.redcafe.net/threads/police-called-in-over-drug-scandal-at-major-football-club-in-england.388960/)
Then The Guardian Saturday 19 April 2014
On one occasion, two prominent officials were allegedly caught snorting cocaine in the boardroom of a rival club during an away fixture
(http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/apr/19/police-called-drug-scandal-major-club?CMP=twt_gu)
And we are the only club to have suspended two prominent officials?
Perhaps I’m adding 2+2 and coming up with 5 but who knows?
Oohah coming on the midland news now about Lambert go to the USA people are asking why.
Hopefully to sack him though woukdnt put mortgage on it
With a good severance deal that’s not to be sniffed at?
BWS I went to home and away games through the 70s. Frightening. If you had kids about 10 years old you really did worry about taking them to any ground – that they would be caught up in one of those stampedes that the rival firms engaged in. Thank goodness football clubs made the effort to take back their product – a football match – from the yobs. It is so much better now that newcomers do not believe accounts of the 70s.
agree oll it did get scary at times. I got beaten up by a load of spurs yobs on a bus in 81 after we stuffed them 3.1 jyst after charity shield game. Though as much as I hate to admit it the hooliganism side did add to the atmosphere which was electric at times esp at villa blues games. Its all too corporate and nicey nice now. Used to love standing on the holte and away ends as part of the surge lol. People forget it wasnt standing that caused hillsborough it was those stupid metal fences that should of been designed to collapse upon impact. Awful decsion and obvious hillsborough would happen sometime
The Taylor report was used as an excuse to destroy terracing and transform the grounds into yuppie palaces, prices soared in an attempt to cleanse the grounds of the working classes and the this new breed of fan(s) are more akin to fans at a tennis match.
Bollox to that, give me those cold forbidding terraces and that electric atmosphere that was the heartbeat of football.
Exactly
Looks like Lerners put the club up for sale with NO buyer.If we arnt bought before the new season starts we could be in dire shit.What a cluster fuck this club is.
Watch it Ray ranson will rear his ugly head soon.
now there is one name that we don’t want to see !
Right lads and lasses sit down, pin back your lug holes take deep breath and get your heads around this.
Well I heard a rumour today the reason Randy’s selling is due to the club it being under investigation for class A drugs use (or miss use – allegedly).
Now I thought the same as you are thinking, what a right load of old b*****ks but then I googled it and guess what comes out in the wash –
Apr 19, 2014.
A major football club in England has been rocked by a drugs scandal that has gone as far as the police and the English authorities, the Observer can reveal.
The police were called in to investigate after senior members of staff started suspecting some of their colleagues were regularly using class-A drugs inside the stadium. The allegations go to the top of the club and involve at least one high-profile figure with a considerable reputation within the sport.
(http://www.redcafe.net/threads/police-called-in-over-drug-scandal-at-major-football-club-in-england.388960/)
Then The Guardian Saturday 19 April 2014
On one occasion, two prominent officials were allegedly caught snorting cocaine in the boardroom of a rival club during an away fixture
(http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/apr/19/police-called-drug-scandal-major-club?CMP=twt_gu)
And we are the only club to have suspended two prominent officials?
Perhaps I’m adding 2+2 and coming up with 5 but who knows?
The above post seems to have been trashed, maybe by Oohah????
I’ve re-instated it, as to me, it’s old news and was in the papers days ago.
My opinion says it was indeed this pair of bullies.
And that’s probably why the buyer that was in place pulled out
Not sure if it’s me badger apologies if i have didn’t mean too 🙁 must of pressed wrong button somewhere.
even if someone buys us I have the feeling we’ll be in the same shit 8 years from now or even sooner. We could easily find ourselves with yet another US owner who doesn’t have a clue what the game of football is all about