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[Ballers]

Seperate thread as I wasn't at Gravend in 1980 (at least I think I wasn't, I'd only have been 16 months old, I'll ask my dad if he took me, unlikely  )

Anyway the point I wanted to make is that having sterted supporting Alty around 1984 and having memories of the 85/86 season I count myself extremely lucky. For me the 1990/91 was the best but I was always really jealous of those who were around to see our truly great teams of the late 70s early 80s.

However, jduging from the Gravesend thread and other conversations/threads it appears that nearly every match in this days involved neanderthal violence whether you wanted it or not much in common with the genral perception/memories of the time.

Was it really like that or is there a bit of exagerration going on here, cos for me gnerally over the past 20 years these incidents have been few and far between? Frickley away in 84 was frightening but not frightening in a way as we weren't the targets of thier anger and Port Vale in 1992 and Halifax in 1994 have been the only occasions when getting a 'slap' was completey unavoidable, (EDIT: just remembered that Colchester away in 1991 falls into that category today, terrible) everything else is in the isolated incidents/handbags bin.

[thegazelle]

every where we travelled to there was a threat, particularly if you got drunk and sang . it was thought ok to hit any opposition supporter as it was pre casual days and there was no segregation this lead to some scary scary days. i suppose there were some places we went where it was not scary but you just never knew i remember being punched totally out of the blue at worksop i had not even opened my mouth(unusual in those days, probably unusual full stop actually).the out come of the game was irrelevant as well

 alcohol on coaches may not have helped either.

we (other people)also gave the opposition some torrid times at moss lane   for no reason at all.

never park coaches near stamford park particularly if they are from wigan

[ManagementGuru]

I got punched for no reason at Telford in the first season of the APL.  I wasn't wearing a scarf until Paul McGee ran past me being chased and put his scarf round my neck on the way past.  He jumped on the coach and I got thumped!  The fact that I remember this so clearly shows that although threat levels were certainly higher, violence (certainly widespead violence) was more the exception than the rule.

Honourable exceptions for:

Frickley Athletic
Wycombe Wanderers Trophy Semi-Final 81-82
Boston United Trophy Semi-Final 84-85

[jiminlondon]

the reality was that you were fair game for home supporters. many places had no lads, as indeed did we, and there was no trouble. the problem was that from place to place, from week to week, you had no idea whether it would happen or not,and so the threat was always there.
it wasnt like you were involved in full scale pitched battles every week, more that we used to take pretty much the same numbers away that we do now. take out the women, kids, old men, infirm etc that leaves YOU who is going to be hit.
you had a choice. fight it out (happened once or twice), run away (happened several times) hide (many times) or just take a few punches and wait for the coppers.
it was in these days you acquired a nose for trouble, you could feel it coming and get out of the way (sometimes)

funny thing was i went to vics for years and years without any trouble

[4Ever Alty]

Used to travel all over in late eighties with Alty on the trains and coaches. We did have a right crew of scallies, remember blagging under 16 railcards and having our tickets clipped whilst having a fag and a bevy on the trains by the inspectors.We used to have a right laugh!! My favourite song was "cockneys cant say w**ker!, quite funny when ston*d and darn sarth.
Great fun at Bristol, Wycombe, Barnet, Colchester, Barrow etc and watching Paul Showler on the wing.
Great times!!
Also we did have a serial wall hopper at Alty and he was a free entry specialist! He got in most weekends over the wall in the corner of the chequers end, when chased once by a steward he evaded them in his ston*d state and ran off saying the pixie was chasing him- surreal.

Cheers

[thegazelle]

memory makes me remember hiding was the most popular choice.

 but i can still almost feel the buzz of the standing yer ground, (fighting very rare) and it was foxy who got the punch. cant believe i was faster than him when it came to running, so he must have been unlucky

 by the way the legend that is/ was foxy was at the barrow game and didnt get punched

[Hale Alty]

In my very first game at Moss Lane (the Notts County cup game) my friend and I, sorry me and my mate, got threatened by some kid wanting to nick sweets off us. Brave lad was threatening us from from the pitch side of the main stand fence that we were stood behind. My memory then is that the fence was above head height making him extra tough. I'd only gone along to sell programmes after an appeal was put out at school. Didn't let it put me off going again, although it wasn't until the Blackburn cup replay that I did. That involved wagging off school as it was played in the afternoon due to the miners' strike and power cut. Half the teachers were at the game so wouldn't have been much point being at school anyway.

[thegazelle]

i too wagged school think you were with us sw
had to sprint across the golf links (why do old people call altrincham a links)
missed the kick off would have missed the whole match these days

the bunch of yobs that went to blackburn for the original game was probably the biggest mob alty ever turned out there were hundreds and hundreds the police couldnt handle them. as a 14 year old i can remember being in awe as people said thats so and so and hes so anso as they realed off a list of alty nutter legends added to which there was a couple of coaches from wythenshawe. needless to say we had no problems with the blackburn fans that day

[Hale Alty]

The old  Links Hotel on the corner of Woodlands Parkway added to the confusion.

[SW]

Its what the late 70's early 80's was like. I'm no sociologist but it was different times then, life today(to me) is more civilised in the main. As  teenagers you were a target if you went to a different school, at football if you were an away fan of any type, just for being different and therefore easy pickings for a mob. The regular starting point was someone asking you the time to pick an accent, or asking for local directions.

Can anyone these days imagine Tottenham or Everton fans wanting to fight Alty?

[jiminlondon]

agree with you sw, i think life was much more violent then
one of the main reasons i left to come to london was i got sick of being punched in the street by random headcases because i looked different to them or they thought i was gay or something. it happened a lot.

p.s. i have hated tottenham from that day to this for that night

[Brian Flynn]

I got punched for no reason at Telford in the first season of the APL.  I wasn't wearing a scarf until Paul McGee ran past me being chased and put his scarf round my neck on the way past.  He jumped on the coach and I got thumped!  The fact that I remember this so clearly shows that although threat levels were certainly higher, violence (certainly widespead violence) was more the exception than the rule.

Honourable exceptions for:

Frickley Athletic
Wycombe Wanderers Trophy Semi-Final 81-82
Boston United Trophy Semi-Final 84-85

I have forwarded this to Mr.Mcgee & you should hear from his legal representative in around three weeks time

Ironically he is a type of 'Management Guru' now & may be the only Alty fan ever to appear on 'The Weakest Link'!!

[Steve the Steward]

I recall a match at Scarborough, as we were leaving a bunch of their thugs started punching and kicking at us, little did they know that the harder lads from Alty were behind them( I believe Gazelle was among those lads) and they came to our rescue

[Jezza]

I think the truth is if you wanted a fight you could easily get into one.....but as a very young child throughout the 70s I can remember seeing violence but feeling perfectly safe and confident I could avoid it.

That feeling changed with the port Vale fans who decided to suddenly indiscrimatly hit anything and anyone.

[altyusa]

Can anyone these days imagine Tottenham or Everton fans wanting to fight Alty?
[/quote]

SW one of my enduring memories of that night is heading back to Northumberland Street (?) station and a couple of Spurs fans charging at us, a huge copper appeared from nowhere, collared both  while screaming "Your 'effin nicked lads!"
I also remember it all kicking off at Runcorn in the Trophy Semi in 1978.