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Post by kevkj on Apr 7, 2011 11:31:44 GMT
I wonder when West took it then must have been prior to 1970 ?
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Post by kevkj on Apr 7, 2011 11:35:27 GMT
Trying to think if i ever saw stoke take anyones end. Ive seen stoke on Brums,West Broms Lutons, Sheffields,Blackburns,Oldhams,Prestons,Hulls ends to name a few but they were eventually removed i think not sure about Oldham whether they stayed in all match one year. They might have possibly early 70s or before as i didnt go away until 1973. One for the Oldies
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Post by midtempo on Apr 7, 2011 11:58:11 GMT
Hi, I stood on the Boothern from 1967 until the last match against West Brom. Looking from behind the goal it was to the right of the the right hand post practically on the gangway with my back to a barrier (between pillar A & B). I have marked the picture where the barrier broke , there was also about a three foot drop approx (white wall) because it was the top level area above the entrance / exits. All the Leeds and Stoke fans surged down the yellow gangway between Pillars A & B and the people who were standing against the barrier behind me were getting crushed in the mayhem. After that the police also instigated an exclusion zone at the very back of the Boothern about 10 metres by 5.
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Post by lordb on Apr 7, 2011 11:58:58 GMT
I used to stand about 4 feet awy from you then
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Post by steve66 on Apr 7, 2011 12:20:44 GMT
Then I was just to your left too midtempo!
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Post by Deleted on Apr 7, 2011 12:31:21 GMT
Kevkj- the view on the old thread was that West Ham stayed in the Boothen at the Cup game in 1968 but were a bit shocked by the fact they were under attack all game- in most grounds at that time they didnt get much opposition.
as for Stoke- at Mansfield there was no one left in their end after three pitch invasions- about 100 lads stayed in all game at Blackburn circa 1977- night game at Northampton 1978 the police never got them all out- same at Blackpool the same year- I think that Oldham game was a night match- a wierd mob there that evening.
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Post by wizzardofdribble on Apr 7, 2011 12:59:10 GMT
There was definitely NOT any rule about having to be over 16 to be in the Boothen in those days...From the age of 6 I had entered the Boothen via Door X and met my grandad inside (who was a steward)...
I was 8 and standing near to the back of the Boothen on the left hand side for this game with my uncle and I remember being pushed and shoved a few times myself so we moved right over to the wall by the side of the Butler Street Stand and watched 'events' unfold
There was scuffling and pushing and surging and eventually loads of people ended up on the floor with others trampling over them and loads and loads of chaos and noise
We didn't know what happened until we got home but those Leeds fans were very very lucky that day
Man Utd..Wolves..Spurs and West Ham always had a little 'firm' that stood on the Boothen throughout the 1970's..with the biggest and most persistent being Tottenham...
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Post by stokeny on Apr 7, 2011 13:06:40 GMT
Spurs was always interesting. Remember in the late 70s setting off past the police station for the usual running ambushes on the way back to the station. Only to be met by the spurs lot heading back towards the ground. Absolute mayhem on the grass in front of the police station. I was only fifteen and remember actually ending up in the cop shop entrance, still fighting off huge cockneys and absolutely bricking it.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 7, 2011 13:26:09 GMT
stokeny must have been stood almost next to you for this one- talk about being caught by surprise!- they didnt know the rules -they were supposed to let us get to the grave yard first!...very rude of them if you ask me
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Post by stokeny on Apr 7, 2011 13:30:18 GMT
I met a spurs fan about 20 years later. He remembered it too. They were all sheepskin coats, and he said they loved coming to Stoke to take on the "greebos".
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Post by Deleted on Apr 7, 2011 13:33:18 GMT
They were also wearing those shoes with the small brass strip at the front- didnt come to Stoke until the following year- the thing about Spurs was that they were all blokes in their 20s and 30s- no hangers on.
The scrap outside the station made the national news-cant remember if it was the express or the mail By the way I would also have been exactly the same age as you- 15 in 1978
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Post by bristolpotter on Apr 7, 2011 18:30:10 GMT
Sheff Utd away late 70s, was only a young un went with my uncle who was a bit mad with the train mob in their main stand, Stoke deffo stayed in their main end until half time, whole first half had coins, lighters,cups of tea lobbed at us, was a few scuffles, but more rabbit punches than proper rucking, ob shifted us out at half time. Hull away cup game same sort of time, can remember loads of Stoke in their stands and kicking off most of the game.
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Post by bazlufc on Aug 4, 2013 18:42:28 GMT
8-)Yes the Leeds fans were crushed and the barrier gave way a few had to spend time in N.Staffs infirmary and were photographed, which appeared on the Sentinels front page....Leeds skinheads with black eyes and bruises smiling from their hospital beds. This was revenge for the torrid time Stoke fans had to endure earlier on in that season at Elland Road.......to make matters worse Dennis Smith equalised from a wonderful run and cross from Terry Conroy in the 94th minute and a huge mob of Leeds were waiting outside,no Police protection in those days,you had to use your wits to survive.Stoke were well outnumbered so decided to split up and tagged on to the older Leeds fans so it looked like we with them.When we got back to the bus which was parked in between a mass of Leeds bus's it was really going off a load of Stoke fans were throwing bricks at a mass of Leeds fans,the police finally arrived and everybody was shepered back on the bus,the Police Officer in charge said we were the worst fans to visit Leeds.........it was a cold journey home over the M62 moors because our back window had been put thro'......was anyone on that bus. yes i was oneof those leeds fans on that photo,big thanks to the nursing staff at the N.Staffs hospital and to the copper who saved my life i am truly lucky to be alive today one item of clothing was missing for 2 days my string vest ??later found embeded in my chest!!! would appreciate if anyone could forward me any pictures or information regarding the day,especially the one taken on the hospital bed at the time the leeds players were rumoured to be paying us a visit,they never came!!but one player came to visit us more than once and this made my day as a 15 year old boy spending many hours talking to MR JOHN RITCHIE this i will never forget THANKS
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Post by jeycov on Aug 5, 2013 7:11:41 GMT
8-)Yes the Leeds fans were crushed and the barrier gave way a few had to spend time in N.Staffs infirmary and were photographed, which appeared on the Sentinels front page....Leeds skinheads with black eyes and bruises smiling from their hospital beds. This was revenge for the torrid time Stoke fans had to endure earlier on in that season at Elland Road.......to make matters worse Dennis Smith equalised from a wonderful run and cross from Terry Conroy in the 94th minute and a huge mob of Leeds were waiting outside,no Police protection in those days,you had to use your wits to survive.Stoke were well outnumbered so decided to split up and tagged on to the older Leeds fans so it looked like we with them.When we got back to the bus which was parked in between a mass of Leeds bus's it was really going off a load of Stoke fans were throwing bricks at a mass of Leeds fans,the police finally arrived and everybody was shepered back on the bus,the Police Officer in charge said we were the worst fans to visit Leeds.........it was a cold journey home over the M62 moors because our back window had been put thro'......was anyone on that bus. yes i was oneof those leeds fans on that photo,big thanks to the nursing staff at the N.Staffs hospital and to the copper who saved my life i am truly lucky to be alive today one item of clothing was missing for 2 days my string vest ??later found embeded in my chest!!! would appreciate if anyone could forward me any pictures or information regarding the day,especially the one taken on the hospital bed at the time the leeds players were rumoured to be paying us a visit,they never came!!but one player came to visit us more than once and this made my day as a 15 year old boy spending many hours talking to MR JOHN RITCHIE this i will never forget THANKS Frightening times and as you say it was amazing that everyone survived. I trust that you have made a full recovery and have continued to attend football games. Out of interest, what are your view on small sections of a ground being allocated to supporters wanting to stand? Maybe those photos that you mention would give a realistic view of what can happen if things go wrong (although I believe a lot more thought would go into numbers involved if there is a return to standing). The major disasters are high on the agenda when standing at games is discussed, however, incidents like this one were probably more widespread.
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Post by hanibal7 on Aug 5, 2013 10:27:41 GMT
Got a visit from the old bill, CID, asking me all sorts of qusetions,if i had gone the game and if some of my mates,who they quoted,as being hooligans, i said i didnt know em lol
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louis
Academy Starlet
Posts: 157
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Post by louis on Aug 5, 2013 11:05:37 GMT
Always stood botton right of Boothen through the 70s/80s definately the worst mob were Spurs who had a huge mob of heavys and they didnt want to leave that day! Boots and fists were flying everywhere and someone threw a bottle which whistled past my head and smashed showering everyone with glass. The Spurs mob then went round the pitch to the Stoke End some bleeding some hobbling some being carried I believe someone got stabbed that day. Leeds were always rough and I found myself in the Stoke End when we beat them 3-2 to end there unbeaten run had a sheepskin coat and stoke scarf on. That came off at the end of the match when their mob were thumping anyone wearing red and white I was only 16 then and was bricking it!
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Post by Gods on Aug 5, 2013 11:24:05 GMT
Man Utd..Wolves..Spurs and West Ham always had a little 'firm' that stood on the Boothen throughout the 1970's..with the biggest and most persistent being Tottenham... Exactly how I remember it to have been Wizard.
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Post by thegooddoctor on Aug 5, 2013 11:44:51 GMT
There's an excellent/disturbing photo of the terrace/buckled barriers post-collapse (with copper looking on) and injured Leeds fan in Simon Lowe's book "Stoke City: A Nostalgic Look at a Century of the Club".
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Post by Kenilworth_Stokies on Aug 5, 2013 11:48:35 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 5, 2013 12:44:36 GMT
I remember singing "you'll never take the Boothen" at many games in the 70's with away fans often in the Boothen End , but most were "removed " by start of play. Who's going up the station was another favourite.
Love and peace in the 70's eh.
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Post by longalongatime on Aug 5, 2013 20:59:38 GMT
went to Spurs when we lost 3-2. my mate took me into the Brewers and introduced me to a black guy, told me to tell him what i remembered about spurs lads in the Boothen . told him about the 10-15 lads at the bottom of the steps by the toilets taking on all comers , he was one of them ! told him he owed me a pint for frightening me , he said i owed him one for not giving me a slap
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Post by davemortimore on Aug 27, 2015 23:42:07 GMT
I was right where it happened. I had arrived early to get a good viewing point behind the left most tunnel on the Boothen End nearest to The Butler Street Stand. The Leeds supporters moved up tentatively, looking around from side to side, to take up that rear section of the Boothen End to one side of me. The Stoke mob assembled later on the other side at the centre of the The Boothen End not long before kick-off. As the game got going, some stoke supporters drifted over in threes and fours to the other side of the Leeds mob where I was standing. There was no more than thirty Stoke supporters (mainly from Abbey Hulton & Hanley, as I recognized some their faces) now pushed up against a small cordon of what I could only describe as young, still wet behind the ears, rookie coppers. The Stoke supporters were taking liberties that they wouldn't normally take with hardened experienced policemen, by jeering, spitting and shoving against the police cordon.
Nothing new there you might say. But I could see that it was getting more and more hectic. The young coppers just didn't know how to deal with them. Arresting or removing any of the protagonists would have weakened their ranks too much so as to leave a hole, so they just tried to hold out against them. The pushing and shoving led to the small Stoke mob forming a wedge between the rear wall of The Boothen End and the line of coppers, and then the pushing got worse. My rib cage was bursting and I only had about a bank of six people behind me. The considerably larger Leeds mob below had compacted and moved a little forward with no where to go. Then suddenly it all kicked off to the cries of "Ooh all together - Ooh together!". The police could barely raise their arms to get the Stoke lads back and it was the one's right at the back against the wall (who the coppers couldn't get to) who were really doing all the pushing. Then like the turning of a rugby scrum, the Leeds mob surged forward and everywhere around just rumbled and shook. There were screams and yelling as the fear spilled from within and around the Leeds mob. The barriers, that had held them in, buckled and broke with the first wave of Leeds supporters falling forward onto the walkaway two or three below, to be then trampled by the rest of the mob that followed. The cries of desperation and fear resonated all around as the rear most terraces above the tunnel on the Boothen End just shook and rumbled like an earthquake.
The mayhem was truly frightening and something I'll never forget.. It would have been no surprise if people had been killed in the crush. For the next half hour stretchers and people were carrying the injured out and down into the tunnel for treatment. It wasn't too long after that when the police decided to prevent any away supporters onto the Boothen End.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 28, 2015 7:26:53 GMT
njkk, they had turnstiles at the Boothen for under 16's to use but I cannot recall there ever being any under 16 not allowed in,these turnstiles were towards the Trent canal end of Boothen. Yep, you're right there. The turnstiles at the top of the steps were adults only for some reason, juveniles entered lower down towards the bridge. Odd set up considering once inside you could go anywhere. Under 16 were always allowed on the Boothen, certainly since 71 anyway.
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Post by njkk on Aug 28, 2015 7:52:35 GMT
I still stand by my post that under 16's were banned from the Boothen in the matches following the Leeds game, can't prove it but I know I'm right so bollocks
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Post by bathstoke on Aug 28, 2015 8:05:09 GMT
I still stand by my post that under 16's were banned from the Boothen in the matches following the Leeds game, can't prove it but I know I'm right so bollocks You stick to your guns youth & don't let them bigger boys boss you
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Post by wizzardofdribble on Aug 28, 2015 8:13:41 GMT
I was there in the Boothen that day..very close to where it happened. It was one of the first games I'd ever been to and I remember my uncle lifting me up putting me on a stancheon for most of the game. All I can remember is a couple of surges from Stoke fans towards the Leeds fans..then some terracing opening up with a load of people on the floor. I didnt realise how bad it was until I got back home.
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Post by mrcoke on Aug 28, 2015 8:15:15 GMT
Just seen this thread.
I was there that day. I usually stood on the side nearer the players' balcony. I don't remember the match. I do recall photos of the bent barriers in the Sentinel.
I didn't know about it until I got home. There was a lot of rowdyism I recalled when I got home, but nothing I could remember special. It was common for "our fans" at the back to throw "slip balls" at visiting fans and often hit other Stokies.
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Post by wizzardofdribble on Aug 28, 2015 8:16:33 GMT
And I stood on The Boothen throughout the 1970s from the age of 6 to 16 and so did most of my mates. Under 16s were never banned from anywhere.
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Post by wizzardofdribble on Aug 28, 2015 8:18:25 GMT
Just seen this thread. I was there that day. I usually stood on the side nearer the players' balcony. I don't remember the match. I do recall photos of the bent barriers in the Sentinel. I didn't know about it until I got home. There was a lot of rowdyism I recalled when I got home, but nothing I could remember special. It was common for "our fans" at the back to throw "slip balls" at visiting fans and often hit other Stokies. I remember that. In the Stoke End Spurs fans got pelted so badly with balls of slip that it made the National Press
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Post by steve66 on Aug 28, 2015 8:58:17 GMT
I still stand by my post that under 16's were banned from the Boothen in the matches following the Leeds game, can't prove it but I know I'm right so bollocks I think you are in a minority of one! !! No need to be offensive over it!
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