Occasion: Late 1970's, Arsenal (h)
Location: Leazes End, SJP
Guilty Party: AB
"I was in the old Leazes End and had the temerity to suggest to two
polis on duty, mainly by gesture, that they were being over zealous, if not
fascist, in shifting young supporters from the wall surrounding the pitch.
"They became even more zealous by
striding up through the crowd and hitching my arm up in a half-nelson and
marching me out of the ground in front of the popular side. The indignity
was partially compensated for by the appreciative applause from the crowd!
Names were taken but nothing further resulted. However, it's very strange
being suddenly propelled from the noise inside to the emptiness outside with
only the enclosed echoes coming at you from over the wall.
"I subsequently discovered that
Principal of the College I was working at at the time was also in a prime
viewing spot in the West stand and watched proceedings with interest. The
effect on my career is still a matter of debate!"
*******************************************************
Occasion: Oldham (a) 1983
Location: Boundary Park
Guilty Party: MP
"In the glorious setting of Boundary
Park I went the distance after giving the "V" sign to the ref for
sending Carney and Terry Mac off. I appeared in court and was fined £160 -
I think they were making examples us - 80 quid a finger!"
*******************************************************
Occasion: Wolves (a) 1990
Location: Molineux
Guilty Party: NF
"Chucked out of the away end after
half an hour for jumping up and down in an over-exuberant manner,
therefore causing a menace to those around him, according to the sheet I
received as I exited the ground after a brief interview with a part-time
member of West Midlands' finest.
"I was one of roughly 4000 fans being over-exuberant (Jimmy Smith's
Black & White Army being the song, as I recall), so I challenged the
'special' constable to give me the real reason for his actions.
"Turned out that it was down to my Inspiral Carpets' 'Joe''
t-shirt.
'I've got a son called Joe and he f***in' hates football' came the
response.
"Fair enough. But I was also a football fan and, as he pointed
out,
'all you lot are f***in' scum'.
"Milled around outside for the rest of the game with around 30 or
40 Newcastle fans also ejected and a mob of Wolves lads permanently banned
from Molineux, watching the game through cracks in a wall.
"Of course, the one quarter of the pitch we couldn't see was the Wolves
penalty area in the second half, so missed Kevin Scott's late winner. Happy
days."
*******************************************************
Occasion: Coventry (h) 2000
Location: St.James' Park
Guilty Party: CS
"I wasn't actually thrown out but
I got talking to a guy on the train back to London after the Coventry away
game 99/00 season, who was.
"He was coming back from the toilets
in the corner just as the Coventry fans started chanting "S*%^derland"
to wind us up. He turned to them finger in the air and shouting a few
expletives at them when he inadvertently stepped onto that thing the police
put over the seats in between as a barrier.
"The next thing he knew, he was hit in
the back and fell forward, his glasses flying to the front of the stand, and
a policewoman on top of him arresting him. He was taken away and charged
with offensive and threatening behaviour, (I suppose one middle aged Geordie
is threatening to about 4000 Midland folk!).
"I couldn't believe he had been charged until he told me that the
policewoman turned out to be from Durham so he called her a 'Stupid
Mackem Bitch'. He couldn't understand himself why he had been charged
for such a trivial gesture...."
*******************************************************
Occasion: Leicester (h) 1997
Location: St.James' Park
Guilty Party: GD
"3-1 down with 13 minutes remaining
and Shearer scores a hat trick [his first for United]. At the time his third
goal went in [our fourth and the winner] I was leaping up and down in the
Leazes, NUFC shirt proudly visible, fist punching the air in Duncan
Ferguson-like manner.
"Slight problem: I was in the away end
surrounded by disgruntled Leicester fans chanting: 'scum, scum'.
Steward ran up the stairs, grabbed me shoulder and marched me down the
stairs to the exit...for 'over-celebrating' "
*******************************************************
Occasion: Various
Location: Stadium of plight / Blackburn / Elland Road
Guilty Party: SB
"England v Belgium at the mackems.
I was thrown out for hurling abuse at Phillips and also wearing the Black
and white shirt with "Peter Reid's got a monkeys heed" printed on
back......
"I was thrown out for Public order offences and given a severe ticking
off in the back of a police car about how it could have sparked a mass riot
between different supporters.......BLAH BLAH BLAH etc...."
"When we won at Blackburn Rovers two
years ago in the FA Cup, me and my step
dad were thrown out for claiming the steward had a big heed and we could not
see the game properly.... come half time he never moved so we bought a
scratty pie (steak i think it was) and my step dad threw it at him, catching
him on the ear
"As the debate continued how if he hadn't had a big head the pie would
have missed, the steward took a hippy and we were thrown out quicker than
bobs ya uncle...."
"Finally, at Leeds last season I was asked
to leave after complaining that the pigeons were sh*tting from the steel girders
in the roof.... said no and was escorted out by the police for showing
threatening behaviour towards the stewards....this was actually before the
match had kicked off...."
*******************************************************
Occasion: Spurs (a) FAC 1987
Location: White Hart Lane
Guilty Party: AW
"The infamous Tottenham FA. cup
tie - nearly Hilsborough but not quite - thank God. Myself and a friend
(whose mother lived next door to Willie McFauls mother) got FREE tickets for
the stand via said relationship. Travelled to London on a FREE student union
bus as they were protesting about loans or something and the price to pay
for the free bus was to sign the petition and distribute leaflets to
the unsuspecting tourists!
(I believe we signed as Peter Beardsley and
Paul Gascoigne)
"Got to the ground by 2.30pm full of
beer and chips. Took our seats in the stand, read programme, saw warm up of
teams shouted Judas at Waddle - accosted by steward, ugly scene developed - thrown out of ground at 2.55pm.
"However as we were wondering what to
do we were shoved by the police into the surrounding toon army and herded
towards the away end. Both of us being about 5ft 3in we managed to get
shoved to the front of the queue - PAID at turnstile got in just after
kick-off and proceeded to be squashed to the fence at the front.
"I slipped and my friend dragged me up
for air, and all was well till they scored. Then the crush became worse and
I called a bobby something worse than before and he turned huffy and wouldn't
do a thing despite the crush, until eventually he and a steward grabbed me
at the back of the neck and pulled me over the fence.
"I then proceeded to question his
parentage until my mate was rescued and then we were both escorted past some
of the home fans who were generous enough to throw some money - I naively
believed that this was compensation for them scoring!
"I thanked them with a special alcohol/adrenaline/fear induced salute
and was in the middle of delivering my vote of thanks, when the copper came
and bent our arms so far up our backs that I thought he wanted the money but
he just booted us out of the ground.
"Got drunk, discussed near death
experiences and slept on the free bus home - and yes, the money collected
from the Spurs fans had paid for second entrance fee....."
*******************************************************
Occasion: Various
Location: St.James' Park / Ashton Gate
Guilty Party: BE
"I used to turn up at the ground
at around noon and the norm for me and my mates would be to hang around for
autographs, get into the ground as early as possible (around 13:30 if memory
serves), climb from the of the Gallowgate West wing, into the A wing and
then in to the centre paddock.
"The coppers always seemed to turn a blind eye but for some reason on
this day they took action and chucked me and my mate Stu out. With only our
bus fare home we headed that way and begged our mams for some more
money
"Back on the bus and then back in the ground we watched the lads win 4
- 1 George/Mavis Riley scored twice (on what I believe was his birthday) he
also cut his head open, received 2 stitches and came out for the second half
with a head band on....a legend was born "Rambo Riley" and I was
there to see it twice.
"The second time was at Bristol City.
I was in the Navy at the time and travelled to Bristol from Plymouth by
train, where I got talking to another Newcastle fan who as luck would have
it was the father of the Toon's mascot for the day.
"As there was just the two of them travelling he told me he could get
another person into the ground as part of the package being a mascot. I felt
I had to buy this bloke a few pints in return by 14:00 we were well gone and
left for the ground.
"We were met by some bumpkin who told us he was looking after the
mascot and family, he gave us a quick tour of the inside of the ground, we
went into the Away dressing room and met the players (god knows what they
must have thought when seeing the clip of us.) Just before kick off we were
led to our seats, which happened to be slap bang middle of Bristol City
supporters.
"As usual the Toon Army out-sang the home team with a little help from
the two of us. Our designated friend the bumpkin made numerous attempts to
shut us up as we were 'upsetting the locals.' Fuelled by lager we refused to
silence our support in the end the coppers moved in and ejected all three of
us from the ground - six year old mascot included......"
*******************************************************
Occasion: Various
Location: Hartlepool / Roker Park / Coventry
Guilty Party: GP
"I was chucked out of Hartlepool aged
12 for climbing over the wall and landing on a copper!"
"Next time was at mackems v toon for being in the clock stand at the
wrong time...."
"Best I ever saw was a lad dressed in a bright pink pig costume chucked
out of the toon end at Coventry in early eighties for the third time,
and asking the copper "how do you know it's me?"
*******************************************************
Continued
Biffa
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