Old Gunners and Gooners : Going Back.

Going Back.

I think I’m going back,
To the things that I remember so well in my youth.

I think I’m returning to,
The days when I was young enough to know the truth.

“Adapted from song by the Byrds. “

Season 1966-67

In the summer of 1966 Bertie Mee was appointed manager of Arsenal. He recruited Dave Sexton as his assistant and within a few weeks had signed Colin Addison, George Graham & Bob McNab.

Younger players such as Simpson, Storey, Rice, Sammels, Court and Radford were now becoming established squad players also.
Things were definitely taking shape on the field.

Off the field things were changing amongst the younger fans also.

There had always been a large banked terrace at the Northern end of Highbury stadium since it was built in 1913.
Like many football grounds at that time with a similar high terrace, Liverpool and the two Sheffield clubs etc, it was called the Spion Kop after a famous battlefield hill in South Africa during the Boer War.
It then had a few more names such as Gillespie Road end, Laundry end, North Terrace and before the roof was put up in 1935, the Clock End.

As organised hooliganism at football grounds began about 1965 and spread rapidly across the country, it became necessary for away fans to congregate together in stadiums, railway stations and pubs etc for self protection.
This naturally became the norm at home games as well.

At Arsenal the young friends who’d met on the coach trips were now meeting behind the goal and others were joining them to sing and chant songs about the team and players.

Other fans at other grounds were doing the same and had named their “ends”, Stretford End, Shed, Kop, Boothen end, Gladwys rd, Scratching Shed, Leazes etc.
Man City actually had a side terrace named the Kippax.

At Arsenal it was very hard to sing a song about the Laundry end or North Terrace so one day after a few beers, we agreed to call it the North Bank the same as West Ham & Wolves.

When North Bank was Clock End.

During 1966-67 the North Bank reputation for noise and aggression gained momentum and in December 1966 I decided to make a banner with the name on because The Arsenal hierarchy were still calling it the North Terrace in the programme and other media.

My dad actually did the lettering layout as he said my original was a mess.
So after a few hours it was ready to take to Bristol Rovers for the 3rd round cup game in January 1967.

However, during that season Chelsea, Everton, Man City & some others had been involved in fighting on the North Bank.
Remember, the away fans were not segregated in those days.
That came in 1970.
To their credit Chelsea always came in there but never actually took it over until about ten years later in the mid 70’s.

North Bank banner debut at Bristol Rovers 1967.

When I met Charlie George a few years ago, he was gutted he hadn’t got this photo earlier as he mentions in his autobiography that he’d told the trainer, Tom Whalley, he was injured and couldn’t play for the reserves that weekend.

Charlie can be seen under the “N” of North on the banner.

I was holding one pole with my cousin Johnny the other.

There’s a few of the old firm in there as well.

Many years later Putney, Hoyboy, myself and a few of the others would reflect on how we and many more of our generation all met up in those days through our fanatical love of The Arsenal.

As I went through the Rovers turnstiles I saw my old mate George H waiting to go in and when I got to the top of the steps into the terraces there was a big surge forward. For some reason, known only to himself, a copper grabbed me and frogmarched down to the exit gate just as George H was coming in.

When he saw me being thrown out he fell about laughing, saying “you’ve only been in there 2 minutes”. As it wasn’t all ticket I just paid to get back in, as you did.

Luckily Johnny was holding the banner.

In the 4th round we drew Bolton away and on arriving in the ground were put behind the goal where Bolton’s noisiest fans stood, when were police going to wise up?

Within minutes a fight broke out and I saw a big bloke hit a little Arsenal fan who’d been jumping up and down chanting. So I hit the big fella and said “pick on someone you’re own size “. It turned out that he was a plainclothes copper and he clumped me back and tried to drag me out. Other coppers arrived including a Sergeant and all my mates gathered around me. Johnny told me to pretend I’d got a broken jaw and needed treatment. So I told this to the sergeant and he said “alright we’ll take you to the infirmary then”. I replied “No thanks, I want to go to hospital”. They let me go, I think because they were laughing so much.

We then went back to Manchester on the coach for a drinking session as was usual in those days.

The Bolton game had ended in a draw so, at the replay on the 22nd February 1967 the North Bank banner was unfurled at Highbury for the first time, announcing to the world who we were.

Eventually, the police would ban Flags and banners because the poles were being used as weapons.

Not before the 5th round away at Birmingham though!!

Bolton replay.

On the way to St Andrew’s, Birmingham’s ground, Arsenal fans were pelted with billiard balls from an upstairs window of a pub. Needless to say the pub was stormed and damaged.

Inside the ground Arsenal fans were in the opposite end to the where the main Birmingham fans stood, so decided to march along the terrace on one side, with the North Bank banner, to change ends.

The “Brummies” weren’t happy to say the least, especially as despite some fierce fighting we wouldn’t budge. This carried on into the streets outside after the game.

Another dream gone.

The North Bank was now becoming well known across the country and we’d usually meet up in the Gunners pub before home games, leaving about 2.30 to enter the ground where Hoyboy and others were waiting.

“Jock” the copper would usually be waiting there also and we’d ask him “ how many away fans in today?” He’d reply “a few hundred or maybe a couple of thousand”, depending on the team.

Next question “ how long Jock?” His reply “You can have 3 to 4 minutes”. Thanks Jock!!

Then everyone would charge in and attack the away fans until Jock tapped you on the shoulder, truncheon drawn, saying “ that’s it, stop fighting or you’re nicked “.

It was during this season that Putney, George H and me decided to go in the “home end” at Leicester for some unknown reason. Obviously, we were thrown out. Looking back, it’s just as well, because we had red & white scarves on.

When Arsenal played at Fulham we stood on the fairly new “Hammersmith end” and as Fulham have always been and still are a family club there wasn’t much trouble.

Except for some reason a fight broke out down the front and Granty went charging down to join in.

Unfortunately for him, he shoved 3 large “Paddies” out of the way and they punched him and broke his nose.

He was carted off to hospital and was waiting for us at Earls Court station after the game.

He got a bit upset when we all started laughing at the bandage and plasters on his face.

He gets even more upset when we remind him that he’s the only fan to ever get beaten up at Fulham.

There was also an historic game on a Friday night at Highbury in March against Man Utd that was broadcast either on pay tv or back to Old Trafford live or both.

On arriving in the ground it seemed that hundreds of United fans were already in the North Bank.

The police had formed a line to stop Arsenal fans getting to them but I always remember Yarns arriving with a wooden pole, don’t know how he got it in, reaching over the copper’s heads and hitting United fans with it. Some United fans were also sitting down on the terrace and Putney went berserk, dragging them to their feet before clumping or head butting them.

Hoyboy has told me that one of the funniest things he remembers is Putney pulling individual United fans through the police cordon one by one and bashing them.

We got to the middle in the end with the police pushing United fans towards the Gillespie Rd exit.