George now had a clearer idea of what Arsenal needed to make a serious title challenge and recruited Nigel Winterburn from Wimbledon, Alan Smith from Leicester and Kevin Richardson from Watford.
Kevin Campbell, David Hillier, Alan Miller and the highly rated Paul Merson were promoted to the squad from the Youth Team.
Viv Anderson left for Manchester United.
The Squad.
Kevin “Rambo” Campbell.
Alan Miller.
David “Suitcase” Hillier.
Paul “Merse” Merson.
I hope they practice a free kick manoeuvre.
Off the pitch some things were also changing.
We were now drinking in the White House on Green Lanes and 15 of us had invested in season tickets in the East Stand Upper. We sat in two rows with
John L - Jo L - Peter L - Teddy T - JC - Young JC - Tony G - Lee the Gooner.
Behind, Granty - Eddie H - Myself - Putney - Spooky - George H - Rikki H.
Immediately to our right were 4 blokes about 10-15 years younger than us who would become good mates of ours.
These blokes used to always be singing “4 Wheels on my wagon” and up for a laugh all the time.
Clive - Roger - Craig - Tony.
4 Wheels on my wagon - I’m just rolling along.
Those Cherokees are after me.
Arrows fly - In the sky.
But I’m singing a Happy song.
We’d all sing this song at Tony’s funeral in 2010.
September 1987 - Doncaster away in League Cup.
Kevin Richardson ready to charge down a free kick.
The others appear to be more concerned about their nuts!!
October 1987.
The 1st Gooner magazine is launched.
With perfect timing - The boss at the Lane is arrested.
I’m in with thousands of other Gooners.
This game has to go down in “Gooner” history as one of the funniest we ever attended.
Their manager, David Pleat, had been bailed on suspicion of alleged kerb crawling.
Throughout the pre match players warm up, Arsenal Fans were continually chanting,
Sex Case - Sex Case
Hang Him - Hang Him - Hang Him.
Then, during the game, Steve Williams went to take a corner at the Park Lane End where it meets the Main Stand.
The Main Stand is where all their hierarchy and money men sit.
Before Steve could take the corner an Arsenal Fan threw a white blow up sex doll on the pitch in front of him.
Even funnier, was the fact that the doll had a red and white bobble hat on.
To rub salt in the wound, the doll then blew towards the Main Stand and kept opening its legs. Hilarious!!
Then just after the stewards had removed the doll, some Arsenal Fan threw a black sex doll on, also wearing a red and white bobble hat.
The Park Lane End was in total hysterics and even Steve Williams was laughing.
A truly memorable moment.
9th January 1988.
Arsenal were looking good in all competitions and we could see the shape of a great team forming.
We then drew Millwall at home in the FA Cup. I couldn’t recall Arsenal ever playing them before.
Everyone knows about their fans reputation and they even boasted that they would nick the Clock.
Now I know that they’re game for most things but I’m not sure they’d ever seen 50,000 Home fans in a stadium before.
Anyway, we beat them 2-0 and despite some scuffles outside we kept the famous Clock.
Rocky gives them the slip.
They went home empty handed.
Martin Hayes gets the first goal.
16th - Next game away at Liverpool in the League.
Eddie H enjoyed his day out.
We decided to hire a coach for this trip and met up early at the White House pub.
We loaded up with beer & bagels and stopped off to get Eddie H & Granty on the M1.
On arriving in Liverpool we were directed to a car park in Stanley Park near the ground.
There was a large pub nearby called “The Arkle” and all 25 of us made our way inside.
It was packed but Eddie H created a gap by shouting “ the Cockneys are here and we want a drink”,
he was also waving 20 pound notes above his head. Proper Harry Enfield style.
As the scousers allowed us all to get to the bar, a workmate of mine, who had never met my mates before, asked me if Eddie H knew all the people in the bar? How naive!!
After getting our drinks, Eddie H now waves 2 match tickets above his head and declares that they’re a fiver each for Arsenal Fans or a tenner each for scousers.
Unbelievably, two scousers pay him a tenner each.
We were enjoying our day in there until a while later Eddie H shouted that he wanted to “play up”.
Somy of the Liverpool fans then turned and one said “if you want to play up Pal, we’re ready”.
I think they’d had enough of “flash cockneys” for one day.
By now there’s coppers outside as well.
So we go to our seats in the Anfield road End.
This was the game when George Graham decided to play Nigel Winterburn at Right Back.
Now, as you all know, Nigel is predominately Left footed as was Kenny Sansom, so we were a bit unbalanced, to say the least. Nigel did ok though.
Eddie H was a bit unbalanced sitting next to me in our seats as well.
At half time he decides to go to the toilets.
About 10 minutes later I feel a tap on my shoulder from one of those long truncheons the Liverpool police Inspector’s carry.
The copper asks me if I’ve lost anyone? I reply that my mate hasn’t come back from the toilets.
The copper then says “follow me” and leads me under the stand and back up the stairs to where all the Liverpool fans are sitting. Eddie H is lying on the floor with 4 coppers standing over him.
Copper then says to me “claim him or he’s ours”.
As I pull him up, Eddie H says “shall we do the coppers?”. Not today is my reply.
Both of us are then escorted back to our seats, where I sit with my arm around Eddie H to stop him from running off again as there were coppers now stationed behind us all the game.
Apparently Eddie H had taken a wrong turn coming out of the toilets.
I think he’d also taken something else that day.
20th - January
Sheffield Wednesday away in League Cup.
2nd February 1988.
West Ham In the League.
Everton away in 1st leg of League Cup semifinals.
Arsenal come out.
Lukic is ready.
Arsenal defending.
A job well done - Perry - Perry.
1-0 to the Arsenal.
20th February 1988.
Man Utd in the FA Cup.
Brian “Chocolate” McClair misses a last minute penalty.
Highbury is in ecstasy.
24th February 1988.
League Cup Semifinal 2nd leg at Highbury.
Arsenal vs Everton.
The night when Arsenal Fans knew that greatness was on the horizon.
League (Littlewoods” Cup Final.
I’m in again.
They’re in.
Another coach load.
Looking like a nice day out!!
We met at The Green Man pub in Hoxton again and everyone had a few beers before boarding the coach. Incredibly, the driver got lost in Islington trying to avoid the traffic on Holloway Road.
He decided to take a short cut but the council had erected width restricting barriers since he’d last driven down it. Chaos!! Some of us had to get out and back the traffic up to let the coach reverse.
The day couldn’t get any worse, could it??
Oh yes it could!!
We eventually arrived at Wembley just as the teams came out after abandoning the coach on the North Circular road near where IKEA is now.
Because we were late getting into the stadium, other Arsenal Fans fans were sitting in our seats.
Naturally, we started turfing them out but by now the game had started and there were arguments going on all over the place.
Eddie H was head butted by a bloke from our coach and when I intervened the bloke threatened to have me later.
I replied “you can have me now” and hit him with a left hook that Dodger later described as “worthy of Henry Cooper” who’d famously downed the then, Cassius Clay, with a similar punch 25 years earlier in the same stadium.
The place then erupted with my mates fighting his until we were all separated by police and stewards.
My brother had gone to Wembley for this match and it was his first visit since 1952 when Arsenal lost to Newcastle in the FA Cup Final.
He rang me the following day to say that when he was in the stadium the teenager standing next to him said “have a look at that fight in the seats above us”.
My brother turned to look and said “that’s my brother”. The kid asked him if he was going to help?
My brother replied “ Nope, he’s doing alright”.
At half time 2 plainclothes coppers came to me and asked what had happened. As I had an old Arsenal training top on I said that I was an Official steward on the coach and had tried to keep order.
Luckily, George H’s 9 year old son, Rikki, was sitting next to me.
The copper asked if he was my boy and I replied, yes he is. Like any proper kid, Rikki stayed quiet.
The copper gave me a lecture on parental responsibility and then left.
I’ve still got the jacket - Circa 1972.
Nigel Winterburn missed a penalty.
Gus Caesar then became worthy of a statue in Luton and our dream day had turned into a nightmare.
Glorious Gus Caesar.
To top it all after finding our coach again, we discovered a few people we never recognised.
They were ejected near Hendon.
Then when we get back to “Archies”, he won’t let us in because of all the cuts, bruises and blood.
JC remarked that it was the “Worst Day” at football he’d ever known!!
The good news.
Lee Dixon - Steve Bould - Brian Marwood joined.
The Dutch were happy that year though.
Ruud Gullit with European Nations Cup. 1988.
Some great Dutch players here.
Next Post - 28/5/2020.
Poetic Justice
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