FFC and Hooliganism

[Travers Barney]

20th Jan 1982...we won 3-0 at Elm Park...lots of Fulham all in the little side bit where their fans were and all got escorted out by the police shortly after the start.

Remember a mate who I played football with at the time and who I still see at away games now..'don't mention this to my old man when you see him sunday'.

Went to a party in Roehampton that night and Steve Hatter and a few others were in attendance...big lad he was...think there might have been some other fringe players there too...Gibson/Corner?..pretty sure Cottingham was there too...remember Hatter going on about the trouble.

Freezing cold that day I recall that.

coyw

[Travers Barney]

Just did a bit of homework before post, so I know it was 1980 when I went to Charlton away. Tuesday night at the old Valley. Went in the supporters coach. Thinking back it was incredibly depressing. Both teams were all but down. We had a few fans there....maybe 500. I was on my own as a 14 year old. HT came. I looked around and the FFC fans just seemed to have gone. There was a little bunch of lads (100) at the back. I feared the worse. Anyway, these guys in front turn round and say, "We'll do these lot and then take on Selwyn". Thnakfully, I think we didnt represent any sort of threat so nothing happened but I remember having to walk through the exit with charlton on both sides singing. I came out the ground and got completely lost. I had no idea where the coach was. Some sort of god looked down on me and I bumped into a fellow fan who guided me to coach.....which got stoned.

Good news, we won 1-0. Howard Gayle, who was bloody brilliant. Thinking back, it used to be bloody grim in those days

I went to that too..depressing as you say.

coyw

[Travers Barney]

I also went to a few of the previous games at The Valley..one of them we were in a tiny little pen just to the right of that small stand they had on the opposite side to that huge open terrace that went up and up and up....0-0 draw...and then possibly the year later I think we won 1-0 late on and Greenaway scored...Fulham had quite a few punk fans..good old Chinner.......had to be on your toes at Charlton Station.

coyw

[SP]

I largely managed to avoid the aggro save for a home game against Middlesborough in the 80s.  Stayed behind after the game to buy tickets for a cup tie at Watford, the 2 of us turned a corner to find ourselves surrounded by a group of rather peeved Boro.  I expect they had just come second best in an earlier tear-up.  I found myself on the ground being kicked at will, not something I'd recommend.  The rather stressful episode finished when some old Fulham bird started screaming at them to 'get orf im' & gave me a chance to run-off.  Funny though, my old sheepskin coat provided excellent protection against the blows.     

[Scrumpy]

Well, things nowadays are a very far cry from the 80s and early 90s. And I think we're all pleased about that and I do not glorify hooliganism in any way. There is a tendancy to look back through rose tinted glasses but the vast majority of it involved 9 or 10 blokes picking on 2 or 3 opposition. So when people hark on about a tear-up between two willing and evenly matched mobs, it was not often the case.

I was at Gillingham with a mate (2 x 16 year olds) in 1982 and we were set upon by six 19 year olds. A bloody nose and humiliation.

I was in Cardiff with a mate and 2 girlfriends in 1984 ish. We were followed back to our car by a mob of about fifteen  16-17 year olds. They threw punches at us all, girls included, put the windows in and wrecked the car. We never had a chance. No glory really, just cowardice. Mob rule.

I was walking to a match in the late 80s when I saw 2 young Huddersfield fans set upon by about 10 or 12 Fulham fans. Again, no glory, no humour, no fun!

So while we have all had our scrapes in the past and we all look back with a chuckle, it really wasn't that great and generally these types would sh1t themselves in a 'one on one'. There's too many films and websites glorifying this stuff when in reality it was very much mob rule, with the biggest mob winning through. Looking back, it IS definately better nowadays.  098.gif

Enjoy the good times my friends. :clap_hands:

[Chesh]

I largely managed to avoid the aggro save for a home game against Middlesborough in the 80s.  Stayed behind after the game to buy tickets for a cup tie at Watford, the 2 of us turned a corner to find ourselves surrounded by a group of rather peeved Boro.  I expect they had just come second best in an earlier tear-up.  I found myself on the ground being kicked at will, not something I'd recommend.  The rather stressful episode finished when some old Fulham bird started screaming at them to 'get orf im' & gave me a chance to run-off.  Funny though, my old sheepskin coat provided excellent protection against the blows.     

I remember that game clearly, as I was in the actual ticket queue after the game and probably the exact same Boro mob tried to attack the queue, but luckily the old bill staved them off - maybe that's why they were so peeved round the corner!!

[mullers]

Perhaps my weirdest experience was when I made the mistake of taking my then girlfriend to a cup replay at White Hart Lane in the '80's. The Park Lane End was made up of Spurs fans on the West side [near where the away section is now], then Chelsea supporters, then Fulham fans. we were on the east corner with roughly equal numbers of the three sets of fans around us.

It was chaos when it all kicked off and my girlfriend got upset and started screaming. A chelsea supporter turned round to her and said, "I don't know what you're crying for, without Chelsea being here they'd run you all over the place." I completely forgot my manners and didn't thank him...

[Scrumpy]

Well, I thought of this thread as I watched about 20 Reading fans go 'toe to toe' with Fulham at the bus station!!

Not sure how it all started, but by the time our part of the queue had snaked around the corner there was half a dozen separate scraps taking place before the Reading lot backed off with a few bloody noses. Lots of posturing and bouncing about, and then they buggered off back under their stone with clearly no interest in going to the match. It was a bit like a flashback to the 80s!

5 minutes later about 5 police cars screeched to a halt and spent the next 15 minutes pulling people off the bus 2 in front of ours. The result was that 3 or 4 buses could not drive off to the stadium for quarter of an hour and we all arrived 20 minutes after kick off. I don't know why the Old Bill could not have got the coaches to the stadium and then pulled any guilty fans at that point.

Still, a good day out all in all, with excellent support from the Fulham faithful.

[mr-ska]

plus the 2 Fulham fans fighting each other in the 3 Guineas...  amazed they didnt get nicked,,  think the Police told them to sort it out themselves.  Meant to be best mates i heard.

[The legend of selwyns van]

 084.gif
It always amazes me when people say Fulham have never had a firm.......please where have some people been.....Fulham are no millwall and never will be buts that's not to say they haven't had different firms down the years some bigger or more active than others.....from the 70s you had the likes od Selwyn and co I won't name most of them as they are still around..the 80s was early on the suicide squad , chris Henderson or chubby was a founder who later defected to Chelsea . With the casual scene in the mid 80s. Came firms from the Crabtree pub and the Durrell arms, the 90s was mostly the Putney lot from the Bricklayers arms and H block....now it's the youngsters who call themselves the Fulham youth.........most people grow out of it teenagers will always try to fight each other.......these days most fights at Fulham are when provoked.....look at the fight at Reading on Saturday about 20 Reading hooligans had a go at Fulham fans and a few old faces from the past wouldn't stand for it and steamed into them.......most blokes just like a few beers with their football but there's nothing wrong with self defence..

[mr-ska]

084.gif
It always amazes me when people say Fulham have never had a firm.......please where have some people been.....Fulham are no millwall and never will be buts that's not to say they haven't had different firms down the years some bigger or more active than others.....from the 70s you had the likes od Selwyn and co I won't name most of them as they are still around..the 80s was early on the suicide squad , chris Henderson or chubby was a founder who later defected to Chelsea . With the casual scene in the mid 80s. Came firms from the Crabtree pub and the Durrell arms, the 90s was mostly the Putney lot from the Bricklayers arms and H block....now it's the youngsters who call themselves the Fulham youth.........most people grow out of it teenagers will always try to fight each other.......these days most fights at Fulham are when provoked.....look at the fight at Reading on Saturday about 20 Reading hooligans had a go at Fulham fans and a few old faces from the past wouldn't stand for it and steamed into them.......most blokes just like a few beers with their football but there's nothing wrong with self defence..

I know  most of the old faces... Reading really picked on the wrong crowd...

[JimmyDunnesBum]

I also went to a few of the previous games at The Valley..one of them we were in a tiny little pen just to the right of that small stand they had on the opposite side to that huge open terrace that went up and up and up....0-0 draw...and then possibly the year later I think we won 1-0 late on and Greenaway scored...Fulham had quite a few punk fans..good old Chinner.......had to be on your toes at Charlton Station.

coyw

chinner still goes ; spotted him a few times in recent years.

[The legend of selwyns van]

 yee-haw!
chinned is deffo an old face mad as a hatter still at 50 odd ......a major face of the 70s....still around..

[Travers Barney]

yee-haw!
chinned is deffo an old face mad as a hatter still at 50 odd ......a major face of the 70s....still around..


Yeh thought he might have been about Saturday..didnt see him though...loves Fulham does Paul but don't we all.

coyw

[SP]

Presumably a police civy unit is trawling through the CCTV footage of the bus station set-to with a few early morning calls & banning orders sure to follow?

[The legend of selwyns van]

Don't think there was any CCTV coverage hence Reading chose that spot......no police either amazingly....a real clanger as far as Berkshire police are concerned.... 079.gif

[Scrumpy]

Don't think there was any CCTV coverage hence Reading chose that spot......no police either amazingly....a real clanger as far as Berkshire police are concerned.... 079.gif

That's what's so unbelievable. It seemed an obvious flashpoint to me, especially at around 2.30pm. I thought that at least half a dozen OB would have been hanging around.

[mr-ska]

Don't think there was any CCTV coverage hence Reading chose that spot......no police either amazingly....a real clanger as far as Berkshire police are concerned.... 079.gif

That's what's so unbelievable. It seemed an obvious flashpoint to me, especially at around 2.30pm. I thought that at least half a dozen OB would have been hanging around.

I think the OB turned up about 2.45..  making some ordinary ffc supporters late for the game.  Plenty out and about after the game..