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Author Topic: Villa v Rangers 1976 - reaction  (Read 12357 times)

Offline Cliftonville Villain

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Re: Villa v Rangers 1976 - reaction
« Reply #15 on: November 06, 2017, 10:31:58 PM »
Have to say the Irish League and to be fair, the fans of local teams here have really got their act together in regards to dealing with the sectarianism that has blighted the local game here throughout the decades. It's still there among some moronic fans but it's on its way out. Belfast Rangers fans though are a different breed. I've been among them at Windsor Park and I've taken in an Old Firm match at Ibrox. Never again. I detest generalising, but it's a horrible, horrible club with fans to match. What happened at Villa Park forty years ago should have been consigned to history but Manchester showed it's still in them. Oh, and I've no affinity for Celtic whatsoever.

Offline Pat McMahon

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Re: Villa v Rangers 1976 - reaction
« Reply #16 on: November 06, 2017, 10:53:45 PM »
I was barred from going as a daft 16 year old provably the wisest thing my mum and dad ever stopped me from doing
Same for me but I was only 13.

I seem to recall one of the tabloids had a headline " the day the Villa ran wild" as I think they said a couple of Rangers fans were stabbed. I may be wrong on that one though.

Offline villa `cross the mersey

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Re: Villa v Rangers 1976 - reaction
« Reply #17 on: November 07, 2017, 10:49:03 AM »
I remember the match vividly - I worked above New Street at the time and watched the Rangers hordes descending on the city from Thursday onwards - by Friday afternoon there were hundreds of them in town - I used to drink at the Windsor at lunch time and a fair number were trying to get served in there.
On Friday afternoon I watched in total disbelief as a Rangers fan climbed up some ladders (belonging to a window cleaner) outside either Ratners or HS Samuels on Corporation St and then hanging from the large clock outside - it was like a scene from a Buster Keaton/Charlie Chaplin film :)
The Saturday morning /afternoon was carnage - when I got to Villa Park with my father it was obvious that the Rangers fans had "Taken Over" the Holte End - like idiots me and VCTM Snr still paid to get into the Holte - it was already a 1/3 full of drunken Rangers "fans" who were hell bent on causing mayhem - I saw kids aged about 11 swigging from bottles of sherry - one guy was pissing on his mate who was lying prone on the floor in an attempt to "revive" him.
VCTM snr was an RAF veteran having served  in the Far East and had witnessed some barbaric scenes whilst there couldn't believe what was happening inside his beloved Villa Park - there were no stewards I don't think and certainly no, if any police inside the ground at that stage - we decided to make a transfer to the Witton End and were charged by a turnstile attendant for getting to a place of safety - between the Holte End and the Witton End Snr was relieved of his wallet (which was later handed into the police in Glasgow minus his Barclaycard!!)
At 2-0 up (Frank Carradus scoring one of them I think) the idiots invaded the pitch and it was game over
We got home in one piece and on the night I went into town but most pubs were closed or very restrictive - I ended up going to the Odeon to watch a film - it was bizzare - when the lights came on at the end of the showing the place was full of Rangers fans !!! - I swapped my Sports Argus for a brand new Rangers Silk Scarf
I will never forget that weekend  - Some years later I went up to Glasgow to see Rangers v Aberdeen in a League Cup Final - they were just as bad then on their own turf  -
A night out on the town in Glasgow was certainly an eye opener for a young naïve Brummie
« Last Edit: November 07, 2017, 10:52:02 AM by villa `cross the mersey »

Offline usav

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Re: Villa v Rangers 1976 - reaction
« Reply #18 on: November 07, 2017, 02:59:11 PM »
Two questions:  how much of the match was left when we went 2-0 up and why were we playing them anyway?

Offline Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air

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Re: Villa v Rangers 1976 - reaction
« Reply #19 on: November 07, 2017, 03:29:13 PM »
Two questions:  how much of the match was left when we went 2-0 up and why were we playing them anyway?

I think we were about 65 minutes in.

Online kippaxvilla2

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Offline Dougs Socks

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Re: Villa v Rangers 1976 - reaction
« Reply #21 on: November 07, 2017, 05:38:15 PM »
I was 14 and up town with mate that day. Always used to wear my Villa scarf, and these cretins were spitting at me whilst we were waiting for the Bus home. Adults spitting at kids...wankers. One think is for sure, they would not do it today, because their teeth will be coming out in their shit. Never liked any of the Glasgow clubs since.

Offline class-of-82

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Re: Villa v Rangers 1976 - reaction
« Reply #22 on: November 07, 2017, 05:39:36 PM »
remember after the game there was 100s of us who was going back into town and we knew if we strayed apart we would get picked off then there was a Austin princess wedge shape police car just up from witton island that got absolutely destroyed when everyone charged at a load of rangers fans then 2 riot vans arrived, it was total mayhem for ages.
most of us stayed around the costermonger at oasis market most of the night

Offline rim gk

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Re: Villa v Rangers 1976 - reaction
« Reply #23 on: November 07, 2017, 07:12:45 PM »
I know someone who used to play in a local band at the time, he is also a blues fan but lived and worked amongst villa fans is well liked and popular with villa. Anyway his band were playing in town the night before the game, and a load of scotch walked in started saying "can yer play any status quo'  they replied no, the scotch weren't happy and smashed the boozer up.

Online Flamingo Lane

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Re: Villa v Rangers 1976 - reaction
« Reply #24 on: November 07, 2017, 07:45:32 PM »
Two questions:  how much of the match was left when we went 2-0 up and why were we playing them anyway?

It was about 48 minutes in and we were playing them in a friendly because it was an international match weekend - a very unusual thing in those days.

Offline usav

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Re: Villa v Rangers 1976 - reaction
« Reply #25 on: November 07, 2017, 10:28:19 PM »
Two questions:  how much of the match was left when we went 2-0 up and why were we playing them anyway?

It was about 48 minutes in and we were playing them in a friendly because it was an international match weekend - a very unusual thing in those days.
Cheers.

Offline ColinMac

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Re: Villa v Rangers 1976 - reaction
« Reply #26 on: November 10, 2017, 12:32:33 PM »
I know someone who used to play in a local band at the time, he is also a blues fan but lived and worked amongst villa fans is well liked and popular with villa. Anyway his band were playing in town the night before the game, and a load of scotch walked in started saying "can yer play any status quo'  they replied no, the scotch weren't happy and smashed the boozer up.

The scotch? I didnt realise a bottle of whisky could speak, let alone smash a pub up.


Online kippaxvilla2

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Re: Villa v Rangers 1976 - reaction
« Reply #27 on: November 10, 2017, 07:33:50 PM »
The Single Malt Crew are notorious and have an English branch at Scotch Corner.

Offline steamer

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Re: Villa v Rangers 1976 - reaction
« Reply #28 on: November 17, 2017, 10:41:25 AM »
I was an apprentice and took the opportunity to earn a few extra pounds by working that saturday as there was no real game on.
No social media then, but the days events were being played out on BRMB
I went into town after work and as class of 82 says, a lot of villa around Hole in the wall and costermonger.
There were a few scores settled in town, as guys who had been on the lash for two days were picked off.
In hindsight a crazy fixture, Doug trying to make a few shekels on an International weekend.
You only have to remember the mayhem at the England Scotland games at Wembley, to imagine what was going to happen, this was Braveheart, Carnival time with everyone invading the land of the sassenachs, for a drunken replay of Bannockburn.
As an aside I think it was Sean (RIP) who was wearing his Celtic shirt and waving at them from the lower Trinity that raised the odds a bit.

Offline West Derby Villan

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Re: Villa v Rangers 1976 - reaction
« Reply #29 on: November 19, 2017, 12:00:29 PM »
I was an apprentice and took the opportunity to earn a few extra pounds by working that saturday as there was no real game on.
No social media then, but the days events were being played out on BRMB
I went into town after work and as class of 82 says, a lot of villa around Hole in the wall and costermonger.
There were a few scores settled in town, as guys who had been on the lash for two days were picked off.
In hindsight a crazy fixture, Doug trying to make a few shekels on an International weekend.
You only have to remember the mayhem at the England Scotland games at Wembley, to imagine what was going to happen, this was Braveheart, Carnival time with everyone invading the land of the sassenachs, for a drunken replay of Bannockburn.
As an aside I think it was Sean (RIP) who was wearing his Celtic shirt and waving at them from the lower Trinity that raised the odds a bit.

Do you mean John Sullivan?

 


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