Anderlecht away including crowd disorder

[Dave Clark Five]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqJQmVILc9A&feature=youtube_gdata_player

[SashasGrandad]

I thnk that's the first time I've seen highlights from that game. I forgot we had some good chances to score. Also watched part 2 but disappointed that the clip didn't get to the end of the game - would have loved to relive the celebrations. I was very close to the fence when Kenny Swain was throwing his socks into the crowd.

The drop ball after the crowd interuption - was according to Denis Howell taken on the half way line - which is what won the arguemnt when Anderlect tried to get us thrown out. Well it was nearer half way than the penalty area so good job they didn't check the video!

I remember getting back to Dover the day after (after a night in Ostend) on a Travellers club coach. Being greeted by headlines in the Sun saying how there had been 3,000 drunken Villa fans in Brussels. I've never bought the Sun since - the majority of Villa fans went on the organised travel and were very well behaved. The trouble was in a home area where a few idiots had got on. Not sure who they were - not Villa fans by all accounts.

Nearly 30 years ago! At least we had a defence who could defend corners!

[Jon Crofts]

The main protagonists were soldiers from a Scottish regiment stationed nearby, nothing to do with Villa.

[steffo]

I could write a short story from 4pm Tuesday to 11am Thursday morning New Street to Bruselles £23 return. The most amazing journey in my life.

[dave.woodhall]

The main protagonists were soldiers from a Scottish regiment stationed nearby, nothing to do with Villa.

No they weren't. The whole 'Nuffink to do wiv us squire' was a myth.

[willywombat]

The main protagonists were soldiers from a Scottish regiment stationed nearby, nothing to do with Villa.

No they weren't. The whole 'Nuffink to do wiv us squire' was a myth.

Yep the c-crew were heavily involved

[Pat McMahon]

The main protagonists were soldiers from a Scottish regiment stationed nearby, nothing to do with Villa.

No they weren't. The whole 'Nuffink to do wiv us squire' was a myth.

Yep the c-crew were heavily involved

Most definitely they were, Willywombat. An advance posse skipped Southampton away I think and went over to buy 50 - 100 tickets for the section behind the goal with Anderlecht fans- the official Villa section was one half of the side terrace. 

They arrived a few days before the sem-final and treated themselves to some high jinks at the training ground on the Monday, playing with equipment and nicking a few souvenirs. There were hundreds of Villa fans around Brussels the night before the game, with the Stock Exchange the main focal point, and you had a feeling there may be trouble as this was the first easily accessible away game of the campaign (in the era before cheap flights - even this jaunt was probably a 9 -10 hour coach journey door to door).

On the night of the game itself there were some well publicised scuffles on the terraces were they were standing, but in reality it was not that serious compared to much stuff at the time. IIRC the fellow who ran on the pitch in front of Jimmy Rimmer - the incident which led to Anderlecht pushing for a replay of the semi or for us to be thrown out of Europe - was a squaddie and had no connection with Villa.

When the police were wading in during the fighting a large number of Villa fans in the official away section were singing "You're the shit of Birmingham" to those behind the goal.

We were drinking in a bar with some Anderlecht fans that night and they were as good as gold, telling us that they had their own hooligans and that it had been a 50:50 blame evening, but I always thought it was mainly the C Crew who started it - reinforced by meeting a few of the ringleaders on the ferry home.

The feeling that night was one of the greatest of my life and the post match celebrations were epic.

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

Drove over to this with my Dad, luckily we were in the seats well away from the trouble. All I really remember was saying to the old man at one point that I felt like going home early. Whatever the who and why - it just felt massively embarrassing at that moment compared with the pride I felt when we first made it to Europe and went to Antwerp in 1974. Having said that - you could then contrast it with the Rotterdam final and things such as good natured 100 a side football games with the Bayern fans.   

[Chris Smith]

It seemed to kick off when the Anderlecht fans started chanting Argentina, I made my way to the side to get away from it and everyone I walked through was singing "you're the shit of Birmingham".

My cousin had already been knocked by the over zealous police. He had a flag which came off the bamboo stick and flew over the fence. He climbed up asking for them to pass it back and they sent a squad in to haul him out. There was a picture of him in the paper when we got back with a caption saying something about an iron bar wielding thug, when in fact it was just the bamboo pole from his flag.

[Dave Clark Five]

I had a 'discussion' with Gary Newbon when we went into his outside broadcast van.

[Pat McMahon]

I had a 'discussion' with Gary Newbon when we went into his outside broadcast van.

Pray tell - was it an intelligent discussion about tactics and the match, or were you berating him for not having cameras at the famous Villa v Liverpool gamein 1976....?

[Dave Clark Five]

I had a 'discussion' with Gary Newbon when we went into his outside broadcast van.

Pray tell - was it an intelligent discussion about tactics and the match, or were you berating him for not having cameras at the famous Villa v Liverpool gamein 1976....?

It was a very drunken discussion that resulted in him being advised what a c*** he was. Looking back, it was a pathetic thing to do. However, we liked it at the time.

[TonyD]

Crazy game.  Went to the final but not this.  Don't know anybody first hand that did.  Second hand  tales at the time  were pretty hairy  - guns at Brussel Station with forces Villa "fans" . Looks like more than a few 100 Villa fans behind the goal in the troubled area.  Where was the Villa section? Was it in the stand with cameras?  Not even sure how many made the trip. 

[Dave Clark Five]

Crazy game.  Went to the final but not this.  Don't know anybody first hand that did.  Second hand  tales at the time  were pretty hairy  - guns at Brussel Station with forces Villa "fans" . Looks like more than a few 100 Villa fans behind the goal in the troubled area.  Where was the Villa section? Was it in the stand with cameras?  Not even sure how many made the trip. 

There were loads of Villa at that match. We were behind the goal at the opposite end to all the trouble.

[dave.woodhall]

Official Villa supporters were in the corner to the right of the trouble. Unofficial ones were behind the goal. Anything from 3-5,000 of us were there.