Has football violence ever discouraged you from attending matches?

[iwasthere1972]

Perhaps this is a question for the older guys on the board who remember the bad old days and less for the younger guys who have only known all seated stadia and segregation.

I regularly watched Hibs from about 1966/67 when I attended my first match at Easter Road and watched the likes of Pat Stanton, Jim O'Rourke, Eric Stevenson etc grace us with their footballing skills up until about 1974 when I said enough is enough. Away days ( I travelled on the Pentland bus which left from the White Hart in the Grassmarket) normally consisted of fighting with the home fans before and after the match and on a fair number of occasions getting the bus windows "tanned in" either before or after the game, sometimes both. Luckily for me I was fairly fit at the time and could show many a person a clean pair of heels.

Anyway the long and short of it is I stopped going to see Hibs in about 1974 as the enjoyment was no longer there. Maybe that was partly due to results but I know I wasn't prepared to run the risk of running battles every week or so. Getting that bottled smashed over my head after a match with the Jam Tarts maybe made me see sense.

Thankfully those days are largely non-existent and despite recent results it's a joy to go and see the Hibees.

Discuss.

[Killiehibbie]

Never stopped me wanting to go but I wasn't allowed to go to 79 Cup Final Replays after what happened at the first game.

[Moulin Yarns]

The atmosphere of hatred at the Hearts game at Easter Road earlier this season brought back memories of the 70s. That made me vow not to go to another derby.

[Stonewall]

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Never stopped me wanting to go but I wasn't allowed to go to 79 Cup Final Replays after what happened at the first game.

Yeh didn't go to either of the 79 Cup Final replays either. The aftermath of the first game was the worst I've experienced - truly horrible. Not long after got my nose broken by a Hearts fan after a Derby (for the crime of walking up Broughton Street on my own) and didn't go back for a few years after that.

[WHAM]

Heard a few stories about the aftermath of 79 cup final but what actually happened?

Think my old man may have been involved in a scuffle or few at that game involving a flag pole going up some deserving hun's nose. ouch

[Killiehibbie]

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Heard a few stories about the aftermath of 79 cup final but what actually happened?

Think my old man may have been involved in a scuffle or few at that game involving a flag pole going up some deserving hun's nose. ouch

The huns attacked anybody and everything they could after the game. I got a punch in the face from a man of about 30, I was 10 years old. Hardly a bus made it back without broken windows.

[WindyMiller]

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Perhaps this is a question for the older guys on the board who remember the bad old days and less for the younger guys who have only known all seated stadia and segregation.

I regularly watched Hibs from about 1966/67 when I attended my first match at Easter Road and watched the likes of Pat Stanton, Jim O'Rourke, Eric Stevenson etc grace us with their footballing skills up until about 1974 when I said enough is enough. Away days ( I travelled on the Pentland bus which left from the White Hart in the Grassmarket) normally consisted of fighting with the home fans before and after the match and on a fair number of occasions getting the bus windows "tanned in" either before or after the game, sometimes both. Luckily for me I was fairly fit at the time and could show many a person a clean pair of heels.

Anyway the long and short of it is I stopped going to see Hibs in about 1974 as the enjoyment was no longer there. Maybe that was partly due to results but I know I wasn't prepared to run the risk of running battles every week or so. Getting that bottled smashed over my head after a match with the Jam Tarts maybe made me see sense.

Thankfully those days are largely non-existent and despite recent results it's a joy to go and see the Hibees.

Discuss.

I was a regular on the Pentland bus from the days when we left from Waterloo Place and there were some right radges travelled then.

Thankfully they were on our side.

If I'm being honest, at that age, getting into battles was part of the day away.

[iwasthere1972]

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I was a regular on the Pentland bus from the days when we left from Waterloo Place and there were some right radges travelled then.

Thankfully they were on our side.

If I'm being honest, at that age, getting into battles was part of the day away.

Queensberry rules were fine but getting darts thrown at us at Rugby Park wisnae.

[Dashing Bob S]

A lot of people have candidly admitted to me that the sense of danger gave them an added buzz, whether they were involved in football violence or not.

And when it got quieter, they simply stopped going.

[jdships]

Had witenessed a few nasty incidents in around ER when the OF,Aberdeen/Hearts came visiting which were "par for the course " in 1970/80's and earlier
However after the Celtic V Hibs Leagur Cup Final of 1974/75 ( we lost 6-3) I vowed never ever to attend a match where Celtic FC were involved - and have never done so .
My son and I were on the lower covered terracing behind one of the goals and Celtic supporters were allowed behind/above us .
We had tumblers , excrement wrapped in paper , food tumblers etc thrown down on us . one glass ashtray hit a boy three along from us and split his head wide open.
This bombardment was almost continuous in the second half with no ptotection from security staff/polis
When we left the stadium , mostly quietly given the result, we were taunted by and spat at by Celtic supporters "held back" by grinning Glasgow polis.
No effort had been made ro disperse them
Our bus had no protection from Glasgow's finest and again Celtic yobs spat at and urinated against the coach.
Eventually the coach driver decided enough was enough and drove off leaving four of our lads to find their way home.
We as a group wrote to the Glasgow police complaining , with a copy to Celtic FC. We received a "stock answer" from a Chief Superintendant virtually accusing us of over reaction . From Celtic FC - [B]NOT A WORD [/B] sadly exactly what we expected !
I don't hatr Celtic FC , it's a word I never use, but boy I dislike the club , its supporters and everything they stand for .

I don't have any time , either, for Rangers FC . The 1979 cup final first game will live long in my memory for all the wrong reasons plus their secterian nonsense . I haven't attended a match with them since then.

[Killiehibbie]

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A lot of people have candidly admitted to me that the sense of danger gave them an added buzz, whether they were involved in football violence or not.

And when it got quieter, they simply stopped going.

It certainly added a bit of excitement to trips away to places like Dundee, Kilmarnock and the likes.

[clashcityhibby]

when I was a youngster in the mid-late 80's I saw plenty of running battles esp when we played Aberdeen or Dundee. Maybe it was my age that when it was happening I never felt particularly threatened by it. I'd hate to see anything like that now though.

[Hibernia Na Eir]

NO

[ancient hibee]

Got into Ibrox for a cup tie just before kick off-up the back of the terracing.The encouragement I got when seeing a line of Glasgow polis along the back disappeared as the one behind me shouted as we kicked off"get into these fenian ba*****s".

I was on holiday a few years ago when a Celtic supporter joined us in the bar and tried to convince me that we were the Edinburgh equivalent of them.He was a little put out when I told him that I would be perfectly happy for the government to use the next Old Firm match to test the efficiency of our nuclear deterrent.

[basehibby]

The threat of violence has never stop me personally from going to watch football although I know at least one person for whom it did.

[jakki]

I went to most home and away game from 62 to 69 , except the OF which my daddy banned me from,I went abroad and when I came back, started a family and ER was out of the question.

My son was invited to the first ever Kids Day and we decided to take it in turns to take him to the home games, the other babysitting the babies.

That day was a disaster.my son and his Daddy were in the enclosure when the wee lad inches in front of my son got his head split open by a bottle thrown from the main stand. My hubby left ER immediately disgusted at that and we both vowed never to take a child to a game.

The next game we went to was tha Final against Celtic. Although it was a disappointment, we realised that football had changed and it was family friendly.

We took out grandson to the Livi Final which although we got beat, he loved it and since then have continued to take grandkids to some games.

Although the Bolton was a horror for us, I still take them to ER if I can

[Keith_M]

Before I ever started going to football (in the mid 70's), my older cousin and his mate were attacked by Rangers fans, while waiting for a bus on London Road. He was severely beaten and his friend stabbed. Their crime was wearing Hibs scarves. AFAIK, neither of them have ever been to another game.

I didn't even know about this until after I'd started attending games myself. Maybe if I'd know before, I'd been put off going.

[Lofarl]

Its never put me off going. I did think about not going to the Hibs-Rangers game last season. I knew our end would be chock full of huns which would be trouble. I suppose I've been fairly lucky.

I stay in Blackburn which if weegie old firm central. I get a lot of looks from the hun/celtic mob at the pub as I wait for the bus wearing my hibs top.

I was surrounded by lots of Ayr inbreds last month as I took a wrong turn going to the bus. Had a bid vibe with that lot.

Im amazed someone never reacted at parkhead early on this season as I sang at full volume "If it wisnae for the Hibees, you'd be huns" when I was surrounded by thousands of them leaving the game. I've no idea why I did that, must have been my mood I suppose.

I saw a few violent incidents in my youth at ER. I remember a big fight in the away end when we played Motherwell. Plus the tear gas incident. Also witnessed a fair bit of the casuals in action. None of this really frightened or upset me in any way. Thats the joy of being 8 years old I suppose. You know your not a target.

[HenryMonk]

No, only encouraged me.

[.Sean.]

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The atmosphere of hatred at the Hearts game at Easter Road earlier this season brought back memories of the 70s. That made me vow not to go to another derby.

I'll be honest here and say I enjoyed the hostile atmosphere that we experienced at the last ER derby. I'm by no means a scrapper or a violent person in the slightest, but that game certainly had an extra edge to it and I did not mind it at all.

Excuse my youthful naiiveity(sp?) here, but who caused bother at Hibs games in the pre-casual era? Was there a skinhead element among the support at the time?

[Killiehibbie]

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I'll be honest here and say I enjoyed the hostile atmosphere that we experienced at the last ER derby. I'm by no means a scrapper or a violent person in the slightest, but that game certainly had an extra edge to it and I did not mind it at all.

Excuse my youthful naiiveity(sp?) here, but who caused bother at Hibs games in the pre-casual era? Was there a skinhead element among the support at the time?

There was seperate wee groups of guys who weren't afraid to have a go sometimes but the problem was they could often be found fighting each other. I remember seeing a few skins and seen them fighting each other as well.

[iwasthere1972]

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There was seperate wee groups of guys who weren't afraid to have a go sometimes but the problem was they could often be found fighting each other. I remember seeing a few skins and seen them fighting each other as well.

Me and my mates were regularly picked on by some gang from Royston for some unknown reason. Maybe they were after our pocket money or my mates flask of tea. We'll never know.

Talking about skinheads. Anyone seen HibbyAndy lately.

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

Its never stopped me going to the game, although I wasnae looking forward to leaving The Old Den after the famous Millwall pre-season game!

[frazeHFC]

I am only 17 but my dad told me a few weeks ago that after the 99/98 (?) Final/ Semi-Final where we lost to Aberdeen, as we made our way back to our car a big bunch of Aberdeen 'casuals' were shouting abuse at the two of us shouting "kick the Hibees in the head". I would have been about 6 so i don't remember it but must have been scared at the time.

How many of you on here were casuals? I do find it an interesting topic after reading the books, watching the programmes etc.

[WindyMiller]

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Me and my mates were regularly picked on by some gang from Royston for some unknown reason. Maybe they were after our pocket money or my mates flask of tea. We'll never know.

Talking about skinheads. Anyone seen HibbyAndy lately.

There was a pretty wild bunch from Royston travelled with the Pentland bus before we became an official Branch.
They needed delicate handling.

[At The Edge]

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I'll be honest here and say I enjoyed the hostile atmosphere that we experienced at the last ER derby. I'm by no means a scrapper or a violent person in the slightest, but that game certainly had an extra edge to it and I did not mind it at all.

Excuse my youthful naiiveity(sp?) here, but who caused bother at Hibs games in the pre-casual era? Was there a skinhead element among the support at the time?

i have often been told that Hearts had a large skinhead following in the 70's and they caused a bit of bother. don't know if this is true, never really heard of Hibs skins, although way before my time of going to see Hibs so maybe there was.

Did Hibs have a regular scarf round the wrist, flared jeans, long haired agro mob as you see in pictures of fighting at matches in the 70's? or was it as others have said just local area gangs who would converge on Saturdays at ER and batter any other in a different scarf.

[Monktonhall 7]

I remember loads of scuffles at ER, but one of the worst I witnessed was at Motherwell in the cup in 1976. Score was 2-2, and a guy in front of us got a dart in his head thrown by the Motherwell fans. The Hibs fans kept charging, and at one time I had several bodies on top of me and thought my time was up. if I remember correctly, we manged to get more people on our bus for the next away match!

[One Day]

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Never stopped me wanting to go but I wasn't allowed to go to 79 Cup Final Replays after what happened at the first game.

I went to all 3 games, with wembley in between, the 1st game was some of the worst trouble i ever seen scary stuff.hardly a hibs bus left without broken windows,

[Gatecrasher]

i have only seen the odd snippet of violence (a few scraps etc) at the football and its never put me off

[Alfred E Newman]

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I remember loads of scuffles at ER, but one of the worst I witnessed was at Motherwell in the cup in 1976. Score was 2-2, and a guy in front of us got a dart in his head thrown by the Motherwell fans. The Hibs fans kept charging, and at one time I had several bodies on top of me and thought my time was up. if I remember correctly, we manged to get more people on our bus for the next away match!

Remember that. One of my mates said at the time," whats worrying me is , there are 3 in a set!"
After getting involved in the pitch battle on Prospecthill Road after the 1972 cup semi against Rangers I decided against going to the replay and regretted it as we won. The final against Celtic was worse with over 200 arrests. Great days !