Retro Shirt Reviews #10

Previously in Retro Shirt Reviews we released the originally Shelbourne-fanzine-exclusive RSR#7, taking a special look at that club’s less-documented kit past, but our last true installment was RSR#9 with this mid-late 80s long-sleeve Adidas beaut. If you enjoyed that then you are in for a treat, as we now return with more historic wonders of the football kit-related variety.

Club: “Tischler”
Year: circa 1984
Make: Adidas
Template: “Aberdeen”
Sponsor: Sport Schöll
Number: 4
Similarly Worn By: West Germany, Romania, 1984; Schalke, Independiente, PSV, USSR, 1985; East Germany, 1986

If the details listed above look familiar then you are correct, as this is another shirt from the same team that appeared in RSR#9. As is German tradition, the name of the club appears on the back above the number (sometimes seen below) to let us know that this another ‘Tischler’ jersey, which translates to carpenter or joiner. This is not even the first workers/union side of the sort that we have featured following the late-70s Adidas-Erima shirt (sadly sans the trefoil) from RSR#4, the large, amazing woodpecker-logo of which suggests a similar trade.

Unfolding the beautiful, long, three-striped sleeves, we can reveal that this is of course the Adidas “Aberdeen” template (which we all now know the name of, and some other classics, thanks to @TrueColoursKits), with it’s trademark horizontal shadow-stripes and matching collar’n’cuffs, popularly used at the time of it’s release:

This means that we have gone back in time (as is our want) by having already highlighted Tischler’s next jersey after this in RSR#9, as the design was first seen (at least widely) employed by West Germany and Romania at Euro 84 (discussed in Football Special Report #7). Many club sides around the world and other internationals took on the simple but pleasing look over the next two years, in many different colourways, but the most obvious comparison to our version comes from Schalke 04’s 85/86 kit, that used an incidental shirt apart from the sponsor.

As with it’s successor, the sponsor here is Sport Schöll, which we at first erroneously assumed meant Sports School (that would be “Sportschule“). But seemingly, Schöll is simply a family name and Sport Schöll appears to be a sports shop. The close-up also gives us a good look at that oh-so-nice shadow-striping:

Zooming in even closer to the brand logo, we can see that unlike the later shirt, where they were sublimated, the ‘adidas’ and trefoil are printed on and beginning to fade. This was also of an era where the logo-to-wordmark ratio wasn’t what it would become, as the letters are slightly smaller than what you might expect, with the extra “slits” on the trefoil also indicating the early-mid 80s production:

The other stand-out feature of this jersey, apart from the shadow-stripes, is the marvelous v-neck collar and matching cuffs, for which we are grateful to possess a long-sleeved version. As well as the iconic cross-over on the v-neck, the additional blue trim perfectly frames this sublime garment and makes the whole thing pop:

We have already mentioned the sleeve-stripes, but it is always worth re-iterating how great they look when given more length, for which we thank the elements of winter. The label, at which we also sometimes look at, is too creased to properly display, but it is the exact same as that which appeared on the other Tischler model.

Lastly, as usual, we turn over to the back. The same font for the name and the classy “box”-style number that would be seen on the 1986 shirt are already here, with the latter unfortunately not in the best condition. Still, this jersey is clearly a priceless artifact:

International Selection:

Continuing the German theme (which is continued a lot on here, and will remain so continued), we have a unique International Selection with two t-shirts born from Adidas inspiration on both sides of the formerly-divided nation. Unlike our vintage masterpiece above, these are modern “Adidas Originals” creations, which – while perhaps as morally questionable as any mass-produced item from a global, capitalist brand – can certainly still be stunning.

Starting with with the west, here we have an official Germany t-shirt that combines elements of two eras. The most obvious feature, clearly drawing inspiration from the World Cup 94 template, is the striking black, red and yellow pinstripes that stunningly combine to create large diamonds, echoing the original, which meet in the middle as if mirrored:

The abstract design can be interpreted in several ways, depending on how your eyes perceive it. In contrast are the understated, white-on-white stripes on the sleeves, which are not instantly visible. The black v-neck, meanwhile, along with the general shape and feel of the shirt, clearly hearken back to the minimal pre-Adidas West German jersey of the 1960s and 70s:

On the back we get a pleasingly striped “DEUTSCHLAND”, to leave anyone standing behind you in little doubt as to what country you are aligned. The font is similar to, and probably a reference to, Germany’s 2018 kit font, but not the same:

Last but not least, as we move to the east, is an Adidas Originals t-shirt that is of the same fabric as a football shirt. What’s more, it seems to have been inspired by one of the most famous designs in the football world, albeit not the exact same design.

Once again using True Colours as a reference, the original template was classified as the Ipswich, and as well as it’s famous use by the Netherlands and West Germany away, it was also seen applied to the colours of USA and East Germany. The American version differed from the rest as it’s geometric blocks face downwards rather than up, similar to how the middle-section of our shirt is pointing downwards, but the colourway makes it seem like something East Germany could have worn in an alternate, slightly more-advanced 1989 reality:

The round-neck collar that is used adds to the other-timeline-ish vibe, and is a welcome choice in our book (also note the huge difference in size of the Adidas font to the Aberdeen-template shirt above).

But again, the main body of the shirt can be seen in several different ways depending on how you view it. Do four triangle blocks of virtual cheese descend down the centre? Or are they are right-angle zig-zags above light-blue/dark-blue fading horizontal stripes?

*****

Pyro On The Pitch #15: Hajduk Split vs Olympique Marseille, Cup Winners’ Cup, 05/11/1987

In the last edition of the aptly named Pyro On The Pitch series we finally got around to covering some Italo-pyro, although an Italian pitch was subject to flares in an early “modern” installment also – just not at the hands of Italians.

Like Italy, our main subjects in this episode have a rich history of football-related disobedience, and they just happen to be the Balkan “cousins” of those who caused a mess in Genoa in 2010. They were last seen back POTP#11 and, as promised then, we now return to take a closer look at those crazy and courageous Croatians (or Yugoslavs as they were then) of Hajduk Split (with a healthy dose of the southern France thrown in too).

Background:

The story begins way back at the 1950 World Cup, when among the 199,854 spectators in Maracana Stadium for the final were a group of Croat-Yugoslav sailors and students. Amazed by the colour, noise and co-ordination of the home Brazilian fanatics, the young men took inspiration and decided to borrow the Portuguese name for the supporter groups they had witnessed: ‘torcida’, meaning “crowd” in English.

Thusly, upon returning to their homeland, a “Torcida” for their own club – Hajduk Split – was organised, with the aim of replicating the passion of South American supporters to spur on the team. The league opener against Red Start Belgrade on October 29th, 1950, was the official debut of the group, making them the oldest of their kind in Europe.

The name fell out of use over the coming years, but was revived at the start of the 1980s by young supporters with a new verve for terrace culture. The revival was the culmination of the the previous decade, which had seen a new rise in flags, banners and chants on the east stand of Hajduk’s old Stadion Stari Place, soon to be replaced by the new Stadion Poljud in 1979.


Hajduk Split's Torcida in full-effect vs Dinamo Zagreb, Yugoslav First League, 09/05/80.

Meanwhile, only a year after Torcida formed in 1950, an equally-momentous event had occurred in Italy as Torino’s Fedelissimi Granata (“Maroon Loyalists”) were born – considered to be the godfathers of the ultras. The movement properly picked-up in the 70s with an explosion of tifo-action across the country, now with the “Ultras” moniker as a handy catch-all title for the like-minded groups.

Soon, the concept was adopted by supporters in other countries, as evident by the naming of Real Madrid’s Ultras Sur in 1980 (although Sevilla’s Biris Notre came first in Spain having been founded in 1975). With Italy and Spain now accounted for, it’s seems natural that the one people who bordered both – the French – wouldn’t be too far behind.

The characteristics of ultra-culture were already well established in France by the early 80s, but in 1984 Olympique Marseille would officially lead the way with the formation of Commando Ultra’ 84. As seen in our recent Football Special Report on Euro 84, the club’s Stade Veledrome was also used to passion and pyro on the international stage, as well as domestic.


Home fans celebrate the last minute extra-time winner in a packed Stade Veledrome at France vs Portugal, Euro 84 semi-final, 23/06/84.

That very same year, Hajduk Split had managed to put together their greatest European run of all-time and made it to the UEFA Cup semi-final against Tottenham Hotspur. In England at the time, awe-inspiring masses of flags weren’t uncommon on the terraces (although more and more limited to the Cup by the 80s), but the English players may have been less equipped to deal with the exoticism of the flares let off by the likes of Split supporters on big continental nights.




Flags and a flare from Hajduk Split vs Tottenham Hotspur, UEFA Cup semi final-1st leg, 25/04/84.

From this match can be seen several Yugoslav flags among the Split support, showing that Hajduk was still very much a Yugoslavian-identifying team. The tie is most notable, however, for one of the most bizarre non-football, football related incidents of all time – one which animal-lovers (specifically cockerel-lovers) may want to skip-past reading.


Hajduk Split fans displaying a Yugoslavia flag at the match vs Tottenham Hotspur, UEFA Cup semi final-1st leg, 25/04/84.

Before kick-off at the first-leg in Split, a Torcida member ran on to the field clutching a live cockerel (grabbed from a local bar, which in itself tells it’s own story), as seen on the badge of their opponents, and proceeded to break it’s neck. Recounting events years later, the over-enthusiastic fan embodied a general sense of disgust with perceived English arrogance and had spontaneously (perhaps drunkenly) decided to make a symbolic point, while also manifesting his love for Hajduk through the majesty of bestial sacrifice.

UEFA were not at all impressed by the stunt, issuing a hefty fine to the club and banning the stadium from hosting international matches for three years, while Hadjuk themselves were forced to play in Osijek the following season against Dynamo Moscow. Now a lawyer and wracked with guilt, the supporter responsible has since apologised for his actions, having originally made it off the pitch unhampered (whether he left the poor bird laying on the grass or brought it back to the stands is unknown).

Over in France – by chance home of the cockerel – Marseille’s ultras had been making their presence felt in the stands, with a late 1986 home game against PSG being one of the earliest examples of the amazing colour and chaos created in the Velodrome. The game also gives us a good look at some unique numbering of the back of L’OM’s jerseys, which are also uniquely surrounded by “houses” due to the club’s property-based sponsors at the time Maison Bouygues.




CU'84 banner and flags followed by a huge pyro display from Marseille's ultras vs PSG, Division 1, 28/11/86.


The unusual numbering style seen on the back of Marseille's 86/87 Adidas shirt.

As the dynamic new supporter culture continue to grow, CU’84 were joined on the terraces of the Velodrome in 1987 by the groups “Yankee” in the north of the stadium and “South Winners” in the Command’s own Virage Sud tribune. More tremendous scenes from the stands greeted players as they emerged onto the pitch, such as the sea of white and blue flags ahead of Marseille’s 87/88 Cup Winners’ Cup first round-2nd leg match against East Germany’s Lokomotiv Leipzig (with the first leg having taken place in a stadium that could not have been more communist), in which a single goal was enough to give the French side an 1-0 aggregate win.


The view from the back of Virage Sud in Stade Velodrome, as Marseille prepare to take on Lokomotive Leipzig, Cup Winners' Cup, 30/09/87.

Elsewhere in the competition, none other than Hajduk Split had been entered as cup winners of Yugoslavia and were drawn against Denmark’s Aalborg BK for an all-round more civilised affair. There would be no flares or animal sacrifices when the two teams met on Danish soil, which obviously gave the home side an advantage as they took a suprising 1-0 lead going into the the return game.


Polite but enthused clapping as Danish cup winners Aalborg take the lead at home to Hajduk Split, Cup Winners' Cup first round-1st leg, 16/09/87.

Torcida, who were de-facto now an ultras group, had also been joined by new factions in Stadion Poljud such as White Boys. Even this ominously named group must have been impressed by the design of the visitors’ shorts at the second leg, sublimely continuing the thick stirpes of the Aalborg shirt (for a Scandinavian team, it works) which itself displayed huge “Denmark-style” numbers on the back.




Aalborg's all-stripey shirt and shorts, and large Hummel numbering on back, away to Hajduk Split, Cup Winners' Cup first round-2nd leg, 30/09/87.

Another single goal for the home team meant penalties, which the Croats won 4-2 to progress. For the second round, the draw threw up some interesting ties such as Hamburg vs Ajax and Den Haag vs Young Boys Berne, but the pick of the bunch as far as off the field antics went was Marseille vs Hajduk, with the first leg to be held in France.

It was Split’s fourth time taking on French opponents in Europe, after Saint-Éttiene (European Cup 74/75), Bordeaux (UEFA Cup 83/84) and Metz (UEFA Cup 85/86), while the only Yugoslav club that Marseille had played to date was Hadjuk’s great Croatian rivals Dinamo Zagreb, at the same stage of the same competition in 1969. What’s more, Dinamo had even defeated their Gallic opponents in the tie, but a repeat result seemed unlikely here as Marseille comfortably took the first leg 4-0, much to the delight of their flag and flare waving supporters.




Celebrations in Stade Veledrome as Marseille easily defeat Hajduk Split, Cup Winners' Cup second round-1st leg, 22/10/87.

Although the tie seemed effectively over, the ever-active Hajduk supporters made the second-leg in Croatia essential viewing.

The Match:

Split, 05/11/1987: 22,000 are in attendance at Stadion Poljud, located in the Poljud neighbourhood of the city, and as always the home end is draped in banners. After using a red and blue change shirt in the first leg, the hosts are back in their familiar white shirts and blue socks and shorts, while the visitors don the inverse with blue/white/white:

In the 9th minute, the passionate fans behind the goal – which is in inhabited by their own ‘keeper – throw some smoke bombs that land near the pitch. This isn’t so unusual but it quickly becomes clear that something is not quite right, as Zoran Varvodić in goal covers his mouth with his jersey while fans can be seen traveling across the stand in the background:

As orange and white mists plume, it turns out that the one of the bombs is not actually smoke but industrial grade tear gas, burning at 2000 degrees. As the gas spreads back up into the stands, the effected supporters begin to make their way out of the end and into the next section, with the terrifying threat of mass panic and crushing now a distinct possibility:

Whether this was a mix-up and the ultras had intended to use a regular smoke bomb, or the gas was intentional, we don’t know. The match goes on, but, as can be seen from the man that comes into shot below, soon those on the sideline can smell what is happening:

The white smoke can next be seen drifting on to the pitch…:

…before the referee finally realises what is going on and stops the game. The players run for the safety of the dressing loom, with some of the Frenchmen clearly in a far greater hurry than their Balkan counterparts:

Through the lethal fog, which is now an awe-inspiring sight, some supporters are clearly reveling in the mayhem as flags continue to be waved and more pyro lit:

At this point we get our first attempt to land a flare on the pitch, because “jebi ga“. It is an admirable effort, but just falls to the left:

With all the smoke, the gas, the flares, the flags, the streamers and the fleeing fans, it is quite the chaotic scene, and there is possibly clashes with police in there somewhere. It is probably just as many like it, to whom this is all far more fun than the match:

Another attempt is made to get a flare onto the grass, but the throw is just about lacking:

Meanwhile there is more mass movement along the terraces, with what may or may not (we’re really not sure) be a line of riot-cops moving in:

The camera man keeps himself busy with a nice, smooth panoramic shot of the “war-zone”:

In one section of the ground, perhaps where the wind was blowing, the gas seems to still be causing people to climb over fences and escape out of the stand:

Either for protection from the smoke or to conceal their identity in the unfolding riot, that is happening for no apparent reason, some young supporters below cover their faces with scarves as guards idly stand by:

More smoke bombs are also thrown, with their vivid yellow and orange clouds creating a striking artistic effect. Again, they have just about fallen short of the pitch:

Even though the tear gas alone would have qualified this whole incident for Pyro On The Pitch, we finally get the moment of truth as a flare is lit just as everything else seems to be settling down. First comes the wind-up…:

…And then (to be truthful, several seconds later) the throw. It’s good:

We officially have pyro on the pitch. Another supporter runs on to try and retrieve the flare, but it quickly burns out:

From a wide shot, we see that another one had nearly made it too:

The officials, a West German contingent (as can be seen by their Erima kits and a DFB badge on one of their shirts) led by referee Dieter Pauly, re-emerge to inspect the situation. The gas has dissipated, so they return to tell the cowering teams that it is ok to come out now:

We lastly see one stoic cameraman, who has been caught up in all this, retake his post position right in the middle of where the action had been. Business as usual:

Fifteen minutes after the interruption the game restarts, and a few minutes later Hajduk take the lead through a penalty. The score is doubled in the last ten minutes to give the home side a 2-0 win, but they still go out 2-4 on aggregate.

Aftermath:

The gas had resulted in two male supporters ending up in hospital that night and UEFA, naturally even more furious than over the cockerel incident, decided to take drastic action. First, the result was declared void and Marseille awarded a 0-3 win (not that they really needed it), but more importantly Hajduk Split were banned from European competition for two seasons and not allowed use their own stadium for a season more when they did return.

Having served their suspension, the “Bili” (Whites) would next appear in continental competition again in the Cup Winners’ Cup of 91/92 playing in the neutral venue of Linzer Stadium, Linz, Austria, and who were their opponents only their old friends from Tottenham. It was somewhat of a momentous occasion, as the final time that Hajduk – the last winners of the Yugoslav “Marshal Tito Cup” in 1991 – would be playing in Europe representing Yugoslavia.

For since the dictator himself died in 1980, the Balkan superstate had been on an inexorable slide into fragmentation as the stability, peace and prosperity that Tito had brought, died with him. By the Spurs game in 91, the flags baring the red star of Yugoslavia were gone from the Split supporters, now replaced by their own standard which would soon, after many had paid the ultimate price, take it’s place among the flags of the nations of the world:

YouTube Links:

Hajduk Split vs Dinamo Zagreb, 1978/79
Hajduk Split vs Tottenham Hotspur, 1984
Hajduk Split vs Tottenham Hotspur, 1984
Marseille vs PSG, 1986/87
Lokomotiv Leipzig vs Marseille, 1987
Marseille vs Lokomotiv Leipzig, 1987
Aalborg vs Hajduk Split, 1987
Hadjuk Split vs Aalborg, 1987
Marseille vs Hajduk Split, 1987
Hajduk Split vs Marseille, 1987
Hajduk Split vs Marseille, 1987
Hajduk Split vs Marseille, 1987
Hadjuk Split vs Tottenham Hostpur, 1991

*****

Gif of the Day Superpost, Part 1: #1-25

Over on our social media accounts (Facebook and Twitter, we don’t have an Instagram as of now but it’s owned by Facebook anyway so get off your high-horse) our Gif of the Day series (gifs not guaranteed every day) has been a popular feature, offering up a regular retro dose of aesthetic football pleasure to your timeline. The milestone of Gif#100 has just been passed, but posting them on those site is effectively throwing them into a blackhole after about day (and who knows how long Facebook and Twitter will last either, while we plan on surviving the global revolution/cataclysm), so we realised it is needed to archive them ourselves with the Gif of the Day Superpost.

So as not to totally slow things down, the Superpost will be broken into blocks of 25 and continually updated with new posts as we progress more with the series.
Edit: Click here for parts 2, 3 or 4.

May – September 2018

Gif of the Day #1: Rotating mini scoreboard behind goal at Finland vs England, 03/06/1982:

Gif of the day #2: Eintracht Braunschweig away to Vfl Osnabrück, 02/05/1998, from Pyro On The Pitch #8:

Gif of the Day #3: Take a minute to relax with this beautiful Champions World Class Soccer intro screen (Sega Genesis 1993), taken from APMFVGFH#6:

Gif of the Day #4: Italian pyro vs Brazil, World Cup 2nd round, 05/07/1982:

Gif of the Day #5: Supporters at half-time with make-shift pyro, Universitatea Craiova vs Dacia Unirea Brăila, Romanian Cup Final, 26/06/1993:

Gif of the Day #6: Terrace avalanche at Ajax vs Malmö, Cup Winners Cup 1987:

Gif of the Day #7: The amazing naked pitch invader from Tecmo’s “European Championship 1992“, complete with incompetent policeman. From APMFVGFH#7:

Gif of the Day #8: Estonia score their one and only goal of World Cup ’94 qualification during a 3-1 defeat away to Scotland, 02/06/1993. From Politics On The Pitch #1:

Gif of the Day #9: Unidentified flying objects at the end of Netherlands vs France, Euro ’82 qualifier, 25/03/1981:

Gif of the Day #10: Fence climbing youth celebrate a 1-0 win. Vitesse vs Parma, UEFA Cup, 13/09/1994, from Supporter Snap Back #1:

Gif of the Day #11: Brazil fans, World Cup 1982:

Gif of the Day #12: Everton fans upon full-time of a 1984 FA Cup semi-final against Southampton, taken from People On The Pitch #7:

Gif of the Day #13: Yugoslavia celebrate the third goal of a 3-1 win at home to Scotland, World Cup qualifier, 06/09/1989:

Gif of the Day #14: Classic Cryuff goal, Ajax vs Den Haag, 1982, with bonus handshake celebration (and this just happened to be #14 by happy coincidence):

Gif of the Day #15: Diego Simeone successfully throws off a Soviet penalty take during a friendly tournament game in Old Trafford, Argentina vs USSR, 23/05/1991:

Gif of the Day #16: Terrace chaos as Scotland go 1-0 up in a World Cup qualifier away to Wales in Anfield, 12/10/1977 (game played there after crowd trouble at the usual Ninian Park, Cardiff at Wales vs Yugoslavia 1976 and Liverpool was chosen over Wrexham due to the extra revenue from a bigger ground):

Gif of the Day #17: Goalscorer Renato gets far too familiar for his cig’ holding manager Valdir Espinoa’s liking, or the ref’s. Grêmio vs Hamburger SV, Intercontinental Cup, 11/12/1983:

Gif of the Day #18: Spectacular fireworks display at USSR vs Italy, Euro ’92 qualifier, 12/10/1991:

Gif of the Day #19: University College Dublin AFC‘s mascot Henry having a ball, Shamrock Rovers vs UCD, FAI Cup Final 1984:

Gif of the Day #20: Supporters of Sporting Clube de Portugal vs FC Porto, 16/01/1983:

Gif of the Day #21: Crazy stand behind the goal at Antwerp’s Bosuilstadion, Royal Antwerp FC vs Club Brugge KV, 07/10/1992:

Gif of the Day #22: Ravanelli celebration and pyro, Italy vs Slovenia, 06/09/1995:

Gif of the day #23: Streamer – goal – terrace chaos. Sligo Rovers vs Limerick City, FAI Cup Semi-Final 1994:

Gif of the Day #24: English hooligan daily arrest record, Euro 88 news report, 1988:

Gif Of The Day #25: Demolition job, FC Utrecht vs PSV Eindhoven, 19/04/1981. Taken from People On The Pitch #6:

*****

What Football Is Supposed To Look Like #9: “In The Studio” Special (Gallery)

Welcome back to another edition of the hit gallery series What Football Is Supposed To Look Like. If it is your first time, this is where we pay homage to the glorious aesthetics of football past by letting the pictures do the talking. After our gritty Belgian league special in WFISTLL#7, we now zoom in once again on a specific area with a look at the television side of football around Europe in the 80’s and 90’s (mostly) with a selection of amazing retro graphics, sets, fashion, and presenters.

Belgium, 1991:

Ireland, 1987:

Italy, 1984:

England, 1982:

Germany, 1996:

Italy, 1987:

Italy, 1985:

East Germany, 1980:

East Germany results, 1980:

Spain, 1993:

Germany, 1991:

Italy, 1999:

Belgium, 1987:

Belgium, 1988:

Italy, 1989:

England, 1970:

Germany, 1993:

Ireland, 1988:

England, 1988:

West Germany, 1989:

East Germany, 1989:

East Germany results, 1989:

East Germany table, 1989:

Denmark, 1992:

Germany, 1995:

Italy, 1982:

*****

People On The Pitch #7: Everton vs Southampton, FA Cup Semi-Final, 14/04/1984

Last time out, for People On The Picth #6, we went back to 1981 and took a look at the “self-destruction” of Stadion Galgenwaard, carried out by it’s own home supporters of FC Utrecht. Now we’re skipping ahead a few years and heading across the Channel for a classic English FA cup-tie on supposedly “neutral” ground.

Intro:

The 1982 children’s book “Vlad the Drac”, by Ann Jungman – in which two young siblings befriend a miniature vampire whilst on holiday in Romania and smuggle him back to England – contains a chapter where the dad of the family brings son Paul to a football match. When they return home, Dad is furious and Paul is bloody and beaten. It turns out that Vlad snuck along too and had incited a terrace riot; first by using racist language directed at a bunch of Scotsmen, then with provocative chants such as “Up The Arsenal” and “Chelsea Forever” (we can only assume they were at White Heart Lane), before knocking a coppers hat off in the resulting fracas, for which Paul was nearly arrested.

All is eventually forgiven. But the point is that hooliganism and general crowd trouble were such common facets of life by the early ’80s that they had made their way into children’s literature. Of course this manifested at the stadiums with the erection of often ineffectual containment fences in most grounds, to keep the action from spilling onto the pitch as it so often did. But as we hinted back in People On The Pitch #5, there was a notable exception to this as one big club refused to compromise the integrity of their ground with the unsightly railings.

The club in question was Arsenal and their stadium Highbury, the venue for a 1984 FA Cup semi-final between Everton and Southampton.

Background:

Highbury was a regular host of FA Cup semi-finals in the late ’70s and early ’80s, along most regularly with Villa Park and of course Hillsborogh. While Highbury’s pitch was vulnerable to encroachment from the stands, the lack of fencing did prove beneficial for the safety of the supporting body as a whole.

This was particularly evident at the 1981 semi-final between Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Hillsborough, at which overcrowding caused a near-fatal crush in the Leppings Lane end.


The dangerously full Lepping's Lane end at Hillsborough during the 1981 FA Cup semi-final between Tottenham and Wolves.


As the 1981 FA Cup semi-final went on, the uncomfortable tightness of the supporters in the packed terrace could be seen in the background.

Supporters were forced to scale the parameter fence to safety, and at half time many were moved to another section of the ground.


Spurs supporters forced to escape the crowd crush during the first half of the 1981 FA Cup semi-final.

Catastrophe was avoided for now and the game ended 2-2. The replay was moved to Highbury which negated this element of danger, as even if overcrowding had been an issue there was no such risk of the supporters being caged in to a confined space.


The 1981 semi-final replay at Highbury, showing a packed stand but a lack of fences.

During the following two seasons, Highbury hosted an ’82 semi-final between Queens Park Rangers and West Bromwich Albion, and Brighton & Hove Albion vs Sheffield Wednesday in ’83. Both were of course festive occasions with classic cup atmospheres and included minor pitch invasions for the victorious fans both years in QPR and Brighton, two sides with relatively small support bases.


QPR fans celebrate reaching the 1982 FA Cup final with a handful of supporters on the Highbury pitch.


A mass of Brighton & Hove fans in jubilant spirits at Highbury ahead of their 1983 FA Cup semi-final with Sheffield Wednesday.


Supporters on the pitch celebrate Brighton and Hove Albion's victory with players and the manager.

But the 1984 edition saw the arrival of one of the Football League’s biggest clubs in Everton, who were to take on Southampton for a second consecutive north vs south semi-final clash in the capital.

In what was an age of increasing mayhem, Southampton came into the game as one club not so famous for a hooligan problem, generally overlooked for their larger, more violent southern coastal neighbours, and bitter rivals, Portsmouth. Everton, on the other hand, were known for their County Road Cutters firm, who were among the most prominent in the country and had helped ushered in the casual era, which was at it’s peak.

Incidentally, the Cup semi was not the only neutral game played in the ground that year. QPR would again be present to host Partizan Belgrade in a UEFA Cup encounter in November, at which the near empty terraces provide another good look at the fenceless ground in it’s natural state, filled only with endless crush barriers (although a fence does the divide the stand within the terrace).


No fear of crushing at QPR and Partizan Belgrade's UEFA Cup second round game at HIghbury, 1984.

The Match:

With a festive Cup atmosphere and attendance of 46,587, we see that blue and white hats are the order of the day for many Everton fans, followed by a classic swaying mass of Southampton supporters:

The majority of Evertonians are crammed into the end behind the goal to the left, Highbury’s North Bank:

As the bigger club, there are many more Everton fans around the ground as well:

In between the blue and white caps, it is clear that we are smack-bang in the middle of the casual golden age here:

After 90 mins the score is still 0-0 and with no semi-final replays in this edition of the tournament, the game goes to extra time.

Everton manager Howard Kendall is angsty as he displays a sort of chopping motion, unlike his colleague in the powder-blue suit who seems in buoyant mood. From this we also get a look at some beautiful Le Coq Sportiff tracksuits on the Everton “bench”, which is itself a class piece of architecture:

Finally, after 117 minutes, Everton’s Adrian Heath puts the ball in the net with an awkward header. Just watch that terrace pop:

Looking closely at the above, you can see a leg coming over the advertisements, just behind and slightly to the right of the frame, kicking off the first pitch invasion of the day. Through the action replay we seem to catch the same supporter, well on his way:

Within seconds Heath is surrounded by fans and team mates alike, as off-camera many more fans enter the field:

We get another good look at the casual fashion on show with this gentleman’s fetching yellow garment:

There is also a very nice maroon/white/gray tracksuit top on one supporter, while the unabated joy on the hat-wearer’s face sums up the moment:

The celebrations continue as the commentator factually states “And the Everton fans are on the field…”, as some policemen saunter over to try and curtail the maniacal Merseysiders:

But the chaotic jubilation continues as more and more enthusiastic Evertonians rush to congratulate their hero Heath:

As the replay of the goal is shown, we get the line from commentary:

“And it’s going to take a minute or two to clear Highbury from the Everton fans who have invaded in strength.”

Even after the replay we can see that there are still supporters on the pitch. Similarly to Ion Geolgău in Pyro On The Pitch #11, goalscorer Heath now is now trying to usher fans away, understandably eager to finish the game:

From this we get a touching moment where Heath doesn’t exactly seem thrilled to have a stranger tenderly holding him by the neck, with his face millimeters away:

Again, his agitation at this is quite understandable. Speaking of understanding, the commentator then justifies the pitch invasion while simultaneously giving a green light to anyone watching at home to perform a similar action, with the line:

Well the Everton fans are now getting back behind the barriers, and in a way you can understand their jubilation when you consider how they’ve played second fiddle up on Merseyside so long.

With mere minutes to go, the Everton faithful continue to celebrate as chants of “We’re all going to Wembley!” ring out while the clock counts down:

Meanwhile all is quiet at the Clock End where the Southampton supporters are based, but a row of Police guard the pitch just in case:

At the other end the Police line up also, but ultimately helpless as many fans are just standing on the grass behind the touchline rather than back in the actual stand:

We can see one roguish young chap scurry back over the hoardings, away from the clutches of the Old Bill after an aborted attempt at standing on the field:

He’s not the only with the idea, as off camera another fan goes for a casual stroll across the pitch causing the referee to pause the game again. The commentator gives us another great line:

And there’s one fella who’s come on the field to hold things up, the Everton fans are giving him a right roasting you can be sure.

From the wide shot that follows we can see the culprit and he really looks like he’s just going down to the shops for the paper. Another fan in a classic denim jacket/jeans combo rushes on too, presumably to try to get to his colleague (or enemy, it could be a Southampton fan), but he is expertly shepherded by Everton players while the original invader struts off aimlessly with the help of a Southampton player:

The game is restarted as the commentator lets us know that the Everton fans are “are all ranked up behind Peter Shilton’s goal”. Only seconds later the final whistle blows to an all-mighty roar, queuing the inevitable mass invasion. As Southampton were about to have a thrown-in at the corner flag, we first get a marvelous close up shot as the crowd ejaculates from their tribune and onto the grass:

Note the classic casual jumper/hair cut/jeans/trainers ensemble on one fan, while the supporter beside him appears to be the same fan who was jumping joyously over Adrian Heath earlier. Also a classic advert for Bangkok:

As is common in this kind of situation, some players run for their lives but the commentator informs us that the Everton players are dancing with joy, which is nice. A wideshot shows us the tsunami of supporters and some classic graphics:

The last shots from the broadcast show the Everton fans raucously cheering their team off the pitch and surging in alarming density:

But this was of course not the end. From a news report later, we learn that Southampton fans had come on to the pitch as well and apparently about 1000 fans charged at each other with the police “hopelessly outnumbered”, as the report states:

Chaos reigned as the Police played cat and mouse with supporters where they could. Below is an admirable escape attempt:

Extra police were brought on to the pitch in an attempt to retain order:

As well as a horse-mounted unit, which eventually did force people back into the stands:

One long haired fan appeared to be wearing a flag, or piece of clothing, featuring a cannabis plant, for which he must be commended:

We learn that more than 80 were arrested and several injured. The news report ends with an acknowledgment of Highbury’s lack of fencing and Arsenal’s intention to discuss the incidents the following week, as we see more footage of roving gangs charging around the field:

Aftermath:

Arsenal’s stadium did in fact remain fence-free after this, as you will know if you remember the photo of the QPR-Partizan Belgrade game, which came later in the year. But the repercussions of what happened were felt as Highbury was not awarded another FA Cup semi final until 1992.

By that time it made no difference, as the fences were coming down in all other Football League grounds in England due to the events of another semi-final. As while Highbury had been shunned for it’s lack of human cages, another ground was rewarded for their continued use. That is of course Hillsborough, scene of the 1989 crowd cursh disaster, where cup semi’s had continued to be played despite the clear warnings we talked about above at the 1981 semi final there.

Oh, and Vlad ended going back to Romania and became a cheesy tourist attraction.

Youtube link 1
Youtube link 2
Youtube link 3

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Heroic Hang Jobs #2 (Gallery)

It’s high time for another edition of this new series where we look at classic flag and banner hanging, great and small. Throw in some of the best sinister old school railings and fences for a winning formula.

Austria Vienna vs Zalgiris Vilnius, UEFA Cup, 07/10/1988:

Netherlands vs Greece, Euro ’88 qualifier, 25/03/1987:

West Germany vs Argentina, friendly, 12/09/1984:

Slovakia vs Romania, Euro ’96 qualifier, 15/11/1995:

FC Den Bosch vs Feyenoord, Eredivisie, 14/09/1986:

Hamburger SV vs Nottingham Forrest, European Cup Final, 28/05/1980:

Northern Ireland vs Republic of Ireland, World Cup ’94 qualifier, 17/10/1993:

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Heroic Hang Jobs #1 (Gallery)

Welcome to the debut edition of our newest gallery series, where in a spin off of What Football Is Supposed To Look Like (and there may be a slight bit of overlap here or there but that’s ok) we celebrate the increasingly lost art of flag and banner hanging.

In modern stadiums, we regularly see soulless competition branding uniformly adorning any available space (well, “we” don’t), making every ground look the same in many tournaments. Even where this isn’t the case, there is often an uncomfortable slickness to the production and hanging techniques of banners by some big, modern day supporters groups, impressive though they still may be. Here we shall look back to a time when this wasn’t the case, when chaos and home-made were king, and the noun “smattering” was amongst the most apt to describe the banner-hanging glory of the era.

Young Boys Bern vs Den Haag, UEFA Cup, 04/11/1987:

Lithuania vs Ireland, World Cup Qualifier, 10/09/1997:

Poland vs Norway, World Cup Qualifier, 13/10/1993:

Getafe vs Real Avilés, Segunda División B, 08/04/1990:

Anderlecht vs Tottenham Hotspur, UEFA Cup Final, 09/05/1984:

CIS vs Germany, European Championships, 12/06/1992:

Luxembourg vs Greece, World Cup Qualifier, 12/10/1993:

Cold War Classic #5 – Bulgaria v West Germany, 1984

We are now in full swing with our Cold War Classic series in conjunction with MuseumofJerseys.com. See below for a teaser of episode 5 and a link to the full article. Awesome kit illustrations masterfully done by the MoJ maestro Denis Hurley.

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Cold War Classic no.5, Bulgaria vs West Germany, 1984

“…The 1980 game, a World Cup qualifier in December, set the stage for what was to come in 1984 as snow could be seen in the areas surrounding the pitch. But, either it wasn’t really too cold that day, or else footballers were still harder in 1980 than their counterparts four years later, as the players wore what they normally would for any match.”

“As we saw in CWC 4 though, a precedent for players wearing extra gear to keep warm in cold weather had already long been set. And while this was originally restricted to tracksuit bottoms for goalkeepers (whose position inherently means they won’t be able to keep as warm during a game as the outfield players who run more, so fair enough), by the 80s this had graduated to leggings being worn liberally by outfielders on particularly”cold occasions.”

-READ ON-

What Football Is Supposed To Look Like (Gallery) #1

Some classic grounds, shirts and general aesthetics of what football used to be.

Sand dunes, a car park, unorthodox ground sectioning, other random stuff laying around (handy for a riot) and a beautifully filthy pitch at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea vs West Ham, Division 1, 1986: