1987 – Pyro On The Pitch

Heroic Hang Jobs #6 (Gallery)

As the name suggests, this is the series where we pay homage to our favourite flag-hanging displays throughout the years, ranging from an entire end covered in colour to as little as one single banner. And of course, from any club or country. Click here for the all entries.

Catanzaro vs Bari, Serie B, 23/10/1988:

Bayern Munich vs Hamburger SV, Bundesliga, 24/04/1982:

SG Wattenscheid 09 vs Borussia Dortmund, DFB-Pokal 1st round, 11/08/1996:

East Germany vs Soviet Union, World Cup qualifier, 08/10/1989:

East Germany vs Soviet Union, World Cup qualifier, 08/10/1989:

Watford vs Chelsea, FA Cup 4th round, 01/02/1987:

Portugal vs Italy, World Cup qualifier, 24/02/1993:

Netherlands vs San Marino, World Cup qualifier, 24/03/1993:

Real Madrid vs Napoli, European Cup 1st round-1st leg, 16/09/1987 – Match played behind closed doors after crowd trouble at Real’s semi final with Bayern Munich the year before, but the banished home fans still make their presence felt through huge message-banners:
“With public or without public…“
“…The Real Madrid is unique.”

“More time than ever…“

“…Go Madrid!”

Scotland vs Faroe Islands, Euro qualifier, 14/10/1998:

Red Star Belgrade vs Portadown, Champions League 1st round-1st leg, 17/09/1991:

Portadown vs Red Star Belgrade, Champions League 1st round-2nd leg, 02/10/1991:

Sligo Rovers vs Club Brugge, Cup Winners’ Cup 2nd round-1st leg, 15/09/1994:

Sligo Rovers vs Club Brugge, Cup Winners’ Cup 2nd round-1st leg, 15/09/1994:

Mexico vs West Germany, World Cup quarter final, 21/06/1986:

Czechoslovakia vs Faroe Islands, World Cup qualifier, 23/09/1992:

YouTube links:
Catanzaro vs Bari 1988
Bayern Munich vs Hamburger SV 1982
SG Wattenscheid 09 vs Borussia Dortmund 1996
East Germany vs Soviet Union 1988
Watford vs Chelsea 1987
Portugal vs Italy 1993
Netherlands vs San Marino 1993
Real Madrid vs Napoli, 1987
Real Madrid vs Napoli, 1987
Scotland vs Faroe Islands, 1998
Red Star Belgrade vs Portadown 1991
Portadown vs Red Star Belgrade 1991
Portadown vs Red Star Belgrade 1991
Sligo Rovers vs Club Brugge 1994
Mexico vs West Germany 1986
Czechoslovakia vs Faroe Islands, 1992

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Gif of the Day Superpost, Part 3: #51-75

The third block of the first one hundred Gifs of the Day from our Facebook and Twitter pages, and it’s another marvelous selection. Anything can happen in the Superpost. Click here for part one, part two or part four.

Gif of the Day #51: 1993 – Hagi scores against Wales in Cardiff. The 1-2 defeat eliminated the hosts while securing Romania‘s place in the finals on the last day of the group. World Cup 94 qualifier, 17/11/93:

Gif of the Day #52: 1993 – To make it up to our Welsh followers for yesterday’s heartbreaking reminder, here are happier times from earlier in the same game as pyro is let off in the Cardiff crowd while Eric Young hashes out with manager Terry Yorath, plus a huge can of Coke. Wales vs Romania, World Cup qualifier, 17/11/93:

Gif of the Day #53: 1985 – Quintessential scenes from the East German DDR-Oberliga as BSG Wismut Aue go 0-1 up away to BSG Motor Suhl, 16/03/85:

Gif of the Day #54: 1988 – The scene as Nacional (Uruguay) and Newell’s Old Boys (Argentina) take to the field for the second leg of their Copa Libertadores final, 26/10/88:

Gif of the Day #55: 1981 – Stadio Olimpico’s Curva Sud ahead of AS Roma vs SSC Napoli, Serie A, 08/03/81:

Gif of the Day #56: 1973 – Flag bearers in Greek traditional dress lead the AC Milan and Leeds United teams as they parade with a large Greek flag ahead of the Cup Winners Cup final, held in Kaftanzoglio Stadium, Thessalonica, 16/05/73:

Gif of the Day #57: 1973 – Violent scenes at the end of the Cup Winners Cup final. AC Milan vs Leeds United, Kaftanzoglio Stadium, Thessalonica, 16/05/73:

Gif of the Day #58: 1985 – Maradona channels his inner Steve Staunton with an “Olympic goal” (that is straight from a corner kick). Napoli vs Lazio, Serie A, 24/02/1985:

Gif of the Day #59: 1983 Manchester United fans chanting at Arsenal, FA Cup semi-final, Villa Park, 16/04/83:

Gif of the Day #60: 1968 – Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie (revered as god incarnate by the Rastafarian movement) watches the final of the African Cup of Nations, alongside the tournament trophy, in the humbly titled Haile Selassie Stadium. Democratic Republic of Congo vs Ghana, 21/01/68:

Gif of the Day #61: 1980/81 – Scenes from the Italian ultra scene. Taken from People On The Pitch #9:

Gif of the Day #62: 1991 – Curva Fiesole ahead of Fiorentina vs Juventus, Serie A, 07/04/91:

Gif of the Day #63: c.1979 – Scarves and smoke in the Shed at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea vs unknown:

Gif of the Day #64: 1998 – Intro to “World Cup 98” for the Nintendo 64:

Gif of the Day #65: 1994 – “Fog of war”, the Rome derby is shrouded in smoke after pyro from both curvas. Lazio vs Roma, Serie A, 06/03/94:

Gif of the Day #66: 1990 – Intro graphic before Barletta vs Torino, Serie B, 25/02/90:

Gif of the Day #67: 1993 – Curva Nord at the Stadio Armando Picchi in Livorno, formally known as Yankee Stadium during the post-WW2 years due to it’s use by American soldiers. Livorno vs Savona, Campionato Nazionale Dilettanti (Serie D), 10/01/93:

Gif of the Day #68: 1991 – Iceland go 2-0 at home to Spain, en route to one of their greatest victories ever up to that point. Euro 92 qualifiers Group 1 (an unbeaten France progressed), 25/09/91:

Gif of the Day #69: 1981 – A home end Bunnikside bomb explodes by the head of away goalkeeper Joop Hiele. FC Utrecht vs Feyenoord, Eredivisie, 15/02/81, taken from Pyro On The Pitch 13:

Gif of the Day #70: 1987 – A lone dancer solemnly performs a traditional Basque folk dance for veterans of the 1937 “Euzkadiko Selekzioa” (Basque national team) to mark 50 years since their first match abroad (taking on Racing Paris the same day Guernica was bombed in the Spanish Civil War) in the the San Mamés stadium ahead of Athletic Bilbao vs Real Sociedad, La Liga, 17/10/87:

Gif of the Day #71: 2001 – Irish international David Connolly scores his first of two goals in a 3-4 away win at the Ajax Arena, Ajax Amsterdam vs Feyenoord Rotterdam, Eredivisie, 13/05/01:

Gif of the Day #72: 1991 – Stadio Olimpico’s Curva Sud celebrates the first goal in 2-1 win for Roma against Brøndby to send the home side through to the final after a 0-0 in Denmark. UEFA Cup semi-final 2nd leg, 24/04/91:

Gif of the Day #73: 1981 – Scenes of jubilation, as well as aggravation in the away sector, after Norway‘s famous 2-1 victory over England in Oslo, World Cup qualifier, 09/09/81:

Gif of the Day #74: 1982 – A small but colourful away crowd are rewarded as Mick Martin’s own goal silences Lansdowne Road. Ireland vs Spain (final score 3-3), Euro 84 qualifier, 17/11/82:

Gif of the Day #75: 1991 – The greatest “strike” in football history as an away ball boy feels the wrath of home ‘keeper Wolfgang Wiesner during a post-reunification East vs West German club clash. BSV Stahl Brandenburg vs FC Bayer 05 Uerdingen, 2 Bundesliga Nord, 16/11/91. Taken from Football Special Report #4:

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Gif of the Day Superpost, Part 2: #26-50

Part two of our compilation of Facebook/Twitter “Gifs of the Day”, follow the pages to catch the gifs as they come in real time (thick and fast). Click here for part 1, 3 or 4.

Gif of the Day #26: PAO pryo, Panathinaikos vs Olympiakos, Greek Cup Final, 28/05/1986:

Gif of the Day #27: World Cup 90 coverage on Japanese TV, 1990:

Gif of the Day #28: Red Star banners, Red Star Belgrade vs Portadown FC, Champions League, 19/09/1991:

Gif of the Day #29: Home fans celebrate the third goal in 3-1 win, Lithuania vs Albania, World Cup 94 qualifier, 14/04/1993:

Gif of the Day #30: Winning goal in Ghana 3-2 Italy, Olympics, Atlanta, 23/07/1996:

Gif of the Day #31: AS Roma supporters, Cup Winners Cup 84/85, vs Bayern Munich, 20/03/1985:

Gif of the Day #32: The disappointed “just conceded a goal” terrace sway, Everton vs Bayern Munich, Cup Winners Cup Semi-Final, 24/04/1985:

Gif of the Day #33: In 1992, BSV Stahl Brandenburg goalkeeper Wolfgang Wiesner disciplines a Bayer 05 Uerdingen ball-boy for kicking the ball away. He is immediately sent off:

Gif of the Day #34: Netherlands vs Germany, European Championships, 18/06/1992:

Gif of the Day #35: Crazy Dortmund terrace after goal, Borussia Dortmund vs Auxerre, UEFA Cup semi-final 1st leg, 06/04/1993 (credit to the YouTube channel of the amazing Soccer Nostalgia blog that we love https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrJOu5SKZimBK2s6N4VYUUw):

Gif of the Day #36: Packed Bayern Munich terrace vs AC Milan, European Cup semi-final 2nd leg, 18/04/1990:

Gif of the Day #37: Recipe for trouble, Ajax Amsterdam away fans celebrate a goal in a terrace also populated by home supporters, vs FC Utrecht, 1979/80:

Gif of the Day #38: FAI Cup final 1996 – after Shelbourne FC goalkeeper Alan Gough is sent off with no sub GK on the 3-man bench (on either side), an unhappy Brian Flood is forced to go in goal. vs St. Patrick’s Athletic, 05/05/1996:

Gif of the Day #39: 1983 – Scoreboard and fireworks, Anderlecht vs Benfica, UEFA Cup Final 1st leg, 04/05/83:

Gif of the Day #40: Italian TV “EuroGol” graphics, 1987:

Gif of the Day #41: 1977 – Superb bicycle trick pre-match entertainment ahead of Hafia FC (Guinea) vs Ghana, 28/09/77:

Gif of the Day #42: 1980’s – Karlsruher SC home terrace in their recently deceased Wildparkstadion. Click here for our recently existing article that looked at their UEFA Cup tie with Bordeuax in 1993:

Gif of the Day #43: 1997 – Italian supporters in Stadio Nereo Rocco, Trieste; the city near Italy’s most eastern point that’s less than 10km from the Slovenian border. Vs Moldova, World Cup 98 qualifier, 29/03/97:

Gif of the Day #44: 1988 – Dutch supporters burn the host country’s flag after victory in the semi final. West Germany vs Netherlands, European Championship, Volksparkstadion, Hamburg, 21/07/88:

Gif of the Day #45: 1987 – A firm of Chelsea arrive in the away end at Vicarage Road with their side’s FA Cup fourth round tie against Watford already underway, 01/02/87:

Gif of the Day #46: 1979 – A passionate/delirious Inter fan wishes a nerazzurri player well before the match (continuing on for several more seconds after the gif). Internazionale Milano vs Juventus, Serie A, 11/11/79:

Gif of the Day #47: 1970 – Classic terrace avalanche of Chelsea fans in White Hart Lane for the FA Cup semi-final vs Watford, 14/03/70:

Gif of the Day #48: 1991 – FC St. Pauli going 1-0 up en route to a famous win in the Olympiastadion, away to Bayern Munich, Bundesliga 02/03/91:

Gif of the Day #49: 1985 – *clap clap clap* “United!” The Red Army occupy Manchester City’s Maine Road at Manchester United vs Liverpool, FA Cup semi-final replay, 17/04/1985:

Gif of the Day #50: 1986 – Linesman can’t abide time wasting. Mexico vs West Germany, World Cup quarter-final, 21/06/86:

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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:

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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:

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What Football Is Supposed To Look Like #8 (Gallery)

Last time in WFISTLL, we zoomed in on the Belgian league scene of the late 80s and early 90s with a whirlwind of pics and gifs illustrating the gritty supporter culture present in that time and place. Now we return to our usual format of a selection of images that demonstrate what used to make football so interesting, in a variety of classic 20th century ways.

Superb away jersey, Northern Ireland vs Republic of Ireland, World Cup qualifier, 14/09/1988:

Umbrella crowd, fence, classic hoarding and graphics, Chile vs Yugoslavia, Under-20 World Cup (hosted by Chile), 10/10/1987:

Raised stands and large entrance-way with row of people, Turkey vs West Germany, European Championships qualifier, 24/04/1983:

Snow-patch pitch, East Germany vs Scotland, European Championships qualifier, 16/11/1983:

Competing anthem bands (although the lot on the right look like children in comparison?) and angular team line-ups, West Germany vs Netherlands, World Cup 74 final, 07/07/1974:

Confetti pitch, Internazionale Milano vs AS Roma, Serie A, 24/03/1988:

Arabic Marlboro advert, Zaire vs Zambia, African Cup of Nations 74 (hosted by Egypt), 12/03/1974:

Amazing old-old school end with supporters on roof, Portugal vs Italy, friendly, 15/04/1928:

Rain plus no roof equals many, many umbrellas, Czechoslovakia vs Netherlands, European Championships 76 semi-final (hosted by Yugoslavia, match in Zagreb), 16/06/1976:

Classic graphics, USSR vs Netherlands, friendly, 28/03/1990:

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Heroic Hang Jobs (Gallery) #3

We now take another enjoyable look at a selection of classic flag and banner hanging efforts from days gone by, highlighting both clubs and countries with arrays big and small, but always heroic.

FC Carl Zeiss Jena vs Sparta Rotterdam, UEFA Cup 83/84, 02/11/1983:

FC Carl Zeiss Jena vs Sparta Rotterdam, UEFA Cup 83/84, 02/11/1983:

Belgium vs Netherlands, World Cup ’86 qualifier, 16/10/1985:

Shamrock Rovers vs Dundalk FC, FAI Cup Final 1987, 26/04/1987:

Spain vs Greece, friendly, 24/09/1986:

Kispest Honvéd vs Nîmes Olympique, Cup Winners Cup 96/97, 26/09/1996:

Kispest Honvéd vs Nîmes Olympique, Cup Winners Cup 96/97, 26/09/1996:

Finland vs England, World Cup ’86 qualifier, 22/05/1985:

Slovenia vs Italy, Euro ’96 qualifier, 07/09/1994:

Universitatea Craiova vs Dacia Unirea Brăila, Romanian Cup Final 1993, 26/06/1993:

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International Duty – Club Banners At National Team Games #5 (Gallery)

In this series we look back to an era when supporters were often more likely to represent their local side on the terraces when the national team was in town (or abroad), rather than the national team itself.

Germany vs CIS, European Championships, 1992
KSC Fanclub of Karlsruher SC:

Italy vs Slovenia, Euro ’96 qualifier, 1995
“Nord Kaos”, “Brigata”, “Arthur Zico Orsaria” and others of Udinese:

Netherlands vs Hungary, Euro ’88 qualifier, 1987
SC Heerenveen:

Finland vs England, World Cup ’86 qualifier, 1985
“Chelsea-Sutton” of Chelsea FC:

Belgium vs Wales, Euro ’92 qualifier, 1991
CCFC and other banner of Cardiff City FC:

Netherlands vs Poland, World Cup ’94 qualifier, 1992
“Lechia” with Celtic cross (far-right symbol) of Lechia Gdansk:

Italy vs Georgia, World Cup ’98 Qualifier, 1996
“Vecchia Guardia“, “Brigata Ultra” and other groups of A.C. Perugia:

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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: