The game in those days was, to quote the late great Bill Shankly, “not a matter of life and death. It is much more serious than that”. It was a working-class game played to a set of rules and principles which had generally served well for over 100 years.
The game itself in those days was different, more entertaining, cultural and we ruled the terracing. The game was refereed by human beings and not the modern fucked up VAR. The referee’s decision, no matter how contentious, was final which is how it should be. We were always told ‘play to the refs whistle’ and nothing else because he’s the only man who “matters”. In today’s version of football – not the genuine article, far from it – it is impossible to use this age-old rule of thumb of playing to the ‘refs whistle’ because nine times out of ten it is not the final decision. Today the referee is regularly called over to the VAR monitor to review his decision and usually overrules himself on the orders of some other official in a hotel room watching the game with a very expensive piece of equipment called ‘Video Assisted Refereeing’ which should stand for ‘Video Automated Refereeing’. Only once have I seen a referee have the balls to tell VAR what to do with their interpretation of his decision and that was a game between Man City and Wolves. The ref, Farai Hallam, turned down the ‘VAR review’ and refused City a penalty. He was later judged correct by the Key Match Incident panel. The subject of VAR is for another day as there are many other aspects of the modern game which are ruining everything apart from making huge profits for a few people.
One major issue for me which ruins the culture of the modern equivalent of football is the all-seater stadia. This came into force after 97 Liverpool fans were victims of corporate murder, in my opinion, at an FA Cup Semi-Final in 1989. The establishment used this, pre-planned or otherwise, tragedy to impose all seater regulations on top flight clubs. This was despite the Taylor Report into the disaster exonerating terracing of playing any part in these deaths. Yet the powers that be still went ahead with imposing all seater stadia and prices rocketed as did profits. This may have been what Hillsborough was really all about, increasing profits which unfortunately cost 97 football fans their lives.
One major issue for me which ruins the culture of the modern equivalent of football is the all-seater stadia. This came into force after 97 Liverpool fans were victims of corporate murder, in my opinion, at an FA Cup Semi-Final in 1989. The establishment used this, pre-planned or otherwise, tragedy to impose all seater regulations on top flight clubs. This was despite the Taylor Report into the disaster exonerating terracing of playing any part in these deaths. Yet the powers that be still went ahead with imposing all seater stadia and prices rocketed as did profits. This may have been what Hillsborough was really all about, increasing profits which unfortunately cost 97 football fans their lives.
At last the establishment have control over the what was once terracing as seats are far easier to police than were standing areas! Back in the day of terracing what has become called ‘Tailgating’ was quite common and unofficially tolerated to a point. This was when one person would pay and his/her mate would go through the turnstile at the same time getting as close to the paying fan as possible. This resulted in only one supporter registering when in fact two had gone through. This was costing the big clubs - now businesses not football clubs in their true sense - money, profits! All seater stadia made this ‘tailgating’ less practical because even if another none paying fan gains entry into the ground only one supporter can occupy the seat. Not so on the terracing where as many as an extra thousand may have gained entry without paying at many grounds including Old Trafford and Anfield.
The establishment have finally taken control of the stadia as ‘Tailgating’ is now against the law to protect profits. On 16th April the Irish Daily Mirror could triumphantly report “Bans For Tailgaters” explaining how “Two individuals have been given banning orders after breaking a new tailgating law at last month’s Carabao Cup Final at Wembley”. Because these fans had gained entry to the stadium without paying to watch their team, either Arsenal or Man City, and cost money and profits they received three-year banning orders. I hope they refuse to pay their fines in one case £1,862 the other £471. I wonder what the fine would have been for entering a not-for-profit event without paying, an event where the bourgeoisie do not profit from?
Back in the sixties and seventies until fences were erected at first division grounds young fans could be seen on the pitch before and after the game hoping in many cases to get a player’s autograph or shake hands with their favourite. Viewers watching Match of the Day or The Big Match may recall such scenes with the tacit approval of the commentator, David Coleman, Barry Davies for Match of the Day or Brian Moore for ITVs The Big Match. I watched The Big Match Revisited on Saturday 18th April a game at White Hart Lane between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United in 1970. Before the game young fans were on the pitch and George Best was shaking their hands. To these young supporters this was probably the highlight of the day. Today these young fans would be branded as ‘hooligans’ by the sycophant commentators presenting the modern football shows.
Back in the sixties and seventies until fences were erected at first division grounds young fans could be seen on the pitch before and after the game hoping in many cases to get a player’s autograph or shake hands with their favourite. Viewers watching Match of the Day or The Big Match may recall such scenes with the tacit approval of the commentator, David Coleman, Barry Davies for Match of the Day or Brian Moore for ITVs The Big Match. I watched The Big Match Revisited on Saturday 18th April a game at White Hart Lane between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United in 1970. Before the game young fans were on the pitch and George Best was shaking their hands. To these young supporters this was probably the highlight of the day. Today these young fans would be branded as ‘hooligans’ by the sycophant commentators presenting the modern football shows.
Another piece of culture destroyed as fans today obediently sit in their little plastic buckets drinking their coffee. Who ever heard of taking a flask of coffee to a football match? Another negative in today’s game is time added on which can be up to ten minutes with all the fucking around with VAR. First the referee has to view the monitor if ordered to do so, he should just ignore it, then, after reconsidering his decision overrules himself as instructed. All this time is added on at the end of the game and what was once 3-5 minutes injury time calculated by the referee becomes ten minutes as decided by the ‘fourth official’.
The makeup of fans at many bigger grounds has also undergone a huge sea change. Many supporters do not come from the locality of the team playing and evidence of this can be found in a survey conducted by Liverpool FC in 2016. In this survey it was found only 47% of those attending games at Anfield had a Liverpool postal address, meaning 53% came from elsewhere. In a similar survey conducted by the club it was found of the 27,000 season ticket holders at Anfield only 5,832 or 21.6% had Liverpool postcodes. In comparison to this figure 25,647 or 81.1% of Everton’s 30,500 season ticket holders had Merseyside post codes. Notable to see it is the more successful of the two clubs, Liverpool, who attract the most hangers on, tourists.
The makeup of fans at many bigger grounds has also undergone a huge sea change. Many supporters do not come from the locality of the team playing and evidence of this can be found in a survey conducted by Liverpool FC in 2016. In this survey it was found only 47% of those attending games at Anfield had a Liverpool postal address, meaning 53% came from elsewhere. In a similar survey conducted by the club it was found of the 27,000 season ticket holders at Anfield only 5,832 or 21.6% had Liverpool postcodes. In comparison to this figure 25,647 or 81.1% of Everton’s 30,500 season ticket holders had Merseyside post codes. Notable to see it is the more successful of the two clubs, Liverpool, who attract the most hangers on, tourists.
On my last visit to Old Trafford before the Glazers legally stole the club, I noticed an increase in supporters not from Manchester. Back in the seventies and eighties United always commanded a good support from elsewhere, London (Cockney Reds), Yorkshire, South Wales, Scotland, Ireland and a regular small contingent from Norway. These would account for around 20% of those attending Old Trafford with the bulk of support coming from Manchester later, after boundary changes, Greater Manchester.
The difference between supporters from elsewhere back then and now is regularity. Supporters from Yorkshire, London, Ireland and even Norway would be as regular as the lads from Colyhurst or Salford whereas today with the season ticket culture fans from elsewhere tend to be different people every week. The owner of the season ticket lends out his/her seat in the event they cannot make the game. This results in people not getting to know each other as was previously the case. In the days of standing accommodation season tickets were not issued for these areas at Old Trafford and fans could purchase a League Match Ticket Book which was a similar standing equivalent to an ST. Back then only regular fans would purchase an LMTB and lending out the book was rare if ever because the user would be going to the match themselves. This habit of lending out the ST has resulted in fans at Old Trafford, Anfield, and the Etihad, home of Man City, not knowing any of the old songs usually, in the case of United fans, written by the supporters themselves. Many United chants came from popular ballads and folk songs of the day such as 'the Merry Ploughboy' an Irish republican song. Liverpool FC attempt to replicate the once highly vocal Spion Kop by playing ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ before the game. The voice singing this is a recording of Gerry Marsden with a few in the stands joining in.
It is a poor shadow of the former Kop with scarves aloft. As United fans used popular ballads to base their chants Liverpool ‘Kopites’ used the Merseybeat a popular music culture in Liverpool to base their songs. Either way it was our game, they were our songs, and our culture. The two most successful clubs in England, Manchester United and Liverpool, appear to attract the most tourists. Since 2012 when Man City won their first so-called Premier League title the number of tourists attending the Etihad has increased with the team’s continued success. City crowds at Maine Road fluctuated always lower than United’s from between 25,000 to 40,000. Many of these genuine fans, though not all, refuse to attend the Etihad because it is not City. Many fans who watch City since their success began are tourists. Everton beware if you ever become a success it may be your turn for tourist attention as Arsenal in London discovered. One thing is for sure the clubs we followed through thick and thin no longer require our presence, Man Utd are a prime example as the club call supporters ‘customers’. It is possible today to support the team but not the club and the owners, the Glazers facilitated this unwittingly.
Fans back then made all the pre-match entertainment themselves. If the Stretford End was full then entry to the Scoreboard End was the norm with the object of running the gauntlet of policemen trying to cross the pitch onto the desired Stretford End terraces. The chanting would begin about 2pm on an average game earlier if we were playing City or Liverpool. With scarves aloft those in the seating sections could be seen taking photos with their cameras of the scene on the Stretford End, a mass of red and white. Today Americanisation has taken over the pre-match entertainment with some burke on a microphone trying to sing once popular terrace chants while encouraging supporters to join in. This was not the way things were done, it is all phoney these days.
Fans back then made all the pre-match entertainment themselves. If the Stretford End was full then entry to the Scoreboard End was the norm with the object of running the gauntlet of policemen trying to cross the pitch onto the desired Stretford End terraces. The chanting would begin about 2pm on an average game earlier if we were playing City or Liverpool. With scarves aloft those in the seating sections could be seen taking photos with their cameras of the scene on the Stretford End, a mass of red and white. Today Americanisation has taken over the pre-match entertainment with some burke on a microphone trying to sing once popular terrace chants while encouraging supporters to join in. This was not the way things were done, it is all phoney these days.
As the teams emerge from the tunnel at many grounds huge bursts of flames fire skywards and American style lightly clad cheer girls dance waving batons. I shudder to think the chants which would have been heard from the terracing about these young girls back in the day! If you were not there it is difficult to paint a picture, just take my word for it, they were great times at the match. It seems with the blink of an eye the game of football died and I often wonder; where did it all go?
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| Caoimhin O’Muraile is Independent Socialist Republican and Marxist. |
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