Author Topic: Shanklyboy's and Fat Scousers ( Leo who's still alive ) auld arse thread  (Read 3991354 times)

Offline Rick13

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Great joke,jambutty, and nice story about your Mum. Hope she's looking forward to Euro 2021.
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Offline Lad

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Just went back and read the first ten pages on here. What a great thread this was back in 2008, some wonderful stories of going the match in the old days. Young uns should be pointed to it to see how boring going the games are now compared to then.

This used to be one of the best threads on RAWK until it got shifted into the boozer about five years back. Shame really.

Offline JohnnoWhite

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Morning Lad,

You don't know how good it was this morning (Thursday 10 June) to see this post from you - and I'm a Manc who's been on this board for over 10 years! For these last 18 months and longer, I've been bobbing in to see who's still bothering their arse to come here - and been sadly disappointed. You are dead right about the moving of the thread disaster. That has virtually been a slow kiss of death for what once was a vibrant, entertaining, funny and joyful thread that rejoiced in re-visiting the glorious past! Now, it's dwindled to not even a trickle. Some great sharing over the years of all sorts of good non-nasty banter exchanges which for an auld arse of 76 like me, was effing brilliant.
Sadly, some good old lads have passed on to that great football stadium in the sky and are and always will still be missed.

Maybe it will NEVER get back to those bygone days where great exchanges were commonplace about a game that used to belong to US ALL. That's down to us so we'll have to wait and see eh?
There is nothing wrong with striving to win, so long as you don't set the prize above the game. There can be no dishonour in defeat nor any conceit in victory. What matters above all is that the team plays in the right spirit, with skill, courage, fair play,no favour and the result accepted without bitterness. Sir Matt Busby CBE KCSG 1909-1994

Offline Red_Mist

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Just went back and read the first ten pages on here. What a great thread this was back in 2008, some wonderful stories of going the match in the old days. Young uns should be pointed to it to see how boring going the games are now compared to then.

This used to be one of the best threads on RAWK until it got shifted into the boozer about five years back. Shame really.
Didn’t get as far as the first ten, but just had an entertaining half hour reading the first few pages. Absolutely brilliant as you say. It should’ve been called the Rawk Running Thread back then ;D

Offline Pheeny

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I perfer it in the Boozer as I never go into the "main" forum these days...

Offline Lad

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Morning Lad,

You don't know how good it was this morning (Thursday 10 June) to see this post from you - and I'm a Manc who's been on this board for over 10 years! For these last 18 months and longer, I've been bobbing in to see who's still bothering their arse to come here - and been sadly disappointed. You are dead right about the moving of the thread disaster. That has virtually been a slow kiss of death for what once was a vibrant, entertaining, funny and joyful thread that rejoiced in re-visiting the glorious past! Now, it's dwindled to not even a trickle. Some great sharing over the years of all sorts of good non-nasty banter exchanges which for an auld arse of 76 like me, was effing brilliant.
Sadly, some good old lads have passed on to that great football stadium in the sky and are and always will still be missed.

Maybe it will NEVER get back to those bygone days where great exchanges were commonplace about a game that used to belong to US ALL. That's down to us so we'll have to wait and see eh?

Morning Johnno...yeah I was only an occasional poster but I have a couple there in the early days. Used to mainly sit back and enjoy the banter from you lot and Fat Scouser etc.

 Indeed we have lost some popular funny informative lads and girls from here over the years and it's a real shame that hardly anyone visits here anymore.


Offline JohnnoWhite

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If we keep bobbing in now and again - and posting anything just to keep the thread on the front page - maybe the fans will come flooding back eh?  :P :P
There is nothing wrong with striving to win, so long as you don't set the prize above the game. There can be no dishonour in defeat nor any conceit in victory. What matters above all is that the team plays in the right spirit, with skill, courage, fair play,no favour and the result accepted without bitterness. Sir Matt Busby CBE KCSG 1909-1994

Offline John C

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I perfer it in the Boozer as I never go into the "main" forum these days...
Is that because it was one of your final decisions as a Mod, mate :)

I agree with you though.



« Last Edit: June 15, 2021, 10:32:01 pm by John C »

Offline Pheeny

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Is that because it one of your final decisions as a Mod, mate :)

I agree with you though.
Forward thinking...

Offline BSBW

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Anyone retired on here? I done it last Feb and haven't stopped smiling since, saying that, I'm still doing two days a week part time but it's the dog's doo dahs. I wish I could have afforded to do it years ago.
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Offline Red_Mist

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Anyone retired on here? I done it last Feb and haven't stopped smiling since, saying that, I'm still doing two days a week part time but it's the dog's doo dahs. I wish I could have afforded to do it years ago.
Hi mate, just seen you’re in Brisbane. You don’t know a Liverpool supporter called Jason (Jack) Morris do you? Early/mid-50s, drinks like a fish, smokes like a chimney. Long shot I know but was just thinking maybe all the Brizzy reds drink in the same bars on match day :)

Congrats on the retirement.

Edit: Weirdly I just had deja-vu like I’d asked you that before on here about 10 years ago ;D
« Last Edit: June 16, 2021, 02:56:49 pm by Red_Mist »

Offline Pheeny

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Anyone retired on here? I done it last Feb and haven't stopped smiling since, saying that, I'm still doing two days a week part time but it's the dog's doo dahs. I wish I could have afforded to do it years ago.
I was retired but after spending 4 years at home I've gone back to work.

Offline kopite.keith

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Anyone retired on here? I done it last Feb and haven't stopped smiling since, saying that, I'm still doing two days a week part time but it's the dog's doo dahs. I wish I could have afforded to do it years ago.

I retired five years ago and wish I could have afforded to have done it years before that. I did take a part time job for a few months which was fine but packed it in when I received the state pension. My only complaint is that the time flies by and as long as health holds up I am really happy (COVID aside) with things at the moment.
When in Rome...

Offline BSBW

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Hi mate, just seen you’re in Brisbane. You don’t know a Liverpool supporter called Jason (Jack) Morris do you? Early/mid-50s, drinks like a fish, smokes like a chimney. Long shot I know but was just thinking maybe all the Brizzy reds drink in the same bars on match day :)

Congrats on the retirement.

Edit: Weirdly I just had deja-vu like I’d asked you that before on here about 10 years ago ;D

Alright mate, sorry don't know him. For my own sanity, I stopped going to the ale houses that show the matches a few years ago, I found myself getting wound up with the amount of "die hard" reds. The final straw was when the main so called Liverpool ale house here in the city had a"Let's all dress as Scousers night", this consisted of them all turning up as Harry Enfield 'Scousers' - it was all too much for me and I would have ended up in trouble, so I fucked the night and all future association with them off - right fuckin' Victor Meldrew me now! :)   
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Offline JohnnoWhite

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I'm a Manc and have been a member of this board for 14-15 years. When I first came on as you'd expect ,there was the perfectly normal reaction of WTF do you want coming here? Happy to say before too long all was sorted and this board is a paradise for old gets like me that just love the game and debate. But got to say what a shite idea for ANY pub to propose  - never mind a Liverpool pub! I can't be doing with that get Enfield - both him and his old fella have much to answer for mate.
« Last Edit: June 17, 2021, 08:40:57 am by JohnnoWhite »
There is nothing wrong with striving to win, so long as you don't set the prize above the game. There can be no dishonour in defeat nor any conceit in victory. What matters above all is that the team plays in the right spirit, with skill, courage, fair play,no favour and the result accepted without bitterness. Sir Matt Busby CBE KCSG 1909-1994

Offline BSBW

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I'm a Manc and have been a member of this board for 14-15 years. When I first came on as you'd expect ,there was the perfectly normal reaction of WTF do you want coming here? Happy to say before too long all was sorted and this board is a paradise for old gets like me that just love the game and debate. But got to say what a shite idea for ANY pub to propose  - never mind a Liverpool pub! I can't be doing with that get Enfield - both him and his old fella have much to answer for mate.

Alright Johno, you're a part of the furniture here mate. Funnily enough I had a few mates from Manchester and I used to stay at their house in the seventies, they also came to ours, this friendly relationship started off a bit mad actually. It was 77, we'd won the European Cup and me and a load of mates decide to head to Rhyll, we ended up in a field by the beach with our tents pitched, mine had a big dart drew right along the side with the words "Anny Rd Darts Team' in big bold fuck off letters. There was about ten of us all having a laugh as sixteen year olds do, most of us had just left school, no money, no jobs and couldn't give a fuck about anything apart from going to the match and having a laugh.

We were sitting around our tents when a load of lads turned up in a mini bus and after cautiously sussing us out from the safety of their van, parked over the other side of the field. They unpacked all their gear and were uncomfortably aware of us sussing them out whilst we passed around our cans of Harp lager and shared our ciggies. It wasn't long before we sussed them out as Mancs and we all got a little bit excited, thinking 'this is deffo going to kick off here'. They had a few old blokes with them who were controlling them and appeared to have all their lads respect. Anyway, shortly after they started a kick about and needless to say the ball came over by us a few times - this would make a great film! A couple of times we just ignored the ball and made them come and get it, we thought we were acting all cool and hard but probably came across as a gang of dickheads! We shouted the odd obscenity which unfortunately included references to Munich, wooly backs and sheep shagging, not the best start to relationship forming.

After a few chats amongst us and constant glaring back and forth, one of their lads called Gus came over and asked if we wanted a game - how fuckin' mad is this going to be? Most of us being half bladdered on a can and a half of lager and a shared Party Four accepted, let the mayhem begin! You could sense a mixture of tension and good humour and although a few half hearted snide remarks were made, it was a good kick about. We all sat down afterwards and like with the Germans in the trenches during WW1, peace ensued during that special moment in time. Ciggies were handed out and the slops of our ale was shared. It transpired that these lads were from Ancoats Lads Club and were having a weekend away with their leaders.

We sat chatting for ages, like us, they were a mixture of red and blue and the majority of them were all regular match goers and you know what? There wasn't a cockney amongst them! As mad as it sounds we ended up hanging around with them for most of their stay, a couple of them had not long been released from borstal and we had a great laugh. It was a surreal situation and we all laughed that we've all probably been part of opposing mobs during our travels to each others grounds, this was verified during the exchange of experiences when following our teams, the most of which, depending on the speaker, had a biased slant to who ran who! Well, the weekend came to an end and telephone numbers were exchanged. We stayed in Rhyll for a few weeks and I ended up getting a job washing glasses in a club called The Orange Peel but after a while fucked off back home.

I rang 'The Mancs' and agreed to visit them staying at John and Paul Guerns (spelling?), fuck me, how mad is Ancoats? It was like living on the set of Shameless, only madder! We had some screams, the family were great and the locals in the ale house, The Monument (I think) which was just over the road from  Paul and John's Mam and Dad's flat, thought it was mad having a scouser visiting and all made me welcome. I must have visited about a dozen times and would get off the train at Piccadilly and walk through to their place, smiling as I walked past a number places were we'd previously had a few skirmishes. Paul and John also came to our house and the hospitality was repaid, I even ended up getting into a bit of a relationship with one of their sisters, they had three, two of which were professional shoplifters and often spent time away at Her Majesty's pleasure, great girls though.

We had quite a few experiences during our mutual visits, one which resulted in me getting sussed out by a gang from Miles Platting and ending up with a visit to Ancoats Hospital after being knocked out on a canal bank. I'm proud to say that my Ancoats mates all jumped in on my side, unfortunately, being the main "Mickey Mouser" target, I came off worse. Another time I was staying in their Josie's (eldest sister) and I was half bladdered and in bed when the door opened, I heard a couple of lads asking "Who the fuck is that" and clearly pointing at me - I played an Oscar winning performance as an unconscious drunk whilst at the same time almost shitting the bed as Josie dragged them out saying "Coco, leave it, it's one of our John's mates. Thank fuck Coco (the infamous Manc scally) listened to Josie and off they went to conduct their nocturnal activities in another room. madly enough we all laughed about it the next day, with no Coco around that is, and shivered to think what would have happened if they had sussed me out! Like most youth experiences, we all moved on and got jobs, I joined the army in 79 and sadly lost touch. I met John at a Man U match one day and had a gab over the fence in the Rd End, the bizzies and fans from both sides suspiciously watching our every move and wandering what the fuck was going on. I saw their youngest brother (can't remember his name) load of times, he was a mad Manc red and went everywhere as 'one of their boys'.

I've often searched facebook and the likes but can't find fuck all on any of them, not that I've got much to go on like. I know Paul ended up as a slaughter man in the local abattoir and I'm sure all their flats have now been knocked down and they've all probably gone their seperate ways, ah well that's life. Sorry to go on but Johno, you started my flash back and I thank you for that mate. I won't wish you good luck for next season because that will be a lie :)                                         
« Last Edit: June 17, 2021, 11:37:30 pm by BSBW »
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Offline Red_Mist

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Alright mate, sorry don't know him. For my own sanity, I stopped going to the ale houses that show the matches a few years ago, I found myself getting wound up with the amount of "die hard" reds. The final straw was when the main so called Liverpool ale house here in the city had a"Let's all dress as Scousers night", this consisted of them all turning up as Harry Enfield 'Scousers' - it was all too much for me and I would have ended up in trouble, so I fucked the night and all future association with them off - right fuckin' Victor Meldrew me now! :)   
Kinell, I don’t blame you. That’s a shocker. I doubt he’d have got on with that either.

Brilliant stories with the mancs btw, enjoyed reading that ;D

Offline JohnnoWhite

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Great stories there mate!! Yeah my Nin (Keelan) came from Ancoats - I knew the district well (well I did back then in the 50's anyroad!) Big % Irish descent there as was she. She had 5 uncles and 4 Aunties and her dad, James Patrick was the eldest of the 10. There's Keelan relatives all over Manchester (and beyond) now but many of 'em today don't know where they all started from. Funny coincidence though years and years later. Me and my missis moved to Macclesfield in April 1967 - no chance of a council house in Manchester but Macc was wanting to attract people in so I rang their council and said we'd love a re-let. Struck lucky and we and our 6 month old daughter Joanne (who's now 55!) moved into our first home on Kent Walk. So the following year our son Anthony arrived almost exactly 2 years after Joanne.
Anyway, to the point, both our kids went to St Alban's Catholic school which very handily was 200 yards from our house! He palled up with 3 or 4 lads (Dave Payne, Andy White(no relation!), Chris Burgess and Neil Griffin whose family were Scousers!) They all played footie for the school - cracking football team they were too - won everything going. 12 months later when they all got to big school, all bar one of St Alban's junior team became All Hallows footie team. In that 1st year, they STILL shouted to their team-mates "Come on St. Alban's"!!

So coming up 11 and it's confirmation time before they all shortly leave the primary school to go to All Hallows. Now the above-mentioned Dave Payne lived across the close from us We knew his mam and dad Isobel and George who were older than we were and Dave was their final baby and their only boy. Isobel reminded me of someone but I couldn't place who.

The confirmation day arrived and Isobel's brother came to be Dave's sponsor when the Bishop came to bless 'em all. Her brother also reminded me of someone too and still I couldn't place who!! Anyway, later that day we were having a drink or three at the Payne residence with her brother there too - and we got talking of origins and where we were from. And waddya know - Isobel and her brother were bloody Keelans and we were related 2nd or 3rd cousins removed!! But like I said earlier, the Keelan clan was a big one. The story goes that ALL the Keelans in the Manchester phone directory are all related - yet some of 'em these 120 years later haven't a clue that they are!!

The very nicest bit of the story is that my lad Ant (who's now 53) is STILL best mates with Dave, Andy and Chris! Neil emigrated to Oz some years back and another little snippet about him, ****once upon a time, he was Gary Lineker's brother-in-law. Lineker married his really beautiful younger sister who's name escapes me but God she was gorgeous. But sadly, their marriage didn't last too long. **** Anyway there you go lad  - a veritable chronicle in miniature!! Take care OK?

EDIT: Just re-checked my recollections of  the Lineker marriage see above **** - and I'd got it a tad arse-uppards!! Neil Griffin's SISTER was best mates WITH Michelle Lineker!! Eehh warra cock-up eh?
« Last Edit: June 18, 2021, 01:53:06 pm by JohnnoWhite »
There is nothing wrong with striving to win, so long as you don't set the prize above the game. There can be no dishonour in defeat nor any conceit in victory. What matters above all is that the team plays in the right spirit, with skill, courage, fair play,no favour and the result accepted without bitterness. Sir Matt Busby CBE KCSG 1909-1994

Offline Manila Vanilla

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A lot of us here will have Irish backgrounds, Johnno. Mine are very similar to yours.

My great-great grandfather was from Carlow but was living next to Manchester Victoria when he got married to an Irish girl at the Catholic church, the “Hidden Gem”. They moved close to what is now Mancunian Way, not far from London Road Station (now Manchester Piccadilly).

He was a waiter and moved his family to Liverpool. He was also fond of the horses and the women and left his wife. She had no option but to take in lodgers. One of them married her daughter and became my great-grandfather...

Offline JohnnoWhite

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The proverbial "Little Ireland" quarter off Oxford Road then mate. Aye long ago hard times for the Irish crammed into slums without toilets etc.  Some of course survived to stay the course whilst others had terrible times.

For the Ancoats Irish, there was a close affinity with their fellow Catholic Italians also in Ancoats "Little Italy" and St Michael's parish just off Gt. Ancoats Street.
There is nothing wrong with striving to win, so long as you don't set the prize above the game. There can be no dishonour in defeat nor any conceit in victory. What matters above all is that the team plays in the right spirit, with skill, courage, fair play,no favour and the result accepted without bitterness. Sir Matt Busby CBE KCSG 1909-1994

Offline JohnnoWhite

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A lot of us here will have Irish backgrounds, Johnno. Mine are very similar to yours.

My great-great grandfather was from Carlow but was living next to Manchester Victoria when he got married to an Irish girl at the Catholic church, the “Hidden Gem”. They moved close to what is now Mancunian Way, not far from London Road Station (now Manchester Piccadilly).

He was a waiter and moved his family to Liverpool. He was also fond of the horses and the women and left his wife. She had no option but to take in lodgers. One of them married her daughter and became my great-grandfather...

The Hidden Gem - St. Mary's Mulberry Street off Albert Square. It's well-named mate - a very beautiful oasis of peace in the midst of a crazy world. My great-great Grandad Corporal James Patrick Keelan of the 2nd Manchester Regiment was killed on the 1st July 1916 - day one of the battle of the Somme. I was working in Northern Belgium in the early 2000's in Flanders and the deal was we were working a 9 day fortnight so there through one weekend (saving them flight costs of course!) This particular weekend, 4 of us drove down through Luxembourg and into Northern France to visit the monument to the dead on the Somme at Thiepval close to the battlefield.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thiepval_Memorial
The massive memorial carries the names of the over 72,000 who were killed in action but whose bodies were never found. GG J P Keelan was one of them. Beautiful countryside and the sun was shining on that so sad place and I was very moved but proud to have gone there and signed the book of Remembrance for him. Eerily no birds were singing and this was in the middle of Summer.
« Last Edit: June 20, 2021, 08:16:25 am by JohnnoWhite »
There is nothing wrong with striving to win, so long as you don't set the prize above the game. There can be no dishonour in defeat nor any conceit in victory. What matters above all is that the team plays in the right spirit, with skill, courage, fair play,no favour and the result accepted without bitterness. Sir Matt Busby CBE KCSG 1909-1994

Offline Manila Vanilla

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The Hidden Gem - St. Mary's Mulberry Street off Albert Square. It's well-named mate - a very beautiful oasis of peace in the midst of a crazy world.
It is a beautiful little church and not what you’d expect right in the middle of Manchester. I went in to have a look a few years ago.

I also discovered that my grandmother’s eldest brother had been killed at Passchendaele. I found the battalion diary for the last day of his life: “Still raining heavily. Battalion in same position, which by this time was damnable. Men in a deplorable condition, many of them up to their knees and waists in water and mud, and quite unable to move about. Intermittent shelling by enemy. Casualties for the day: Killed Lieut C.W. Castle + 14 other ranks”.

The lower ranks, including her brother, were never named individually. His photo did appear in uniform in the local newspaper, the St Helens Newspaper and Advertiser. Each day they ran front page photos with the headline “Our Heroes”. His body wasn’t found either and he’s commemorated at the Menin Gate Memorial. If the pandemic is the worst thing we experience then we’ll have done a lot better that the generations who preceded us...

Offline JohnnoWhite

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The experience of Thiepval sort of triggered a second battlefield trip by our team this next time to Ypres. What a beautiful Flemish city that is!!  There's history all around Ypres and I actually found the grave of one of my Nin's uncles (her youngest uncle Michael Ryan who was just 18) at Tyne Cott I think it was. The poignancy of that visit was amplified by finding at the back corner of the graves a small section of about 10 German dead marked with the German Iron Cross on each gravestone. Just made me reflect on how tragically futile the whole sad and bloody business was.

There's a special museum in the centre of Ypres called "In Flanders Fields" which as far as possible recreates the conditions the troops faced back then - beautifully done too. Loved that Ypres day visit.
There is nothing wrong with striving to win, so long as you don't set the prize above the game. There can be no dishonour in defeat nor any conceit in victory. What matters above all is that the team plays in the right spirit, with skill, courage, fair play,no favour and the result accepted without bitterness. Sir Matt Busby CBE KCSG 1909-1994

Offline Mutton Geoff

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well been a long haul but I am back and fighting fit, hope you are all well
A world were Liars and Hypocrites are accepted and rewarded and honest people are derided!
Who voted in this lying corrupt bastard anyway

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The experience of Thiepval sort of triggered a second battlefield trip by our team this next time to Ypres. What a beautiful Flemish city that is!!  There's history all around Ypres and I actually found the grave of one of my Nin's uncles (her youngest uncle Michael Ryan who was just 18) at Tyne Cott I think it was. The poignancy of that visit was amplified by finding at the back corner of the graves a small section of about 10 German dead marked with the German Iron Cross on each gravestone. Just made me reflect on how tragically futile the whole sad and bloody business was.

There's a special museum in the centre of Ypres called "In Flanders Fields" which as far as possible recreates the conditions the troops faced back then - beautifully done too. Loved that Ypres day visit.

When my mum and dad had their first Continental they went to Sorrento. They took the opportunity to visit the Commonwealth Cemetery close to the site of the Salerno landings. My mum took a photo of my dad standing between the grave stones of his two 19 year old shipmates who had died when their ship was bombed during the landings. My 18 year old dad survived after swimming through diesel (fortunately he had plenty of experience of swimming in the Mersey!) but, in the confusion, was recorded as drowned leading to his mum receiving a dreaded telegram. 

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well been a long haul but I am back and fighting fit, hope you are all well

Welcome back.

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When my mum and dad had their first Continental they went to Sorrento. They took the opportunity to visit the Commonwealth Cemetery close to the site of the Salerno landings. My mum took a photo of my dad standing between the grave stones of his two 19 year old shipmates who had died when their ship was bombed during the landings. My 18 year old dad survived after swimming through diesel (fortunately he had plenty of experience of swimming in the Mersey!) but, in the confusion, was recorded as drowned leading to his mum receiving a dreaded telegram. 

Bloody hell, not very nice for your granny eh?
There is nothing wrong with striving to win, so long as you don't set the prize above the game. There can be no dishonour in defeat nor any conceit in victory. What matters above all is that the team plays in the right spirit, with skill, courage, fair play,no favour and the result accepted without bitterness. Sir Matt Busby CBE KCSG 1909-1994

Offline kopite.keith

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Very poignant and well written stories of those brave men who fell doing their duty, while the futility of it all beggars belief.
Around 1985 I was going on a holiday to Malta, I mentioned this to a lad who used to drink with us in the pub, he then asked if I could do him a favour. He told me his wife had lost her brother during the war (I think his ship was sunk off Malta) and if I could find out where his grave was as she had never been able to visit. When there, we called the relevant authorities and I was delighted to be told that their records held the location of his grave. We made the trip to where he was buried and took photos which we gave to her on our return home. She was delighted she could now picture his final place of rest and personally I still to this day feel good about the fact that in some small way it hopefully brought a sense of closure for her.
My uncle is buried in a cemetery in St Valois in France, shot down during the war. My mother never got to visit her brother’s grave so as soon as this whole Covid mess is over with I plan to make that journey in her memory.
When in Rome...

Offline JohnnoWhite

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Long time no speak mate. Hope you and yours are well and retaining some semblance of sanity in the midst of this double shitfest scourge of Covid and even worse, the ongoing global embarrassment of this incompetent, incoherent, bullshitting, offensive, lying Tory mob.

Think your intended trip would indeed be a beautiful tribute both to your uncle's and to his sister's memories Keith . . . and be assured, they'll both know.
There is nothing wrong with striving to win, so long as you don't set the prize above the game. There can be no dishonour in defeat nor any conceit in victory. What matters above all is that the team plays in the right spirit, with skill, courage, fair play,no favour and the result accepted without bitterness. Sir Matt Busby CBE KCSG 1909-1994

Offline kopite.keith

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Long time no speak mate. Hope you and yours are well and retaining some semblance of sanity in the midst of this double shitfest scourge of Covid and even worse, the ongoing global embarrassment of this incompetent, incoherent, bullshitting, offensive, lying Tory mob.

Think your intended trip would indeed be a beautiful tribute both to your uncle's and to his sister's memories Keith . . . and be assured, they'll both know.

Thanks for the kind words Jonno, I hope you and yours are all keeping safe and well.
I have no words anymore for what we have descended into regarding this current mob. A lie is now something socially acceptable to further a corrupt agenda, it’s now a way of life, irrespective of the consequences and as long as the money is filtered into their and their cronies accounts. I don’t know where we go from here? Politicians lie, the media lies and the polls say it’s OK, carry on, all while nobody is being held to account. I try not to let it get to me but ignoring it is not the answer either.
When in Rome...

Offline JohnnoWhite

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I despair of how low we've sunk Keith. In other days - and NOT that long ago - there'd be tens of thousands of feet on the streets up and down this land and they would  not have  ALLOWED this Tory shitfest to go unchallenged. The Fascists are determined that this police "Silencing all protests" bill will become law - gets 2nd reading 6th July. If we as a nation don't kill it stone dead by our follow up actions WHEN it get's Tory approval, because voting in the House certainly WON'T stop it - it's got to be back to the streets to smash it or else we may as well all lie down and let these Fascist bastards piss all over us or buy some jackboots and swastika armbands and join the Tory Nazis and then work to destroy them from within. Wish to fuck I was 30 years younger mate!!
There is nothing wrong with striving to win, so long as you don't set the prize above the game. There can be no dishonour in defeat nor any conceit in victory. What matters above all is that the team plays in the right spirit, with skill, courage, fair play,no favour and the result accepted without bitterness. Sir Matt Busby CBE KCSG 1909-1994

Offline Red_Mist

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The experience of Thiepval sort of triggered a second battlefield trip by our team this next time to Ypres. What a beautiful Flemish city that is!!  There's history all around Ypres and I actually found the grave of one of my Nin's uncles (her youngest uncle Michael Ryan who was just 18) at Tyne Cott I think it was. The poignancy of that visit was amplified by finding at the back corner of the graves a small section of about 10 German dead marked with the German Iron Cross on each gravestone. Just made me reflect on how tragically futile the whole sad and bloody business was.

There's a special museum in the centre of Ypres called "In Flanders Fields" which as far as possible recreates the conditions the troops faced back then - beautifully done too. Loved that Ypres day visit.
Nice to read that Johnno.

I’m desperate to take my mum to Ypres. I’ve got two great uncles (my maternal grandma’s brothers) who both died in The Third Battle of Ypres. One of them, Tommy, was in the King’s (Liverpool Regiment) and died on the very first day of the battle, 31 July 1917. His brother, David, (East Lancashire Regiment) died later on in the battle in September.

It’s only recently we’ve managed to find out the details of their memorials, Tommy at Menin Gate and David at Tyne Cot. We’ve been planning a trip for about five years but mum had three major operations in three years, and then Covid hit delaying the trip further. She’s 88 next week, so wants to go while she’s still mobile. We’ll get her there, one way or the other!

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Morning Red, I do hope in the midst of all this Covid travel passport restrictions shite that your mum can make that very special trip mate. Ypres as I said is a beautiful Flemish city - which was virtually rebuilt after WW1.It's worth a visit for seeing it alone but In Flanders Fields which is the memorial museum, they have done wonders.

Best wishes to you and your mum mate - make it happen eh?
There is nothing wrong with striving to win, so long as you don't set the prize above the game. There can be no dishonour in defeat nor any conceit in victory. What matters above all is that the team plays in the right spirit, with skill, courage, fair play,no favour and the result accepted without bitterness. Sir Matt Busby CBE KCSG 1909-1994

Offline Red_Mist

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Morning Red, I do hope in the midst of all this Covid travel passport restrictions shite that your mum can make that very special trip mate. Ypres as I said is a beautiful Flemish city - which was virtually rebuilt after WW1.It's worth a visit for seeing it alone but In Flanders Fields which is the memorial museum, they have done wonders.

Best wishes to you and your mum mate - make it happen eh?
Cheers mate, and yes we will. We’ve got to.

Once we can travel more freely I think it’s a fairly easy journey. I’ve got a sister who married an Essex lad and settled down there to the east of London, so the plan is to drive down and stay overnight with her, then next morning drive onto the Eurotunnel and I’ve been told it’s very quick once you get off that, only about 60 or 70 miles.

Just need some accommo as I think we’d spend at least 2 or 3 days exploring the whole area and of course paying our respects. Can’t wait.

Offline gazzam1963

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One for Jonno here , recorded the violent playground the other night as seen it many years ago and love some of the old street scenes in it , it was on a channel called talking pictures tv .

Noticed the film after was called cup fever and was made in 65 and was about a kids team from Manchester starring Bernard Cribbins and cameos by some of the u tied players of the time .

Watched it last night and some great scenes around the Manchester area and inside and outside of old Trafford as well as the pitch with what looks like a new stand under construction .

Matt Busby has a speaking part in it and George Best , Nobby Styles And Paddy Crerand are in it as well as a few others I didn’t recognise . The guest of honour is Bert Trautman who would laugh at today’s antics considering he broke his neck in the cup final and carried on .

Offline JohnnoWhite

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Aye the good old days Gazzam - thanks for that mate! Bit wooden on the acting front eh but a bit of a flashback to the days when I was a lad - and the pitches were a shit-tip! Today's PL glamour boy "stars" would shit 'emselves I'm thinking.
There is nothing wrong with striving to win, so long as you don't set the prize above the game. There can be no dishonour in defeat nor any conceit in victory. What matters above all is that the team plays in the right spirit, with skill, courage, fair play,no favour and the result accepted without bitterness. Sir Matt Busby CBE KCSG 1909-1994

Offline RedBootsTommySmith

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Memory Lane time, lads & lasses

I started going the game 65/66. Back then I think the Kop had like two tannoy speakers (tannoy? or tinny?) and the DJ...I think this pre-dated George Sephton....only had about five or so records that he played on rotation before every match. This is my recollection of those songs, some of which became famous chants, one of which would be well remembered by Gary Sprake. Here you go:

The Routers, Let's go (St.John)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17W-dMZjSIU

Chris Andrews, Yesterday's Man
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6N3o4TDYsI

Len Barry, 123
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sdb9gIhBMuI

Ken Dodd, Tears
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ys1ShRxuAnY

Jim Reeves, Distant Bums (over there)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEFDHQHMtsQ

Des O'Connor, Careless Hands
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDYdF6whhxA
« Last Edit: July 28, 2021, 12:40:15 am by RedBootsTommySmith »
Victorious and glorious....

Offline kavah

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^ love it Tommy, it's hard to listen to Des singing Careless Hands without a massive grin isn't it, if looks could kill from Jackie  ;D

(I've heard it said that 1976 was the peak of the Kop in terms of awesome noise and 12th man advantage but those 60s years seemed to have so much humour and fun (apart from the living hell that was the boys pen like). And the Routers what a legacy that tune gave us - Great post




Offline RedBootsTommySmith

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I think there was some chat about Jack Witham on here recently. Just came across this clip of his hat trick against Derby, 1971. Some nice football played!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N60FNt2egV4&list=PLG4RuP5uYIm3PzhEpKovjZKW520YB22U5&index=4

Terry Hennessey & Archie Gemmil went to the same barbers, I think. Came recommended by Bobby Charlton & Ralph Coates. Comb-overs were all the rage, back then. Who was the Newcastle lad with one? Oh, aye, Pop Robson. Good player, him. They all were.
« Last Edit: July 28, 2021, 01:32:02 am by RedBootsTommySmith »
Victorious and glorious....

Offline RedBootsTommySmith

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^ love it Tommy, it's hard to listen to Des singing Careless Hands without a massive grin isn't it, if looks could kill from Jackie  ;D

(I've heard it said that 1976 was the peak of the Kop in terms of awesome noise and 12th man advantage but those 60s years seemed to have so much humour and fun (apart from the living hell that was the boys pen like). And the Routers what a legacy that tune gave us - Great post


I've still got a bit of a scar, barely visible, now, in the lifeline of my right palm, courtesy of the railings between the Pen & the Kop. My kid brother, 9 at the time, was the only one who could squeeze his head underneath the railings to the front wall and bunk through. You want to see the size of his head now!

The same lad used to play on the school team with Terry McDermott's cousin. He was with us on the Pen once and Terry came over for a chat, I think he was on schoolboys terms with Bury at the time. Anyway, the conversation never lasted long. A fight broke out down the front, the Copper at the back went over to sort it and next thing it was like a swarm of rats going over the fence and Terry was gone. He taught me something, at least, did Terry! He who hesitates is lost.
« Last Edit: July 28, 2021, 02:15:56 am by RedBootsTommySmith »
Victorious and glorious....