NUFC Fans - 1970/71

Context

This was a depressing year for most football supporters and a tragic year for some who either lost their lives or were injured in Britain's (up to that time) worst ever sporting disaster at Ibrox during the Old Firm derby.

Over 1,500,000 less people attended matches than during the last season of the sixties and the Division 1 average fell from 32,074 to 30,205. There were a number of factors at work.

England's failure to defend the World Cup compounded by the contrast between our defensive often thuggish football and the samba soccer served up the Brazilians.

A continuing decline in the number of goals being scored. The average had fallen gradually during the sixties and the 1970/71 Division 1 average of 2.36 was the lowest ever

Before the season League Secretary Alan Hardaker demanded action by civil authorities against soccer hooligans arguing that 'Somebody is going to get killed before long'.

Conversely he also stated that the Football League had dropped their backing from the "John White" sponsored scheme aimed at reducing hooliganism due to "extreme admin. difficulties"

Violence on the terraces carried on unabated and increasingly began to spill onto the pitch. Chelsea supporters invaded the pitch when Orient took a 3-2 lead in the FA Cup hoping to get the game abandoned; but the police managed to force them back.

A new low was reached when a small band of Leeds supporters invaded the pitch after West Brom scored a controversial goal. Players had to protect the referee and a linesman was hit by a stone. Matters were not helped by the fact that manager Don Revie and his chairman both condoned the fans' action.

Despite the fact that a small minority of clubs were beginning to improve their facilities most grounds were in a state of disrepair as was horrifyingly demonstrated in the disaster at Ibrox Stadium where sixty six people lost their life and over 100 were injured when crash barriers collapsed during the Glasgow derby.

An inquiry was launched and the Wheatley Report was issued which stated that football grounds should be made to meet the same safety standards as other public entertainment venues such as cinemas. Disgracefully it would not be until 1975 that The Safety in Sports Grounds Act was passed.

Despite all of these mitigating factors The Football League continued to view "saturation" TV coverage as the main enemy despite the fact that highlights of only four matches were shown each weekend. The programes attracted a combined total of 15 million viewers and the cost to BBC and ITV was £200,000 between them (roughly the record transfer fee at that time).

They even commissioned a survey to gauge its effect and found that although 93% of men regularly watched football on the box only 10% went to more than 10 matches during the 1969/70 season and came to the perceptive conclusion that the "armchair fan" had arrived.

As part of the survey they also asked what factors they thought were particularly important in preventing people attending matches. The answers given were: better grounds (53%), less trouble (42%), cleaner play (36%), more skill (26%), lower prices (31%), better refereeing (22%), more goals (21%) and Sunday football (20%)

It wasn't just football that was in depression. Ted Heath had led the Tories to a surprise General Election victory and he was faced with a winter of discontent as the miners went on strike. With fuel at a premium midweek evening matches had to be re-arranged and even some Saturday games kicked off early so that floodlights did not have to be used.

Attendances

Newcastle's attendances slumped more than most with doom and gloom the order of the day and the feel good factor engendered by United's Fairs Cup win only two years earlier having evaporated.

The crowd had become disillusioned since that great victory as United struggled to win or even score goals. The loss of Pop Robson and the failure of replacement Tudor to make an instant impact simply added to their frustration.

The average crowd for the season was 31,842 which was the lowest since United had returned to the top flight and represented a 20% drop on 1969/70.

The last game of the season was watched by a crowd of only 18,444. The best League crowd of the season was recorded only 18 days before when Leeds (who were regularly the biggest draw at SJP at this time) attracted almost 50,000.

The best turn-outs were for the Fairs Cup games, the Inter Milan match being watched by 56,495.

Abuse

The fans who did keep turning up were not impressed with what was on offer and they let the players know about it. The home defeat to Blackpool was not the only one where a chorus of "we want our money back" was heard.

The disastrous exit to Hungarian minnows Pesci Dozsa in the Fairs Cup particularly enraged the supporters and in the following match (a goalless draw at home to Ipswich) the fans' spleen was vented at many players .

Although the whole team got the bird Tommy Gibb was singled out for particular criticism. The abuse handed out to the Scotsman angered the rest of the players and Frank Clark rapped the fans in the press. "It's disgraceful that they should pick out one player like this...it's completely unwarranted".

Tommy Cassiddy made his home debut in the match and expressed his astonishment at the crowds reaction and suggested that the team's form was being affected because players were frightened to make mistakes. He was subbed during the game and said "in some ways I was glad to get off, it was getting so bad".

The letters pages of the newspapers were full of fans bemoaning the lack of entertainment, goals and quality signings and many supported Pop Robson's "unprofessional" attack on the club whilst others suggested a change of management was required.

Trouble.

Right from the start of the season there was trouble. United kicked-off with a home win over Wolves and immediately after the match hordes of United supporters "- many of them skinheads -" hurled stones, bottles and bricks at the midlanders supporters' coaches. The attacks caused £1200 worth of damage and left one supporter hospitalized.

The away supporters got their revenge as they travelled along Bank Street and Redheugh Road in Gateshead as they returned the missiles through the holes where the windows used to be. Pedestrians had to run for cover and the Searle family's tea nearly ended in tragedy as a rock smashed through their window.

The whole episode was splashed across the front page of the Sunday Sun under the sensationalist headline "TERROR KICK-OFF BY SKINHEADS" whilst the punishment handed out to the youngsters involved was community service.

After the League Cup match against Blackpool a group of skinheads were at the Sunday Sun offices claiming that they were being victimised because of their appearance. They were not allowed entry because they were wearing "bovver boots" and refused to remove them.

The worst trouble of the campaign occurred when United and Sunderland met in a friendly on Tyneside. Shockingly this game took place only three weeks after the horrific events at Ibrox.

There were fights before, during and after the match and 26 people (including three girls!) were arrested. The police confiscated a number of weapons including a hatchet and a lead-weighted chain.

The boys in blue had anticipated trouble and policeman with dogs and horses policed the city centre breaking up fights between rival gangs of hooligans.

Stadia

The club was still at loggerheads over the development of St James' Park.

The club had rejected the multi-sports stadium proposals drawn up by the Council's architects claiming that it was unaffordable. There was talk of the club possibly moving to Sandy Lane in Gosforth and even "preliminary discussions" about a potential groundshare with Sunderland at a mooted new super stadium on Wearside.

The supporters club were adamant that a compromise had to be reached which did not involve a move. Secretary Alan Robinson stated : "United belong at St James' and that's where we want them to stay". This view was reflected in a deluge of letters' into the local media.

Newcastle United asked architects Faulkner Brown to produce a "feasibility report" for improving SJP, but were forced to rethink their plans after the terrible events in Glasgow. For the time being Newcastle also started including a "safety notice" in the programme.

Away days

In those days (as now) the club had a tremendous travelling support and one of the most popular ways of getting to matches in those days was by train. Members of the Newcastle united Supporters Club could travel in a "special railway coach", judiciously positioned at the rear of the train.

If, for instance, you travelled to the Crystal Palace match that season you would have paid a fare of £2 16s and would have departed at 8.10am and returned (hopefully) at 23.45pm.

Tickets for away matches varied between 25 shillings for an advanced purchase of the best seats at Highbury to 10 shillings for certain clubs for tickets bought on the day of the game. Surprisingly the cheapest tickets were for Old Trafford.

There was a simple code of conduct for the official NUSC: "Don't wear boots and do not bring intoxicating liquor onto the coaches". But hundreds more made their own arrangements.

The supporters who travelled did not always get to see the match. When United travelled to Blackpool at Easter 20 fans were ejected before the start and 12 of them arrested for a variety of offences. Most were punished for carrying offensive weapons mainly in the form of studded belts.

But there was still major trouble at the seaside and Joe Harvey chose his programme notes to lambast the trouble makers. "It really sickened me to read of the louts who pretend to be Newcastle United supporters leaving a trail of havoc. Let me say here and now these people are not real supporters of Newcastle United or football".

There was more troublw when several fans were ejected from the midnight train from Kings Cross after the Arsenal game. As this was the train used by the Supporters Club they found it necessary to distance their members from the trouble

Tickets

The club was coming under increasing pressure to issue a programme based "token" system to enable fairer distribution of tickets for the big games. However the club stated that they did not believe the system would work and tickets continued to be made available on a first-come-first-served basis.

MoD

Much to the supporters chagrin, United rarely featured on MoD. When they did get a viewing thay played excellently in a 2-0 victory at Upton Park but the letters still poured in criticising the biased coverage which left the Hammers looking the better side

Memorabilia

Both the club shop and the supporters club had a wide range of exciting gifts. For a shilling (5p) you could pick up a pen with a player's name on it and the most expensive item was a hand embroidered blazer badge at an extortionate £3.

The collecting craze was gathering apace and there was lots on offer including the following.