21 Mar 2018 19:44:35
Here another one for the youngsters. Back in the day thee was s ure fire way to get a cup final ticket and that was to collect tokens. Every programme had a little square token that could be cut out and stuck to a token sheet. To make things interesting the club would sometimes put a token in the programme for a reserve game so you often saw huge attendances for a reserve game as fans turned up purely to buy the programme (for the token) . When the tickets for a final went on sale they would be sold first to fans who had all the tokens, if any tickets were left the required tokens were reduced by 1 and so on.

I remember crossing everything in 1983 waiting for the League Cup Final tickets as I had a token missing. The good news is I got s ticket, the bad news we lost. A memorable game for Whiteside leaving Hansen for dead and Grobbelaar assaulting Gordon McQueen and getting away with it, we wuz robbed.


1.) 21 Mar 2018
21 Mar 2018 20:05:30
I’ve been told about that before AJH, was a great idea.

I’m still a bit worried that you’ll start talking about rationing and working with a spinning Jenny if you keep going.


2.) 21 Mar 2018
21 Mar 2018 20:18:54
We used to turn up at games and pay at the gate, some times the queues were dreadful and fans would get locked out because the ground was full. We used to arrive really early to avoid that happening, sit on the bar at the front of the Stretford End with our legs through the bars (sounds silly now doesn’t it) .

It’s Red Man’s fault, he’s clearly ancient but he has me reminiscing about the early days. I started supporting a United in ‘75 when we were in Div 2 and I still remember sitting in the he car in Stockport whilst my parents were shopping hearing of our promotion. My first game was in ‘79 when we beat Fulham 1-0 in an FA Vup 3rd round replay.

The thing about the pre success years was you never knew what might happen. We might win 3-0, we might lose 3-0. It was more about the experience and the camaraderie than the winning. Football has changed so much, evidenced by the obsession with staying in the Premier League irrespective of achieving any cup success.

I’m so lucky to have lived through 20 years of success but my favourite game remains the FA Cup semi final of ‘83. Arsenal scored first and then Robson and Whiteside scored screamers. Unbelievable atmosphere and game.


3.) 21 Mar 2018
21 Mar 2018 21:14:15
I’m getting all misty eyed, and I wasn’t even alive until the early 80s.


4.) 21 Mar 2018
21 Mar 2018 22:05:26
In cork we got butter vouchers from the government so we went to the local shop and traded them for 10 fags. True story.
How did Roy Keane ever make it.


5.) 22 Mar 2018
22 Mar 2018 02:11:03
ah the old pay at the gate days tony, i can remember paying 60p to go in the boys gate at celtic park lol.


6.) 22 Mar 2018
22 Mar 2018 07:40:39
The token system in the programme was open to abuse though, people simply bought a few programmes whilst at the game and filled in more than one sheet thus making it possible to attain a ticket for someone that had not attended a single match.


7.) 22 Mar 2018
22 Mar 2018 09:05:25
AJH, you reminded me of the times myself and a friend used to sit with our legs through the bars at the front, is my mind playing tricks, or do you remember lads walking round the edge of the pitch with a tray round their shoulders selling snacks like in cinemas?


8.) 22 Mar 2018
22 Mar 2018 13:06:36
I don’t remember the snacks but it was some time ago so you may be right. Paying in the day was great, we used to go in different parts of the ground from game to game. In the Stretford Paddock you could stand anywhere from the corner to he half way line.


9.) 22 Mar 2018
22 Mar 2018 18:18:02
Georgieworst

It was the elusive youth team token issued on a rearranged game on a Tuesday evening that caused problems. It was hard to get to know about the game in time, media is not like it is now, there was no internet, no emails, basically you checked the last programme, the MEN or the football pink. First team programme tokens alone didn’t get you a ticket. There was a black market for those rare tokens, I also remember people were steaming them off token sheets but the club got wise and marked the sheet once the ticket was issued.

I also remember queuing around the outside of the ground, then in and around the terraces for cup final tickets, hours of fun to get to the then small ticket office.


10.) 23 Mar 2018
23 Mar 2018 16:34:31
AJH, I remember all that and funnily enough at the Brighton game we were talking about the lads selling snacks. Chipmunk crisps and Bovril. Great days and a lot more enjoyable. Bring back the Doc i say.