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I'm too young and haven't been a Cardiff fan long enough to have much insight on this subject. But I've always felt that Cardiff's past hooligan image held the club back a lot. This would always be the subject brought up about say ten years ago if I told someone which club I supported. Did hooliganism prevent the club from growing to its potential? Did it deter fans from coming to games? Or did it have little impact?
People probably talked more about Cardiffs hooligans because the football team was shit and not worth talking about.
Premier league off the pitch. Dungeon on it for many years in the 90s.
Also for large parts of the 90s if you took away the hooligans you'd take away most of city's support. Especially away.
Well my old man took me to my first game in 1970, a couple of seasons later stopped taking me because of it and it was a few years before I was old enough to go with my mates in the 80's.
Back then though all clubs had a hooligan element it was just that our lads seemed to be better at it than most!
As the flouncer says though, the football was rubbish and there was no money in the club. I missed most of the 90's as I had a young family, money was tight and we were truly dreadful on the pitch.
My old man took me to my first game in 1968, Birmingham at home. We were in awe of the rampaging skinheads battling it out in the corner of the Grange end and Bob bank. For the following home game the old man bought me a pair of doc Marten boots.
If it wasn't for the hoolies, I don't know what would have kept us going during the mid-80s. We were getting 2500 for home games and freqently took at least half of that away.
I know of a few former fans, now in their 50s, who went regularly for the fighting (so they tell me). As they got older, and as that element of our support dwindled, they stopped bothering.
I can go back a fair way , and on a personal note it started with inter estate, schools and religion gang battles outside of football and within .
Football then became the fashionable platform and congregation ,for that emotion to poured out on a bigger stage , distinctly remember City fans fighting between themselves ie Barry v Llanrumney v Valley boys and then v the coppers and the away fans ,it seemed hostile everywhere .
Hooliganism was everywhere at every club almost, its was like fashion to talk about the latest fight and battle ,the more press you was the more it was bettered .
Therefore the answer to you question I don' think it held us back at all as ther bigger firms who went onto fame and glory as clubs , ie Manchester Utd and the Salford Boys and West Ham and its Inter City Firm ('ICF') .
The Soul Crew book over enlarged City's reputation way beyond a lot of clubs as above and Chelsea's Shed and Headhunters , Villa's Hard Crew to name a few
This might help ,the 1970's onwards was the key when media enjoyed its headlines , although it stretches way ,way back to 1880s, when individuals referred to as roughs caused trouble at football matches.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_hooligan_firms
Did The Wurzels really have a firm called 'Family Stand Ointment'?
No
lack of investment and interest from locals who preferred rugby and/or just couldnt be arsed with the city
Other clubs had tidy " firms " and they did ok,
While we did not attract families, neither is most of the other clubs, it was truly a national issue, any club had a following who would like to indulge, we just had a slightly larger % who did and lets be honest, the football was dire at times, the laugh with mates on the terraces was one of the few entertaining things
Yep after the" City Service Firm" had ruffed you up ,along came the" ointment firm "to give you a right rogeringOriginally Posted by Baloo
Family Stand Ointment - really? Instead of stanley knives did they carry tubs of sudocrem?
It still does....despite being a very safe day out many probably still associate fans with being a bit lively shall we say.....
Yes, people talk about a lost generation of supporters we have who were growing up in the 80s and 90s and it's largely put down to crap football on the pitch., However, I know of a few who were stopped from going to games during that time by their parents because they were concerned that it wasn't safe at City games. I don't agree with that opinion because, certainly in "run of the mill" games at Ninian Park during that time, there was no violence worth talking about, but the important thing was that youngsters who were potentially long term supporters of the club were being stopped from attending because of the fear of hooliganism and I think it's reasonable to assume that you could multiply the "few" I'm aware of many times over to get a total figure.
Also, on different point, I always think that the team that beat Leeds in 2002 were ever given the credit they were due because they had their thunder stolen so to speak by what happened off the pitch that day - looking back now, that game represents a turning point as far as hooliganism at Cardiff City goes.
You're spot on about 2002. We left quite soon after the final whistle so I couldn't wait to read the papers and listen to our plaudits on Talksport etc.
However, I was incensed to see the papers with their 'War Zone' etc headlines and a morning phone in which basically turned into a slagging the Welsh off show from all and sundry. I was on a long drive so interestingly heard it all, the morning show then morphed into Mike Dickens changing his own topic into a slagging off the Welsh.
I soon realised that us beating the then English darlings was quickly hijacked into an excuse for some severe anti-Welsh racism.
Some of the calls included the usual kicking us out of the 'Football' league, right down to the leftfield, they wouldn't want to fight alongside the Welsh in the army
It was an interesting insight into the English attitude to anything not English, that bubbles under the surface and certainly said more about them than it did us.
It was fascinating listening, and this resurfaced slightly when we made them look silly at Euro 16, as they desperately grasped at the English born players who love representing Wales.
Again, the same sentiments happened during the recent Ben Woodburn appearances.
Slightly off topic, but for a supposedly powerful, important nation, they're incredibly insecure
No they had Germolean (sp)
3 things held the City back more than the Hoolies
1) Rugby and the Welsh media love in with it.
2) Silly Tw@ts from South Wales "Supporting" Manu and Liverpool, who incidentally Hate the English on a 6 nations day.
3)City were pretty much shite for 3 decades with the odd blip of being ok.
point 3 is the main reason
People probably talked more about Cardiffs hooligans because the football team was shit and not worth talking about.
Premier league off the pitch. Dungeon on it for many years in the 90s.
Also for large parts of the 90s if you took away the hooligans you'd take away most of city's support. Especially away.
the early 90s for me truly halcyon days following city
we were the big fish in a small pond
Did Leeds players not say that it was a hellish atmosphere and the crowd was truly the 12th man that day
from a personal point of view, you could see the leeds players didnt fancy it right from the word go
a fine line between that pure passion and very intimidating crowd and it spilling over to the scenes we saw, imho they come hand in hand
and me
I have often said, everything fell into place, my age, the right mates ( and other lads ) around me and the football
good days indeed
I still have people today talk to me about the club is a hooligan club, and people wouldn't attend games because of that. Friends of mine are often shocked that when i say of over 20 years of football i have been caught up in more trouble just having a night out in Cardiff.
Whilst some might say it was our hooligan element that kept us going, and then attracted like minded individuals to the club, that number is hugely offset by the number that stayed away. You get into going to live football from going the first time and enjoying that experience. If you are hearing constant rumors about violence then you will never experience your first hit.
I would say the club is still held back a little by its reputation. However its very much a different beast today. Its very welcoming towards families, I feel as that reputation increases so will attendances.
I'd go with this. Although I did miss most of the 80's & 90's because I was kicking a bladder around a field myself.
The Very Best.
I have often said, everything fell into place, my age, the right mates ( and other lads ) around me and the football
good days indeed
to ease the rogering
Happy Days
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