The Senior Generation of Sky Blue Fans (1 Viewer)

my first match was 1968-69 season a 2-1 defeat at home to west ham.Gerry Baker scored.Went with my school mate Maurice,my mum and nan,none of us had been to a match before,think just manage to get in.I was only 8 but tall for my age so I was able to see most of it.Next match was a night one we went on the Bulkington Vanguard coach and took a stool this time.For Saturday games we got in at 1.30pm for 3.15 kick off.We always were on the half way line infront of the sky blue stand.Made great friends with people around us,we were later joined by my sister and my dad.They have all now gone into the sky blue heaven.Their spirit is always with me.Back to the west ham match,we only went because Ronnie Rees visited Alfred Herberts where my nan worked and gave us some passes.

It was Brum at home. My Uncle is a Blues fan and he went with us. Can't remember anything about it apart from the date. IN fact the first game I really remember is the infamous Bristol City game. From the following season 77/78 we went home and away until the first season in the Championship when we just did the home matches apart from the odd one or two a season.

deanocity3 said:

what match was it

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0-0 blues wore red design kit same as their home blue one

torchomatic said:

It was Brum at home. My Uncle is a Blues fan and he went with us. Can't remember anything about it apart from the date. IN fact the first game I really remember is the infamous Bristol City game. From the following season 77/78 we went home and away until the first season in the Championship when we just did the home matches apart from the odd one or two a season.

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have you seen my clip of the bristol match

I'm in the 'grey haired' bracket too but after one page in I'm so depressed I'll leave you old folk to it.

Pardon my absence...

Paxman II said:

I'm in the 'grey haired' bracket too but after one page in I'm so depressed I'll leave you old folk to it.

Pardon my absence...

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Probably me responsible for the negative vibe Paxo,just can't help myself i'm affraid,story of my life.

I must be mad. Born in Bloxwich...as a kid did the Derby/Man City (League & cup winning clubs at the time) thing. Dad took me to see Walsall...m8s ridiculed me as it was a mostly Wolves area. By my mid-teens my sister was going with a Cov fan. Mom made me go to the Wolves v Cov game (3-1 away win! ) with them. She was ill sometime later...so I went to the Cov Man Utd game & was taken by the atmosphere & I think it was a 1-0 win. '74/75 maybe?
Stuck sky-blue ever since. Used to catch buses & trains to nearly every home game as a teen & occasional aways. Moved to the south coast in 1984, carried on, was at Wembley & carried on until my first-born changed the cash priority. Then played himself & I was coaching the team. So only get to the odd game now :-( - even during the worst days we do have a laugh don't we???
That's my only connection with the actual City really, YOU guys & the club (I'm filling up now!) lol

From my first game in 1966-67 (against the Blues 1-1 if memory serves me correctly), I was hooked. A family tradition as Dad and Grandad were season ticket holders at HR. Although I've lived up North for the last 34 years, I could no more follow another team than fly to the Moon. Even my middle son who has never lived anywhere near Cov is as passionate about the City as I am. His first game was the 3-2 against Man Utd circa 1996/7, and I'm sure he thought all games were like that.

I feel very privileged to have enjoyed watching the City for so many years in the top flight, something perhaps we all took for granted. The younger generation who have not experienced life in Div One are at such a disadvantage, happier times when we competed with the best in the land. Yes there were many dark days, but equally some fantastic memories as well. Us grey haired old farts have in many ways been very lucky.

Whilst the last 12 seasons have been hard to stomach in comparison, in my book you're a supporter for life.

PUSB

No, post the link, I would love to see it.

deanocity3 said:

have you seen my clip of the bristol match

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torchomatic said:

No, post the link, I would love to see it.

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http://oldcoventryonfilm.vidmeup.com/view?q=4f2fb65886392.flv
Cov 2 Bristol city 2 1977

deanocity3 said:

http://oldcoventryonfilm.vidmeup.com/view?q=4f2fb65886392.flv
Cov 2 Bristol city 2 1977

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Deano have you added this to any of the Sunderland Fans forums to set the record straight?

I asked Nick Pickering about it last year,he chased me round a table.He was well pissed off

They wont let it lie them Mackams will they.. still with his lumbering gait I guess you easily outran him?:claping hands:

I did him a DVD of his whole career at Sunderland,Cov Derby and England,was going to put the bristol match on the end for a laugh,glad i didn't.
He is a top bloke though.

deanocity3 said:

I did him a DVD of his whole career at Sunderland,Cov Derby and England,was going to put the bristol match on the end for a laugh,glad i didn't.
He is a top bloke though.

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I really liked Pickering, but I imagine Deano, that the England bit on his DVD didnt take up too much time

He was in some good company

ohitsaidwalker king power said:

OK.. just to check the protocols.. I dont have grey hair.... but am closer to 50 than 40... started going mid to late 70's...does this make me "Senior Generation"?

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Haven't read any other posts but I hope they all say no as I have just turned 50

Being Old School means you can smile when the young guns get excited about any "big game" when you've seen it all before. The idea that Preston at home in the Football League Trophy (original name) is a big game shows how low we have sunk. I can remember laughing at Wolves fans when they won it in 1988, I worked in Wolverhampton then and we had just won the real cup.
Note, I am not knocking the young ones, they are great fans, but do me a favour, it's worth winning as it gives us something to build on ... But it's a small crumb from the rich man's table.
For the same reason I could not stomach going to Arsenal or Spurs as it would be a reminder of what small fry we have become.

oakey said:

Being Old School means you can smile when the young guns get excited about any "big game" when you've seen it all before. The idea that Preston at home in the Football League Trophy (original name) is a big game shows how low we have sunk. I can remember laughing at Wolves fans when they won it in 1988, I worked in Wolverhampton then and we had just won the real cup.
Note, I am not knocking the young ones, they are great fans, but do me a favour, it's worth winning as it gives us something to build on ... But it's a small crumb from the rich man's table.
For the same reason I could not stomach going to Arsenal or Spurs as it would be a reminder of what small fry we have become.

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I think this applies to me perfectly, I haven't witnessed anything great, only disappointment from the 2 teams I support: England and CCFC. I think that English football is in need of reform, Germany did it in 2000 or 2004 (after the Euros they got knocked out in the group stages).

As for CCFC, I was getting excited for Spurs when someone said "we used to play them every year" which actually put it into context that we've gone done the shitter because of poor owners and managers that we're now small time, getting excited over one-time annual opponents and the prospect of winning the JPT, although that would be pretty exciting tbf, a trip to Wembley and maybe seeing us win some silverware.

Thanks everyone. My eldest is now 27, but you lot have suddenly made me feel younger

I am closer to 40 than 50.....for a few more months at least Still got all my hair and not much grey yet. Still in good health. Need to be as I have a 3 and 4 year old to keep me going. When I am 60 I will still have 2 teenagers :facepalm: Am I allowed into the geriatrics group?

I grew up in Funeaton. Was born in Cov though. I won 2 tickets to see Cov play Liverpool. Early 78 IIRC as I was nearly 10. Loved watching Liverpool on the TV. They were winning everything them days. I was in a Cov end but surrounded by red shirts. When the game kicked off there was something wrong. I couldn't hear the commentator :facepalm: Felt a bit of an idiot when I found out you didn't have one when at the match We won 1-0. I knew we were one of the best sides in England to be able to beat Liverpool. I was hooked. No way of getting to games.

Moved back to Cov not much after that. Met a lad who was Cov mad. We used to go to HR and try and sneak in or climb over the wall. If we never made it we would go in after HT. When I was 14 I started seeing a bird that lived on Swan Lane. Perfect for match day. HR was right in front of her house. As I got older I started earning money to go to games. At one stage kids could get a bus for 2p. Would do the Brummie away games......2p each way to Brum. Was a bit wild in the early 80's. Loved it though. Couldn't miss an away game for anything, although some games were an achievement to get to and get home in one piece

Loved HR. Still do. Have never been back to see what they have done to our old home. Probably never will. I want to keep my memories as they are. I still leave each game with a weak voice and have a sore throat the next day. I still jump about like a lunatic when we score. It don't matter what division you play in when the ball hits the onion bag. It is when you are in between games that reality hits home. Yes we need to get out of Div 3. I was born the year after we went up. Only ever knew top flight football. I was born on a Saturday at 3pm When we get promoted back to the Championship the dream will be back on. One step away from where many of us believe we belong.

Every game and every goal is important. Us older ones have seen a fair few close escapes over the years. We know how important a couple of goals or snatched point could be at the end of the season.

PUSB

Deano, thanks for putting that link up. & especially good to see film of Alan Dicks, Jimmy Hill's assistant throughout. Never seems to get a mention.

In a way, I'm quite envious of the older lot!

All I ope for, is that winning the JPT isn't the only worthwhile story I can tell in my old age...

I see this post is about senior sky blue fans, the title had me thinking.

What about Young sky blue fans, how hard is it for us to attract the younger generation. I mean what have cov done in the last 10 years to attract them, unless Your from the area Your not gonna go i like coventry, Theres been no excitement about them for donkeys now.

Hope this New management team can change others views and Give the youngsters some reason to jump on the band wagon.

Sorry but i havent read the previous 6 pages in case this has been mentioned but will catch up on them

First started going in about 68. Pretty sure it was a Man Utd and both Best and Charlton scored although my mind may be playing tricks.started going regularly in 75,76 and have been a season ticket holder more or less ever since ( Missed a few years whilst at Uni)

Loved HR but also love the Ricoh. HR had had its day and no prospect of redeveloping the site for a 21 st century stadium (unlike Spurs).

Favourite players include Colin Stein, Tommy Hutchinson, Petr Ndlove, the 87 winning team,

PUSB

I'm just turned 70, and went to my first game in 1954 (Div 3 South). I hate going to Cobblers but do so while I'm fit enough to watch because I may never see my team play back home again.
Tonights Forum a farce,..... the panel a buffer between Sisu/Otium and the fans. ..Nothing positive..... 12,000 stadium too small ... artists impression looks like the same pic in Brighton Herald 6 years ago when Amex was being planned. Heard earlier today Bristol Rovers plan a new staduim 21,000. Why not CCFC.

SkyBlue_Taylor said:

It's sad how so many local people choose to support teams like Man U, Chelsea, Man C, Arsenal, Liverpool etc. who they'll never see, I've supported CCFC since I've known football, and I'm proud, but I'm in the minority amongst my peers, it's sad. If the club can pick itself up we could have a larger support base, once again.

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I think it's all about wanting to be associated with success...so the OP is right to ooze pride in what the team is providing at present...sadly it's been lacking for a long time so gradually we lose support. Even if SISU's 12000 "castle in the sky" is delivered - by then without the performances & results we are getting now, I think a lot of the current & future generation would be lost.
We as fans should encourage the media to promote the things happening ON the pitch & do likewise ourselves. The other crap, NOPM (that's me!), or indeed te other extreme - SISU sympathisers - should focus on what the TEAM is achieving & get some passion instilled in everyone who doesn't currently have it! PUSB

Dont really think a successful team matters with the younger fans, its more down to the family/household they are bought up in. Sporty, City supporting family the support will be passed on. Non sporty family but footy loving kids not bought up with their home town club will just pick a favourite they see on tv.
Playing in Coventry, succesful or not, i would guess the % of young fans is fairly static.

I'm only 50. I'll put up my comment in a few years time.

been watching over 55 years - live in yorkshire but can't get down due to health issues but WOULD if I could. not pro SISU but city are in my blood

I support city...................... I support Pressley think he's doing a great job

SISU i DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY ARE IN IT FOR BUT IF THEY CAN TURN IT ROUND I'LL SUPPORT THEM



JUST GET IT SORTED WITH THE RICOH ITS THE WAY THE FANS WANT IT

By the way i'm 65 and would love to see them play live at home but health precludes all the hassle