So Paddy Got Up - an Arsenal anthology Read Online Free PDF Page A

cloth caps and rolled up cigarettes were the conservative uniform of the match going supporter. But by the mid-60’s, the wallflower element that had become part of youth culture was infiltrating football grounds too. Red and white rosettes and scarves were now de rigueur. Cherry red Doctor Martens, rolled up Levi’s and suede head haircuts were making their way onto the terrace catwalk. Fashion at the time dictated that red and white scarves were tied around wrists to complete the look.
    The birth of rock ’n’ roll in the 1950’s fastened carefully groomed image to youth culture. With cultural icons such as James Dean and the landmark movie ‘Rebel Without A Cause’ and with British gangs such as mods and rockers identifying their allegiance through uniform, British terraces were soon peacocking to the whims of the fashions; and with it a more sinister edge emerged. With improvements in public transport, away support became more commonplace inside Highbury. Typically, travellers from Liverpool, Manchester or the Midlands poured in from Arsenal station at around 2.55pm and congregated on the nearby Clock End. Tension was starting to creep inside the walls of the famous old stadium and stadiums around the country. Coins with serrated edges were tossed between rival supporters, bloody retributions were exacted. Though Highbury was one of the more moderate grounds in this climate, it was clear to see it was no longer a place where working class men went to drink, smoke and swear. The release valve people would find by attending matches at Highbury was beginning to manifest itself more aggressively.
    In the early 1970’s, the Arsenal crowd was about to find its first idol, reared as he was against this backdrop of 1960s Highbury. He would become an on-pitch avatar for the hopes and dreams for the fans; a young man who had attended games in drainpipe jeans and Doc Martens. Charlie George was probably the first Arsenal player who visibly reflected the voguish palpitations of the Highbury crowd. When George made his debut in 1969, his aesthetic typified those of the teenage rabble watching him from the North Bank; the cropped, suede-head haircut, the quiet air of moody nonchalance. By the early 70’s, Charlie had let the tight crop unfurl into a flowing mane. The supporters followed suit – though whether it was George, or bands such as Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd that influenced this follicular phenomenon is open to debate. But George also brought an air of disaffected, inner-city aggression onto the pitch with him. In an interview with the Daily Express in December 1970, George laconically summed up his outlook towards less-forgiving opponents. “If anyone thumps me, I just nut them.” With his cocky cockney swagger and Islington upbringing, George readily became an icon because the supporters identified with him. Had they been on the pitch, they’d have played like George did. There was a common expression at the time, that George had hopped the North Bank fence and onto the pitch. His connection with the supporters represented a sea change for the Highbury crowd. Though the team of the 30’s were revered and accessible; they were looked upon almost as apotheoses: untouchable figures of athletic perfection. George’s lank hair and cocksure snarl represented a severance with the polished Brylcreem boys of yore. George was Arsenal’s first rock star.
    Charlie George would leave the club contentiously in 1975. But the umbilical relationship between the stands and the pitch remained. The area of Finsbury Park has long hosted a burgeoning Irish community. As such, Arsenal always had a sprinkling of green in its fan base, but by the late 1970’s, the stands began to slowly reverberate to the twang of Irish accents. This was precipitated in part by the fact that, under Ulsterman Terry Neill, the Gunners earned themselves the press nickname ‘London Irish’. With the likes of David O’Leary, John Devine and Frank