Hibs Casuals, Heroes or Villians

[Plasticman]

No but to be honest i can't remember it was a wee book that the turnstyle ripped the relative ticket. But maybe you are correct, cause back then it was finacially better to get a season book if you attended all the home games. It was a rough time to be a Hibby crowds were poor regularly 4000 to 5000 in attendance, that's why i don't buy into all this moaning in how Hibs are now.

And back when I had these season tickets for years, the reserves played the same team on the same day usually (cept the mob from the west of the city) at 2pm. So when the first team was away, so if I couldnt make the game, I watched the reserves play from the stand - tbf usually just as pish as the big team was back then ...

 

[1875]

Its magic, you know ...

Capital......

 

[The Family]

In the 80's and 90's yes, seen the photos myself. I also know ex Hibs casuals who are very left wing, church elders or members of the James Connolly society. A right mixed bag just like the wider Hibs support.

Never really understood this when our mob was mixed race ?

 

[1875]

Never really understood this when our mob was mixed race ?

As you know D there was a few rascist arseholes, still are a couple all these years later.

 

[The Family]

As you know D there was a few rascist arseholes, still are a couple all these years later.

Never agreed with it and never will.

 

[The Family]

I mind the Hibs mob got split in two that day and both were still massive...Aberdeen had a fair number as well. Boy who threw the petrol bomb was at our school I think if Im remebering the incident correctly. Was only 14 or 15 at the time..was well out my depth looking back!?

The brolly incident was at the very start when our mob got together, maybe 50 or so I wasn’t involved then, but they (Aberdeen) had hundreds down and poor Ramie got caught by them on the other side of the road, sadly there wasn’t enough Hibs to do anything about it. The Petrol bomb incident was well after that when Hibs could pull hundreds and like I said previously every man and their dug was out for them after the Ramie incident ?

 

[1875 what a year..]

The brolly incident was at the very start when our mob got together, maybe 50 or so I wasn’t involved then, but they (Aberdeen) had hundreds down and poor Ramie got caught by them on the other side of the road, sadly there wasn’t enough Hibs to do anything about it. The Petrol bomb incident was well after that when Hibs could pull hundreds and like I said previously every man and their dug was out for them after the Ramie incident ?

Evening fella, very interesting comments on here, i write on here in peace as a Brum fan. Came up for the friendly a few years back on the Sunday, was disappointed rather than shocked or surprised to not see many Hibs boys out, i fully understand that it is finished now and was then, our firm is as dead as the Dodo, apart from some games. From the many comments on here i can see many similarities with our lot. One thing i read that shocked me was that Brad Walsh has passed, RIP.

 

[The Family]

Evening fella, very interesting comments on here, i write on here in peace as a Brum fan. Came up for the friendly a few years back on the Sunday, was disappointed rather than shocked or surprised to not see many Hibs boys out, i fully understand that it is finished now and was then, our firm is as dead as the Dodo, apart from some games. From the many comments on here i can see many similarities with our lot. One thing i read that shocked me was that Brad Walsh has passed, RIP.

A lot of us had called it a day by then, normally when this type of fixture came up everyone would have been out like we did for Leeds, Chelsea, to name but a few. I recall a Hearts Youth flag appearing in your end that day, they hid from us for over 25 years and would have known it was safe to tag along with the numbers your lot had with you on this day on the back of them also knowing there wouldn’t have been much of a welcome party ?

Brad like a lot of good boys were taken from us far too early (one of the lads had a flag done in memory of these lads)

The picture below was at Motherwell when some of the lads went in memory of Brad ?

 

[1875 what a year..]

A lot of us had called it a day by then, normally when this type of fixture came up everyone would have been out like we did for Leeds, Chelsea, to name but a few. I recall a Hearts Youth flag appearing in your end that day, they hid from us for over 25 years and would have known it was safe to tag along with the numbers your lot had with you on this day on the back of them also knowing there wouldn’t have been much of a welcome party ?

Yeah no probs, there was a lot of our main boys didn't bother either, bit of an anti-climax, i suspect 5, 10 years before would've been different. The Hearts fans thing was cringe-worthy, a couple of older Rangers boys went too, they've been following Brum for about 25 years. Me, always had a soft spot for Hibs, visted the ground in 1980 aged 14, (no game was on), was in awe of the big sweeping terrace opposite the mainstand, think George Best was playing for you, or just retired.

 

[Doc Shrink]

Lot of testosterone on this thread. Much of it is a bit sour.
Or sad.

 

[The Family]

Yeah no probs, there was a lot of our main boys didn't bother either, bit of an anti-climax, i suspect 5, 10 years before would've been different. The Hearts fans thing was cringe-worthy, a couple of older Huns boys went too, they've been following Brum for about 25 years. Me, always had a soft spot for Hibs, visted the ground in 1980 aged 14, (no game was on), was in awe of the big sweeping terrace opposite the mainstand, think George Best was playing for you, or just retired.

Not surprisingly to hear you had Huns hanging out of your coat tails, they had about 5/6 different teams with them at certain battles over the years.

 

[1875 what a year..]

Not surprisingly to hear you had Huns hanging out of your coat tails, they had about 5/6 different teams with them at certain battles over the years.

It's the political thing mate, misguided as it is and i don't agree with it, even i've been up with our some of our lads on invite, but the politics thing is shite and Hibs are more akin to our lot than any other Scottish team from what i've seen/read. Went up for our friendly at Partick about 2003, Rangers entertained our lot, it got to be cringeworthy in the end, not many of ours go up now i think. The demographic of our firm was a mixed racial set up, and a lot of our white lads are of Irish descent, the Rangers angle caused a bit of aggro between some, the general conscensus is 'we're Blues, politics don't matter in the firm', but still it does. Recently, with the BLM saga, there has been tension due to certain comments on social media, infighting has always been there, ever since i started.

 

[The Family]

It's the political thing mate, misguided as it is and i don't agree with it, even i've been up with our some of our lads on invite, but the politics thing is shite and Hibs are more akin to our lot than any other Scottish team from what i've seen/read. Went up for our friendly at Partick about 2003, Huns entertained our lot, it got to be cringeworthy in the end, not many of ours go up now i think. The demographic of our firm was a mixed racial set up, and a lot of our white lads are of Irish descent, the Huns angle caused a bit of aggro between some, the general conscensus is 'we're Blues, politics don't matter in the firm', but still it does. Recently, with the BLM saga, there has been tension due to certain comments on social media, infighting has always been there, ever since i started.

Our mob was mixed race so I never understood the racist factor within it nor did I ever agree with it. When the BNP came to Edinburgh everyone was out to attack them at any given opportunity as these were lads from Chelsea, Hearts, Rangers, Linfield etc. Sadly our mob got divided somewhere between political and Drugs.

One lad wanted to start a National Firm with lads from us, Hearts, Rangers, Dundee and other teams, I was never one for joining up with other Scottish mobs I didn’t see the point in it at all, most of us declined and still went to our own matches home and away regardless if we were in the Premiership or in the Championship, we were Hibs and fuck all the rest.

 

[1875 what a year..]

Our mob was mixed race so I never understood the racist factor within it nor did I ever agree with it. When the BNP came to Edinburgh everyone was out to attack them at any given opportunity as these were lads from Chelsea, Hearts, Huns, Linfield etc. Sadly our mob got divided somewhere between political and Drugs.

One lad wanted to start a National Firm with lads from us, Hearts, Huns, Dundee and other teams, I was never one for joining up with other Scottish mobs I didn’t see the point in it at all, most of us declined and still went to our own matches home and away regardless if we were in the Premiership or in the Championship, we were Hibs and fuck all the rest.

Yes i remember the thing about the National Firm, a big fella wanted to start it if i remember correctly? He was in a doc i saw with some other lads outside a boozer in Holland? Same here, never understood it, when England played Scotland up there in 99, play offs, Brum chased Villa out of a boozer, in France year before some Leics and Derby teamed up in Lille against us but came second best, we've never cosied up to other firms at games. It's always been tense when i've attended a National fixture, now i wouldn't cross the road to watch 'em if it was free, especially with the fannies who follow the team.
Same as you, it's mainly come with the turf first, followed the team home and away for years, not so bothered now, still rankles if we lose, which is most weeks. But the firm is family, i've not got many friends outside the firm, it really has been a way of life.

 

[The Family]

Yes i remember the thing about the National Firm, a big fella wanted to start it if i remember correctly? He was in a doc i saw with some other lads outside a boozer in Holland? Same here, never understood it, when England played Scotland up there in 99, play offs, Brum chased Villa out of a boozer, in France year before some Leics and Derby teamed up in Lille against us but came second best, we've never cosied up to other firms at games. It's always been tense when i've attended a National fixture, now i wouldn't cross the road to watch 'em if it was free, especially with the fannies who follow the team.
Same as you, it's mainly come with the turf first, followed the team home and away for years, not so bothered now, still rankles if we lose, which is most weeks. But the firm is family, i've not got many friends outside the firm, it really has been a way of life.

That’s right.... We were the same when Scotland played England we would head through to Hampden as Hibs not as Scotland, other Scottish mobs would join up to take on the English. We had battles with all different English mobs at these games which was the same heading to London for the away fixtures. The trouble in the ground was started by our lot in the upper section of Wembley (Old).

We had our fun it’s now left to the Younger lot, although some older ones will still turn out now and again. Not for me anymore and hasn’t been for a while, far too much to lose, job, families on both sides, anyone doing it these days I wish them all the luck but with all the CCTV nowadays it’s difficult to even move un-noticed.

Back in the day it was no mobile contact shite or CCTV it was just two mobs bumping into each other and having it toe to toe.

 

[Hectorhib]

Lot of testosterone on this thread. Much of it is a bit sour.
Or sad.

My fear would be that this hankering for the good old days by the old guard, in conjunction with pharmaceutical wonderdrugs, might just tempt some to come out of retirement:
"Come and have a go with the Blue( or whatever the case may be) Viaggro"

 

[1875 what a year..]

That’s right.... We were the same when Scotland played England we would head through to Hampden as Hibs not as Scotland, other Scottish mobs would join up to take on the English. We had battles with all different English mobs at these games which was the same heading to London for the away fixtures. The trouble in the ground was started by our lot in the upper section of Wembley (Old).

We had our fun it’s now left to the Younger lot, although some older ones will still turn out now and again. Not for me anymore and hasn’t been for a while, far too much to lose, job, families on both sides, anyone doing it these days I wish them all the luck but with all the CCTV nowadays it’s difficult to even move un-noticed.

Back in the day it was no mobile contact shite or CCTV it was just two mobs bumping into each other and having it toe to toe.

Amen to all of that.

As an aside, a few months ago on our forum it was debated who was the 2nd best club anthem behind ours (yes our lot are biased) and your Sunshine on Leith came up and overwhelmingly got the vote. So my radar was tuned to looking at all things Hibs, i Googled mapped Leith, what a cracking place it looks and decent for a pub crawl. My missus and my relationship is going down the pan, so if/when i'm single again i wouldn't mind a drink round there. When we walked down ER, i noticed Middletons and the Mash Tun? over the road, in previous years to that my brother visited the ground and went in the Albion for a drink, though it's not there anymore i don't think?

 

[Hectorhib]

The Casuals Directory (@casualsdirect) Tweeted: https://t.co/yPLteUv96r

 

[The Family]

The Casuals Directory (@casualsdirect) Tweeted: https://t.co/yPLteUv96r

struggled to cope with 2/3 at the most, not Hibs boys either ??

 

[Forzahibs]

Amen to all of that.

As an aside, a few months ago on our forum it was debated who was the 2nd best club anthem behind ours (yes our lot are biased) and your Sunshine on Leith came up and overwhelmingly got the vote. So my radar was tuned to looking at all things Hibs, i Googled mapped Leith, what a cracking place it looks and decent for a pub crawl. My missus and my relationship is going down the pan, so if/when i'm single again i wouldn't mind a drink round there. When we walked down ER, i noticed Middletons and the Mash Tun? over the road, in previous years to that my brother visited the ground and went in the Albion for a drink, though it's not there anymore i don't think?

The Albion is a shop now

 

[The Family]

Amen to all of that.

As an aside, a few months ago on our forum it was debated who was the 2nd best club anthem behind ours (yes our lot are biased) and your Sunshine on Leith came up and overwhelmingly got the vote. So my radar was tuned to looking at all things Hibs, i Googled mapped Leith, what a cracking place it looks and decent for a pub crawl. My missus and my relationship is going down the pan, so if/when i'm single again i wouldn't mind a drink round there. When we walked down ER, i noticed Middletons and the Mash Tun? over the road, in previous years to that my brother visited the ground and went in the Albion for a drink, though it's not there anymore i don't think?

Surprised the Huns never took your lot to the Queens pub or somewhere in Haymarket where they used to hide when playing us. Albion Bar is no longer there. A few visiting fans used Middletons for a drink.

What’s the thoughts of our player Nisbet?

 

[GORDONSMITH7]

Before I have to go out for another six pack boxes of kleenex. This thread, which I started, demonstrates to me that fact, fiction, romanticism, testosterone charged rubbish, much of it a bit sour
and sad, is the story of Hibs Casuals or any Casuals anywhere.

Firm, lads, mob, team, boys, keep reminiscing of your past, dreaming and comparing notes. At least nobody gets a sore face, beaten to a pulp or slashed with words.

BIG G

 

[The Family]

Before I have to go out for another six pack boxes of kleenex. This thread, which I started, demonstrates to me that fact, fiction, romanticism, testosterone charged rubbish, much of it a bit sour
and sad, is the story of Hibs Casuals or any Casuals anywhere.

Firm, lads, mob, team, boys, keep reminiscing of your past, dreaming and comparing notes. At least nobody gets a sore face, beaten to a pulp or slashed with words.

BIG G

Come on Amigo, it happened before casuals was invented. Seen loads of times Hibs fans fighting Hibs fans, pubs, clubs and up down the country having punch ups every weekend, it’s not solely a casual thing.

 

[hoppy/hibee.]

Knew quite a lot of the faces back in the day, and can say not all were fannies, met some really nice guys who have all grown up and still go to the games and say hello. But fannies there certainly were..
Some good times specially Aberdeen away, always felt safe they would always step in and have the hibs fans backs... GGTTH

 

[moathibby]

So my mate Raymond almost lost his life to an attack by Aberdeen supporters,and a lot of you thought'you know what ?that's the kind of life I want to live from now on'.It's sad and rather pathetic.

 

[Westside Green]

So my mate Raymond almost lost his life to an attack by Aberdeen supporters,and a lot of you thought'you know what ?that's the kind of life I want to live from now on'.It's sad and rather pathetic.

I'm sure Raymie went back for a bit revenge and even admitted as much in court possibly as a defence witness for the boy accused of throwing the petrol bomb at them.

 

[GORDONSMITH7]

Come on Amigo, it happened before casuals was invented. Seen loads of times Hibs fans fighting Hibs fans, pubs, clubs and up down the country having punch ups every weekend, it’s not solely a casual thing.

BIG G

 

[barney]

So my mate Raymond almost lost his life to an attack by Aberdeen supporters,and a lot of you thought'you know what ?that's the kind of life I want to live from now on'.It's sad and rather pathetic.

your mate Raymond was a willing participant. not an innocent bystander.

 

[GORDONSMITH7]

I'm sure Raymie went back for a bit revenge and even admitted as much in court possibly as a defence witness for the boy accused of throwing the petrol bomb at them.

Molotov cocktail thrown in Edinburgh public thoroughfare ....


BIG G

 

[EA2007]

Firm, lads, mob, team, boys, keep reminiscing of your past, dreaming and comparing notes. At least nobody gets a sore face, beaten to a pulp or slashed with words.

BIG G

It’s the buzz

 

[GORDONSMITH7]

It’s the buzz

BIG G

 

[moathibby]

your mate Raymond was a willing participant. not an innocent bystander.

Yes and then he got out of it,unlike some.

 

[1875 what a year..]

Surprised the Huns never took your lot to the Queens pub or somewhere in Haymarket where they used to hide when playing us. Albion Bar is no longer there. A few visiting fans used Middletons for a drink.

What’s the thoughts of our player Nisbet?

I personally weren't with them, i only got up there on the Sunday morning. I was with a few oldschool lads and a certain black fella who's a good mate of mine, the 2 older RFC lads were with a group in the same pub, no idea who the Hearts Yoof were with, only saw them in the ground.
Nisbet seems a good prospect, hope Hibs keep him, we could make Messi look crap in our team.

 

[The Family]

I personally weren't with them, i only got up there on the Sunday morning. I was with a few oldschool lads and a certain black fella who's a good mate of mine, the 2 older RFC lads were with a group in the same pub, no idea who the Hearts Yoof were with, only saw them in the ground.
Nisbet seems a good prospect, hope Hibs keep him, we could make Messi look crap in our team.

The day of your game a lot of the boys were flying back from Denmark.

 

[StevieC]

Ukraine that’s right, just remember the boys got a sore one when they bombarded the pub with everything they could land their hands on

Oh well Golf Brollies gave him a nasty scar in his neck.

Two different incidents. The knife attack wasn’t football related.

 

[StevieC]

Ukraine that’s right, just remember the boys got a sore one when they bombarded the pub with everything they could land their hands on ?

I was about to explode at Ukraine getting called Russia but thankfully 1875 corrected that mistake

Some of the Dnipro guys involved in that invited myself and 1875 for a drink when we were over on Dnipro Kids duty, although we had no idea who they were until we arrived at the pub (I think it was the same pub they attacked, I wasn't present at the original incident). They were actually sound guys, and had clubbed together to get handmade handpainted Ukrainian display plate and mugs made as a thank you for the work we were doing. I'm now really good friends with some of the guys that were there that day.

1875 might expand on the meeting, it turned out to be a bit of a vodka induced haze for me as they plied us with vodka related toasts every couple of minutes.

 

[The Family]

I was about to explode at Ukraine getting called Russia but thankfully 1875 corrected that mistake

Some of the Dnipro guys involved in that invited myself and 1875 for a drink when we were over on Dnipro Kids duty, although we had no idea who they were until we arrived at the pub (I think it was the same pub they attacked, I wasn't present at the original incident). They were actually sound guys, and had clubbed together to get handmade handpainted Ukrainian display plate and mugs made as a thank you for the work we were doing. I'm now really good friends with some of the guys that were there that day.

1875 might expand on the meeting, it turned out to be a bit of a vodka induced haze for me as they plied us with vodka related toasts every couple of minutes.

I know you are S, enjoyed reading your updates on how things were going with the kids over there ?

 

[StevieC]

I know you are S, enjoyed reading your updates on how things were going with the kids over there ?

Thanks.
I feel honoured at being lucky enough to do what we do in the name of Hibernian. And humbled by the support that it continues to have 15 years on. If it wasn't for the continued generosity of the Hibs support, who have always viewed it as a Hibs supporters charity, it would have died long before FC Dnipro did.

I have always tried to be as much of an ambassador for the club (and Scotland) as I can when in Ukraine. There was definitely a strong link between the two teams for many years. Their club shop sold Hibs merchandise for a good few years after that game. The top guys in their supporters organisation (including their ultras) knew of the links to Hibs, and we were always made welcome their. I was once presented with a big Hibernian/Dnipro Saltire flag on a visit, that was given a VIP position on the pitchside fencing, amongst their ultra flags, whenever I was lucky enough to attend a match. I even had it at their Europa Cup Final in Poland against Seville.

Getting back on topic .. some of my best friends over there are guys that were involved in this sort of thing.

I hope this doesn't come across as some sort of misty eyed romanticism about the era (Big G), but the casual thing was so much more than thugs fighting at games. It was a youth movement that stretched across football, fashion, music and (sadly) laterly drugs.
Without going all psycho-analytical about it, there were bonds formed that have lasted decades. Guys from 30 years ago that you would feel more comfortable discussing issues with than you would a family member. Guys that you might have not seen for years, that would drop what they were doing if they thought you needed help. Someone used the phrase "tight knit" earlier on, and I would say that tightness went way beyond simply following a football team. I would even go so far as to say it was also character forming, in a mostly positive way (although with a lot of things, not always).

 

[1875 what a year..]

The day of your game a lot of the boys were flying back from Denmark.

What was that a drink up in Copenhagen?

 

[The Family]

What was that a drink up in Copenhagen?

No we played Brondby in the European cup.