Aston Villa v Rangers 1976 | Crowd Trouble Reaction

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On Saturday, October 9 1976, Villa Park and Birmingham City Centre suffered some of the worst scenes of football hooliganism ever witnessed on this patch.
It occurred during a so called ‘friendly’ match between Aston Villa and Rangers which had to be abandoned on 53 minutes when crowd trouble erupted.
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[@TheBeeseven]

The night before the game was carnage in the city centre. My mom worked in the central A&E and it was full of English & Scots after the clubs and bars shut. The police had all the warnings of what was to come the next day yet did nothing to prevent or try to control it.

[@lennylaa1686]

I was a Villa mad 18 year old and I went to this game and can clarify and correct many comments below. Firstly, there was NOT a huge display of tricolours or green and white scarves/banners. None at all, maybe ONE flag - nothing more. That may have been enough to kick it off. I arrived an hour before the start and went to stand on the 28,000 capacity Holte End, walking in at the bottom left of our home end. But as I looked up, it was a sea of blue and white - this to me is the big story...why weren't the visiting fans directed by the police to the opposite (16,000) visitors end on arrival? This takeover should never have been allowed to happen. On entering ''our'' section, we were directed to the other end by walking alongside the pitch but I nipped over into the lower seats of the Trinity Road stand and sat there. But it was a very uneasy atmosphere and by half-time, I had decided to leave the ground - good move - because 23 minutes later, 8 mins into the second half...the Rangers fans poured onto the pitch. By then, I was on the local train at Aston to get back home. The crowd that day was over 17,000 and I would estimate that only 5,000 were actually home Villa fans.

[@johnanderson1427]

40 years later and still the same society problem.

[@grahampearson1614]

I was there in 1976. It was more like an Old Firm game. Never saw so much Green & White, Irish Tri Colours in all my life. So if you show that kind of Support in front of the Rangers fans. Your going to get a reaction.

[@lennylaa1686]

I was also in attendance - stop lying - there was NO green and white.... see my comment above.

[@grahampearson1614]

Also saw plenty of Septic tops being worn,

[@billyrk7910]

Why were villa fans doing that?

[@grahampearson1614]

It was a Wind up for the Rangers support, Not knowing how much we hated Celtic & Republicans, it kinda backfired on them, But to be honest also, It didn't take much for us to start fighting with anyone in those Days, Booze was a major factor, Bottles & Cans flying everywhere in the Grounds, Drink was allowed in, or Smuggled in, Happy Days, NS. FTP WATP!!

[@buffaloalbertz1690]

@quadruple treble 1888 L. D. A. G

[@user-if3sp4nm6i]

The first game that my son (aged 4) went with me to watch. Explained that the riot was just some enthusiastic supporters.

[@8busby]

Jeez she can talk...

[@kylebutler3018]

Villa fans thought they could noise up Rangers with Celtic scarfs and tri-colours lol they'll never make that mistake again

[@Macca-rb5ok]

The only thing Villa fans were thinking was, "Who are these fuckwits?"

[@jamesalexander4926]

Villa are a diddy club

[@prideofpendle8323]

Patrick Stafford the bishops favourite😅😅

[@huddleurmuddle]

Macca 1874 that's exactly y they are known as Scotlands shame

[@prideofpendle8323]

Seamus Mcaleese 100% BRITISH 😃😃😃😂😂

[@billkent6037]

This was the worst violence ever seen at Villa Park and at a so-called "friendly"

[@markjenner7199]

There's no such thing as a friendly with rangers 😊

[@jamesduffy7051]

Big Jock Knew

[@benbhoy9]

One of your own .... Helped with the Dead and injured at the Ibrox Disaster .... Are you still there you piece of Vermin ....

[@thenorthsection1357]

45 years ago today!

[@freedomfire9366]

There was an old chant in Turkey in 90s. "Reb, blue, white, black, yellow, green It does not matter, We are walking on the same way, Football is violence, Football is holiganism, Football is stabbing someome "

[@michaelharrison3602]

You're sad

[@lennylaa1686]

Love that Villa lad @ 0-41...he's like a Bay City Roller! Really smart hairstyle...and what ever happened to those accents 44 years later, never as broad or sharp?

[@flaw3dgenius222]

Us Jocks will never change haha, We are a different breed!

[@markhemming318]

An animal breed with the iq of rocking - horses.

[@flaw3dgenius222]

@@markhemming318 Your daughter will be muslim. 😅

[@markhemming318]

@@flaw3dgenius222 You are a clever one.

[@patglennon9671]

the irish-second generation irish were having none of it.

[@prideofpendle8323]

pat glennon loves giving the bishop a mouthful 😅😅😅

[@phillipoconnor5425]

Got that right

[@darrendavis7613]

Villa fans were nutters back in the day, I lived round the corner from the ground and trouble was always guaranteed, long before blues lads got it together

[@JohnSmith-fr7js]

That's rubbish, Blues fans have always had a worse reputation than Villa, even deaths have occurred, I lived in Ormond street between New Town Row and Summer lane and have been following Villa since 1957, Villa fans have always been less violent than the opposition, I remember in the third division 1969-1971 how Villa fans at away matches were victimised not only by the home fans but also by the police because of the sheer size of the away support that would descend upon their towns, they regarded us as an invasion and responded with uncalled for violence.

[@alfiebcfc9610]

Darren davis no one has ever heard of villas hooligans

[@i_know_youre_right_but]

john smith not true. C crew were bigger than the Zulus at the start of the 80s. From mid 80s blues pissed all over them though.

[@andybrowne5700]

C, Crew we’re stronger and more together for sure. Then Birmingham Zulu’s came to the fore, but never ever pissed all over Villa.

[@lennylaa1686]

Definitely at the time of the skinheads around 1969/70, Villa boys were up for a battle - and in large numbers, especially to London and Millwall. Even later, in 1977 a large Villa crew got in the back of the Leicester home end. In that era, Blues were at it - I remember reading ''Booted and Suited'' written by a Bristol Rovers Gashead and he stated that a massive gang of Blues skinheads took the home Tote End and later a Stoke naughty 40 came in and couldn't be shifted. It was a time of running fights and battles on the terraces, police no use quite disorganised. Villa/Blues were equally matched up to 1985 and in that year, C-Crew had a ruck in the top right corner of the Blues Kop at a derby game. But yes from then on, when the Zulus formed, they were much more on the front foot, the Leeds home riot being a turning point. That's when they actively sought out agro on away days... and got a fierce reputation. When Rangers bring out big numbers, they would meet their match in Millwall, followed by Leeds and ICF. No one else would be at the party. As for small numbers, Boro would be top dogs.

[@Sebastian-fk2ps]

00:40 Paul McCartney

[@StublueKPL]

not excusing people being idiots.this is from rangers fans (and one villa fan) at the game: however, the villa fans with Irish flags and celtic scarfs didn't help the situation. people didn't realise the situation at the time. Rangers fans were vehemently opposed to the IRA . when they seen supposedly fellow british people waving irish flags it didn't go down well as they assumed supporting the IRA(wrongly)and also that many rangers fans come from northern Ireland.again, not an excuse but maybe people want to have a bigger insight than just assuming hooligans

[@thenorthsection1357]

That's a good point mate. Usually in these things there are various contributing factors.

[@Jie67]

StublueKPL most rangers fans come from Glasgow not northern Ireland stop trying to justify these scumbags actions. so waving flags n scarfs justifies exposing yourself in the street?

[@1061andy]

ironic less than two years after the Birmingham pub bombings and some villa fans flaunting celtic/Irish colours just to wind up the Rangers lot.

[@j-boogiebrown9961]

Yeah, sure you're Protestant!

[@xplmgaming396]

Scum bags Sevco UTV 💜💙HH 🇮🇪

[@bigbaz2806]

Thats what happens when you noise up the wrong people.

[@JohnSmith-fr7js]

As I remember it this "friendly" match took everyone by surprise because the Villa fans thought of it as being just another pre-season friendly however the Scottish fans treated it as a war between the English and Scottish. Arriving at the ground 10 minutes before kick off we found that there were around 14,000 drunken Scots in the Holte end drinking from bottles of whiskey and looking for trouble, it looked like Hampden with all the Saltires and Yellow and Red Scotland Lion rampant flags flying, we were approached ourselves by a drunken Scot asking "hae' ye got the time jimmy" just to find out from our accents whether we were Scottish or English, we got away with it by pointing to the clock on the Witton lane stand and beating a hasty retreat. We left early and later heard over the car radio the police warning the general public not to go on the streets around Villa Park but to remain indoors, these Rangers fans were like a swarm of locusts robbing every shop on their way back to New street station, an utter disgrace and a very good reason to never allow Scottish teams to ever play in the English football leagues.

[@affectionatepunch]

To this day many Rangers fans still don't know what time it is

[@redflag8970]

English clubs an national side was unaware of the hatred jocks had towards us. Jocks used these games to have a go whereas like you said villa thought it was just a game. By the 80s the English fan had clocked onto it an the worm turned.

[@JohnSmith-fr7js]

@@redflag8970 Yeah, I remember the Scottish fans coming to London for Euro '96 and being met by thousands of English fans who were already occupying Trafalgar Square, the Scots were begging the Police to protect them.... kzbin.info/www/bejne/oqDcl5-KpqaMnqc

[@robinmcewen3286]

@@JohnSmith-fr7js Don't confuse Scotland and Rangers. In the 70s and 80s, the Tartan Army was predominantly Rangers fans. Rangers fans were notorious and the Tartan Army got the same rep. As you say, by the 90s, English 'firms' were prepared for Scotland fans. But the Scots fans at Euro 96 were not largely Rangers anymore. In fact, Rangers have pretty much abandoned following Scotland. Trust me. There's not a support in world football that can take Rangers on. Numbers alone dictate that. Apparently every English firm was gonna appear in Manchester in 2008 at the UEFA cup final. They might well have done. But they knew to keep a low profile if they did. When the Rangers 'Bears' are in full flow nobody stands a chance. Check the history.

[@JohnSmith-fr7js]

@@robinmcewen3286 Yes I don't doubt the ferocity of the Rangers fans, as you said Manchester was a good example but then again no one expected thousands of Rangers fans to turn up for a week day night match in Manchester which they didn't have tickets for, if the 80,000 United fans had been outside them things could have turned really ugly. I'm not anti-scottish I just want to put the record straight and by mentioning the Manchester game you've reinforced my point that we should never allow Scottish teams to play in England (there was also the Rangers riot at Newcastle in the 1970's).

[@2msvalkyrie529]

Sorry Aydee : Got more interesting things to do than exchange one sided banterwith you . Amusing though it is . I'm afraid I always tidy my sock drawer on Saturdayevenings . Followed by Take the High Road boxed set . Cheerie the noo .!

[@abdulabdullah3679]

How could she see them through all the letterboxes ?All lies or she has xray pies .

[@peterobrien6894]

Rangers are.Birmingham Celtic are villa

[@GCT223]

What a load of bollox. I know loads of villa that frequent ibrox

[@johnmcdonald8567]

I don't know any. Irish relatives in Birmingham who always spoke of Villa and Celtic mixed support in the city.

[@bensims7501]

That's rubbish. Villa I know, some follow celtic, but more rangers

[@Dan-qp5tq]

@@bensims7501 where you got that from? Me and all my mates would always go for the hoops in an old firm.

[@AK_AVFC]

Villa fans are mostly loyalist lol england flags at every game

[@tomwarner1939]

Lewis Capaldi at 0:47 : )

[@swaldron5558]

Lewis who?

[@peterdavis540]

?no crowd trouble. Clickbait.

[@Daviebhoy25cfc]

The answer to flashing and violence was to fill the midlands up with Ninjas and brown men in dresses......

[@duncanedwards7840]

😆 but maybe not.

[@robw8173]

Scotlands shame then Scotlands shame now!!!!!!

[@garyfrew5569]

Dream on 🇬🇧

[@alexisbuchanan2028]

Huns being huns

[@hardstylemystyle1817]

Huns rioting and flashing at children who woulda thought it

[@paulpogba7004]

hardstyle mystyle fuck up ya manky fenian bastard

[@hardstylemystyle1817]

Bender Rodríguez looool take it you ain’t watched the video that was the young mob and what about Manchester 🤔

[@robertwall3759]

I was there what a mad lot rangers are ha

[@alexbrown-ks1hq]

ha ha they shit it

[@stuartwilliams3104]

After the pub bombings some arsehole waving a celtic flag I think under the circumstances Rangers fans were very restrained in their reaction

[@jamesdonnelly5728]

Ohhh the very dangerous act of waving a Celtic flag eh?

[@09weenic]

@quadruple treble 1888 stop trying to justify the actions of ur fellow Irish republicans in their bombing of innocent women and children . Anyway you give me the impression you are a typical mhanky KiddyFiddler FC supporter BJK 🇬🇧55 & counting

[@christopherjolly3556]

@@09weenic how come yous can keep the glory from the old club 55 titles and what have you ? but no carry that shit with it aswell ?

[@flaw3dgenius222]

@@jamesdonnelly5728 It was a Irish Tri Colour after the IRA had bombed England, I mean you would think the English Villa fans would of battered the cunt ffs!

[@joeoneill2551]

Celtic never took the kop but rangers took the hole 🎶

[@paulpogba7004]

Fuck the Celtic

[@lennylaa1686]

''hole''? you mean ''Holte'' ..End but really nothing to boast about because when the ground opened at 1pm, there weren't any Villa fans there - not for another hour when they would normally arrive. Gers had the place to themselves! Police should have directed them to the opposite Witton End of the ground - a major police blunder.

[@lennylaa1686]

''kop'' meaning St. Andrews Kop,..Celtic came down for a pre-season friendly, I think, but did not get in the Blues section, stood on the Tilton. But do you know the story that night, was there a lot of agro and running fights or no trouble at all? Was it 1975 or 1976?

[@CB-yx4sj]

@quadruple treble 1888 and racist sumbags

[@rankone5054]

Didn't take the holte the police let them sleep in it the night b4

[@scottwhitley3392]

that brummie accent 😂😂😂

[@2msvalkyrie529]

Sub titles ..please .? Incomprehensible Scottish gibbering !

[@2msvalkyrie529]

Stick to watching the Krankies ! Or hope that wee Nicola gets your independence . Should have allowed people in England to vote.......result would be resounding Yes ! Put that in your sporran ( next to bottle of Buckfast .)

[@jonlewis6700]

That's choice coming from a brummie

[@4YaPloNo1]

Rangers flashing at children still continues to this day

[@jamesalexander4926]

big jock knew

[@Awoingt]

Dirty vhile Bheast FC, who have a list of previous for raing children. Ask Alan Brazil. imperialbears.co.uk/2017/05/02/celtic-boys-club-a-separate-entity/

[@4YaPloNo1]

Awoingt then post proof not a link to a forum full of simpletons and grasses. Folks in Scotland The New Rangers take on from where the previous left off with their supporters a mixture of the unemployed and mentally ill glorifying and singing about child abuse whilst refusing to accept that it leads back to them

[@theibroxemporium4856]

Gloryfying child abuse? Good one.

[@4YaPloNo1]

The Ibrox Emporium You sing about it in your thousands? That's glorifying.

[@abdulabdullah3679]

Yes ,Rangers fans were provoked and this old busy body is a liar. Rangers have impeccable fans.

[@RobRoyBoaz]

Yeah. Seen you on other threads you mutt. Talking total and utter twaddle. How old are you? About 6 ?

[@footballspecialmineral6139]

Ready brek rangers the vermin virus filth

[@RC-fw6ws]

The Scots are so tough. Couldn't even take their own country back when given the choice

[@thenorthsection1357]

To be fair, most of the Jocks in this video would have voted No!

[@nosurrender4321]

Sketch Book you know fuck all

[@BRIDGETONBILLYBOYS]

The Scot's more than any other nation in the British isle's built the Empire ,the most decorated and popular soldier's has always been the jock's,Sketch book is your tag so your into art i imagine,go look at pictures of Empire troop's at Waterloo,Crimea and ww1 they all wear kilt's,the famous thin red line were Scot's troop's,what i'm getting at is most Scot's consider themselves to be British so they voted No to independence.

[@scottyb5039]

Sketch book, you bellend

[@adedavies6786]

Took the Holt end easy enough though

[@keithgriffiths1912]

Aye, there’s always an excuse with Rangers & when they smash up innocent cities....... Manchester anyone??

[@BRIDGETONBILLYBOYS]

Like celtic in sunderland ,if 200.000 fans gett penned into overcrowded fan zones like Rangers fans did you cunts would do it ,your IRA supporting cunts who blew manchester city centrre to bits we only left beer cans and bruised police.

[@keithgriffiths1912]

LEGGIE YTP like I said ........... there’s always an excuse 🍀

[@huddleurmuddle]

That's why they are known as Scotlands shame. Thank fuck Rangers no longer exist

[@theibroxemporium4856]

Do they not no?

[@darrencooper3551]

Villa ruled rangers.

[@chrisegan19681]

Huns being huns. Nothing changes.

[@prideofpendle8323]

chrisegan19681 the mhanky bhoy

[@Awoingt]

Imagine a supporter of BHEAST FC trying to moralise. This is what we expect from Tarriers being Tarriers, deny, deflect and try and hide the raping of children. Your day will come bheasts

[@zakmarsden5997]

Bheasts being Bheasts nothing changes for 2000 years,F'@@k septic and oiralnd, WATP

[@brianflynn4254]

nothing changes? Scotland's Shame

[@ronaldwillox1053]

Ha ha villa and celtic rule ha ha

[@seanycage2610]

Fucking hell even back then they were scotlands shame.

[@alexbrown-ks1hq]

w a t p

[@seanycage2610]

You certainly were.

[@seanycage2610]

alex brown your club died

[@jamesalexander4926]

big jock knew

[@seanycage2610]

james ingram aye, he knew rangers were scum.