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What a night! What a fabulous, battling performance from the team after being 3-0 down.
Then the following night, the notorious Ship Tavern incident. (I was there too)
The Glyfada police ripped off the Swans fans of a couple of thousand dracmas (sp?) that the Swans party raised, to help the boys who were held back in jail.
We were held under guard all day on the Friday, before being frog marched, escorted by police with machine guns onto the plane.
Arriving at in London, to banner headlines in the lying Sun Newspaper of us having caused "Millions of pounds worth of damage!"
Before we were very reluctantly allowed by the Metropolitan Police, to travel into London to see the Swans play Fulham at Craven Cottage.
I wonder how many regular posters were on that trip?
Never been back to Greece since.
[Post edited 13 Sep 15:35]
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35 Years Ago Today ... on 18:07 - Sep 13 with 1768 views
35 Years Ago Today ... on 15:31 - Sep 13 by TimBowen
I was there!
What a night! What a fabulous, battling performance from the team after being 3-0 down.
Then the following night, the notorious Ship Tavern incident. (I was there too)
The Glyfada police ripped off the Swans fans of a couple of thousand dracmas (sp?) that the Swans party raised, to help the boys who were held back in jail.
We were held under guard all day on the Friday, before being frog marched, escorted by police with machine guns onto the plane.
Arriving at in London, to banner headlines in the lying Sun Newspaper of us having caused "Millions of pounds worth of damage!"
Before we were very reluctantly allowed by the Metropolitan Police, to travel into London to see the Swans play Fulham at Craven Cottage.
I wonder how many regular posters were on that trip?
Never been back to Greece since.
[Post edited 13 Sep 15:35]
I’ve been back with the band. Went with three mates, there the day before, that was ok, plenty of Jacks there in a bar on the square. Locals on match day were absolute tossers. Some openly carrying knives. AEK ultras were evident as well. There was some issues after the game, some Swans fans getting very pissed off. Definitely a number of fights getting back to our hotel. Police there recommended we didn’t go back out.
Next day early ish flight back, so the news on the incident wasn’t known to us until the next day. The coverage was well OTT. But suited the media agenda.
You would have been there with some well known supporters Tim. JVZ, Dai Morgan, Huw Jenkins.
Memorable moment was a Greek first setting fire to a Union Jack flag outside one of the bars, his mates looked confused when a number of Swans fans cheered. He then set an England flag alight to total cheering. That baffled them as well. He used an accelerant and also set fire to his jacket which he had to get off quickly as it was ruined. Old yellow Stone Island design.
A small piece of justice on a trip which was hardly enjoyable. Salako though had a blinder.
If I remember rightly Cardiff turned up for the home game, the end result never seems to be spoken about in their many and varied books. We were absolutely robbed in the second leg. How was that ever a penalty ? Two yards outside of the box. 💷💷💷💷💰
This post has been edited by an administrator
A great believer in taking anything you like to wherever you want to.
35 Years Ago Today ... on 18:07 - Sep 13 by KeithHaynes
I’ve been back with the band. Went with three mates, there the day before, that was ok, plenty of Jacks there in a bar on the square. Locals on match day were absolute tossers. Some openly carrying knives. AEK ultras were evident as well. There was some issues after the game, some Swans fans getting very pissed off. Definitely a number of fights getting back to our hotel. Police there recommended we didn’t go back out.
Next day early ish flight back, so the news on the incident wasn’t known to us until the next day. The coverage was well OTT. But suited the media agenda.
You would have been there with some well known supporters Tim. JVZ, Dai Morgan, Huw Jenkins.
Memorable moment was a Greek first setting fire to a Union Jack flag outside one of the bars, his mates looked confused when a number of Swans fans cheered. He then set an England flag alight to total cheering. That baffled them as well. He used an accelerant and also set fire to his jacket which he had to get off quickly as it was ruined. Old yellow Stone Island design.
A small piece of justice on a trip which was hardly enjoyable. Salako though had a blinder.
If I remember rightly Cardiff turned up for the home game, the end result never seems to be spoken about in their many and varied books. We were absolutely robbed in the second leg. How was that ever a penalty ? Two yards outside of the box. 💷💷💷💷💰
This post has been edited by an administrator
Never a pen!!
Everyday above ground ... Is a good day! 😎
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35 Years Ago Today ... on 21:35 - Sep 13 with 1610 views
I won't name 'names,' not to embarrass any of our local fans. One or two I considered friends at the time, quite a few years before they became officially connected with the club.
However, it has to be said, one of those named, not a local, who has often faced regular criticism by Swans fans on forums etc was an absolute monster in the Ship Tavern when the bar, without an escape route, was surrounded by approx. 1,000 Greeks fully intent on attacking the 35 Swans fans trapped in the bar that night.
All, I learned later, wanting to extract retribution upon 'English football fans,' as they believed us to be, who had caused mayhem in Glyfada a couple of years earlier, before a World Cup qualifying match. Many will understand what I mean, when saying how England and their fans (especially abroad) were the main hooligan firm in those days.
The Ship Tavern, during the Monday 11th to Friday 15th trip, had become an unofficial HQ for Swans fans. There was no trouble at the pub before the night in question, although as Keith states, there were definitely low numbered 'skirmishes' in and around the Glyfada town centre, on the nights leading up to the match.
This, I need to clarify, at least from what I witnessed, was not due to Swans fans instigating trouble, it was mainly, when making our way back to our hotels, being ambushed and having to defend ourselves from aggressive Greek 'scalp hunters.' With the local police seemingly determined to a) contribute to any bruising and b) swell their personal wallets in dishing out 'immediate fines.' for any reason they could dream up.
I myself, 32 at the time, was beaten with truncheons and 'arrested' on the Monday evening, for no apparent reason, other than to expect me to contribute to their overtime pay. Photos of my bruises provided by the police, appeared in a Swans Fanzine being produced at the time.
It was amusing being in the station with a Swans fan, who, when the Police were 'taking his details' insisted his name was 'Colonel Gaddafi.' I took another punch to the back of head for having the temerity to laugh with him, at his comical defiance.
Going back to that 'not local fellah,' who travelled to Athens to be with his Swans fan mate. He was a 'colossus' that night, when the Greeks were surrounding the open Mediterranean type bar, turning the scene into a mini Rorkes Drift.
By smashing down the stonework walls of adjacent bars and hurling them in at us. The bar was open plan and had a beer garden which separated us from the Greeks trying to get at us, by riding Vespa type bikes into the bar. Our unnamed Colossus, lifted a bench style wooden seat into his groin and was using it as a club, to smack these riders off their bikes. Honestly, It was pandemonium!
I'd been a soldier (QDG's) serving out in Northern Ireland in the Seventies...but I have to say, that night in the Ship Tavern was the most afraid for the likelihood of facing serious injury (or worse) I've ever been involved with. No-one in the bar that night started the trouble, it would've been akin to suicide, such was the overwhelming numbers gathered around the bar.
Eventually, after about an hour or so of this defensive battle, their police arrived, to arrest the Swansea boys. Who later had been trapped on a staircase leading to a nightclub, in trying to make their escape from the pub. The boys 'ran the gauntlet' of attacks, when being manhandled over to the large van (the type you see photographers chasing, when accused people are transported to court) which they'd brought to transport the Swans fans from the area.
The aggression of the crowd was such, they were rocking the van, in a determined attempt to topple it, to get at the Swans fans. It was a harrowing scene indeed. The police needed to use their batons on the crowd, to keep them from succeeding. I was seeing the later part of this from one of the adjoining bars, having managed to slip away when seeing the Police arrive.
The following day, as we were kept under armed police guard, in a room at a local building, not being allowed out of it all day. It was suggested I became a spokesman for the fans, and also, with trying to liaise, in getting the 10 held in jail released.
It was all a bit of a circus when we eventually arrived home after the Fulham match. The media were focused on exaggerating the story as much as possible, every incident spoken of was twisted, to have violent connotations.
And because of that, the anger of the people in Swansea, not necessarily Swans supporters grew, when hearing of the injustices Swans fans had faced. This focused the City on getting 'justifiable revenge,' as it was seen, on what had occurred, as it got closer to the second leg, at home in the Vetch.
As you may be able to understand from my posting, the events of that Cup Winners Cup visit to Athens, for the match against Panathinaikos, has lived long in my memory.
And, while no football fans are ever considered 'innocent,' I know, I saw, I was part of the build up to the events, the Swans fans in the Ship Tavern that night, most certainly did not instigate the violence. They did though need to defend themselves against a co-ordinated massed attack, on the pub they'd peaceably spent the last few nights enjoying their European adventure.
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35 Years Ago Today ... on 21:12 - Sep 16 with 995 views
35 Years Ago Today ... on 16:13 - Sep 16 by TimBowen
I won't name 'names,' not to embarrass any of our local fans. One or two I considered friends at the time, quite a few years before they became officially connected with the club.
However, it has to be said, one of those named, not a local, who has often faced regular criticism by Swans fans on forums etc was an absolute monster in the Ship Tavern when the bar, without an escape route, was surrounded by approx. 1,000 Greeks fully intent on attacking the 35 Swans fans trapped in the bar that night.
All, I learned later, wanting to extract retribution upon 'English football fans,' as they believed us to be, who had caused mayhem in Glyfada a couple of years earlier, before a World Cup qualifying match. Many will understand what I mean, when saying how England and their fans (especially abroad) were the main hooligan firm in those days.
The Ship Tavern, during the Monday 11th to Friday 15th trip, had become an unofficial HQ for Swans fans. There was no trouble at the pub before the night in question, although as Keith states, there were definitely low numbered 'skirmishes' in and around the Glyfada town centre, on the nights leading up to the match.
This, I need to clarify, at least from what I witnessed, was not due to Swans fans instigating trouble, it was mainly, when making our way back to our hotels, being ambushed and having to defend ourselves from aggressive Greek 'scalp hunters.' With the local police seemingly determined to a) contribute to any bruising and b) swell their personal wallets in dishing out 'immediate fines.' for any reason they could dream up.
I myself, 32 at the time, was beaten with truncheons and 'arrested' on the Monday evening, for no apparent reason, other than to expect me to contribute to their overtime pay. Photos of my bruises provided by the police, appeared in a Swans Fanzine being produced at the time.
It was amusing being in the station with a Swans fan, who, when the Police were 'taking his details' insisted his name was 'Colonel Gaddafi.' I took another punch to the back of head for having the temerity to laugh with him, at his comical defiance.
Going back to that 'not local fellah,' who travelled to Athens to be with his Swans fan mate. He was a 'colossus' that night, when the Greeks were surrounding the open Mediterranean type bar, turning the scene into a mini Rorkes Drift.
By smashing down the stonework walls of adjacent bars and hurling them in at us. The bar was open plan and had a beer garden which separated us from the Greeks trying to get at us, by riding Vespa type bikes into the bar. Our unnamed Colossus, lifted a bench style wooden seat into his groin and was using it as a club, to smack these riders off their bikes. Honestly, It was pandemonium!
I'd been a soldier (QDG's) serving out in Northern Ireland in the Seventies...but I have to say, that night in the Ship Tavern was the most afraid for the likelihood of facing serious injury (or worse) I've ever been involved with. No-one in the bar that night started the trouble, it would've been akin to suicide, such was the overwhelming numbers gathered around the bar.
Eventually, after about an hour or so of this defensive battle, their police arrived, to arrest the Swansea boys. Who later had been trapped on a staircase leading to a nightclub, in trying to make their escape from the pub. The boys 'ran the gauntlet' of attacks, when being manhandled over to the large van (the type you see photographers chasing, when accused people are transported to court) which they'd brought to transport the Swans fans from the area.
The aggression of the crowd was such, they were rocking the van, in a determined attempt to topple it, to get at the Swans fans. It was a harrowing scene indeed. The police needed to use their batons on the crowd, to keep them from succeeding. I was seeing the later part of this from one of the adjoining bars, having managed to slip away when seeing the Police arrive.
The following day, as we were kept under armed police guard, in a room at a local building, not being allowed out of it all day. It was suggested I became a spokesman for the fans, and also, with trying to liaise, in getting the 10 held in jail released.
It was all a bit of a circus when we eventually arrived home after the Fulham match. The media were focused on exaggerating the story as much as possible, every incident spoken of was twisted, to have violent connotations.
And because of that, the anger of the people in Swansea, not necessarily Swans supporters grew, when hearing of the injustices Swans fans had faced. This focused the City on getting 'justifiable revenge,' as it was seen, on what had occurred, as it got closer to the second leg, at home in the Vetch.
As you may be able to understand from my posting, the events of that Cup Winners Cup visit to Athens, for the match against Panathinaikos, has lived long in my memory.
And, while no football fans are ever considered 'innocent,' I know, I saw, I was part of the build up to the events, the Swans fans in the Ship Tavern that night, most certainly did not instigate the violence. They did though need to defend themselves against a co-ordinated massed attack, on the pub they'd peaceably spent the last few nights enjoying their European adventure.
Superb post, you had the worst of it, we were pretty certain we weren't making it a lads holiday. I did see some of those lads at some point but can’t remember where. I knew one through the TITS. And since then numerous others for a long time. There's a picture somewhere, can’t remember where I saw it (good at this eh?) 😂 of those lads by a pool. It was always our intention to go in and out to avoid hassle, they have always been cowardly and handy with knives. We saw that ourselves.
Were you in the upper tier side ish to the goal ?
A great believer in taking anything you like to wherever you want to.
35 Years Ago Today ... on 16:13 - Sep 16 by TimBowen
I won't name 'names,' not to embarrass any of our local fans. One or two I considered friends at the time, quite a few years before they became officially connected with the club.
However, it has to be said, one of those named, not a local, who has often faced regular criticism by Swans fans on forums etc was an absolute monster in the Ship Tavern when the bar, without an escape route, was surrounded by approx. 1,000 Greeks fully intent on attacking the 35 Swans fans trapped in the bar that night.
All, I learned later, wanting to extract retribution upon 'English football fans,' as they believed us to be, who had caused mayhem in Glyfada a couple of years earlier, before a World Cup qualifying match. Many will understand what I mean, when saying how England and their fans (especially abroad) were the main hooligan firm in those days.
The Ship Tavern, during the Monday 11th to Friday 15th trip, had become an unofficial HQ for Swans fans. There was no trouble at the pub before the night in question, although as Keith states, there were definitely low numbered 'skirmishes' in and around the Glyfada town centre, on the nights leading up to the match.
This, I need to clarify, at least from what I witnessed, was not due to Swans fans instigating trouble, it was mainly, when making our way back to our hotels, being ambushed and having to defend ourselves from aggressive Greek 'scalp hunters.' With the local police seemingly determined to a) contribute to any bruising and b) swell their personal wallets in dishing out 'immediate fines.' for any reason they could dream up.
I myself, 32 at the time, was beaten with truncheons and 'arrested' on the Monday evening, for no apparent reason, other than to expect me to contribute to their overtime pay. Photos of my bruises provided by the police, appeared in a Swans Fanzine being produced at the time.
It was amusing being in the station with a Swans fan, who, when the Police were 'taking his details' insisted his name was 'Colonel Gaddafi.' I took another punch to the back of head for having the temerity to laugh with him, at his comical defiance.
Going back to that 'not local fellah,' who travelled to Athens to be with his Swans fan mate. He was a 'colossus' that night, when the Greeks were surrounding the open Mediterranean type bar, turning the scene into a mini Rorkes Drift.
By smashing down the stonework walls of adjacent bars and hurling them in at us. The bar was open plan and had a beer garden which separated us from the Greeks trying to get at us, by riding Vespa type bikes into the bar. Our unnamed Colossus, lifted a bench style wooden seat into his groin and was using it as a club, to smack these riders off their bikes. Honestly, It was pandemonium!
I'd been a soldier (QDG's) serving out in Northern Ireland in the Seventies...but I have to say, that night in the Ship Tavern was the most afraid for the likelihood of facing serious injury (or worse) I've ever been involved with. No-one in the bar that night started the trouble, it would've been akin to suicide, such was the overwhelming numbers gathered around the bar.
Eventually, after about an hour or so of this defensive battle, their police arrived, to arrest the Swansea boys. Who later had been trapped on a staircase leading to a nightclub, in trying to make their escape from the pub. The boys 'ran the gauntlet' of attacks, when being manhandled over to the large van (the type you see photographers chasing, when accused people are transported to court) which they'd brought to transport the Swans fans from the area.
The aggression of the crowd was such, they were rocking the van, in a determined attempt to topple it, to get at the Swans fans. It was a harrowing scene indeed. The police needed to use their batons on the crowd, to keep them from succeeding. I was seeing the later part of this from one of the adjoining bars, having managed to slip away when seeing the Police arrive.
The following day, as we were kept under armed police guard, in a room at a local building, not being allowed out of it all day. It was suggested I became a spokesman for the fans, and also, with trying to liaise, in getting the 10 held in jail released.
It was all a bit of a circus when we eventually arrived home after the Fulham match. The media were focused on exaggerating the story as much as possible, every incident spoken of was twisted, to have violent connotations.
And because of that, the anger of the people in Swansea, not necessarily Swans supporters grew, when hearing of the injustices Swans fans had faced. This focused the City on getting 'justifiable revenge,' as it was seen, on what had occurred, as it got closer to the second leg, at home in the Vetch.
As you may be able to understand from my posting, the events of that Cup Winners Cup visit to Athens, for the match against Panathinaikos, has lived long in my memory.
And, while no football fans are ever considered 'innocent,' I know, I saw, I was part of the build up to the events, the Swans fans in the Ship Tavern that night, most certainly did not instigate the violence. They did though need to defend themselves against a co-ordinated massed attack, on the pub they'd peaceably spent the last few nights enjoying their European adventure.
A pretty accurate account of what happened.
We did bump into you Tim maybe the night before the game? by some shops when you were being chased we helped you and had some hokey cokey around a load of mopeds with some Greeks.??
In the day people did their own thing as we were split up into two hotels but in the night we pretty much moved as a group to bars like The Sussex 1 The Sussex 2,The Trafalgar,The Ship and the club above the The Ship called Cobwebs. The first night we were there we had a stand off with some Greek teen locals who eventually had the better of us and I ended up running straight into a hotel/building site and was hit across my chest with a scaffolding pole and suffered with pains in my chest for years after. I got friendly with a barmaid from The Trafalgar and always remember her name Diane and she was from Manchester she said it fills up with American sailors when there are ships in and sure enough they came and I would say it was 50/50 Greeks and American sailors. The Sussex bars had a FB page for old workers,old customers and it is full of Americans from back in the day and I got talking to a sailor on there and they heard there "100's" of English hooligans playing up so they wanted a piece of the English Hooligan.
The none local Swansea fan you talk about was very handy back in the day and did take a few out that night a lot more were supposed to have come with him on that trip but there was a mix up with flights and he ended up coming on his own.
A crazy few days and that night it went from zero to a hundred in what seemed like seconds in The Ship it was like a Mad Max film there were mopeds in the bar benches flying throw the air glass coming down on our heads from the nightclub canopy bonkers bonkers night and I've never experienced anything like that since.
Now Glafadya looks nothing like it used totally unrecognisable all the bars are gone some pulled down the only thing that looks familiar is one of the hotels and is derelict, The Ship is now some big burger bar
There is a tiktok video out there with some English ref saying he took a bribe off the owner of Panathinikos for fixing one of their matches so the very dodgy decisons we got esp in the 2nd leg when a blatent handball right in front of me was missed in the lead up to their winner.
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35 Years Ago Today ... on 15:11 - Sep 17 with 657 views
35 Years Ago Today ... on 08:31 - Sep 17 by blackpooljack
There is a tiktok video out there with some English ref saying he took a bribe off the owner of Panathinikos for fixing one of their matches so the very dodgy decisons we got esp in the 2nd leg when a blatent handball right in front of me was missed in the lead up to their winner.
Without a shadow of doubt that ref had been got at. Ridiculous decisions all night.
The penalty ffs !
Had to laugh though when Cardiff turned up, always on our coat tails. As I said not referenced in their daft books, can’t think why 😂
This post has been edited by an administrator
A great believer in taking anything you like to wherever you want to.
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