Superb interview 🙌🏻. Open and honest without glorifying or regretting the past. Also a strong message to all those that want to change and make a difference. Excellent work
I remember the 78-79 season and went to both the home and away games v Forest as a Spurs supporter, I wasn't a hooligan at all. Caught the train from London up to Forest, cops made all the Spurs sit down on the concrete at the train station, escorted out of the station to the ground, inside got caught up with some Forest and took a slap, nothing to bad just a slap to the side of the head 😄Good away support by Forest at the Lane too. Always had respect for the Forest lads.
@@adriansymcox1641 went to that match 1 tottenham fan came in to the trent end and acknowledged the tottenham fans to his left on the east stand side brave lad he got rushed police took him out and he went in with the spurs lot i think he took a couple of punches but no damage done
Met Boatsy in 2013 in Birmingham for a pre season football related do. Pleasantly surprised by how down to earth he was. Really nice lad. Glad to see you doing well Gary 🙂👍 Another good podcast James, thank you 🙏🙂👍
@DaxSports spoken like a true "modern man" ie bo..ocks like an elephant behind your PC screen at the office where you're behaviour always goes unchecked ...you know deep in side you that you hate and disrespect those that you will never have the courage to be a part of...you know I'm right sweetheart 😘 😂
He’s right on 31 minutes, sub culture mods rockers etc. I was NEVER into it but in the late 1960s early 70s as a working class lad it was impossible to avoid. If you had an accent it was like an obstacle race at away games
Seaham (Turkey)2004 was the last time I was at it too. Great interview, fair and balanced insights. Working class lads only thing we had was local pride. Different country back then. God bless all 🙏🏻
I certainly remember the Forest lads in the 70s, amongst the toughest I came across. Wolves had just been relegated from the old Division One and we were away at Forest in Division 2 for our first away game, we got there in drifts and drabs and everyone was split up, with fighting everywhere, there wasn't that many Wolves there but we weren't expecting that reception at Forest. At half time the few hundred remaining Wolves fans had to be escorted out of the ground for their own safety. It could be dodgy at away games back in the 70s and it was commonplace to infiltrate the away end back in those days (except those who brought 10,000 like Man Utd who just had sheer numbers), but the embarrassment of being escorted out of the City Ground remains with me to this day. We took more lads the year after but it was still rough. Back at Molineux that same season in 1977, as well as the season after, there was running battles with Forest on the huge old South bank which held 30,000 as a single stand, which was at that time where away fans went, with the smaller North Bank being the main Wolves end at that point. But a few thousand Wolves lads started going in the South Bank for the trouble from 1976 onwards, just for a ruck, which resulted in a fence being erected to separate fans from 1978 onwards. For those 2 seasons there was no fence and no segregation, and both seasons Forest brought 5-6000 and it was mayhem, with no one budging anyone really as police tried to separate two huge mobs of battling fans. No one ran Wolves out of the South Bank during those 2 seasons, but I felt Forest and Chelsea were the 2 mobs who were very up for it. Indeed there was mayhem v Chelsea as well on the South Bank last home game of the season that same season, and against Leeds in the FA Cup quarter final in front of 49770 fans, but Forest were definitely tough lads who were very game. They stand out in my memory. Weirdly, I don't recall much happening since then between the two clubs, but those 1976-78 battles were really tough, chiefly involving lads from both teams who worked down the pits or in metal bashing. Good listen this. Seems a very decent guy.
Those 3 years 75 to 78 when the fence went up were mayhem. Leeds got done boxing day 77 think it was. Cardiff got surrounded and needed police to escort them . Coventry walloped inside and in the subways. Toe to toe with west ham. Even held our own with mam utd and Chelsea. Remember the trouble in the concourse under the south bank?
@@oldschoolfootball yes I remember them well, horrendous! 1976-77 was the worst on the South Bank when no fence, Chelsea and Forest were the worst in my opinion but no winners, Leeds in FA Cup QF at Molineux was also crazy with 50,000 there including 12000 Leeds, Wolves lads were definitely up for it that year. West Ham and Man United and Villa games the following year also pretty bad. Last game of 1975, Dougans last game Wolves mob piled into the South Bank from the North Bank and chased Leeds out, same in 1977 Boxing Day but Leeds didn’t bring many. I don’t recall anyone taking the South Bank in those years. Before the Wolves mob went in the South Bank full time from 1977 onwards, Liverpool had 30000 in it when they won the League in 76 and Leeds brought nearly that amount when they bottled winning the League last game of 1972 season. Both games were over 60000 despite official gates saying around 54,000.
Remember all of those. Legend has it that West Ham took the South Bank in 75 or 77. Both before the fence. I was at both and I was involved in toe to toe action, especially the 2nd match if 77. No winners. But they insist it happened. Do you remember either?
@@JamesEnglishI would suggest a pal of mine .Is on film showing he's got some stones with England on the beach 98 the mad lad up the bandstand . Ex para Ross Mc outta Peterborough
Really Nice Bloke Gary ,been too a lot of England Games with him ,Had a drink with Him first game of Season at Newcastle ,Lots of Old School Lads out ,Toon ,Forest ,Darlington ,& me Chelsea, Great Day out .
This is a top interview. He’s pretty honest & done a good few years football fighting. I had to laugh the thing about Millwall. I support them & your right there is more or less a re-supply of them constantly.🦁👊🏻😁😁 Vicious little horrible bastards too. 😁😁
I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of that with you James & Gary.Honest,funny and how good he’s turned his life around full circle in doing good for other’s,definitely a great bloke he is.He’d definitely have you’re back. It’s great how you get all sorts of different people on from different backgrounds,very interesting every time 👏👍👊
Absolutely fascinating story 👏 he seems a top bloke as well. The Libertarian in me can't help but think if two groups of like minded adults want to go at it then leave them to it but as was alluded to in this interview ordinary fans get stuck in the middle of it and innocent people's property gets trashed.
@paulmcgrath6118 I'm sorry you had to go through that but that's my point exactly! It's never just two groups of like minded, consenting adults, innocent people get caught up in it.
I take my previous comment back. What a great podcast with Boatsy.....He screams honesty and truth nice to listen to a proper truthful charver....A great listen. Obviously a man enjoying his life.
James English was born to do interviews and chat shows. Let's the guests speak and express themselves. But also also seems to ask the same questions everyone wants answering.
What a decent fella he comes across as, and as I remember as a boy going to Arsenal in the late 70s early 80s Arsenal did have a decent firm , not all about West Ham in London back then ,
In answer to James query about Cloughie. The man was a god. Brian and Barbara are our royal family. White or red it's haunting what he achieved and some lads even followed him when he moved.
Not sure if he would be too niche, but love you to get Stuart Cosgrove on. Seen him a few times touring his music books. A really interesting character with lots of great stories in his career.
Top bloke this man, the real deal. He used to come to my Dads restaurant every summer in Cornwall looe and always a gentleman when he was in. Always showed respect.
@@yogi19581 was it gedling comp patrick ?I used to go christ the king arnold in the seventies used to pass your playing fields twice a day on the bus down that steep lane or it seemed steep back in the day havent lived in nottm since 1988 come on you reds
@@yogi19581 fairham ok we played your school in the forest bowl 1976 after the sheff utd game we won 3 2 but we had brian kilcline playing for us i think he scored a couple that day cheers
Good interview. Been to forest a few times as West Ham fan in the 80s and 90s. No boasting just a well rounded interview. Not like that ginger knob from millwall who claimed to chin 402 fellas on his own!!
I used to work at Mansfield Town F.C, having watch a RU-vid video of Gary 'Boatsy' Clarke back in the day going down to Millwall and secretly being filmed by an undercover journalist. I saw a familiar face on their from my time working in Q Block. He obviously used to run with Forest back in the day. I now work at Forest but I can't say I've seen Boatsy to date although I did see him at Mansfield Town a few years back. He has a story to tell and a right to tell it if people don't like it they don't have to watch it.
Boatsy and one of Mansfield's top lads,' Strut' were mates. He and a few other Stags lads who were banned from Field Mill started going to Forest games, home and away. I got to know Strut, Singo and a few others - they used to sit behind me in A Block of the Main Stand at the City Ground.
fair play to Boatsy for recalling the Kilburn 92 v United. Kilburn was always our patch. but they did turn up. hats off. Was mayhem in 89 that quarter final, Forest brought a top mob, we had a goal disallowed controversially so the forecourt at United was full of pure lads & the barmies waiting for them, fair play to Forest they had to fight their way out of the ground and they did in the end. mad day. 1990 3rd round at Forest was a good day as well.
Spot on pal..Kilburn has always been ours but like you say forest gave it a good go in all those skirmishes 😉..always good battles at forest ..they were good at home give em that!😉✊👹
good content. we ran into your green flight jacket mob up west end the night before wolves final, we had 20 various lads, we got hit bad, i got face busted, they were about 20-30 strong,game as fuck. but also we flood notts first game 78/79 we just got back up to div 1, we took massive mob , donkey jacket days. respect from n.17 !
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO NOTTS FORESTS NUMBER ONE HOOLIGAN IN THE 1980S,PAUL SCARROT? I REMEMBER HIM WHEN I WAS IN ABOUT 4/5 YEAR IN SCHOOL, I AM NOT A FOREST FAN BUT GREW UP WATCHING THEM WIN THE LEAGUE AND EUROPEAN CUP X2 ,AND FOR FREE!!!!.LOVED CLOUGHIE, ONE OF THE FINEST.
Me and my mate Dixie went on the ends twice in a week.First time we (ncfc) drew 1-1 in the littlewoods cup and we drewv1-1,on the Saturday we sat in stand opposite the main stand for a 0-0 draw.There was a la ss.near me who was obviously a Norwich fan,or Norfolk dumpling as every time I have us the gee up she looked over with a big grin.
Boro won the Anglo Scottish Cup in 76, come on Gary don't take one of our only days of glory from us. Remember forest getting into the town centre about 96 then we took loads there in the Trent Bridge Inn, then they done us at Thornaby, sure that was the season after. Like he said they were up there in the mid 90s Forest, UTB
Top man is Boatsy you could do 10 pod casts and not cover his story’s got some great memories from Gary and the other lads in and out of football from when i was just a lad, after moving to Nottingham from Cambridge, i first met forest through a friend at an England v France game in Paris @ the stad de France in 2000 and that was it I got the bug, again Boatsy a proper top man and well liked across the casual scene, would love to see a part 2. I wrote this comment as it started
First ever match I'd been taken to was Celtic playing Dundee utd. Had been taken into the jungle I believe. In the 70s that had been absolutely packed. Brought up as a hearts supporter by family. All my friends at school were Hibernian supporters. Went to my first match with them early 80s and hooked. One weekend walking up through a certain street we were approached by casuals as we dressed the same. A lad from the back shouted wait. The group parted and a lad from our class at school come through saying I know them and said we went to the Hibs matches. Then on we got to know everyone, the rest is history. HBC away days were hilarious. Had some trips down south just for the hell of it. I know older guys who still dabble although they say they are around but it's the young team that fight. It still goes on to this day it's just hidden more. I do have friends from other teams who were well known in their day. Sadly when it comes to someone you know being killed by pussies with a gun it's an entirely different story. Only shi"e bags need a tool or weapon. I do remember the so called rangers pussies running into the parents and kids at the family enclosure exit at Easter Road around 84-85, attacking kids seriously. About the best rangers can do to this day.
Wednesday stopped off in Derby after losing against Everton in the fa cup semi . Walked into a bar called ' jimmys' and the next minute the pub went up . One of their mob said they were told Forest were coming into Derby . Police escort back to the station with mobs of Derby blocking every junction ! , police drove vans t scatter them !...86 was the year !
Great podcast reminded me of my own football path..I also packed it in after my 3rd jail sentence..wouldn't have changed a thing though as the buzz was like a drug but I'm glad I managed to turn my life around(Mick the con..MUFC!)👹
@@joanofarc708..I went to Leeds 6 times in the league twice in the cup..not gonna lie, easily the most challenging of all the away grounds I went to in 25 years..going there gave you many emotions..adrenaline high..anxiety..fear..strength and many more..united had to be at their best there and they were ...you had to be at the top of your game..great days though!😉👹
@@joanofarc708 ..imo I think there's 2 reasons for that..1 it's a one club City with no obvious rivals maybe only the Sheffield clubs but what I really feel nailed it for them was that we were the first and for many years the only club to go there and take it to them , they weren't used to that so made us their rivals I guess..just my opinion though maybe other people have other theories I don't know..all I remember especially as a 17 year old the first time I went..my heart was in my mouth the whole day..as I got older I stupidly used to look forward to going there but still scared but with the adrenaline kicking in!🙄👹
They had the shit kicked out of them when they came down to Palace for an FA cup game in 1987. Proper spanked and made it off in their mini-bus in the snow. They didn't have everything their own way and were not super heroes.