The Old Boys Pen

[mick the click]

My dad wouldn't let me near it, thank god. We got there early and I was usually stuck in one of the barred windows at the back of the Kop - at times it was bloody freezing and there was a very long drop behind me - and I had to shout the scores to passers by.

Even then, I got so many hats and scarves nicked off me on the way in that I stopped taking them. Different world...

[bazza76]

cheers for the replies lads and lassie.
It got mixed reviews anyways. Interesting to see what people thought of it.
I guess to me, even though I didn't experience it, it kinda feels like we lost something when the pen was removed. Maybe it was a good thing, but the Kop sounds like it lost a bit of character after it was removed.

[JRG]

The kop was far safer ande more civilised than the Boy's pen. It was a ****ing nightmare - often you would miss whole swathes of the game just becasue you were fighting off scallies, or trying to rob a scarf yourself. Happy days, as the kop was about 50p to get into (IIRC). The further toward the middle of the kop you went the harder you were.

[paulc]

cheers for the replies lads and lassie.
It got mixed reviews anyways. Interesting to see what people thought of it.
I guess to me, even though I didn't experience it, it kinda feels like we lost something when the pen was removed. Maybe it was a good thing, but the Kop sounds like it lost a bit of character after it was removed.

sky have ensured that football is not for the working class anymore so there will be none of this ever again in the top flight

[bazza76]

The kop was far safer ande more civilised than the Boy's pen. It was a ****ing nightmare - often you would miss whole swathes of the game just becasue you were fighting off scallies, or trying to rob a scarf yourself. Happy days, as the kop was about 50p to get into (IIRC). The further toward the middle of the kop you went the harder you were.

Well, with all that swaying, I am not surprised.
Was there an age limit for this place? the boys pen I mean.

[bazza76]

sky have ensured that football is not for the working class anymore so there will be none of this ever again in the top flight

Although, I do think if they didn't, someone else would have taken it up themselves to change the face of football through the media like Sky have done.

[kewellnthegang]

sky have ensured that football is not for the working class anymore so there will be none of this ever again in the top flight

true but when all said and done sky have put the dough up and havent exactly taken the game backwards

[JRG]

Well, with all that swaying, I am not surprised.
Was there an age limit for this place? the boys pen I mean.

I think there was but I don't know for certain. I would speculate on 16

[RedProf]

Sounds like the Boys Pen is best left where it is ie. in the past, football of days gone by. I bet some poor kids took a real beating at times from the sound of it!

[JRG]

Sounds like the Boys Pen is best left where it is ie. in the past, football of days gone by. I bet some poor kids took a real beating at times from the sound of it!

Yes they did. It was no place for the feint hearted. Funnily enough i've never met anyone who didn't have a scrap in the Boys pen. It was an idea that had its day, but no place for it in this namby pamby world we live in.

[bogsdollocks]

I started off in the boys pen. I always remember the same old copper giving out loads of slaps - f*cking hands like shovels (love to see that b*stard again). It's bad enough scrappin with the Huyton, Halewwod scallies in there being a Marsh lane lad. Happy days though. Eventually got taken into the Annie Road with the older bigger lads a few years later (what an eye opener that turned out to be!!)

[bazza76]

I started off in the boys pen. I always remember the same old copper giving out loads of slaps - f*cking hands like shovels (love to see that b*stard again). It's bad enough scrappin with the Huyton, Halewwod scallies in there being a Marsh lane lad. Happy days though. Eventually got taken into the Annie Road with the older bigger lads a few years later (what an eye opener that turned out to be!!)

How come you didn't stay on the Kop mate?

[Tinkerbitch]

How come you didn't stay on the Kop mate?

At one point the Annie Road was much, much cooler than the kop -Addidas sambas and all that stuff. Have a read of The Boys from the Annie Road End-many graduates of the boys pen went in the kop with their dad's and went to the annie road to exert their independence.

[JRG]

At one point the Annie Road was much, much cooler than the kop -Addidas sambas and all that stuff. Have a read of The Boys from the Annie Road End-many graduates of the boys pen went in the kop with their dad's and went to the annie road to exert their independence.

i had nearly fogotten about that. It seemed as if it was invitation only at one point as you didn't go in the Anny road end unless you knew people there. Plus it wasn't segregated and there were ructions at each match with the away fans.

[bogsdollocks]

How come you didn't stay on the Kop mate?

Uncles, Cousins, other mates were all in there. I did stand on the kop many times but there was something about the atmosphere in the road end that was special. You grew up bloody fast in there.