Bramall Lane early 80s photos

[United Aren't Back.]

Those were the Videmat machines. We used to use as many halfpennies as possible so that we got tickets like ribbons.

Travelled daily from Parkhill, well Bard street, to high Storrs, loved those machines.

 

[SouthEssexBlade]

This one?

Some of us remember the proper livery, when it was Sheffield Transport. And as a bonus this one has the videmat ticket system

 

[grafikhaus]

In the late 60's I was on my way home from King Teds around 4 in the afternoon - going down Brocco Bank on the 50. Me and a mate were sat downstairs, just in front of the (open!) rear exit on those bench seats that sat around 3 and ran lengthways down the bus. Sat on the opposite bench was a 'jack the lad' type with his tart. He got up to get off as the bus was still halfway down Brocco Bank, going towards Hunters Bar. He was obviously intent on showing off and jumping off the bus even though it must have been travelling at 30 mph. He gave his tart a peck on the cheek, a look that said 'aren't I Bertie Big-Bollocks', went to the rear platform and jumped off. Unfortunately*, he hadn't seen a lamp post and - SPLAT! - he hit it in a scene worthy of Tom & Jerry. Teeth and blood everywhere.

* I say 'unfortunately'. It was fucking hilarious.

 

[metalblade]

We still have a bus running in the old colours as do Rotherham, I gave this 2008 Volvo it's MOT last year.

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

I used to love the meat pies at the Lane in the early eighties. I suspect in reality they'd have been ears, tails and scrotums but they tasted good at the time.

ears, tails and scrotums?

Thats the first team these days.

 

[HighfieldBlade]

Some of us remember the proper livery, when it was Sheffield Transport. And as a bonus this one has the videmat ticket system

My dad spent his entire working life on't buses in Sheffield. He used to do the football specials to S6. They'd always give him a complimentary ticket to watch the pigs, but he preferred to put his feet up and have a nap on the bus instead. Nice one, dad

 

[Paqamaq]

The food and drinks were terrible, thinking back the only decent thing was the chewing gum . They came in a blister pack of six and were so strong they made your mouth burn, can't remember the name either.

Stimorol?

 

[SouthEssexBlade]

My dad spent his entire working life on't buses in Sheffield. He used to do the football specials to S6. They'd always give him a complimentary ticket to watch the pigs, but he preferred to put his feet up and have a nap on the bus instead. Nice one, dad

Get yer eeard dahn!



Football specials parked up in Swine land. Think this was a cup semi, though.

 

[Dnblade]

 

[Bladesway]

View attachment 14600

didnt realise the lane was so steep

And someone missed the H out.

 

[Bladesway]

Great stuff! Nobody moans more than me about the sanitisation of football - no e-cigs, cameras etc. but it was shit attending in them days. John Street was a potential death trap, fans' behaviour was appalling and it took Hillsborough in '89 to stop treating fans like cattle (in fact, in the Hillsborough Enquiry, reference was made to the Leppings Lane 'pens', 'cages' and 'pits' - terms straight out of the abattoir.)

I'm sure many fans will remember the back of the kop. Gangs of lads looking out for 'their lads' trying to 'take the kop'. There was also a frightening staircase at the corner of John St/Shoreham St. Totally enclosed and pitch black as the light bulbs had been smashed and not replaced.

Happy days. Not.

Don't agree totally. Fans were treated more like cattle following that incident across the city. Herded in and out, treated like shit, police from station to ground when you go away and Health and Safety going mental. I'm sorry but as a young lad you could see a goal scored on the kop then watch the rest of the match having been carried down about 20 steps without your feet actually touching the ground. You learned to stay out of trouble. Something kids these days don't get opportunity to do because its so sterile. If anyone wondered why crowds are quieter and the atmosphere has changed this is probably one of the biggest reasons. I remember as a kid the hairs on the back of your neck standing on end, because if you didn't have your wits about you either someone would piss in your hood, there would be a fight or some other ruption would kick off. If one of the bigger clubs rolled into town it was even better.

The improvements in grounds were social as much as H & S. The H & S (all seater) has actually made is a worse event in my eyes.

This may be controversial but Hillsborough meant a massive overreaction. While the fences needed to come down (common sense), it was as much about what happened outside the ground and the mismanagement along with too many people without tickets trying to gatecrash their way in which was completely mishandled by the police. All seater stadium wasn't necessary, it still isn't. Apparently a crowd of people cannot stand together because someone might get squashed? You should take a trip to Edinburgh Christmas market and perhaps they should install seats around there to stop the crush.

And if someone is going to point out that the toilets are better, they aren't massively. Lets be honest if you need a dump, any of the toilets at BDTBL are not your first choice of venue are they? The gents is generally still swimming with piss from what I see. Basic drainage still hasn't quite got to S2.

 

[blade too long]

eased up on the glare

 

[Lane Ender]

Don't agree totally. Fans were treated more like cattle following that incident across the city. Herded in and out, treated like shit, police from station to ground when you go away and Health and Safety going mental. I'm sorry but as a young lad you could see a goal scored on the kop then watch the rest of the match having been carried down about 20 steps without your feet actually touching the ground. You learned to stay out of trouble. Something kids these days don't get opportunity to do because its so sterile. If anyone wondered why crowds are quieter and the atmosphere has changed this is probably one of the biggest reasons. I remember as a kid the hairs on the back of your neck standing on end, because if you didn't have your wits about you either someone would piss in your hood, there would be a fight or some other ruption would kick off. If one of the bigger clubs rolled into town it was even better.

The improvements in grounds were social as much as H & S. The H & S (all seater) has actually made is a worse event in my eyes.

This may be controversial but Hillsborough meant a massive overreaction. While the fences needed to come down (common sense), it was as much about what happened outside the ground and the mismanagement along with too many people without tickets trying to gatecrash their way in which was completely mishandled by the police. All seater stadium wasn't necessary, it still isn't. Apparently a crowd of people cannot stand together because someone might get squashed? You should take a trip to Edinburgh Christmas market and perhaps they should install seats around there to stop the crush.

And if someone is going to point out that the toilets are better, they aren't massively. Lets be honest if you need a dump, any of the toilets at BDTBL are not your first choice of venue are they? The gents is generally still swimming with piss from what I see. Basic drainage still hasn't quite got to S2.

The young uns these days will never get the thrills we had.
Could you imagine ten years olds going to the match with their mates unaccompanied.
Joining in with the chants on the Shoreham as a nipper .
Sat in the stand with my mam and dad even at twelve years old would have been embarrassing .

 

[grafikhaus]

The improvements in grounds were social as much as H & S. The H & S (all seater) has actually made is a worse event in my eyes.

This may be controversial but Hillsborough meant a massive overreaction.

Good points, well made Bladesway. But what's wrong with social changes? Only eight years ago, pubs were choking with tobacco smoke. I certainly remember when drink-driving wasn't only accepted, but expected. Times change. Remember when the kop was like the Black Hole of Calcutta at night matches, but is now brilliantly-lit? Has it diminished the atmosphere? Probably. Has it denied ne'er do wells the opportunity to get up to mischief? Certainly.

I well remember the 70s and 80s and wouldn't have missed them for the world, but I wouldn't want to go back there.

And yes, Hillsborough was a massive overreaction. As is normal in this country, the 'powers that be' fucked up and - to cover their failings - decided to (and still do, to this day) punish everybody.

 

[HighfieldBlade]

Get yer eeard dahn!

View attachment 14667

Football specials parked up in Swine land. Think this was a cup semi, though.

Good find that,SouthEssexBlade .
I wouldn't be surprised if my dad was in one of those buses!

 

[Bladesway]

Good points, well made Bladesway. But what's wrong with social changes? Only eight years ago, pubs were choking with tobacco smoke. I certainly remember when drink-driving wasn't only accepted, but expected. Times change. Remember when the kop was like the Black Hole of Calcutta at night matches, but is now brilliantly-lit? Has it diminished the atmosphere? Probably. Has it denied ne'er do wells the opportunity to get up to mischief? Certainly.

I well remember the 70s and 80s and wouldn't have missed them for the world, but I wouldn't want to go back there.

And yes, Hillsborough was a massive overreaction. As is normal in this country, the 'powers that be' fucked up and - to cover their failings - decided to (and still do, to this day) punish everybody.

I'm not saying I want to go back there, I am saying it wasn't bad actually. I like going into a pub with no smoke, I like going anywhere and not having to breathe the stench of smoke actually. But what I was saying was that there was a price to it and it wasn't all because of Hillsborough, a lot of it happened anyway.

I don't want to see pitch battles down Bramall Lane but in all honesty if you wanted to avoid them you could and did. I want to take my kids to a game but if I did it would be in the family stand. I don't want my 6 year old to hear swearing in that area because socially we are hopefully in a better place, but lets not pretend it hasn't taken something away.

Nostalgia is a great thing, and I am not so naive as to think we will or should ever regress but in some ways the event is poorer for the advancements.

 

[blade too long]

Nostalgia is a great thing, and I am not so naive as to think we will or should ever regress but in some ways the event is poorer for the advancements.

Nostalgias not as good as it was back then

 

[blade too long]

80 s game v Bradford City



very open plan at the kop rear
allowing access to let the outside in , as they say on grand designs
we used to have a lot of silhouettes as fans then

 

[blade too long]

no coloured boots back then



Adidas might have a grumble at them stripes
mid sixties boots for 39 shillings and eleven pence , that damn nearly two pounds

 

[Jon Beedham]

Some of the comments made me think to back then. If i am honest i enjoyed going to the lane more than now. I have a season ticket on the kop and so do my 2 pre teen boys they love the kop of today because its all they know.

 

[grafikhaus]

We still have a bus running in the old colours as do Rotherham, I gave this 2008 Volvo it's MOT last year.

I first saw one of the new London Routemaster buses after the Hull game in 2014. Now that's an achingly beautiful design...

Some of the comments made me think to back then. If i am honest i enjoyed going to the lane more than now. I have a season ticket on the kop and so do my 2 pre teen boys they love the kop of today because its all they know.

Good first post, Jon. Well received. It won't last...!

 

[Silent Blade]

80 s game v Bradford City

View attachment 14676

very open plan at the kop rear
allowing access to let the outside in , as they say on grand designs
we used to have a lot of silhouettes as fans then

Just after Wally Downes got sent off in the 8th minute of his return after suspension (he was sent off at L**ds two weeks earlier for fighting with Mark Aizlewood) against Bradford City on Easter Monday 1988. He claimed that he thought Karl Goddard was Mick Kennedy (who he had battles with in the infamous Wimbledon v Pompey matches)

 

[Greenwich Blade]

Just after Wally Downes got sent off in the 8th minute of his return after suspension (he was sent off at L**ds two weeks earlier for fighting with Mark Aizlewood) against Bradford City on Easter Monday 1988. He claimed that he thought Karl Goddard was Mick Kennedy (who he had battles with in the infamous Wimbledon v Pompey matches)

Wasn't it rumoured that he said, "Ooops sorry, wrong bloke!" after chopping him down?

 

[nowtfancy]

The food and drinks were terrible, thinking back the only decent thing was the chewing gum . They came in a blister pack of six and were so strong they made your mouth burn, can't remember the name either.

Stimorol?

Clix?

Them and the 'fish and chips' were worth buying.

 

[blade too long]

I first saw one of the new London Routemaster buses after the Hull game in 2014. Now that's an achingly beautiful design...

Good first post, Jon. Well received. It won't last...!

You should try working on them , went to West Ham garage to put in a screen and a rear window , wish I could get my hands on the sadistic twat who designed them
the screen tucks under the over hanging top and getting the wipers off needs a specially made ratchet spanner
If they had made the screen 3 inches lower at the top would have saved hours on replacing one

 

[grafikhaus]

You should try working on them , went to West Ham garage to put in a screen and a rear window , wish I could get my hands on the sadistic twat who designed them
the screen tucks under the over hanging top and getting the wipers off needs a specially made ratchet spanner
If they had made the screen 3 inches lower at the top would have saved hours on replacing one

They look nice, though.

 

[metalblade]

You should try working on them , went to West Ham garage to put in a screen and a rear window , wish I could get my hands on the sadistic twat who designed them
the screen tucks under the over hanging top and getting the wipers off needs a specially made ratchet spanner
If they had made the screen 3 inches lower at the top would have saved hours on replacing one

So don't take the wipers off just tape em back away from the window or get someone to hold them out of the way.

 

[blade too long]

So don't take the wipers off just tape em back away from the window or get someone to hold them out of the way.

they are bonded in you have to take off the wipers to cut them out
you have to cheese wire the top out
someone would have to hold them for 4 hours , which is a good time to do one in

 

[Mad Mick]

I used to like the old bus's with the open backs. It was easy to jump on and jump off without paying when I was a chabby.
Saved me all of 2d. Mind you that was 4 black Jacks & 4 fruit salads.

 

[metalblade]

they are bonded in you have to take off the wipers to cut them out
you have to cheese wire the top out
someone would have to hold them for 4 hours , which is a good time to do one in

Cheese wire hahaha ............... years ago I used air tools to cut windows out I don't think anyone uses the cheese wire today if they can help it and we used two pack glue so the window had to be in in less than 15 minutes or the glue would be solid no pissing about waiting a few hours before driving the vehicle away.