The way we were

[tyneblade]

I've been booking flights and hotels for Exeter this weekend and have been telling my boy about the grass bank in front of their stand. Of course google reveals that it's long gone, but also brought up these short films from 1979-1981.


St James Park, Exeter City

Maine Road, Manchester City

Boundary Park, Oldham Athletic

Spotland Stadium, Rochdale A.F.C.

Gigg Lane, Bury

Burnden Park, Bolton Wanderers

Sealand Road, Chester City

Edgeley Park, Stockport County

Springfield Park, Wigan Athletic

Anfield, Liverpool

Goodison Park, Everton

Turf Moor, Burnley

Ewood Park, Blackburn Rovers

Deepdale, Preston North End

St Andrews, Birmingham City

Villa Park, Aston Villa

The Hawthorns, West Bromwich Albion

Fellows Park, Walsall

Victoria Ground, Stoke City

Vale Park, Port Vale

Dean Court, A.F.C. Bournemouth

Eastville Stadium, Bristol Rovers

Ashton Gate, Bristol City

Plough Lane, A.F.C. Wimbledon

Craven Cottage, Fulham

Stamford Bridge, Chelsea

Loftus Road, Queens Park Rangers

Highbury, Arsenal

The Den, Millwall

The Valley, Charlton Athletic

Upton Park, West Ham United

Brisbane Road, Leyton Orient

White Hart Lane, Tottenham Hotspur

 

[alcoblade]

Fantastic links here. Thanks so much for this.

UTB

 

[Silent Blade]

at that time Charlton had the biggest ground capacity in the FL. 66,000 it was

 

[Grecian2000]

Outstanding find. You can almost smell the linament looking at some of those pictures.

Must have been a real labour of love for whoever put them together.

 

[Ted Danson]

Gigg Lane looks identical to how it did on Saturday only with flood lights

 

[bladesfan]

at that time Charlton had the biggest ground capacity in the FL. 66,000 it was

Just MASSIVE.

 

[LA Blade]

None for BDTBL?

 

[tyneblade]

None for BDTBL?

I'm afraid not. On reflection I should have titled this "Away we were".

Brings back loads of memories for me, certainly the strangest is Bob Hatton and Steve Neveille on the pitch at Stockport before an early 80s cup match with long fur collard coats on, smoking cigars. Probably the result of my own exceptionally good luch rather than reality

That "terrace" opposite the main stand at Stockport must have been the very worst accommodation in the history of football.

 

[grafikhaus]

Some good stuff there. I've been to nearly every one of those grounds to watch the Blades.

In fact, when we played at Blackburn in the 1993 FA Cup game (the run that ended with the semi at Wembley), Ewood Park was in its last throes before Jack Walkers money kicked in. Ditto Highfield Road (Coventry).

Not really a case of 'Them were t'days' as a lot of those grounds were frightening in terms of H & S - none more so than our old John Street stand - built almost entirely of timber with rabbit-warren corridors underneath and every other fan smoking.

Seems a pity that there's a lot of teams who have fallen on hard times and simply can't afford to modernise their grounds.

Bury, Hartlepool, Wednesday...

 

[VespaBlade]

Seems a pity that there's a lot of teams who have fallen on hard times and simply can't afford to modernise their grounds.

Bury, Hartlepool, Wednesday...

I don't agree about Wednesday at all there Graf!

It's a pity that FIFA decided not to hold the World Cup Final at swillsborough after all....
After all it's in the right part of town, easy access, lots of parking, millions of local fans but only really needs a lick of paint to make it the new Wembley!!

(sorry for this post from being a year or so out of date)

 

[TAMUS]

Thankyou Tyne Blade

 

[VespaBlade]

I've just sat and watched most of these!
Amazing clips - Our football heritage! Someone should record these every few years or so.
It's just a pity there is none of more local clubs
Cheers Tyne...

 

[grafikhaus]

I don't agree about Wednesday at all there Graf!

It's a pity that FIFA decided not to hold the World Cup Final at swillsborough after all....
After all it's in the right part of town, easy access, lots of parking, millions of local fans but only really needs a lick of paint to make it the new Wembley!!

(sorry for this post from being a year or so out of date)

Oi! What's with this first-name terms? It's Mister Graf to you!

Seriously, what you describe is basically what happened in the 60s. Wendy's then-Chairman, Eric Taylor had the ear of 'Sir' Stanley Rous, Chairman of FIFA and they basically got a stadium built for them. Not only that, they widened Penistone Road, flagpoles etc. etc.

A few years ago, Bramall Lane was to be widened to a dual carriageway. Businesses got CPOs, even the Railway pub was closed in readiness. It got quietly shelved, as did Reg Brealey's Bramall Stadium (blocked because 18 'local residents' objected).

And then there was Wendy/Sheffield City Councils bid for the 2018 World Cup. The ruling Lib Dems kindly wasted £250,000 of our Council Tax supporting the bid. We lost the bid because the high-ups will never forget the antics of Blunkett & Betts in the '70s.

When you hear Wendy going on about their massiveness, they should remember that, but for the Co-op Bank conveniently scrubbing the debt and HMRC looking very favourably on a club that was trading insolvently, they'd have gone to the wall.

 

[TAMUS]

I don't agree about Wednesday at all there Graf!

It's a pity that FIFA decided not to hold the World Cup Final at swillsborough after all....
After all it's in the right part of town, easy access, lots of parking, millions of local fans but only really needs a lick of paint to make it the new Wembley!!

(sorry for this post from being a year or so out of date)

I can never understand this easy access myth they started , ok the Tram is about a 5 minute walk closer , But the Train station is long shut , and the main bus station pond st is miles away , and dont get me on about them using the Hillsbrough park car park and closing it to council tax payers on match days , i wonder if the council would let us have Arundel gate or where ever FOC on match days .

 

[Darren]

A few years ago, Bramall Lane was to be widened to a dual carriageway. Businesses got CPOs, even the Railway pub was closed in readiness. It got quietly shelved, as did Reg Brealey's Bramall Stadium (blocked because 18 'local residents' objected).
.

I've said it before and I will say it again, the idea that the Bramall Centre being turned down was somehow due to a Wednesday supporting Labour council wanting to do down the Tory United chairman is a complete myth. The council did turn down Brealey, but then he appealed to the (Tory) central government who would, no doubt, have loved to have put one over a council which was causing them a lot of problems at the time. The central government confirmed the council's decision.

 

[judge]

I've said it before and I will say it again, the idea that the Bramall Centre being turned down was somehow due to a Wednesday supporting Labour council wanting to do down the Tory United chairman is a complete myth. The council did turn down Brealey, but then he appealed to the (Tory) central government who would, no doubt, have loved to have put one over a council which was causing them a lot of problems at the time. The central government confirmed the council's decision.

im sure MASSIVE pigs blunkett and clive betts would agree with you on that

 

[TAMUS]

im sure MASSIVE pigs blunkett and clive betts would agree with you on that

What about one of spittin images favorite puppets , Hattersley and Massage parlour researcher Joe Ashton i doubt they would help .

 

[VespaBlade]

Oi! What's with this first-name terms? It's Mister Graf to you!

Dear Mr Graf, I apologise sir,
From Mr Vespa

 

[Darren]

What about one of spittin images favorite puppets , Hattersley and Massage parlour researcher Joe Ashton i doubt they would help .

We had a Tory government. Hattersley and Ashton were Labour MP's at the time. Hence they had fuck all to do with the decision.

 

[Jimmy Muir]

Some cracking links, cheers.

 

[Kenilworth]

I've said it before and I will say it again, the idea that the Bramall Centre being turned down was somehow due to a Wednesday supporting Labour council wanting to do down the Tory United chairman is a complete myth. The council did turn down Brealey, but then he appealed to the (Tory) central government who would, no doubt, have loved to have put one over a council which was causing them a lot of problems at the time. The central government confirmed the council's decision.

Of course it was down to the labour / Wendy axis.
The Tories couldn't give a shit about football and probably used the Brealey / BDTBL development decision as a concession to get something else through.
Sheffield Council has always been red in politics and blue in it's football.

 

[grafikhaus]

Of course it was down to the labour / Wendy axis.
The Tories couldn't give a shit about football and probably used the Brealey / BDTBL development decision as a concession to get something else through.
Sheffield Council has always been red in politics and blue in it's football.

Never! That's why they routed the Supertram right next to Bramall Lane, er, hang on!

 

[William Large]

Excellent clips, could the music be a little more depressing ?

 

[Darren]

Of course it was down to the labour / Wendy axis.
The Tories couldn't give a shit about football and probably used the Brealey / BDTBL development decision as a concession to get something else through.
Sheffield Council has always been red in politics and blue in it's football.

Never let the facts get in the way of a good conspiracy theory....