Ewell CFC

Thanks Bluehaze. Coincidently I also went National Express ( we might have been on the same coach!). It was a real poverty model way of going to away games- went to Cambridge first game of the season and I think Sheff We'd that year same fashion. Ive been scratching my head- if NYD fell at the weekend, the Monday would have been Bank Holiday. Can't work out why it would have been played daytime ( early morning which you've just reminded me of), on a Tuesday when most people were back to work? Weird one...,

Ooops!

Di Bagio is currently Italy's caretaker manager going into the World Cup. Unless they win the thing or become runners up, I'd say it's highly likely Conte will be announced as manager sometime in the Summer. All he has to do is bide his time, keep up the doom and gloom demeanour, and hope Roman blinks first. That way he's no longer homesick and he's 9,000,000 pounds better off. I think he's played us like a fiddle.

Once around this time we were queueing for the turnstiles at Kenilworth Rd, when a mob of Luton appeared. They were cocky as you want and singing " We don't rate you anymore, we don't rate you anymore....." ( the one and only time I've heard that at football.). Cut a long story they immediately got run which made everyone laugh. They got a bit of a hiding I remember when we had them last home game 81/82, which was their promotion party of sorts. Edit: talking of early 80s New Year games, did anyone go to Leicester in 83?I clearly remember walking towards the ground and every man jack was wearing a lambswool v neck jumper with a polo neck underneath. I've just checked online and the date of the game was Tue 3rd Jan 1983. The weird thing is I don't remember this as a night game?

They were pretty formulaic those old player profiles. Their favourite meal tended to be steak and chips, favourite holiday destination usually Spain, and being injured was the most frustrating aspect of a footballers life. It was back page headlines when Derek Hales and his strike partner Mick Flanagan both got sent off for fighting each other. ( Oddly enough both were bearded pikey looking types.)

You would think that our support base would be miles larger than Spurs, considering what we've won over say a 15 year period compared with them. ( perceived wisdom that you pick up supporters with trophys) Theyres far less plastics and foreigners amongst their match going support, partly I guess because White Hart Lane is a bit of a sod to get to and in a sh*t area with little to offer in terms of drinking, eating etc. Apologies for rambling, but given the above it would be pretty shocking we couldn't do a better job of filling Wembley than poxy Spurs.

Who else would Grimsby be sponsored by than bloody Findus! Sing when your fishing.... I worked on the construction of a petro-chemical plant in Grimsby in the early 90s- stayed in digs in Cleethorpes where Blundell Park is located. Got to know a few "codheads" who were very impressed with our support that steamy day in 84. I attended a couple of games whilst I was up there including Spurs in the League Cup, and have to say when the wind was coming off the North Sea it werent for the faint hearted.

I've personally witnessed someone being singled out by stewards for standing up- even though everyone else was standing- got slung out and had to appeal to keep hold his ST- A middle aged mild mannered mate of mine refused entry for being drunk ( not and disorderly) - he was that irate he handed back his ST and vowed never to return. Countless examples of people reacting to little hitler stewards ( the club will stand by the stewards testimony rather than fans if push comes to shove) In terms of Football Intelligence banning orders, you can be subject to an order without having committed an offence. ( purely knocking around with certain people is enough for someone to be considered a risk supporter)

The burden of proof required for a banning order isn't a lot.

I can see a bloke crouching on a barrier at about 10 o'clock from Babs ( Babs with a flying jacket and large forehead). As far as I can tell amongst all those faces there's only one bird- far right hand side two thirds the way up- wonder whether her boyfriend took her on a romantic date to Chelsea v Millwall?

This thread is like having teeth pulled.

Thanks for that OG. Funnily enough one of each pair of brothers got into management/ coaching after they hung their boots up. Ray Wilkins, Peter Sillett and Alan Harris who ended up Venables number two at Barcelona.

Did anyone see Choppers brother Alan Harris play? Was he also a toughnut? Ps We also had the Sillett brothers, plus the Wilkins. Graham Wilkins came in for the odd bit of stick I recall.

It's a bit moderne for my tastes. I think something more traditionally English would look better- Mock Tudor perhaps with a thatched roof?

For big games Jose normally sets his teams up not to loose. Under Conte we're not exactly cavalier. I'd go for a a generally dull final which might open up late on. One nil to Chelsea.

I'll try and nip over- shame about Dog Kennel Lane- there's very few London non league clubs playing in their original grounds left because they're just too vulnerable to property development. Lots of old Chelsea boys as mentioned at both Tooting and Mitcham, and Carshalton. Ps Terrible shame what that knob Dipre's done to the Robins

Great pic. It that all Chelsea together, or some sort of a face off?

Peter Osgoods testimonial?

Point taken. Wherever in the world we come from, for some weird reason we've. alll become Chelsea fans. Apologies for being over tough with our overseas correspondents- win or loose, up the blues.

Any chance of grammatically correct English being used on this forum? I understand that some posters are from overseas- no problem with that- but it would be nice if comments could be posted using proper English, not mumbo jumbo half English. Theres some over long,laborious, covering the same ground for the umpteenth time posts on here, which are made even more annoying because they're written in pigeon English. Rant over

Spurs in the North Stand 78

Millwall getting run out the Shed 77

During redevelopment you would expect the atmosphere to have suffered but I don't remember it that way ( Shed and Northstand redevelopment) When the Shed temporary seating was in place ( the sway I think it was nicknamed), and the Matthew Harding stand up and running, for the first time ever we had four stands close to the pitch. Our support was still pretty old school then too. I can remember some cracking atmospheres at times.

I'd say a that a large percentage of forum users- many I'm sure that have never been to a game- speak English as a second language, perhaps even joined up as a way of improving their English.

Regarding risqué songs of many moons ago- almost forty years for the Watford game- if was a different era- a player got it in the neck if he had a big nose, got caught out shagging, you name it. By modern sensibilities they sound pretty beyond the pale, but if was all just fun. I don't remember any malice or nastiness. It sometimes annoys me when the same songs that that have been sung at football for getting on for half a century are all of a sudden deemed vile. Some of the journalists who have been going to games for years and are now all of a sudden offended, must have had cloth in their ears until recently.