Fruit Bat

Fantastic time to be a CFC fan. So many great characters in that team. Money had started creeping into football; they earnt a decent crust but were still normal and accessable; Di Matteo had a restaurant on the Fulhan Road and would happily spend time talking football to the patrons. IMO they were the last generation of footballers that were real men- the current kiss the badge ' it has always been my dream to play for Chelsea', living in their multi bathroomed Cobham houses, incapable of changing the wiper blades on their motors, don't even come close.

Gutted. There goes a hero. Drove to Forest to see him make his debut in a friendly. First time I heard the VIALLI, VIALLY, VIALLY chant. Great at making runs across the line. Apparently he had incredible lung { despite being a smoker} and used to obliterate beep tests. Gentleman and total legend RIP

I went to that game. Remember walking past the home turnstiles and Luton were singing ' We don't rate you anymore...' They brought a good few down late on 81/82 when they got promoted. I cant exactly recall what happened but it kicked off in the North Stand after the game had ended for some strange reason. What was the year when we were due to play them away midweek, and it was postponed due to frozen pitch at about 4.00 PM; a car load of us had finished work early and we're on route when it came over on the radio?

Charlton away 2005. He absolutely tore them up for lavatory paper. Btw if you google the fastest speed a goal scoring shot has been recorded as, he's right up there

When he was firing on all cylinders, and switching flanks with Damian Duff, I'd class him the top 5 most talented players I've ever seen wearing a Chelsea shirt.

A good 150 of them in the West Stand who left maybe 15 minutes before full time, everyone knew they were heading for the Shed where the gates would be opened for early birds bailing out; Our lot in the West Stand cottoned on and followed- they run wild until the people that wanted to get involved zoned in, I've got WHU mates who were watching from the North Stand who conceded that from where they were standing they got properly starched out

Arsenal signed Danish midfielder Jon Jensen on the back of him scoring in the 2 nil victory over Germany in the 1992 Euros Final. He went on to plunder 1 goal in 138 competitive games for Arsenal!

That was the mob from the Brit in Plaistow that got in the Gate 13 and The Canning Town Firm were in The West Stand apparently. I was working close to be Brit about 10 years ago and popped in for a pint. It was still a West Ham pub then with regalia everywhere. It used to be owned by Frank Lampard Sn.

Wimbledon was good for a slap up meal. Walthamstow had a nightclub bolted on called Charlie Chan's full of orange birds and Mike Read lookalikes wearing lemon slacks and chunky gold. Hackney Wick was a decent set up after they developed it but they went skint shortly after. Worked with a old bloke who'd be long dead now who reckons he saw cheetah racing sometime just after the war at White City; bit of a farce by all accounts, rather than pelt after the hare they just lolloped around disinterested. I also had a great uncle whose claim to fame was chucking a heavy coat over the winning dog at Wandsworth to get the race abandoned.. The Arndale/ Southside Shopping Centre stands on the site now...

Anyone like to hazard a guess how many greyhound stadiums London once had? Twenty five incredibly. All gone now

Escort was 84. I took a couple of photos of it and cant for the life of me find them now.

I'm an old bastard; 57 to be precise. For me I'm hovering between promotion 84, and first year back in the top flight in 85- could really identify with the players, and fan power at its maximum. 97-2003 - started winning trophies, the novelty of overseas trips away, still had a hardcore support.... early RA days- finally winning the big one after decades of being either crap or also rans. Support base starting to change but The Bridge could still rock.... what's your view? Ps Appreciate this is subjective, ; depends what age we we were, how free we were at that time of our lives etc etc

Fantastic venue Under the Bridge. Come out of there in some right states before!

Lovely man. He married my second cousin Jackie, who was Chelsea mad and got a job as assistant to Sheila Marsden in the back office. She met Ray and the rest is history. There was a Big Match revisited from 81 on recently. He was taking corners with both feet; not many players could do that. When he passed away there was a moving tribute from Bryan Robson. They'd been good pals since they roomed together with the England Youth team.

He was always bigging up his poxy dairy farm in Beaconsfield. ' The best ice cream in the land' Roll up roll up...

Close run thing I'd say. Both folk heroes, in the days before the internet and hooligan books they fell into the bracket of best known/ unknown Londoners if that makes sense. In fact it doesn't make sense cause Hicky was from Kent.

Possibly our most iconic fan ever and Chelsea through and through. Get better soon Steve

You had the Rose opposite the Gas Works Club, the Palmeston,, that Tapas place, the Imperial, Hand and Flower { locked everyone in there after the Sunderland game}, the working club, the Adelaide with TC's following and all the Mitcham boys, Beer Engine, Come the Revolution by the Railway Bridge where the party crowd used to knock around. Did pretty much all my pre/ post match drinking along that stretch, plus the occasional Friday night.

There was an iconic picture in one of the programmes of Greenaway and his cronies having a celebration bevvy with bates after 84 promotion outside The Black Bull.

Was in the Leppings Lane September 82, not as many there as in that picture. Went on my own by National Express Coaches -the mate I was supposed to go with got hospitalised with alcoholic poisoning. Weird coming home; the coach was packed and I got lumbered next to Wayne Sleep's boyfriend for 4 hours, who randomly asked me if I knew anyone he could buy opium from...

Brought back memories of my old man who left at half time once when we were sh*t in the early 80's. ' Son. I'd rather go home and watch the fire go out '

The tall chap at the very back third from left came from Upper Norwood and I used to play Sunday football with. He used to be a bouncer at The Bonne Bonney in Herne Hill and the Royal Box at The Albert Hall. After some game we were waiting for him to get back to the motor and have a few scoops before Sunday afternoon closing time...he bowls up with a graphic equaliser he's just nicked from an adjacent car....he was pretty wild then...involved in the print trade, he's now a multi millionaire

They're off to the Liverpool pen obviously. Couldn't remember when they got there whether they were trying to clump each other through the bars or not; St Johns Ambulance having to treat multiple broken hands....just looked online and it was only a low fence so head punches above...handy if you're lanky with a long reach I guess. 81-82 was the last year of ' North Stand North Stand Do You're Job' Barnsley brought down about 500 and that's the final time I remember it really kicking off in there, and it went on for quite a bit

They put through the windows of The Maltzers that day. In the press it mentioned someone tried to get in the ground with an air pistol. Probably made up sh*t.