MelbourneBlue

Me too, could write a book on some of the things I saw him do. His comments at times were priceless too. Saw some photos of him at Napoli last season. Another old face Danny Arkins turned 65 this week btw.

I stand top be corrected, but I never heard of this at the time. Chelsea tended not to carry, unlike the Under 5s and Gooners, and of course the scousers.

Yes he was

Carshalton that Arkins photo is possibly the best thing I've ever seen on this forum (apart from maybe the ever-changing crowd positions in the Cardiff away video ).

The first 2 have admitted as much in their books. Not sure if Sylvester at Pompey rated us, he is so far up Cass Pennant's rear end he probably didn't!

I used to go to Arsenal games too and they had no problem with me being Chelsea. One of their blokes I knew from Kilburn his cousin was Chelsea and a mate of Winkles (surely you all remember him), an it was not unusual for CFC and Arsenal to hang around together and go to each others games. Most of my mates are Chelsea or Arsenal, a couple I lost touch with were West Ham and I have never had a Tottenham mate!

What a tactical ignoramus Benitez is, anyone could tell half way through that 2nd half that only one team was going to score, yet he did nothing to change it up. The substitions were shockers too. Like for like with Dave for Ivan FFS! Marin only 5 minutes! Fk off already.

We had a north easterner too from Darlington. Not sure I should name him here, but I was lifted at Newcastle once and the OB were asking us all if we knew him. In fact that day we were at home and Fulham were hosting Newcastle, we went down to Putney Bridge and at the stand off all the Geordies were saying "Where's *****?". As for big hitters up north, we all know them their names now from their books, but don't think we ever faced Liverpools mob for instance and someone said "Theres Kelly" or something like that.

Right, plenty of memories - think I'm right with all these. We played them twice up there in 1983, February in the 82/83 season, November in the 83/84 season. In the early 83 match we were given exactly half of that West Stand, and practically filled it up to the half way line. In the November 83 match we were given the entire stand and fanned across three quarters of it. For that match I was in the Main Stand with some of our northerners and our support made very impressive viewing from there. Some Leeds in the Main Stand attempted to dig us out but that amounted to them mouthing off at us and no more. When we walked around the north west corner of the ground after the game with their home crowd, Chelsea charged over to the emptier seats there, so yes I was close to being attacked by Chelsea :) On the morning of one of the matches, Kings Cross was packed with Chelsea, and two service trains mostly full of us left simultaneously. Not one Gooner around, but I heard that Denton and his crew waited at Finsbury Park til the coast was clear then arrived at Kings Cross to get their train to Boro. One of the two games we got off the train en masse and took over a pub in Wakefield. The OB made only a token effort to stop us. I think it was the other game when Leeds attacked the train just out of Wakefied with a molotov cocktail which hit the window and seemed to stick on it before sliding down. The Leeds bloke was later caught and served time and committed suicide inside. In the early 83 game I remember some of us chanting "The Y*ds are out the Cup, ee eye adio the Y*ds are out the Cup." They had won the previous two FA Cups seemed unbeatable in the competition.......imagine a team winning 4 out of 6 Cup Finals eh! Great outings in those days.

He did have dark curly hair actually. He moved from Retford to some other northern outpost.....or moved to Retford, can't remember which way! Was with a mate from Selby when I first met him. Also met a few Chelsea from Halifax, again my memory is poor at times, but I think it was them who got me into Bolton the year we were banned. Those northen accents were useful at times.

Andy? Mate of Brian from Sheffield?

Chelsea - v Leeds and Barnsley 1984 Southampton - after night League Cup game Leicester - shook Mickey Thomas's hand Very disappointing really!

As for stories: ALLEGEDLY, Chelsea came out the Annie Road and the scallies were all waiting on the far side of the road, CFC using a highly sophisticated tactical approach, charged straight into them and they had it away on their toes sending a distress flare in the direction of the CFC. ALLEGEDLY, after the game Barnsley the CFC who were in the seats walked away from the ground up the hill and the yorkies were waiting at the top on both sides of the road. A melee ensued and they gave a bit back but eventually scattered. The best melee I ever heard about ALLEGEDLY occurred at OT, when 80 CFC escaped the escort, walked up to a street corner a few hundred yards away and had several hundred Mancs in two separate groups away on their toes. The confrontation went on for about 10 minutes which was a very long time without order being restored. The traffic cops on duty in the vicinity were only concerned with keeping the vehicles moving, and just let it go. Maybe if they'd seen the Manc with a blade in each hand they may have given him a pull, but even he turned and fled ALLEGEDLY. Funnily enough I looked on United's WATPOAE site a few years ago and it was all "WTF have Chelsea ever done up here?" and rubbish like that. After being eventually bundled onto a train back to Piccadilly, all the CFC on board ALLEGEDLY got off one station early and walked into the city centre scattering all Mancs in the vicinity. Never bought their Red Army book, but I bet none of this was in it. I think Cass might have written it for them!

I was in West Hams North Bank too for that game Carshalton, just with one Chelsea mate. I remember walking past the ground and seeing Willie just standing there near the concourse, which was a good effort as he is very identifiable and it was not a good time to be identified at WHU. I was also in that end for the 5-3 loss which I went to with a Hammer and a ManU paddy we knew. Their West side threw a flare into our end. Others from memory were QPR, Fulham, Walsall, Luton Seats among the enemy - Leeds, Bolton, Sunderland, Newcastle, ManU, Man City, Sheff Weds, Villa, Leicester Seats with a lot of Chelsea but still dodgy - Barnsley (us and their firm using the same loo at half time), Liverpool (H***** I think bought 600 tickets in the Annie Road and we bought them off him on the train up there)

Well my memory is even more awful than I thought then, because I'm sure I remember them only having the middle 2 sections of the North stand that day.

. Sensational. I can make out 2 of my mates down the front of the West Stand seats. My guess is 1985 Arse or Spurs at home, as theyve got the whole of the North Stand

Yeah I'm sure you're right. Good work with the clock Shrelock ;) My bet was on the game when we were 2-0 up and lost 3-2. Definitely corporate boxes up by then because I was under them. For the Bumstead game I was about as near to the camera in that photo as possible on our side of the fence.

Sorry to question you mate, but are you sure this was 1990? I was just thinking back to that game after reading Cathys blog about it, and my memory was walking in to their side of the Clock End after KO, and through the OB line to our bit having fired some abuse at a couple of Gooners on the way through. My memory is that it was an open end still and I can't remember the corporate boxes being there yet, but I stand to be corrected.

It was a decent firm. I was at Earls Court later when one of their trains came in. Cocky they were, but they deserved to be. I watched the game from that open bit of terracing to the right of the Shed - hundreds had climbed over into there becasue the Shed was so full..

Fair few Chelsea in the North Stand though.

Are you the one mouthing off on the MelbourneCFC FB site about your superior numbers? Get back to Yeovil you fkn farmer ;) Our bookings will outnumber yours soon!

Could not stand the penalty shoot out, so left the pub in Melbourne and waited 100 yards away. Heard a couple of loud cheers and the missus rang to say we'd won. So happy. Been to 57 grounds with Chelsea mostly in the lower divisions at the time, and I don't care I didn't see this live as long as we won. 160 Chelsea rammed the pub from 3.30am:

Above all others for me Chelsea 1:0 Man Utd FA Cup Final 2007, I was still on a high 4 days later. If I could turn back time though it would be walking into Highbury that day in 1984 and seeing thousands of euphoric Chelsea fans there after 5 years playing the likes of Shrewsbury. We were in the East Lower and plenty of other Chelsea in there too,

His save in the League Cup semi at Highbury same season was crucial too - we're 2-0 down and he stops it being 3-0, we go down the other end and (from memory) Hughsey scores. Suddenly we're taking them back to the Bridge with an easily surmountable deficit.

They stormed the Shed gates, a few stood and saw them off. Then a long way into the game (half an hour?) a group fo Chelsea (around 50 from memory) came into the North Stand and walked towards the Arse pen (they only had one) as if they were away fans. The Gooners were onto this immediately and the OB stopped the Chelsea blokes from entering.