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The most impressive and the most pathetic away support at the Bridge

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croydonblue said:
charlton pretty much filled it in the relegation play off semi final, had a right tear up in there, down by the benches after we couldn't get into the shed, so went in their end. ouch 
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Yes fair play to Charlton that day they more then held there own

 
In the eighties we played Oxford United in the Full Members Cup. Only about a dozen Oxford fans were at the game and were in the North Stand. At half-time they were moved to the East Stand, presumably so the North Stand could be closed down for the night, Possibly the lowest ever away attendance?

 
Might be being a trifle tough on Spurs- they definately returned tickets though. Youtube shows they filled the end but it wasn't ram jammed. Considering they had big old suport back then, and probably took 20,000 plus up the M1 for the semi, so some cause to coat them off.

Leeds used to bring good numbers down. Circa 82 remember seeing all there boys at Kings X and virtually all of them had moustaches. The Freddy Mercury firm. Thank Christ they never caught on down here

 
The last 50,000 plus crowds we had were in 76- Palace in the cup and Fulham on Boxing Day. Didn't go to either. It was 78 onwards I was allowed to go with me mates, previously I went whenever I could persuade my old man to take me.

We're Palace given all the North Stand and CFC gatecrashed or was it divided up?

Similarly did Fulham have many in the 55,003 gate?

 
Leeds I think around 78 had very few in the North Stand, they scattered everywhere when a punch up started.

Palace and Fulham were both pay on the gate. About 1.30 Palace started singing high up the bank where the North Stand usually stood and got attacked immediately ending up half way up the terrace behind the goal where the real fun and games began when they scored.

Fulham, don't make me laugh!

 
I went to loads of home games late 70s, 80s and was always very disappointed with the turnouts from virtually all the Midland Clubs ... considering the numbers, at times we took to them their non-existent return turnouts at Stamford Bridge bordered on the pathetic.

WEST BROM ... WOLVES ... BIRMINGHAM ... LEICESTER ... DERBY ... ASTON VILLA ... COVENTRY ... hang your heads in shame !!!

From memory, the only Midlands Club that actually brought a few down were FOREST, during the Brian Clough years. However, insignificant numbers compared to what we took to them.

One of the very best turn-outs at the Bridge were ARSENAL after they won the FA Cup ... our fixture was still outstanding. They absolutely packed the North Stand with a celebration of Wembley banners, etc. ... amazing, electric atmosphere in the Shed that day ... one of the very best ever !!!

 
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Spurs in 82 had 14,000 at Chelsea but had 1,000 terrace tickets unsold. Had 9,000 in the north terrace and 5,000 in the west stand seats. Loads of teams used to have 4 sections Spurs West Ham Arsenal Liverpool Man Utd in the 80s but they were not full and could have fitted into 3 sections. Most of the time the front was empty with hardly anyone on the first few stepsI can remeber teams like Bolton Blackburn Oldham Cambridge and others having less than 100. Leicester had about 70 to 80 in the milk cup 83/84 but bought 6,000 in the lge cup and fa cup recently. I can remeber midlands teams bringing small numbers 80s and QPR 78/79 and Orient 79/80 both bought about 300. I can remember West Ham having 8,000 or so in the north terrace with loads in home areas but a couple of times was nearer 6,000 late 80s same as Arsenal and Spurs. Liverpool packed the away end winning the league in 86 but was well light a few times. Man Utd the same they had the whole end but mid 80s was never full to capacity the front was empty or they were spaced out but from the shed looked rammed..

 
I can remember Burnley once bringing about half a dozen, they put them in the section where the old North Stand after it was demolished. A couple of them were mimicking everything the bloke in front of them did.

If you go on the Bolton forum you can read they really fancied themselves in the 70's and 80's saying how they did some damaged down here in a cup match around '74. Their small mob got slaughtered in '75 never to return again until all seater stadiums.

 
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Simon Maskell said:
Spurs in 82 had 14,000 at Chelsea but had 1,000 terrace tickets unsold. Had 9,000 in the north terrace and 5,000 in the west stand seats.
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I have a poor memory about some things, but I am 99.9% certain that Spurs did not have the West Stand seats that day. 

 
if i was answering the question before seeing all the responses i would have said Newcastle was the most impressive away support I have seen at The Bridge. Not sure why anyone would have a problem with that but we all have our own different recollectios i suppose.

I am particularly thinking of a game probably 1980s where their vocal support had been unbelievable all the way through the game. usually any away fans trying to sing quickly stirred our lot into a vociferous response which shut them up, but on that particular day they gave it loads and there was little vocal response from us. they ended up winning the game, 1-0 i think, and I remember walking out of the ground thinking that was really disappointing but i was happy for those fans who had come all that way and were going home delighted. they deserved the win not for being the better team but for having the better fans. not often i have those sentiments!

 
Talking of infiltrating away ends- We did in the North Stand, West Ham were very adept at doing so in the South Bank, Arsenal weren't adverse to giving it in the Clock End, even Palace used to muster up a few in the Whitehorse End- remember them having a go at Sheffield Utd in a night game once, late 70s.

My point is, did Spurs used to get in amongst the opposition in the Park Lane?

I think they have Brighton a slap there in Div 2, but don't remember hearing of much else?

 
going back to that Palace cup tie in 76 which we lost 3-2, that was a game we expected to win, should have won, and would have won but for that Peter Taylor free kick. But Palace were on the up at that time under Malcolm Allison and they did bring a lot more fans than usual. I canot comment in detail on the crowd trouble but from my view in the west stand it was all over quite quickly.

That game sticks in the memory for me as I am from the Crystal Palace area with a lot of Palace mates.

 
incredibly a third post on this subject from me, very sorry if that is considered bad form.

it's another game that we lost, this time it was 3-0 at home to Oldham. late 1970s maybe or early 80s.

i was in the West Stand. the away support on the North Stand terraces was always woeful, made worse by it being such a large area and no Chelsea fans allowed in due to segregation issues. But there was a chap sitting behind me in the West who was out of his seat the whole game shouting "coom on Oldham" and of course going potty when they scored. we were too shocked and stunned by the result to give him a hard time.

 
That was the first season in Div 2, a terrible result.

From memory teams who brought support that season were:

Forest. Well up for it.

Bristol City, definitely up for it, came in the Shed too all be it briefly, also in the Anglo Scottish Cup

Plymouth. Scattered at the end, some over the railings into the old North Stand, same as Cardiff outside

Bolton. A small support, scattered down to the front corner as soon as they started singing

Sunderland. I think most of the action went on out of view

Charlton. Well segregated

WBA. Well segregated

Palace in the cup. Demolished

I must have missed the Portsmouth match, I'm sure they would have been there.

Half way through the season the old bill got their act together and started segregating the away fans,

The following season only Millwall, Cardiff, Wolves, Southampton, Forest and Plymouth brought any sort of support, the last two clubs numbers were well down on the previous season. Millwall apart, there was the only odd scuffle inside the ground.

 
I go with the West Ham match too but to say that Cass Pennant and co got a spanking is way off the mark. They left the North Stand in their 100's and came at us right up the steps as Chelsea scattered to the Tea Bar and protected the middle of the shed. The Old Bill hesitated as Chelsea stood their ground, I remember clearly as if it was yesterday 'panic' setting in and everyone shouting 'stand your ground'

 
I thought they came out of the West Stand, everyone was singing Bye Bye thinking they were leaving because they were losing and five minutes later they came through the Bovril and up the main entrance steps into the Shed at the same time, a 'two pronged attack' and very impressive it was too.  They didn't give a f**k that day, small mobs in the Shed from about 2 o'clock, then in Gate 13, and finally their top boys in the West Stand.  Bear in mind Gate 13 and the West Stand were where our main mobs went in those days.  They may not have taken the Shed as in days past but they came and took everywhere else including the piss. We had a high reputation and numbers back then so running them back out of a packed Shed near to full time was small consolation for what had gone on all day.  

As I wrote earlier, West Ham in '84 were best to ever come with violent intentions, regularly they always until Parsons Green.  So were Millwall whenever they got the chance, but numbers wise for me it's Spurs in '78. 

 
Was fairly low down under the whitewall when they arrived- had a broken collar bone at time and was trying to keep out the way of people running away from or to the action- could have sworn they ended up at the bottom by the fences?

West Ham mate who was watching from the North Stand told me at the time from there it looked like they'd come unstuck. Who knows as they say

 
I don't remember them getting anywhere near the front, I was up near the Bovril and pre-occupied.  There was another game where some of them in the Shed ended up by the benches but that was before kick off.  

After the '84 game all I could think of was that these c**ts are somewhere in the side streets waiting !

 
MelbourneBlue said:
I have a poor memory about some things, but I am 99.9% certain that Spurs did not have the West Stand seats that day. 
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Spurs had 15,000 tickets the north terrace held 10,500 at the time. I was in the west stand in the last block near the shed and all Spurs around me when they scored 3 goals. This has been disputed a few times over the years.

Spurs v Man City prog says £5 seats foir sale

Chelsea season ticket holders turning up in the west and werent told was going to be Spurs

Match of the day Spurs are 14,000 strong. North terrace held 10,500 and Spurs had 4,500 seats but cos they had 1,000 terrace tickets unsold they had 14,000 not 15,000. It was said Spurs were scared in an articles i dont call 14,000 scared had a huge mob that day as well. Should have had 11,000 25% of the ground but cos they took the seats the police didnt want the north terrace split after all the fighting at the Liverpool game an article on the net said this.

Chelsea were kept on the left of the Fulham Road with Spurs from the away end and seats all the right me and my dad included. So Spurs got to use Fulham Broadway tube why Chelsea had to walk past.

 
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