44 minutes ago, doctorblue said:

 

 

Edited June 26, 20179 yr by doctorblue

Chelsea's Tommy Baldwin, Steve Kember, Alan Hudson and Ron Harris form a defensive wall... 

3 hours ago, doctorblue said:

For me, Charlie Cooke was one of the greatest Chelsea players of all time...

Totally agree with that. My first Chelsea hero.

Great player.

On 6/24/2017 at 15:51, Richard P said:

Saw it happen a lot at away games early 80s

Got into quite a few away grounds without paying back then, sometimes if there were too many Chelsea outside, the old bill would have the gates opened to get us onto the terraces and off the streets.

Team photo 1980-81 season...

Edited June 26, 20179 yr by doctorblue

8 minutes ago, doctorblue said:

Team photo 1980-81 season...

Wonder why everyone in the front row got a football back then!

West Stand door Z, who else used to use the back of the seats like steps to climb up to the back & exit after the game.

Not exactly PC, but a quote from my pal "All Chaps No Japs" back then,

The life of a travelling football fan BITD

Not like the crowd I went with, drinking at 8:00am as we got on the train at Kings Cross with refills at places like Crewe Alexander and then a pub before the match, cans again back on the train home. I didn't see any Coke Cans! 

Chelsea on the pitch attacking the Sunderland end, Stamford Bridge 1985 League Cup Semi Final.

 

Chelsea v Sunderland League Cup Semi Final 1985

On 20/06/2017 at 20:19, Osgood is Good said:

My first match the old man took me to I was 7 years old, Ipswich at home 1970. 

The old man used to park the car in or around Lots Rd, where Chelsea Harbour is located now, wasn't called Chelsea Harbour back then, think it was a power plant. Walked to the ground through the streets of the old prefab homes, which my dad told me is where Alan Hudson grew up. We queued up at the Shed End main turnstiles, and as the queue for the 'Boy's Entrance' was so long I stood in the Adult queue, and was lifted and passed over the turnstile when the old man paid.

Once inside we climbed what seemed to be the never ending concrete stairs. With every few steps the noise of the crowd got louder and louder. The smell of the hamburgers and hot dogs and then Bovril in the air, as we reached the top of stairs. "Peanuts, peanuts, roasted peanuts", you could hear from the sellers with the wooden trays hanging from around their necks. I was tingling with excitement as I looked out over the ground, for the first time. I was hooked.  Looked at the North Stand at the other end of the ground, The Shed was to my left with all the chanting, and to the right, near the old concrete flood light stand in the corner, is where my dad met 4/5 of his friends. All throughout the game I was looking over at The Shed, just wishing. Muck fe I will never forget that day, and to make it all the more memorable we won 2-1 with Hudson scoring the goal that never was.

From that moment on I went regularly with my dad until I was 14 and was allowed to go on my own, hello The Shed, happy days !!

Yep, Pretty sure he was brought up in the prefabs.

My old man always reckoned that his elder brother was a great player too. Believe he ended up owning a commercial window cleaning company and married to an Italian ballerina or something similar

3 hours ago, MissouriBlue said:

Wonder why everyone in the front row got a football back then!

To be fair, not much point in the five in the back row having them at their feet...

I know,I know!

Shoot magazine picture. So would have had this Chelsea picture on my wall as soon as I had read Shoot.

On 6/24/2017 at 20:02, Boyne said:

Was in the Shed night with a guy I worked with.

I heard a story a couple of weeks later that in the players bar after the game Speedie punched or tried to punch Walker.

I was in the shed as well that night you just know it was going to kick off if we lost

Then we went parson green ambush whu on there way back from Wimbledon 

6 minutes ago, Oldschoolcfc said:

I was in the shed as well that night you just know it was going to kick off if we lost

Then we went parson green ambush whu on there way back from Wimbledon 

You're right, there was a strange atmosphere that night, even before it all went wrong.

5 hours ago, Carshalton Blue said:

The life of a travelling football fan BITD

Gary staker and other stewards selling a stable football fans diet!! Coke sausage rolls crisps kit Kat and wagon wheels!!! Those trains were great fun. Been on a couple last season but didn't feel the same.

On 6/16/2017 at 15:22, Boyne said:

R.I.P Norman Medhurst.

http://www.chelseafc.com/news/latest-news/2017/06/norman-medhurst.html

Chelsea Football Club is saddened to learn of the passing of our former physiotherapist Norman Medhurst who served the club for 25 years. We send our condolences to his family and friends.

Norman followed in the footsteps of his father, Harry Medhurst, who was a goalkeeper for Chelsea in the period after the Second World War before becoming the club’s physio. Norman’s first job at Stamford Bridge was with the kit while he studied injury treatment, after which he became an assistant to his father. This was in the mid-1960s.

Harry retired and Norman took on a more senior role in 1974, around the time he also started working with the England national side, a position that continued for two decades with Norman on the bench at European Championships and World Cups, including Italia ’90 when England reached the semi-finals.

At Chelsea, he was a very familiar figure to the fans with ‘Norman, Norman, give us a wave’ frequently chanted as he walked back round the side of the pitch, having sprinted on and treated a stricken player. A wave would duly follow.

Norman left Chelsea and London in 1988, seeking a quieter life in the West Country where he worked for Plymouth and Torquay. He spent the later years of his retirement in France. 

So sorry to heart this sad news he was part of the Chelsea family along with his dad Harry 

On 6/17/2017 at 18:54, chi blue said:

Yes your right there, remember mexico 86 when we played the argies in 1/4 final, before game the TV cameras were showing the crowd outside the ground, and some lads were walking round with a huge Chelsea union jack with Chelsea mitcham on it, these days its st George cross flags with bury, Preston and bolton etc, but back then there use to be loads of Chelsea union jacks following england

I was in Mexico for that world cup l done 82 Spain , 86 Mexico & 90 Italy plus Euro in 88 & 92 there were loads of Chelsea  but the big firm were the little norther teams 

Great win v Liverpool,again in 1977/78. This time in the League at The Bridge.

Eddie MaCreadie...Chelsea and Scottish full back and Chelsea manager...if you haven't read his book 'Eddie Mac...Eddie Mac' I strongly urge you to do so...it's truly fabulous...he recently returned to SB after 41 years to launch it...

Edited June 27, 20179 yr by doctorblue

As I mentioned above, I've been reading Ossie's autobiography, imaginatively entitled 'Ossie'. He talks about Eddie Mac having a mental breakdown as a player in the early 70s, when he actually attempted suicide. Does he go into much detail about that in his own book?