For me i know my attendance dropped off late eighties as I brought my first flat and moved in with the Doris of the day so money became tight.Having done, like so many fans  home and away games for 10 plus years i was also knackered and i have to admit a wet night in Walsall ,again wasnt as appealing as it had previously been....cant miss a game was a mantra that no longer applied then

Moving fast forward i hated euro 96 with Skinner and that song,still hate it now ,painted faces and sh*te,yeh gods

I really got my love of home and away games back ,cant miss a game ,cant miss a game when Rudd signed ,and that team came together under Wisey,we played some great football ,had the old CFC style back ,didn’t win every game but we put in a performance...unlike todays shower

european game !fukcing marvellous,just like the old days

And then i slowly got worn down again by it all ,not CFC but bastrd sky and super sunday and magic monday and the death of 3 o’clock Saturday,sky ha ha prices become stupid

but i kept going ,just just in the hope that my beloved club could win the league....just once in my time...and we did and i was there in Bolton,thanks Frank...as a sign maybe of the times i was there with my current Doris....so i had changed as well

sadly that last home game against Charlton, party atmosphere,happy days ,but in the queue going into the Matthew Harding a kid of maybe 8 had his flag on a stick ,waving away with the biggest smile on his face and I thought  he’s going to be the next generation and will go for the next 30 ,40 years and then as he got to the turnstile,the bastrd steward took the flag off him as it was a dangerous weapon,i went mad .....i so felt for the kid and that was my last game going in....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Birthday to this gentleman, who is  81 years old today today.

 

This gentleman would have been 74 today.

And this guy is 61 years old today.

19 minutes ago, erskblue said:

And this guy is 61 years old today.

Bloody hell Speedie 61, and all this time I’ve been thinking, amongst all of Romans billions and star signings he might bring Dixon, Speedie and Nevin out of retirement, 61? Wow, and to think I’m only 21 still!

Derby 83 cup game mad day hundreds queueing up till about 3.20 including us the old bill let everyone in without paying. We bunked into the middle section which was just as well cause the seats were hitting Chelsea fans below. Bates came over in his fur coat trying to calm things it down it didn't work.

 

Mario Melchiot scoring the winner against Southampton in 2003.

The ending of an era.

14 hours ago, Scott said:

 

That's not how I remember it, everyone there seems to be blaming Chelsea.

I was in the Lower North and it was the Millwall fans that charged towards the Mathew Harding stand only broken up by the Mounted Poilce. Of course people from the West stand threw those wooden seats towards the Millwall fans and there was trouble outside. Yet from my POV it was started by Millwall fans charging the pitch after the penalty shoot out.

9 hours ago, erskblue said:

And this guy is 61 years old today.

We could do with that calibre of finishing today, not sure what has gone wrong perhaps Kids computer games,

21 minutes ago, Strider6003 said:

We could do with that calibre of finishing today, not sure what has gone wrong perhaps Kids computer games,

Agreed.

It seems often they are trying to :’Walk the ball into the net !’

This was a favourite expression of my old man, when describing ‘over elaborate build up play’.

Just cleaning up my computer these may have been posted before.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I wonder if that is Dave Hollins , John's brother,as Dave was a keeper and they look the same 

Ps great Ossie pics... Ossie pictures just take me back to being an obsessed 7 ,8 year old 

On 20/02/2021 at 09:12, bluehaze said:

Derby 83 cup game mad day hundreds queueing up till about 3.20 including us the old bill let everyone in without paying. We bunked into the middle section which was just as well cause the seats were hitting Chelsea fans below. Bates came over in his fur coat trying to calm things it down it didn't work.

 

Didn’t go that day as my Dad was seriously ill. Remember going the following week at the bridge and lost again!! Then there was a documentary on BBC about our two games and the week before when Leeds ripped up the same seats.

83/84 was again a great following in the snow. We filled the terrace and the two tiers of seats which at any time would be impressive.

17 hours ago, bluehaze said:

Just cleaning up my computer these may have been posted before.

 

 

The roof on the new west stand looks exactly like how they left the men’s toilets breeze block wall and no roof!!!

52 minutes ago, Richard P said:

Didn’t go that day as my Dad was seriously ill. Remember going the following week at the bridge and lost again!! Then there was a documentary on BBC about our two games and the week before when Leeds ripped up the same seats.

83/84 was again a great following in the snow. We filled the terrace and the two tiers of seats which at any time would be impressive.

I went 83-84 as well massive snowstorm when we were 2-0 up thought the game was going to be abandoned ten minutes later it was like it never happened. I remember their firm of about 20 giving it the large at the stand to the left.

T

Edited February 21, 20215 yr by bluehaze

1 hour ago, F1905 said:

I wonder if that is Dave Hollins , John's brother,as Dave was a keeper and they look the same 

Ps great Ossie pics... Ossie pictures just take me back to being an obsessed 7 ,8 year old 

Yeah it is Dave Hollins.

Cheers bluehaze re Dave Hollins..the cr#p we all know 

I went to the derby game in a polo shirt and jeans and I remember to this day standing on the terrace behind the goal chivering away ,with it snowing and thinking wtf !

As you say 5 minutes later it's costa del derby and pass the sun cream