28 minutes ago, erskblue said:

A wee challenge from Eddie Mac.

The game not only remarkable for the brutality but also the attitude of both teams to just accept it and get on with it.

1 hour ago, The Rising Sun said:

The game not only remarkable for the brutality but also the attitude of both teams to just accept it and get on with it.

Totally agree.

Mind you as was seen during the two 1970 games, both teams could play football or mix it!

4 hours ago, The Rising Sun said:

I miss the sight of floodlight pylons at football stadiums . Part of our football heritage.

The tallest floodlights in the country. Coming over to Victoria Station, used to see them on the left

11 hours ago, WhiteWall said:

I was at that Portsmouth match. For some reason I went and sat on the benches at some point, maybe for the sake of nostalgia. Big mistake. Almost got piles it was so bloody cold.

Not a barrel of laughs the old Nuremberg’s

2 hours ago, OnePeterOsgood said:

I also remember going to an away match at West Ham as a child and sitting on my own amongst all the WH fans .. yes really! I did have mates of course but they were all Tottenham supporters so I was often on my own at matches … getting to the Bridge was not a problem but how did I get to Upton Park? Anyway, the game was only memorable because of the really toxic atmosphere made even worse when one of our players clattered into their star player, Phil Woosnam, who had to go off injured … remember this was in the days before any subs. But after an absence of maybe 10 minutes Woosnam emerged from the dressing room and took up his position on the field … cue absolute bedlam with the most visceral and hate-filled noise from a football stadium that I’d ever heard mixed with unbelievable delight that he had returned. Funnily enough I remember feeling quite shaken by the scale of it but never frightened or vulnerable... It just wasn’t like that in those days …. no one had a dig at me or said anything really … today??

Superb

‘A.Lawson and P.Hickey (kneeling) at the base of the television camera platform built into a floodlighting pylon at Stamford Bridge on 5th February 1957. This is part of Chelsea's floodlighting scheme which saw 230 floodlights erected to cover every corner of the pitch.’

1 hour ago, Timmy Elms said:

Not a barrel of laughs the old Nuremberg’s

If I remember rightly they scored really early so it was a predictable "oh sh*t" moment. We then equalised almost straight away and they went and got another one.

‘The Cat’ in action against Man City at The Bridge.

European Cup Winners Cup Semi Final First Leg 14th April 1971

Both teams wore their respective away kits in the two legs!

We won 1-0 at The Bridge when Derek Smethurst scored.

14 hours ago, erskblue said:

‘A.Lawson and P.Hickey (kneeling) at the base of the television camera platform built into a floodlighting pylon at Stamford Bridge on 5th February 1957. This is part of Chelsea's floodlighting scheme which saw 230 floodlights erected to cover every corner of the pitch.’

The match to celebrate the new floodlights took place on my 9th birthday, March 19, 1957. Although it was a school night I was allowed to go … you couldn’t really have stopped me! An evening match against …. foreigners! Whatever next? The opposition was Sparta Prague and I think we won 3-0?

There’s been a bit of fuss- rightly so about that chap who has now visited every club in the senior non league pyramid- the the Football League Pyramid at a ridiculously young age and just kept going. He also managed to combine this with following QPR- hasn’t missed a home game for 50 years.

Obviously a bit of “ Rain Man” about him, and managed to combine it with a wife and kids.

Reminds me a bit of Ron Hockimgs, and Cath of course…

3 hours ago, Timmy Elms said:

There’s been a bit of fuss- rightly so about that chap who has now visited every club in the senior non league pyramid- the the Football League Pyramid at a ridiculously young age and just kept going. He also managed to combine this with following QPR- hasn’t missed a home game for 50 years.

Obviously a bit of “ Rain Man” about him, and managed to combine it with a wife and kids.

Reminds me a bit of Ron Hockimgs, and Cath of course…

Do you remember that bloke who carried a shopping bag around with him who went to millions of Chelsea games all over the place and got an award for it on the pitch?

He missed one game. He could see the floodlights of the stadium but there was a river in the way and he couldn't work.out how to get across it ,,! 😂

I used to travel on some of Ron's trains for away games, dunno how it did it but we went cheap first class usually with Ron smoking his fags ( despite the no smoking) and writing down everything about the game on the way home.

Edited April 7Apr 7 by The Rising Sun
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6 hours ago, OnePeterOsgood said:

The match to celebrate the new floodlights took place on my 9th birthday, March 19, 1957. Although it was a school night I was allowed to go … you couldn’t really have stopped me! An evening match against …. foreigners! Whatever next? The opposition was Sparta Prague and I think we won 3-0?

Hey Ossie, do you remember the bloke who used to sell bags of peanuts on the terraces ? He used to call out " peanuts for sixpence," .

We had a chant for a while that went " one, two, three, four, can you hear the Tottenham roar..... Peanuts for sixpence" !!

God knows what other fans made of it ! 😂

Edited April 7Apr 7 by The Rising Sun
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2 hours ago, The Rising Sun said:

Hey Ossie, do you remember the bloke who used to sell bags of peanuts on the terraces ? He used to call out " peanuts for sixpence," .

We had a chant for a while that went " one, two, three, four, can you hear the Tottenham roar..... Peanuts for sixpence" !!

God knows what other fans made of it ! 😂

2 hours ago, The Rising Sun said:

Hey Ossie, do you remember the bloke who used to sell bags of peanuts on the terraces ? He used to call out " peanuts for sixpence," .

We had a chant for a while that went " one, two, three, four, can you hear the Tottenham roar..... Peanuts for sixpence" !!

God knows what other fans made of it ! 😂

2 hours ago, The Rising Sun said:

Hey Ossie, do you remember the bloke who used to sell bags of peanuts on the terraces ? He used to call out " peanuts for sixpence," .

We had a chant for a while that went " one, two, three, four, can you hear the Tottenham roar..... Peanuts for sixpence" !!

God knows what other fans made of it ! 😂

For my sins, used to go to Upton Park occasionally with my best schoolmate circa 78. Percy Daltons Peanuts. Pre kick off. the vendor would do a route of the ground. People would throw whatever it was- 50p say, onto the pitch, and he would toss the peanuts into the crowd, best direction of the bloke who paid for itz

2 hours ago, Timmy Elms said:

  5 hours ago, The Rising Sun said:

Hey Ossie, do you remember the bloke who used to sell bags of peanuts on the terraces ? He used to call out " peanuts for sixpence," .

  5 hours ago, The Rising Sun said:

Hey Ossie, do you remember the bloke who used to sell bags of peanuts on the terraces ? He used to call out " peanuts for sixpence," .

  5 hours ago, The Rising Sun said:

Hey Ossie, do you remember the bloke who used to sell bags of peanuts on the terraces ? He used to call out " peanuts for sixpence," .

Sorry, mate, I was in the “posh seats!”

18 hours ago, The Rising Sun said:

Do you remember that bloke who carried a shopping bag around with him who went to millions of Chelsea games all over the place and got an award for it on the pitch?

He missed one game. He could see the floodlights of the stadium but there was a river in the way and he couldn't work.out how to get across it ,,! 😂

I used to travel on some of Ron's trains for away games, dunno how it did it but we went cheap first class usually with Ron smoking his fags ( despite the no smoking) and writing down everything about the game on the way home.

Was that bloke with the carrier bag known as Brains?

We’ve certainly had some characters over the years.

On 07/04/2026 at 10:26, OnePeterOsgood said:

The match to celebrate the new floodlights took place on my 9th birthday, March 19, 1957. Although it was a school night I was allowed to go … you couldn’t really have stopped me! An evening match against …. foreigners! Whatever next? The opposition was Sparta Prague and I think we won 3-0?

What competition would that have been in, or was it a friendly? When we won the League in 55, the FA talked us out of entering the European Cup. Not quite sure what the prevailing logic was behind this?

1 hour ago, Timmy Elms said:

Was that bloke with the carrier bag known as Brains?

We’ve certainly had some characters over the years.

I can't remember , but he was always at away games with his shopping bag! I think they must have got the Idea for Roy and his shopping bag in Coronation Street from our bloke !!

Yeah we had loads of characters, it was a genuine community wasn't it . There was a guy we used to call "Action Man" ( not to his face) because he always seemed to be wearing combat camouflage gear !!

Edited April 8Apr 8 by The Rising Sun
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2 hours ago, Boyne said:

Two signings; one stuck with us through thick and thin and went on to lift silverware, and the other was off just as soon as a better offer came along. And the late Bobby Campbell - a thoroughly decent bloke.

6 hours ago, Timmy Elms said:

What competition would that have been in, or was it a friendly? When we won the League in 55, the FA talked us out of entering the European Cup. Not quite sure what the prevailing logic was behind this?

A friendly match to mark the opening of the Stamford Bridge Floodlights.

We won 2-0 in front of a crowd of 30,708.

16 minutes ago, erskblue said:

A friendly match to mark the opening of the Stamford Bridge Floodlights.

We won 2-0 in front of a crowd of 30,708.

Yes, it was just a friendly to mark the opening of the floodlights. I thought it was 3-0 so I was close! I love the wording ‘Fooodlight Match’ on the front of the program! Before then, matches in winter usually started at about 2.15 so they could finish before it got dark!

5 hours ago, The Rising Sun said:

I can't remember , but he was always at away games with his shopping bag! I think they must have got the Idea for Roy and his shopping bag in Coronation Street from our bloke !!

Yeah we had loads of characters, it was a genuine community wasn't it . There was a guy we used to call "Action Man" ( not to his face) because he always seemed to be wearing combat camouflage gear !!

5 hours ago, The Rising Sun said:

I can't remember , but he was always at away games with his shopping bag! I think they must have got the Idea for Roy and his shopping bag in Coronation Street from our bloke !!

Yeah we had loads of characters, it was a genuine community wasn't it . There was a guy we used to call "Action Man" ( not to his face) because he always seemed to be wearing combat camouflage gear !!

Like a lot of us, did a fair share of ground hopping in the late 70s , early 90s. If we were playing away in far flung parts of the country, used to occasionally go to Highbury or Upton Park with school mates. Paper round money so sometimes did Northern away days but not that easy….

Point is, clubs had their own little nuances and identity. Arsenal was and old man’s club and a bit boring. West Ham- Took them selves to seriously- thee was much more laughter at Stamford Bridge than the above, more characters…

On 06/04/2026 at 07:03, WhiteWall said:

I was at that Portsmouth match. For some reason I went and sat on the benches at some point, maybe for the sake of nostalgia. Big mistake. Almost got piles it was so bloody cold.

They were still wooden then!! Pre Sunderland

I remember they used to get some frost on them at night games before the start, but the old evening paper used to help!!

Happy Birthday to David Webb.

80 years young today.