Footage of the F.A cup match v orient away when the wall pitch side collapsed in two places around the ground.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1nKg5Tb5w4

Don't know how many season ticket holders we had back then, but it can't have anywhere near what we have now. I feel I have to keep renewing otherwise I will never get it back. Whereas back then I could turn up and pay on the day. Virtually the whole of the 13000 were die hards, no tourists, corperates or jcl/glory hunters. Let's face it if we were relegated that fan base has probably grown to 25000-30000????

yes mate, I recall our season tickets being around 3,000 in the sixties, but there was no need to get one, as you say it was turn up and pay. Agreed, our fan base must be bigger these days I would have thought, but those years I quoted make sobering reading, it wasn't just us though, a lot of clubs attendances fell during that period.

Our average per war and post war probably bumps up our overall average.

In fact, I always thought we would do well to fill a 42,000 stadium every week, but now its too small for us these days.

Footage of the F.A cup match v orient away when the wall pitch side collapsed in two places around the ground.

 

yes, and the Orient chairman said we brought tools into the ground to cause this to happen !!

Don't know how many season ticket holders we had back then, but it can't have anywhere near what we have now. I feel I have to keep renewing otherwise I will never get it back. Whereas back then I could turn up and pay on the day. Virtually the whole of the 13000 were die hards, no tourists, corperates or jcl/glory hunters. Let's face it if we were relegated that fan base has probably grown to 25000-30000????

yes mate, I recall our season tickets being around 3,000 in the sixties, but there was no need to get one, as you say it was turn up and pay. Agreed, our fan base must be bigger these days I would have thought, but those years I quoted make sobering reading, it wasn't just us though, a lot of clubs attendances fell during that period.

Our average per war and post war probably bumps up our overall average.

In fact, I always thought we would do well to fill a 42,000 stadium every week, but now its too small for us these days.

The figure I used to hear bandied about in the 80s was that we had 4,000 or just under and the Goons and 4x2s had around 10,000. 

 

As for the low attendences that downthefront brings up, I can see your point, but I am talking about the entire 125 year span of professional football or however long.  I was in two crowds of 6,000 in the same season once, and I know our home attendances dropped off at times, but we used to get massive corwds after the war when we had won nothing in our history.  London is a competitive market, and football crowds reached a low in the 80s, so you can see how our crowds were pitiful at times given that we went down to Div 2 on 3 ocasions. Anyway, I remember the Spuds having a 16,000 crowd in the old Div 1, and one opening day, in the early 90s we got 28,000 and the Gooners got 24,000. You need to look at the whole picture then judge us IMO.

that's true mate. I wasn't dissing our attendance record because all teams have had lows as well. There's a johnny come lately season ticket in work he won't believe me when I tell him our ground wasn't full for every game in the past !.

I think the attendances 'issue' is really interesting. I've wasted some time (too much time!) arguing with a Gooner and  Scouser on YouTube over our attendances versus theirs. Probably some truth in what both MB and Downthefront say. It's a complicated issue. I'm going to start a thread on it some time. Maybe not today but soon(ish).

that's a good idea Cobham.

Just found an Arsenal v QPR attendance of 17,000 plus, from the 80's. !!

There is a website somewhere that lists historical attendance's, but can't find it, and I've just noticed I'm missing the game !

its always Chelsea that get slated for low gates when bigger clubs were just as bad at times considering their size & statue at the time, dont get me wrong & ive said it on here before(recently i think) our gates in the early 90s were embarrassing at times & there's no excuses unlike the early 80s when we were crap, skint, & just avoided going down to div 3, a crumbling ground, violence was rife ect

 

Look at these gates from so called big clubs, Everton got a few gates under 20k. 12k v cov yet 2 years later 50k when they won the lge. Spurs got gates under 20k and liverpool got 20k v watford 82/83 when the best team on the planet. 86/87 Spurs 19k v villa 16k v leic and 20k 21k for other games even tho they came 3rd. Got 28k v cfc who filled away end. Average gates 86/87 29k up from 23k 85/86. villa 18k up from 15k 85/86. cfc 17k down from 22k 85/86. everton 32k won the lge thats why. Spurs 25k up from 20k 85/86. whu 20k down from 21k 85/86. qpr 11k down from 12k 85/86. man u 40k down from 46k 85/86. lpool 36k up from 35k 85/86.

82/83 season everton v BHA 17k, wba 16k, bham 13k, luton 14k, watford 19k, notts co 14k, swansea 17k, southamton 15k, arsenal 16k. stoke 15k, man u 21k poor, whu 16k, cov 12k, ipswich 17k yet 52k v lpool. av gate was 20k cfc 12k in div 2. I know Spurs got at least 3 gates under 20k 85/86.

 

Arsenal overall had some much bigger gates than us in the 80s but not every  home game, as this stat shows,

 

Arsenal v Oxford United, 20 September 1986

Score 0-0
Competition League Division One
Venue Highbury
Attendance 20,676

Chelsea v Nottingham Forest, 20 September 1986
Score 6-2 to Nottingham Forest
Competition League Division One
Venue Stamford Bridge

Attendance 20,171 

 

Liverpool fans for example have made excuses about their low gates on various forums in the past, unemployment ect which is a fair point but the same unemployed still managed to travel across europe with them didnt they, i think there was a number of obvious reasons, but dont then slate other clubs gates who's team were terrible on the pitch while the fans were just as skint ect, 

 

 

yes, and the Orient chairman said we brought tools into the ground to cause this to happen !!

I remember getting the bus to the bridge at 6am and then queuing 3 hours to get a ticket for this one

 

its always Chelsea that get slated for low gates when bigger clubs were just as bad at times considering their size & statue at the time, dont get me wrong & ive said it on here before(recently i think) our gates in the early 90s were embarrassing at times & there's no excuses unlike the early 80s when we were crap, skint, & just avoided going down to div 3, a crumbling ground, violence was rife ect

 

Look at these gates from so called big clubs, Everton got a few gates under 20k. 12k v cov yet 2 years later 50k when they won the lge. Spurs got gates under 20k and liverpool got 20k v watford 82/83 when the best team on the planet. 86/87 Spurs 19k v villa 16k v leic and 20k 21k for other games even tho they came 3rd. Got 28k v cfc who filled away end. Average gates 86/87 29k up from 23k 85/86. villa 18k up from 15k 85/86. cfc 17k down from 22k 85/86. everton 32k won the lge thats why. Spurs 25k up from 20k 85/86. whu 20k down from 21k 85/86. qpr 11k down from 12k 85/86. man u 40k down from 46k 85/86. lpool 36k up from 35k 85/86.

82/83 season everton v BHA 17k, wba 16k, bham 13k, luton 14k, watford 19k, notts co 14k, swansea 17k, southamton 15k, arsenal 16k. stoke 15k, man u 21k poor, whu 16k, cov 12k, ipswich 17k yet 52k v lpool. av gate was 20k cfc 12k in div 2. I know Spurs got at least 3 gates under 20k 85/86.

 

Arsenal overall had some much bigger gates than us in the 80s but not every  home game, as this stat shows,

 

Arsenal v Oxford United, 20 September 1986

Score 0-0

Competition League Division One

Venue Highbury

Attendance 20,676

Chelsea v Nottingham Forest, 20 September 1986

Score 6-2 to Nottingham Forest

Competition League Division One

Venue Stamford Bridge

Attendance 20,171 

 

Liverpool fans for example have made excuses about their low gates on various forums in the past, unemployment ect which is a fair point but the same unemployed still managed to travel across europe with them didnt they, i think there was a number of obvious reasons, but dont then slate other clubs gates who's team were terrible on the pitch while the fans were just as skint ect, 

 

 

Good post. Arsenal only averaged 23,824 for the 85/86 season. It went up to 35,595 three years later when they won the league. What is that it if isn't glory hunting? Now they get 60k every game. It just shows that attendances in the 80's were at an all-time low throughout the country...yet only Chelsea ever seem to get mentioned?

 

I didn't realise Everton's were so poor. Why is this never spoken of?

Edited January 12, 201412 yr by George Mills

Chelsea at Wembley Full Members Cup Final 1986 v Man City, taken from the City end.

 

I assume lots of fellas were like me in the mid 80s i'd often choose the away game over the home and couldn't afford to do both. Coventry away or Coventry at home no contest! All clubs have their glory hunters after they win a trophy especially those twats in red and isn't it great at work these days with their fans being so quiet for a change?

Chelsea at Wembley Full Members Cup Final 1986 v Man City, taken from the City end.

 

The first trophy I saw us win (I think) Back to attendances I was at a Zenith Data game against Southampton I think when we had 6000 and I remember a night game when only the East Stand was open was pretty low. I think we were victim to another "giant killing" that night.

The rebuilding at stadiums after Hillsborough would have knocked back attendance's at all clubs for a while.

But its fair to say that if we couldn't average above 30,000 for years and years, and went as low as 12,000 for a season average, then we must have a lot of glory hunters and day trippers at the bridge..just sit in the west upper if you don't believe me !

Definitely our pre war and post war crowds pushed us up into the top five, the 55 league win average was over 48,000,

But most clubs would have had poor crowds if the team was as poor as ours, and as CB says, violence put loads of people off.

But I have to say, walking up and paying on the day after deciding at the last minute to go still has a certain attraction.

The rebuilding at stadiums after Hillsborough would have knocked back attendance's at all clubs for a while.

But its fair to say that if we couldn't average above 30,000 for years and years, and went as low as 12,000 for a season average, then we must have a lot of glory hunters and day trippers at the bridge..just sit in the west upper if you don't believe me !

Definitely our pre war and post war crowds pushed us up into the top five, the 55 league win average was over 48,000,

But most clubs would have had poor crowds if the team was as poor as ours, and as CB says, violence put loads of people off.

But I have to say, walking up and paying on the day after deciding at the last minute to go still has a certain attraction.

Early 80s we had valid reasons for low gates, but gates like 9,000 v Coventry in 94 only days after we'd taken 34,000 to wembley for a semi final baffle me.

Even when we had Gullit playing for us we got gates of 17,000 at times.

The rebuilding at stadiums after Hillsborough would have knocked back attendance's at all clubs for a while.

But its fair to say that if we couldn't average above 30,000 for years and years, and went as low as 12,000 for a season average, then we must have a lot of glory hunters and day trippers at the bridge..just sit in the west upper if you don't believe me !

Definitely our pre war and post war crowds pushed us up into the top five, the 55 league win average was over 48,000,

But most clubs would have had poor crowds if the team was as poor as ours, and as CB says, violence put loads of people off.

But I have to say, walking up and paying on the day after deciding at the last minute to go still has a certain attraction.

Agree about West Upper, been given comp seats up there and it's full of tourists staying at the hotels as part of packages. Paying on the day back in the day added a bit of spice to the day. It was coming to the end when I started going in 78, but Liverpool FA cup was queuing at the shed end and just after 2pm the old tall wooden gates by the pavement closed and we just swayed side to side avoiding the police horses having a P**s. You just prayed that you got in! As I mentioned in earlier posts, the turnstile operators use to keep their foot down on the peddle and let a few extra in and pocket a few quid!! Apart from turning up 10 minutes before kick off now, no one would experience what we use to do. 78/79 Liverpool home Petar Borota's first game, was unfortunately the wrong side of the gates at 2pm and didn't get in along with thousands of others. Very rarely after late seventies Liverpool and Spuds 82 apart did we have a full house, so pay on the day was ok. Price these days I know puts off a lot of people, and I wonder like others what our core support would be if we had a team like late 70's and 80s.

Chelsea at Wembley Full Members Cup Final 1986 v Man City, taken from the City end.

]shame there isn't one of City end as it was more than half empty!! Even less when there was a huge fight during the game! 68,000 I think I'm being generous if I say there were 15,000 City there.

I've always thought the social demographics around Stamford Bridge have hindered Chelsea's support in times of need. Football is the working class sport and SW6 is never going to be a hotbed of football passion. To own a property around SB you need to be pretty minted...and lets face it, a lot of poshos aren't into football...at least not the 'cultural' side of the game as opposed to the sport itself. During the 80's, with football attendances all over the country down, Chelsea could hardly rely on the Sloane Rangers to populate the Shed could they? They were too busy yapping into an oversized mobile phone and snorting lines of devil's dandruff off a Hoo-rah Henrieta's tits. Clubs who are situated in some cess pit of a Northern industrial town can always call upon their working class support as there is f*** all else for them to do up there.

 

Obviously Chelsea's traditional support was pulled in from areas like Battersea, Wandsworth, Clapham etc. But those areas have been massively gentrified in more recent years.

Not so vintage as such but Just heard them mention the man on the Radio and had to look up that goal.. all the sweater for who it's against

I've always thought the social demographics around Stamford Bridge have hindered Chelsea's support in times of need. Football is the working class sport and SW6 is never going to be a hotbed of football passion. To own a property around SB you need to be pretty minted...and lets face it, a lot of poshos aren't into football...at least not the 'cultural' side of the game as opposed to the sport itself. During the 80's, with football attendances all over the country down, Chelsea could hardly rely on the Sloane Rangers to populate the Shed could they? They were too busy yapping into an oversized mobile phone and snorting lines of devil's dandruff off a Hoo-rah Henrieta's tits. Clubs who are situated in some cess pit of a Northern industrial town can always call upon their working class support as there is f*** all else for them to do up there.

 

Obviously Chelsea's traditional support was pulled in from areas like Battersea, Wandsworth, Clapham etc. But those areas have been massively gentrified in more recent years.

 

Good points you make there regarding the changing population for instance my family was originally from Battersea and moved out to Carshalton/Norwood. As a kid growing up in the outer suburbs there wernt that many young Chelsea fans always some but not the numbers that United, Liverpool or even West Ham had at my school.

 

In fact Ive always thought that Chelsea lost a generation of support due to the financial problems aggro and the team being sh*te. I was part of that lost generation some of whom drifted after the 76/7 team broke up and we ere relegated.where as the generation above were attracted by the Dixon /Speedie Nevin Team and we started to pick up a few more only to go in the doldrums again for a few seasons. Even then we could pull a 40000 crowd on occasions.

 

Since the Guillit/Vialli years though the middle class and eventually glory hunters have hopped on board and even if we go back to our previous incarnation of occasional cup winners/europa league qualifiers we should keep an average of 30000 odd. Football has changed forever sadly

I'm not really opposed to johnny come lately glory hunters, seeing as our owner is the biggest one around !!

Listen to our boys singing BRING ON THE CHAMPIONS at SHAMFEILD......Made me cry

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SItko13shM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SItko13shM

The scouser singing YNWA closest to the camera sounds like a pissed up old dosser after a couple of bottles of cheap sherry.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SItko13shM

Brilliant sustain chanting. Probably censored by the TV crews present as it might detract from the world's most tuneless karaoke singers.