Areophobia Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Afternoon Gents, Was anyone here at the playoff final in 1988 vs. Middlesborough? Been reading about the 'Battle of Stamford Bridge' but wanted to hear some first hand accounts if theres any? Cheers, Areo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Areophobia Posted July 10, 2012 Author Share Posted July 10, 2012 Apologies for double posting - not sure how to edit yet. This is what I am referring to: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHELLY Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 I'll have to ask my Brother I'm pretty sure he was there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mod Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Yes, was in the East stand. Was young at the time and remember no away fans were allowed for the first so many games of the following season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carshalton Blue Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Apologies for double posting - not sure how to edit yet. This is what I am referring to: Yeah i was there, sure i've posted about the day & put pics in the vintage section. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peckham Blue Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 (edited) I was there and apart from the result a good day out, I went with a Wimbledon mate and his jaw was hanging down at the end, never seen anything like it. "I'm gonna throw gravel in your face you smog monster scum!" Edited July 10, 2012 by Peckham Blue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim hamilton Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 I was there,remember it well....got twated by a copper in the shed after the game.....one thing that does stand out was with around 20 mins to go a non playing Chelsea player walked over to speak to a steward at the shed end....& when people did start running onto the pitch it was from the gate of which the Chelsea player had a chat with the steward! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Backbiter Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 I was on honeymoon in Greece that day. Not the best day of my Chelsea-supporting life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forbzy Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 I was there,remember it well....got twated by a copper in the shed after the game.....one thing that does stand out was with around 20 mins to go a non playing Chelsea player walked over to speak to a steward at the shed end....& when people did start running onto the pitch it was from the gate of which the Chelsea player had a chat with the steward! I never heard that before? Who was the player out of interest Jim? Gareth Hall and Kevin McAllister were the subs that day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nibs Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 (edited) Still to this day my worst ever day as a Chelsea supporter. I was in the West Stand Members Enclosure and it's all a bit of a blur now. We got the earlish goal but after that the game went a bit flat and relegation loomed and at the final whistle I had tears in my eyes and just sat there with my then girlfriend watching the pitch invasion but just too numb to move. Horrible, horrible experience and it marked the departure of my footballing hero, Pat Nevin. Wasn't that the last season they made top tier play off against second tier? That said, think they should bring it back. This season you could have had Boton v West Ham for the right to be in The Premier League and it would be a massive game and at least give the Premiership team the chance of keeping their status. Edited July 13, 2012 by Nibs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carshalton Blue Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 I remember Eddie Eddie Eddie(wont even try to spell his surname lol!) coming in front of the shed to gee us all up & get the atmosphere going, the gate that was opened was where my union jack was hanging, i remember a steward opening the gate but i dont remember any players coming over. My face was on all the news reports including a still picture over Trevor Mcdonalds left shoulder on news at 10 & the sunday papers, my old man wasnt impressed lol! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carshalton Blue Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 Still to this day my worst ever day as a Chelsea supporter. I was in the West Stand Members Enclosure and it's all a bit of a blur now. We got the earlish goal but after that the game went a bit flat and relegation loomed and at the final whistle I had tears in my eyes and just sat there with my then girlfriend watching the pitch invasion but just too numb to move. Horrible, horrible experience and it marked the departure of my footballing hero, Pat Nevin. Wasn't that the last season they made top tier play off against second tier? That said, think they should bring it back. This season you could have had Boton v West Ham for the right to be in The Premier League and it would be a massive game and at least give the Premiership team the chance of keeping their status. What made it sickening was we actually finished 4th from bottom, won 3 games out of 4 & still went down, though to be fair we deserved relegation after going from Oct to March without a win, 26 games. I'm sure we're the only top flight side to be relegated via the play-offs. Another weird fact from that day is England played away in Switzerland the same day & England fans also ran amock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nibs Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 (edited) What made it sickening was we actually finished 4th from bottom, won 3 games out of 4 & still went down, though to be fair we deserved relegation after going from Oct to March without a win, 26 games. Blimey, I remember us having a bad season but forgot just how bad that run was. If John Hollins ever wonders why fans don't regard him as a Chelsea Legend, well there's your answer John. We can overlook the fact that you played for QPHa and Arsenal but you truly were a sh*t manager!! Edited July 13, 2012 by Nibs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DELBY Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 I was in the east stand. I remember it being a hot day with a dry bumpy pitch. The players were tense and so was the supporters. Gordon Durie scored early but it wasn't enough and we were relegated. I was devastated. I remember the pitch invasion starting from the shed end I think and people throwing gravel into the away supporters at the old north stand. I think it was the Middlesboro supporters goading the Chelsea fans after the final whistle that started it all although I may be wrong about that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carshalton Blue Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 Blimey, I remember us having a bad season but forgot just how bad that run was. If John Hollins ever wonders why fans don't regard him as a Chelsea Legend, well there's your answer John. We can overlook the fact that you played for QPHa and Arsenal but you truly were a sh*t manager!! Yeah mate we beat Oxford at the end of Oct at home 2.1 when Eddie went off injured which ended up him having to retire eventually, then didnt win again until march where we beat Derby 1.0 at home by then Bobby-i love Liverpool fc-Campbell was in charge. Hollins downfall was having Earnie Whally in as coach which saw him having numerous tear ups with some of the senior players, it sickens me what those two done to John Neals great side, you think we went from finishing fifth/sixth in 85, challenging for the title in 86 up to march then relegated in 87/88, typical CFC eh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kennypaul Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 Was at the game too, saw loads of people from my old manor down there. I was in the west stand right at the back and could hardly see a thing. managed to get in just before duries goal, (in the 7th minute if im not mistaken).Like someone has already mentioned the game was very flat after that. I dont know if anybody else remembers this but about 20 minutes before the end a chant of 'chelsea chelsea chelsea etc' reverberated around the ground which sent a shiver up my spine. Anyway we know what happened next. The overriding memory of that season is that you couldnt see it coming in 87, but 26 games without a win was shocking especially as the team was a decent one. Delby said the boro fans goaded our lot but i think it would have kicked off anyway. What got me was that the next day the papers said that there were only 40, 000 there?.Needless to day like nibs it was one of the worst days of my chelsea supporting life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Backbiter Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 I was in the east stand. I remember it being a hot day with a dry bumpy pitch. The players were tense and so was the supporters. Gordon Durie scored early but it wasn't enough and we were relegated. I was devastated. I remember the pitch invasion starting from the shed end I think and people throwing gravel into the away supporters at the old north stand. I think it was the Middlesboro supporters goading the Chelsea fans after the final whistle that started it all although I may be wrong about that. I think you've got his first name wrong. I'm sure it begins with a J....(and I don't mean Jukebox). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Backbiter Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 I'm sure we're the only top flight side to be relegated via the play-offs. Yes. This ranks right up there in the list of our historic achievements. But I'd rank it behind 'First London club to win the Champions league'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pbycfc Posted July 20, 2012 Share Posted July 20, 2012 I was at that game, very hot day,The shed was packed to the rafters, I stood in the west side of the shed right at the back, there was a bloke with a spiders web tattoo all over his face jumping about when chelsea were going forward. The atmosphere in the shed end was very tense and when the game progressed the pressure was brewing to maximum boiling point, jukebox Durie relieved the pressure a bit, but as time went on the shed was bursting at the seams and fans were climbing over the fenced off part of the shed end where the shed T-bar was, waiting to take the pitch. When the final whistle went, the shed just erupted and a massed rank of fans took the pitch, I seem to remember mounted police tried to push back the fans from the halfway line back to the shed end, and then there were more fans from the shed joined them and they all decided to take on the mounted police and then take the old north terrace where the middlesborough fans were and started to chuck missiles at the boro fans. Wasn't a great season of football, team was a bit lightweight had some poor players like Dave Mitchell, Roy Wegerle and Roger Freestone, I remember the Arsenal away match, I didn't see Nevin's goal as the crowd surged forward in the clock end,everyone around us got crushed. The match was that bad that the fans around us tried to make a bit of space on the terrace to start a bonfire,fans were burning newspapers and matchday programmes and set off a firework rocket, this match was in November '87. The following season, the first few home games the atmosphere was dead as the terraces were closed due to the play off final display. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shedpensioner Posted July 20, 2012 Share Posted July 20, 2012 I missed the play off final, I was away! It was one of the worst seasons ever, my last game of the season was the Charlton Athletic game which we drew after taking the lead with a great Kerry goal! That sent us into the pllay-offs. Hindsight is a wonderful thing because I think that was the kick up the arse that uncle Ken needed to realise he had to spend a few quid to make us a decent side again. I went to the first game that the Shed was open the next season (Plymouth Argyle) and that was the start of a great season where we went up in real style! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea78 Posted July 20, 2012 Share Posted July 20, 2012 I missed the play off final, I was away! It was one of the worst seasons ever, my last game of the season was the Charlton Athletic game which we drew after taking the lead with a great Kerry goal! That sent us into the pllay-offs. Hindsight is a wonderful thing because I think that was the kick up the arse that uncle Ken needed to realise he had to spend a few quid to make us a decent side again. I went to the first game that the Shed was open the next season (Plymouth Argyle) and that was the start of a great season where we went up in real style! I was in the West Stand for the Charlton game and seem to remember a bit of a punch up in the North Stand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Areophobia Posted July 21, 2012 Author Share Posted July 21, 2012 Did anyone see anyone trouble? I've heard Middlesbrough supposedly brought the biggest firm to London for this - is that true? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mod Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 See any trouble? It would have been a bit hard not to! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MelbourneBlue Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 Did anyone see anyone trouble? I've heard Middlesbrough supposedly brought the biggest firm to London for this - is that true? It was a decent firm. I was at Earls Court later when one of their trains came in. Cocky they were, but they deserved to be. I watched the game from that open bit of terracing to the right of the Shed - hundreds had climbed over into there becasue the Shed was so full.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldschoolcfc Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 I was there that day I remember it you could tell that some think was going to kick off as soon as you got into the ground. Also there was loads of problems up at Middlesbrough during the first leg in mid week. I must amit the first couple of games at home the following were a bit strange with the terrace close for them games agains Oxford & I think it was Man City I went in the West Stand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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