30,000 home attendances

[Diablo]

probably all from 76 but may have missed one or two . Believe the 78 tottenham Game was one where the Tottenham fans were up for trouble I remember walking one side of police cordon with abusive Tottenham Fans on other side.

 

[kevo]

Same for me Kevo. Wasn't allowed to go to the Derby game as was too young and it was on a school night! It is incredible to think that we couldn't get 30,000 into a Division 1 game - was that purely down to reduced capacity even in our 1st season up or was it more strict on all-ticket matches etc? I know the results were worse!

Same here - wasn't allowed to go to midweek games (also missed the 7-0 Walsall match!).

I think matches were all-ticket after we got promoted, so that may have had something to do with it. Wasn't a reduced capacity - perhaps there just wasn't the excitement once we'd got there as we mostly struggled. Probably also a consequence of the nationwide fall in attendance in the 80s, due in part to the increase in football violence. I remember one Palace home game was only 22,000 - people just didn't want the hassle and refused to take their kids.

 

[Peter Grummit]

Same here - wasn't allowed to go to midweek games (also missed the 7-0 Walsall match!).

I think matches were all-ticket after we got promoted, so that may have had something to do with it. Wasn't a reduced capacity - perhaps there just wasn't the excitement once we'd got there as we mostly struggled. Probably also a consequence of the nationwide fall in attendance in the 80s, due in part to the increase in football violence. I remember one Palace home game was only 22,000 - people just didn't want the hassle and refused to take their kids.

Violence didn't get worse in the 80s. It was still bad at times but late 70s were the most violent.

The big factor was Thatcher's recession. It was devastating for the rapid rise in unemployment and the belt-tightening amongst the working class who made up the huge majority of the football public then. One example, when we played at Highbury in the FACup 1980 there were 43,000 odd there. In 1982, our League game at Highbury, all be it midweek and with the Arse on a poor run, drew 17,000 odd. She was elected 2 days before we reached the promised land.

PG

 

[kevo]

Violence didn't get worse in the 80s. It was still bad at times but late 70s were the most violent.

The big factor was Thatcher's recession. It was devastating for the rapid rise in unemployment and the belt-tightening amongst the working class who made up the huge majority of the football public then. One example, when we played at Highbury in the FACup 1980 there were 43,000 odd there. In 1982, our League game at Highbury, all be it midweek and with the Arse on a poor run, drew 17,000 odd. She was elected 2 days before we reached the promised land.

PG

I think the whole 70s-80s were bad for football violence. I think people had just had enough, I remember a lot of people stayed away from games where there was likely to be trouble.

 

[Peter Grummit]

I think the whole 70s-80s were bad for football violence. I think people had just had enough, I remember a lot of people stayed away from games where there was likely to be trouble.

I don't disagree Kevo. By the 80s, the violence and threat of it were still bad. But the fences, pens, herding by the police had got worse and being treated like animals put people off as much as the violence itself. But unemployment was a huge factor. In 1979 it was 5.7%. By 1982 it was 13%. Lots of people were scared of losing their jobs and this stopped them spending on anything discretionary like football.

PG

 

[Official Old Man]

From the Palace game onwards but I'm going to check my progs as I may have gone to the '71 & '72 games. I do recall v Fulham (3:0) mid '70's that felt like 30K. Come to think of it most games back then seemed like 30K but were anounced as 25K. The opposite then to now. Cash at gate days.

 

[el punal]

Was the Spurs one when they invaded the pitch at the end of the match and broke the cross bar of the goal near the North stand

It could be, although I don't remember it. Apart from their invading the North Stand before the game, and basically trying to smash everybody and everything in their way, they also tried to invade the pitch. This was after we went 3-1 up. The Spurs captain, Naylor(?) had to go over and remonstrate with them. Classy bunch, their fans. The previous evening one of their knuckle draggers threw a brick at a girl and broke her jaw. If I remember correctly there were over a hundred arrests that weekend.

Not long after that match they managed to connive a draw with Southampton to prevent us getting promoted. So you could say Spurs are not my best loved team - and that's putting it very mildly.

 

[kevo]

It could be, although I don't remember it. Apart from their invading the North Stand before the game, and basically trying to smash everybody and everything in their way, they also tried to invade the pitch. This was after we went 3-1 up. The Spurs captain, Naylor(?) had to go over and remonstrate with them. Classy bunch, their fans. The previous evening one of their knuckle draggers threw a brick at a girl and broke her jaw. If I remember correctly there were over a hundred arrests that weekend.

Not long after that match they managed to connive a draw with Southampton to prevent us getting promoted. So you could say Spurs are not my best loved team - and that's putting it very mildly.

The Spurs game was the one that resulted in those horrible perimeter fences being put up. We somehow got the blame - incredible!

 

[HantsSeagull]

i have no idea - i just don't know how you all remember which games you went to thirty odd years ago.

 

[Gwylan]

i have no idea - i just don't know how you all remember which games you went to thirty odd years ago.

I don't remember every game but I recall the Wolves tie vividly: it was my first evening game, it was the first time I went to the game by train and it was my first 30,000+ crowd (and it certainly was a 30k+ crowd, it was packed).We were really unlucky to lose to a decent Wolves team.

I also remember the Rochdale game as it was my first promotion. The others I don't always recall so well but those two really stick in my mind

 

[LamieRobertson]

It could be, although I don't remember it. Apart from their invading the North Stand before the game, and basically trying to smash everybody and everything in their way, they also tried to invade the pitch. This was after we went 3-1 up. The Spurs captain, Naylor(?) had to go over and remonstrate with them. Classy bunch, their fans. The previous evening one of their knuckle draggers threw a brick at a girl and broke her jaw. If I remember correctly there were over a hundred arrests that weekend.

Not long after that match they managed to connive a draw with Southampton to prevent us getting promoted. So you could say Spurs are not my best loved team - and that's putting it very mildly.

Hmm the more I think about it they did break the crossbar....up until that match they had been my 'second' team having supported them in some of the Nicholson years....after that game I had no second team and haven't since

 

[seagull_in_malaysia]

I actually meant 25. Would never have guessed 57. Is it really that many?!

Far more if you include TV appearances overseas too.

 

[Hampster Gull]

Three. The only games that were played when i lived in the UK

 

[Ferring Marine]

Reading in '70 was my first and certainly not my last. I was the last through the South Stand turnstiles before they shut the gates v Rochdale.
I'm shocked and stunned I've witnessed 45 years and counting but so have many more.............................

 

[el punal]

i have no idea - i just don't know how you all remember which games you went to thirty odd years ago.

Because they were memorable. Unlike the Albion matches from August to late December of this season!

 

[pasty]

Started in '74 and although the memory is not what is was, I must have been at all since then.

 

[tigertim68]

It could be, although I don't remember it. Apart from their invading the North Stand before the game, and basically trying to smash everybody and everything in their way, they also tried to invade the pitch. This was after we went 3-1 up. The Spurs captain, Naylor(?) had to go over and remonstrate with them. Classy bunch, their fans. The previous evening one of their knuckle draggers threw a brick at a girl and broke her jaw. If I remember correctly there were over a hundred arrests that weekend.


Not long after that match they managed to connive a draw with Southampton to prevent us getting promoted. So you could say Spurs are not my best loved team - and that's putting it very mildly.

On the Friday night before the game , 3 spurs fans were stabbed , over a hundred people were arrested , Brighton town centre that night resembled the Wild West fighting between fans all over the place

 

[Dan Aitch]

P*l*ce onwards.

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

P*l*ce onwards.

Ditto, with the exception of the Charlton game.

Were Ipswich and Blackpool not 30,000? The Ipswich game seemed more packed than the Derby game.

As for the spurs game, the tickets were sold at a reserve game the week before. Everyone knew there would be trouble going by the number of spurs fans at the reserve team game.

Don't remember the crossbar being broken.

 

[LamieRobertson]

Ditto, with the exception of the Charlton game.

Were Ipswich and Blackpool not 30,000? The Ipswich game seemed more packed than the Derby game.

As for the spurs game, the tickets were sold at a reserve game the week before. Everyone knew there would be trouble going by the number of spurs fans at the reserve team game.

Don't remember the crossbar being broken.

It was after the game with the pitch being invaded....watched it all from the South