[Albion] Characters from The Goldstone North Stand - early eighties

[POSKETT AT THE VALLEY]

Always got on at East Worthing .....used to call them Bill and Ben , permanently pissed..they used to live in one of the houses near ham bridge and frequented the dolphin but when the northern basted had it he banned them.

Aka the grasscutters. Used to work for the council. Both had permanent smiles on their faces.

 

[Guinness Boy]

Doc Talbot worked with my dad at the Tax Office on Preston Road 70s, early 80s. They would chat all things Albion to relieve the tedium of the job. I know Doc always had a week off for the BFI festival on the South Bank.

My abiding memory of him was the radio affixed to one ear at away games. Glad to hear he is still doing ok, my dad sadly passed in 2018.

Sorry to hear about your dad. There are another couple of Albion stalwarts from those days who were tax men, one always went on the Costa Express while the other has the most nicknames of anyone I know, Cardinal and Fatty Tax Man being the most well used (and I still see him pretty much every home game on the concourse).

 

[jcdenton08]

He used to knock about with a bloke called ’Tex’ was that his brother?

@ManOfSussex Text?

 

[Justice]

I do remember a friendly nutter who would happily wade into opposition fans on his own. Bad teeth and long blonde hair .

 

[Terry Connor]

Sorry to hear about your dad. There are another couple of Albion stalwarts from those days who were tax men, one always went on the Costa Express while the other has the most nicknames of anyone I know, Cardinal and Fatty Tax Man being the most well used (and I still see him pretty much every home game on the concourse).

Pete I know well, will often have a brief chat in The Swan pre-match.

 

[Midget]

Pete I know well, will often have a brief chat in The Swan pre-match.

Another lovely, lovely man.

Also sorry to hear about your dad.

 

[Eeyore]

Doc stuck up for me once at York away in 93 we lost as usual, I was still living up north, travelling to most away games and the odd home game, always on my own and would cling to anything from Sussex, and wore a Sussex Cricket top, and some Brighton fans in the pub were taking the piss out of me, one or two were going a bit OTT and Doc pipped in and told them to leave me alone, that meant a lot to be honest at the time. I used to constantly get the pissed ripped out of me for supporting the Albion in Wigan and then later in Manchester, and for our own fans to start on me that day, I was a bit pissed off.
I did thank him years later in a pub when I recognised him, but he had long forgotten.

The offending top View attachment 175773

I love said offending top and have constantly been trying to find it. I have the modern version the club made, but it's not the same.

Unfortunately said top identified me for a potential mugging in Preston once. I say potential. They asked me for my wallet, I said no, and they were so stunned I just walked away.

 

[Taybha]

I do remember a friendly nutter who would happily wade into opposition fans on his own. Bad teeth and long blonde hair .

Could be Toothy who used to drink in The eclipse pre match then usually through a straw post match, honestly a gust of wind could of blown him over but bloody hell you'd want him with you if you thought there was a minefield in front of the bar,he'd hopscotch it for shits and giggles, Don't even know his real name but bloody hell he certainly was a character,Man City away at Maine Road and the 1 man attempt at taking their end will live long in the memory,how he got out of there in one piece is a miracle,Last time I saw him was at Withers v Man City in the cup,never seen him since at the Amex or away, hopefully he's still kicking around but settled down as a lawyer or something

 

[Sheebo]

Doc is absolutely still about, now mostly following another passion of his, watching movies (he was a founder of the Brighton Film Institute back in the day).

Last spoke to him around Christmas time.

And it's usually a WH Smiths carrier bag these days I believe

Does he still go to the odd game? Stoping watching completely before the Amex would have been madness!?

 

[rebel51]

Good old doc, some really good memories of him. Lovely fella and a real eccentric character.They don't make them like doc, Mr canning and lord saunders anymore.

 

[wigman]

I give you smelly ron, gravelly voice and wore a bus drivers uniform or jean jacket, led a charge at Plymouth away in the 80s. He did stink as well. Bless him if he's still around. He's was always angry.

I remember Smelly Ron.
Jean jacket and could moan for England.
I was at that Plymouth game in 86.
I haven't seen him since the late 80s.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

I love said offending top and have constantly been trying to find it. I have the modern version the club made, but it's not the same.

Unfortunately said top identified me for a potential mugging in Preston once. I say potential. They asked me for my wallet, I said no, and they were so stunned I just walked away.

My son did that in the Pavillion gardens 10 years ago (said no, not tried to nick a wallet)

Mind you, he is a big lad

 

[sydney]

Arms

by the hospital , that was one of my regulars when Paul had it.....we started a 5 a-side team out of the " the selden sobers"

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

This really is a thread of miss-fits. Non football related, Ted Arnold?

I should add that the people around me in NS upper are really top drawer. Some lurk on NSC. One young lad has nicked my 'Just sold my car to Simon Adingra' chant. And of course, @monty uk

 

[Train Spotter]

When I was going away the most between 1987 and 1996 most people who went by train knew him and everyone called him 'Doc', though I do remember the GE where you called him Elvis because we were all laughing at it.

I believe, though this is second hand from some of the other characters in those days, that the name comes from a battered, hand carried 'Doctor Doolittle' box suitcase that he took on one of our pre-season tours.

Spot on! “Doc” was started following our tour of Ulster some when back in the 80s. I have a photo somewhere of the suitcase on the Ballymena sign. As I recall he was picked up by the local plod on suspicion of armed robbery back then. As he’d spent the previous night on a park bench he couldn’t prove where he was the previous night ! Must have believed him as we went off to Tobermore the next day complete with Army escort on the bus!

Beat Ballymena 1-0, then Tobermore 5-0.
Back to Belfast with Tanks on the streets! Train to Larne then ferry to Stranraer.

 

[Eeyore]

My son did that in the Pavillion gardens 10 years ago (said no, not tried to nick a wallet)

Mind you, he is a big lad

Nah, I'm just a tight fisted git who would never hand his wallet over. Not least to a spotty ned like the one that asked.

 

[BiffyBoy100]

Spot on! “Doc” was started following our tour of Ulster some when back in the 80s. I have a photo somewhere of the suitcase on the Ballymena sign. As I recall he was picked up by the local plod on suspicion of armed robbery back then. As he’d spent the previous night on a park bench he couldn’t prove where he was the previous night ! Must have believed him as we went off to Tobermore the next day complete with Army escort on the bus!

Beat Ballymena 1-0, then Tobermore 5-0.
Back to Belfast with Tanks on the streets! Train to Larne then ferry to Stranraer.

Sorry, I'm being a lurker on this thread and never knew we did a pre-season tour of Ulster.

I've spent time in NI, but not in the middle of the troubles. That must have been some trip....

Was it all organised, or would you travel around independently? Any highlights?

Imagine getting arrested after a heavy night and all of a sudden they're asking if you want to be on IRA or UDA/UVF wings at the maze prison

 

[thedonkeycentrehalf]

Doc stuck up for me once at York away in 93 we lost as usual, I was still living up north, travelling to most away games and the odd home game, always on my own and would cling to anything from Sussex, and wore a Sussex Cricket top, and some Brighton fans in the pub were taking the piss out of me, one or two were going a bit OTT and Doc pipped in and told them to leave me alone, that meant a lot to be honest at the time. I used to constantly get the pissed ripped out of me for supporting the Albion in Wigan and then later in Manchester, and for our own fans to start on me that day, I was a bit pissed off.
I did thank him years later in a pub when I recognised him, but he had long forgotten.

The offending top View attachment 175773

I remember back around that time being at a some Northern away game and my mate and I talking to someone who was probably around 20 years old who followed Albion around the north of the country. He told us he hadn't seen us win in nearly a year so we felt bad for him. Sounds like it might have been you.

 

[worthingseagull]

also this era reminds me of 'get that fckin board out the way' when the old bloke walked round shouting 'football shoot or match'

 

[Insel affe]

I remember back around that time being at a some Northern away game and my mate and I talking to someone who was probably around 20 years old who followed Albion around the north of the country. He told us he hadn't seen us win in nearly a year so we felt bad for him. Sounds like it might have been you.

Could well have been, I went longer than a year, I did speak to folk occasionally if they spoke to me and became on nodding terms with folks that travelled a lot, i would have had a short blonde flat top/quiff shaved bald at the sides up until my 40s in fact.
if it was you and your buddy, thank you, you don’t know how much it meant to speak to fellow Albion fans living far from home, with no real contact in times before the internet, when there would be a three line write up in the Manchester Evening news Sports section, that or ring the seagulls line.