open days

paulbaconsarnie

a day in the summer when the club used to open up all areas of the training ground (and i'm sure once the valley) to fans, who remembers them.
i can remember going to one at sparrows lane in about 1990 when the players and staff had a cricket match.

nth_london_addick

Wouldnt it be cool if that was replicated now on a day when the players are there starting pre season have time for our kids to talk to them and us and then all off to a pre season game locally i would book the day off work for that

oohaahmortimer

i think i remember steve rider being down at sparrows lane for one of the open days probably around the time of valley golds inception

JohnnyH2

Gary Lineker was there for the one in 1990

southamptonaddick

I'm not sure if it was classed as an open day but I did go once when Alan Mullery was manager and the players trained on the pitch. I have got some photos but this was long before digital cameras so I can't put them on here.

Off_it

I think they still do this, only now it's called "Cribs" on MTV and your agent can blag you £20k for a slot.

How the world has changed.

Ormiston_Addick

They started these back in 1988 just after we bought the New Eltham training ground. I went to the first one back there and one of the celebrity guests was Dr. Legg from Eastenders.

They youth team put on a training session on the main pitch and Peter "Useless" Eustace the coach put Gordon Watson and Jason Lee through a finishing drill in one of the penalty areas. Watson's finishing was a lot better than Mr. Pineapple's!!!

ISawLeaburnScore

Went to one at the Valley PBS in about 93 or 94... still got all the autographs I managed to get pinned on the wall with my framed shirts etc.

LenGlover

I remember a Sunday open day at The Valley when Mullery was manager and Lennie lawrence was reserve team coach so 82 ish. We sat in the West Stand and watched Lennie put the youths through a training session. We were sat behind Gritty, Billy Lansdowne and Dave Mehmet. Terry Naylor was injured and not there. Just after 12 o'clock Gritty got up and said "come on lads time to go and see Terry in hospital". My little brother thought that was really nice of Gritty.

I resisted the temptation of telling him the pubs had just opened:-)

Goonerhater

I was there Len. Thought Mullery was going to take us places! Dear God that was another painful season.He didnt care and he didnt have a clue. Is he related to Pardew ?

Weegie Addick

Think they even date back to the late 70s/ early 80s- I'm sure one of my pics of me and my hero Martin Robinson was at an Open Day!

Glass half empty

I remeber those early ones too, i have some photos at my Mum and Dads of a very young glass half with Lennie, mullery, Gritt and Co. i will get them over the weekend and try and scan them in. also remember winning a raffle and winning a Fame album (?) and taking a pen against Nicky Johns

LenGlover

[cite]Posted By: Weegie Addick[/cite]Think they even date back to the late 70s/ early 80s- I'm sure one of my pics of me and my hero Martin Robinson was at an Open Day!

I took my brother to two or three I remember. We spoke to Paul Walsh at one of them and I couldn't believe how small he was. Hell of a player though I remember him getting us a draw away at Chelsea (one of my rare awaydays) 2-2 almost singlehanded. Shame he's so obnoxious these days!

LenGlover

[cite]Posted By: Goonerhater[/cite]I was there Len. Thought Mullery was going to take us places! Dear God that was another painful season.He didnt care and he didnt have a clue. Is he related to Pardew ?

Pardew is a Mullery for the new millennium!

You're right they're two of a kind.

Weegie Addick

[cite]Posted By: LenGlover[/cite]

[cite]Posted By: Goonerhater[/cite]I was there Len. Thought Mullery was going to take us places! Dear God that was another painful season.He didnt care and he didnt have a clue. Is he related to Pardew ?

Pardew is a Mullery for the new millennium!

You're right they're two of a kind.

At least we got rid of Mullery!