What’s this ‘west’ stand crap ? I can’t recall it ever being referred to as that. In fact, there was none of this north, east, south and west stuff. I can only ever recall the four sides being referred to as the Covered End, the main stand, the open end and the big side terrace..
I would have been there when that picture was taken and in the covered end, probably somewhere further back from that point. We are/were are reasonably tall, I’m 6 foot 1 and two of the others were similar height so I guess if the cameraman had been a bit taller he would have captured us in his picture as well.
I eventually moved to the main stand but not until the next time around when we were in Division 3 when at the last game the previous season when we were relegated my dad asked me if we were getting a ticket for next season and I said yes but I’m not going to stand behind a fence to watch it and the only part of the ground that wasn’t fenced in was the main stand where the seats were.
Edit, there was also the two side of terrace either side of the main stand and possibly the Worthington sign bit by the covered end would have still been there
Main stand ? We knew it as the seats
Exactly, we only had one at the time.
Pretty sure there were more than that, at least a couple of thousand…
Is that actually the Valley ? Why is there a fence behind the people at the back ? There was never a fence there. What is that small enclosed carpark with the building with windows in the corner & what looks like a small brick wall running off it. Where did this photo come from please ?
I broke through the picket fence and was protesting on the closed east terrace before the game and was on the pitch at half time. I was possibly in the photo depending on when it was taken.
Is that actually the Valley ? Why is there a fence behind the people at the back ? There was never a fence there. What is that small enclosed carpark with the building with windows in the corner & what looks like a small brick wall running off it. Where did this photo come from please ?
I have to say at face value I totally get where @charltonbob is coming from. The top third of the picture appears to make no sense whatsoever. The vehicles appear trapped in a nonsensical enclosure and what the fcuk is that window about? The building on the left looks familiar but has a boarded doorway yards above ground level. That section of the ground between the West Stand and Covered End was rarely that crowded, but I guess makes sense if it was a game of some significance. Can't see any reason why somebody would fake it, but it does look off to me
From memory many went on that Terrace so we could easily get onto the pitch at half time.
There was a bigger dip at the front of that part because of the angle of the slope of the terracing, which you can see if you look at those at the front who have not climbed onto the railings. That wouldn’t have been the best part of the ground from which to get onto the pitch
Is that actually the Valley ? Why is there a fence behind the people at the back ? There was never a fence there. What is that small enclosed carpark with the building with windows in the corner & what looks like a small brick wall running off it. Where did this photo come from please ?
That is more Valley than anywhere in the world…
Certainly is, I’m sure I’m in that picture somewhere. I even recognise one of the WPCs! She was a special constable who often worked in a pub I used when I worked in Plumstead. The day of the Stoke game I bumped into a fella I knew whose sister was the landlady there, he was nattering to her outside the turnstiles before the start.
Like someone said, the Greenwich council logo is a bit of a clue, also the railing at the front which ran around most of the perimeter - I leant on that enough times to recognise it.
If it’s been proven it’s the Stoke game then that’s what it must have been but just looking at the picture there are things that don’t quite add up to it being that match. The fans in there seem to be looking towards the covered end and their faces seem to suggest Charlton are at that point where they’ve got a comfortable lead, ie laughing. If I had to make a guess about that I’d say it was one of those matches where the covered end had been totally packed out by away fans and that’s only happened on a few occasions. There’s not enough fans in that terracing for it to be the Spurs match so I reckon it might be Chelsea in there though I can’t recall them ever having occupied all of it. That sort of fits with some of my mates near the back who would have turned up from the pub just around kick off and would usually have gone into the covered end, and me not being with them because by this time I’d moved to the seats in the main stand. We did bump into them on the way out of the ground with both sets of fans exiting together and one of my mates was loudly talking about how we’d stuffed them and me thinking ‘here we go’ but I guess the Chelsea fans were too deflated to react to him taking the piss. if it was that game then that would have been the Simonsen master class match when he tore them a new one.
From memory many went on that Terrace so we could easily get onto the pitch at half time.
There was a bigger dip at the front of that part because of the angle of the slope of the terracing, which you can see if you look at those at the front who have not climbed onto the railings. That wouldn’t have been the best part of the ground from which to get onto the pitch
not sure about that - we got on the pitch from there no problem
If it’s been proven it’s the Stoke game then that’s what it must have been but just looking at the picture there are things that don’t quite add up to it being that match. The fans in there seem to be looking towards the covered end and their faces seem to suggest Charlton are at that point where they’ve got a comfortable lead, ie laughing. If I had to make a guess about that I’d say it was one of those matches where the covered end had been totally packed out by away fans and that’s only happened on a few occasions. There’s not enough fans in that terracing for it to be the Spurs match so I reckon it might be Chelsea in there though I can’t recall them ever having occupied all of it. That sort of fits with some of my mates near the back who would have turned up from the pub just around kick off and would usually have gone into the covered end, and me not being with them because by this time I’d moved to the seats in the main stand. We did bump into them on the way out of the ground with both sets of fans exiting together and one of my mates was loudly talking about how we’d stuffed them and me thinking ‘here we go’ but I guess the Chelsea fans were too deflated to react to him taking the piss. if it was that game then that would have been the Simonsen master class match when he tore them a new one
Chelsea weren't in the covered end for the "Simonsen" game. Not in any numbers anyway, there might have been a couple here & there but there wasn't a mob of them. I missed the 4-0 game when they lit bonfires so they may have been in the covered end then but apart from that I don't ever remember chelsea taking the covered end.
From memory many went on that Terrace so we could easily get onto the pitch at half time.
There was a bigger dip at the front of that part because of the angle of the slope of the terracing, which you can see if you look at those at the front who have not climbed onto the railings. That wouldn’t have been the best part of the ground from which to get onto the pitch
not sure about that - we got on the pitch from there no problem
Look at the guys closest to the railings, they can barely see over the top of them. That’s not because they were all 4 foot tall, it’s because of the dip at the front of that bit of terracing. Nobody got over that without a bit of effort and those coppers could have easily stopped them if anybody tried…they might have been PCs but in those days they didn’t worry about acting in what would be considered a ‘PC’ manner these days
From memory many went on that Terrace so we could easily get onto the pitch at half time.
There was a bigger dip at the front of that part because of the angle of the slope of the terracing, which you can see if you look at those at the front who have not climbed onto the railings. That wouldn’t have been the best part of the ground from which to get onto the pitch
not sure about that - we got on the pitch from there no problem
Look at the guys closest to the railings, they can barely see over the top of them. That’s not because they were all 4 foot tall, it’s because of the dip at the front of that bit of terracing. Nobody got over that without a bit of effort and those coppers could have easily stopped them if anybody tried…they might have been PCs but in those days they didn’t worry about acting in what would be considered a ‘PC’ manner these days
I was never a high jumper, but I got on that pitch from that terrace at the Stoke game. There is a piece of Valley turf growing in the garden of my mums old gaff in Blendon Road as proof.
From memory many went on that Terrace so we could easily get onto the pitch at half time.
There was a bigger dip at the front of that part because of the angle of the slope of the terracing, which you can see if you look at those at the front who have not climbed onto the railings. That wouldn’t have been the best part of the ground from which to get onto the pitch
not sure about that - we got on the pitch from there no problem
Look at the guys closest to the railings, they can barely see over the top of them. That’s not because they were all 4 foot tall, it’s because of the dip at the front of that bit of terracing. Nobody got over that without a bit of effort and those coppers could have easily stopped them if anybody tried…they might have been PCs but in those days they didn’t worry about acting in what would be considered a ‘PC’ manner these days
I was never a high jumper, but I got on that pitch from that terrace at the Stoke game. There is a piece of Valley turf growing in the garden of my mums old gaff in Blendon Road as proof.
It was a piece of piss to get on the pitch from there. The bloke in the white shirt between the two coppers has stepped up onto the wall behind the railing already and has a simple step over them onto the pitch…
From memory many went on that Terrace so we could easily get onto the pitch at half time.
There was a bigger dip at the front of that part because of the angle of the slope of the terracing, which you can see if you look at those at the front who have not climbed onto the railings. That wouldn’t have been the best part of the ground from which to get onto the pitch
not sure about that - we got on the pitch from there no problem
Look at the guys closest to the railings, they can barely see over the top of them. That’s not because they were all 4 foot tall, it’s because of the dip at the front of that bit of terracing. Nobody got over that without a bit of effort and those coppers could have easily stopped them if anybody tried…they might have been PCs but in those days they didn’t worry about acting in what would be considered a ‘PC’ manner these days
I was never a high jumper, but I got on that pitch from that terrace at the Stoke game. There is a piece of Valley turf growing in the garden of my mums old gaff in Blendon Road as proof.
same but in a garden in eltham - definitely got on the pitch from there
It’s 100%tge Stoke game. I can see me in the picture. I am wearing an Armani jumper which was my pride and joy back then and I have a bag in my hand which was my work clothes as I had worked in Greenwich hospital that morning tiling floors
If it’s been proven it’s the Stoke game then that’s what it must have been but just looking at the picture there are things that don’t quite add up to it being that match. The fans in there seem to be looking towards the covered end and their faces seem to suggest Charlton are at that point where they’ve got a comfortable lead, ie laughing. If I had to make a guess about that I’d say it was one of those matches where the covered end had been totally packed out by away fans and that’s only happened on a few occasions. There’s not enough fans in that terracing for it to be the Spurs match so I reckon it might be Chelsea in there though I can’t recall them ever having occupied all of it. That sort of fits with some of my mates near the back who would have turned up from the pub just around kick off and would usually have gone into the covered end, and me not being with them because by this time I’d moved to the seats in the main stand. We did bump into them on the way out of the ground with both sets of fans exiting together and one of my mates was loudly talking about how we’d stuffed them and me thinking ‘here we go’ but I guess the Chelsea fans were too deflated to react to him taking the piss. if it was that game then that would have been the Simonsen master class match when he tore them a new one
Chelsea weren't in the covered end for the "Simonsen" game. Not in any numbers anyway, there might have been a couple here & there but there wasn't a mob of them. I missed the 4-0 game when they lit bonfires so they may have been in the covered end then but apart from that I don't ever remember chelsea taking the covered end.
Chelsea took the Covered End when we played eve game in 1976.When we played them at the Bridge a few months earlier it kicked off all thru the game at the North stand and was very naughty on the tube especially at Earls Court after the game
It’s 100%tge Stoke game. I can see me in the picture. I am wearing an Armani jumper which was my pride and joy back then and I have a bag in my hand which was my work clothes as I had worked in Greenwich hospital that morning tiling floors
How much were your day rates then…tiler has an expensive Armani jumper as his go to for wearing to a football match…
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Pretty sure there were more than that, at least a couple of thousand…
I was possibly in the photo depending on when it was taken.
The top third of the picture appears to make no sense whatsoever.
The vehicles appear trapped in a nonsensical enclosure and what the fcuk is that window about?
The building on the left looks familiar but has a boarded doorway yards above ground level.
That section of the ground between the West Stand and Covered End was rarely that crowded, but I guess makes sense if it was a game of some significance.
Can't see any reason why somebody would fake it, but it does look off to me
That's right, that was the plan.
Like someone said, the Greenwich council logo is a bit of a clue, also the railing at the front which ran around most of the perimeter - I leant on that enough times to recognise it.
He lived just up the road but i don't think football was his thing.