Topic: The Good Old Days - Wonderful wonky stadiums and fans

[meady1981]

I do a lot of personal research into Anfield of old, collecting imagery from all over the internet.
https://www.redandwhitekop.com/forum/index.php?topic=340505.0

Whilst doing this I've amassed lots of pictures of old fans, stadiums, stands and their surroundings that fascinate me.
A world away from the stadia we have today, some of them seem unthinkable in this day and age.
Thought I'd start a thread just for images, please feel free to add.

[Romford_Red]

That has to be the Clock End at Highbury, no? Maybe Woolwich before they moved?

[Musketeer Gripweed]

That looks like Tynecastle to me. Was a great ground back in the day, and probably the most atmospheric modern stadium in Scotland since it's redevelopment.

[BarryCrocker]

Everyone of those pictures illustrates why we love football. Chimneys is my fave.

[Crosby Nick]

I was wondering if that was the Clock End too! Houses in the background didn’t look like the ones round their though but it must be.

Loads of questions! But which ground was by the big power station chimneys? Loads of nice fresh air for the players to breathe in there!

[meady1981]

[meady1981]

I was wondering if that was the Clock End too! Houses in the background didn’t look like the ones round their though but it must be.

The houses are still there

[Charlie Adams fried egg]

Great pics them meady. I love social history and stadium architecture in general, but the post war period was a time when many attendance records were set. Those huge open terraces were amazing.

Do you know what grounds they are?

[Crosby Nick]

Great pics them meady. I love social history and stadium architecture in general, but the post war period was a time when many attendance records were set. Those huge open terraces were amazing.

Do you know what grounds they are?

The more oval shaped one with a bit of a track around the pitch is Hampden isn’t it?

One terrace behind the goal which goes back forever, with about 5 clear dividing rows throughout it is pretty nuts. Looks like the temporary stands you sometimes see today but goes on forever.

[Thepooloflife]

Is this West-Ham v Liverpool at Upton park.......looks like David Johnson, Tommy Smith & Geoff Hurst amongst others ?

Love the massed ranks on the rooftops ! Great thread.....

[meady1981]

[meady1981]

Is this West-Ham v Liverpool at Upton park.......looks like David Johnson, Tommy Smith & Geoff Hurst amongst others ?

Love the massed ranks on the rooftops ! Great thread.....

Ha! Not quite mate - West Ham Hereford FA cup 

[Musketeer Gripweed]

I see Firhill, Ibrox and a couple of Hampden there. Another Tynecastle one as well?

I always remember the electricity pylons in the terracing at Celtic Park when I was growing up, so I'm thinking that might be there too.

[Thepooloflife]

I had this saved ages ago, but can't remember where it was taken....bizarre !

[Thepooloflife]

Ha! Not quite mate - West Ham Hereford FA cup 

Ah, ok yes - our away colours though.

[meady1981]

I see Fir Park, Ibrox and a couple of Hampden there. Another Tynecastle one as well?

I always remember the electricity pylons in the terracing at Celtic Park when I was growing up, so I'm thinking that might be there too.

Scotland and the North East by far had the most mental stadiums in the early 20th century. And by mental I mean wonderful.

[Musketeer Gripweed]

Scotland and the North East by far had the most mental stadiums in the early 20th century.

I changed my park to Firhill, schoolboy error there.

Aye, that Tynecastle photo earlier reminded me of the terror we used to go through as you had basically a wee tunnel between the tenements that the home support would sometimes wait for a punch up after the game. Accident waiting to happen, like a lot of those old grounds probably.

I grew up going to Brockville and when I went it would look busy with a crowd of 7,000. I have no idea how they managed to pack in 24,000 back in the days. Must have been a death trap.

[rob1966]

Burnden Park Bolton, with half the terrace taken over by a Normid shop

[tubby]

How did that work?  Was the shop there before the ground was built and they worked around it, or did they have to close down part of the stand to make way for it?  Seems a weird situation either way.

[Statto Red]

How did that work?  Was the shop there before the ground was built and they worked around it, or did they have to close down part of the stand to make way for it?  Seems a weird situation either way.

Bolton demolished that part of the stand to allow for that superstore

[Musketeer Gripweed]

Brockville. Complete with someone's kitchen window.



I've got one of those terrace barriers in my back garden these days.

[tubby]

Bolton demolished that part of the stand to allow for that superstore

Blimey.

[rob1966]

How did that work?  Was the shop there before the ground was built and they worked around it, or did they have to close down part of the stand to make way for it?  Seems a weird situation either way.

Bolton were going bust, early 80's, so they sold a section of the terrace to co-op and they built the Normid store there. Saved the club.

[Statto Red]

Blimey.

That terracing to the right of the superstore at Burnden Park was the away end, must have been fun being on that terracing, only to have your view blocked by a superstore.

[tubby]

Bolton were going bust, early 80's, so they sold a section of the terrace to co-op and they built the Normid store there. Saved the club.

Ta, makes a little more sense now.  Still a mad one though.

[meady1981]

Who was there

[rob1966]

Ta, makes a little more sense now.  Still a mad one though.

Back then it wasn't wall to wall football, so it was a hell of a shock watching MOTD and seeing a fucking shop in the away end

[rob1966]

Odsall Stadium Bradford - Rugby League ground but Bradford City played some games there after the fire. I went there once to watch Wigan RL, the turnstiles were higher than the stadium as the ground was built in an old quarry.

Leeds fans rioted there in 1986, 1 year after the Valley Parade fire, setting a chip van on fire

[Statto Red]

Back then it wasn't wall to wall football, so it was a hell of a shock watching MOTD and seeing a fucking shop in the away end

Bolton were going down the leagues back then [normally yo-yoing between the old 3rd & 4th divisions] so their match highlights were rarely shown on TV, started featuring regully when ITV had football league rights & went regional with the coverage, Bolton started getting featured more on Granada Soccer Night.

[redgriffin73]

Arm rests on the seats, how posh

Great thread meady

[meady1981]

Back then it wasn't wall to wall football, so it was a hell of a shock watching MOTD and seeing a fucking shop in the away end

Different view


That end originally had a railway line pretty much running over the stand

[Statto Red]

Odsall Stadium Bradford - Rugby League ground but Bradford City played some games there after the fire. I went there once to watch Wigan RL, the turnstiles were higher than the stadium as the ground was built in an old quarry.

Leeds fans rioted there in 1986, 1 year after the Valley Parade fire, setting a chip van on fire

Odsal stadium set an attendance of 102,569 for the 1954 Rugby League challenge cup final replay, between Warrington & Halifax, although it's believed the actual attendance was closer to 120,000, this for a midweek game too

[The Cobbler]

Burnden Park, Bolton. I remember going there a few times.

Proper old school ground (you would never call it a stadium). Sadly was the scene of a major disaster in 1946. 33 Killed & 400 injured due to crushing at the old Railway End. Open terrace and they packed them in those days like sardines.

Last time, I went there was 9 December 1995 - we won 1-0 against Bolton in the PL - Stan Collymore scored after an hour. I remember it was freezing cold. We bought tickets in the old Main Stand, didn't fancy standing in the cold/rain on an open terrace next to a Co-op supermarket!

When we scored thousands of reds jumped up in the Main Stand, there was so many of us, the stewards and police just left us there!  The crowd that day was 21,000 - full to capacity!   

[RedSince86]

That scaffold stand at Russian World Cup still blows my mind.

Ridiculous.

I saw a YouTube video last year on a defunct Glasgow team' s Stadium who were top team for a time in Glasgow, they won a few Titles, their old stadium is still visible in some park, looks sureal with tress, shrubbery and bushes disguising it.

[meady1981]

The shape of the The Dell always used to intrigue me. It's like they took a ground and italicised it.

[RedSince86]

Luton town's is a strange one with that little stand that is just one row of executive boxes, just seeing the Turnstiles are built into the houses as well on some images.

[meady1981]

One of the entrances to Fratton Park

[Statto Red]

That scaffold stand at Russian World Cup still blows my mind.

Ridiculous.

I saw a YouTube video last year on a defunct Glasgow team' s Stadium who were top team for a time in Glasgow, they won a few Titles, their old stadium is still visible in some park, looks sureal with tress, shrubbery and bushes disguising it.

Third Lanark, whos ground was Cathkin Park.

Third Lanark themselves were dissolved in 1967, the park itself is still their, as is some of the old terracing, funnily enough the pitch is still used to this day, but it's like one of those Sunday league pitches. Cathkin Park itself is 300 yards north of Hampden Park

Some of the clubs suffered mostly because of too many clubs in Glasgow

[Musketeer Gripweed]

That scaffold stand at Russian World Cup still blows my mind.

Ridiculous.

I saw a YouTube video last year on a defunct Glasgow team' s Stadium who were top team for a time in Glasgow, they won a few Titles, their old stadium is still visible in some park, looks sureal with tress, shrubbery and bushes disguising it.

Cathkin Park, home of Third Lanark. A stones throw away from Hampden.

[Statto Red]

One of the entrances to Fratton Park

That's entrance is still their.