I presume there are many on here that won't have experienced the old Valley before we left for Selhurst. I had only been once in 1984, i know it was against Newcastle and we lost, but i can remember very little about the ground other than i was sitting in the main stand.
Would be very good if those who remember the old ground could pen down their memories for the rest of us.
How the ground changed over time ? Where you used to stand / sit, the nutty old programme / peanut seller etc.
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I was always in the east terrace so probably didn't get the views- Talk about nowadays being instant communications- always remember the numbers being put up on the west stand to let us know the other half time scores- no tannoy, no text messages, no big (ish) screen. And, as i remember it- very few of the fairer sex.
Oh, and theres a great picture if you put your cursor over my username.
Used to stand behind South goal with dad and about 6 uncles / cousins. (Even Man at Milletts was young then)
Walking up muddy bank behind sth turnstiles, usually had a quick kickabout before the game.
Remember the low railings around the pitch and the cindertrack.
The roasted peanut seller walking round " tenpence a bag '
Chatting to Charlie Wright.
Whole ground especially East Stand was huge, but sparsely filled .
Big crowds I recall were QPR and Spurs.
Open air bogs, or piddling up a wall if it got too busy.
Covered end always seemed cramped packed and noisy.
Was allowed to go covered end when abt 14, the thirill of being involved at last and getting to know the songs. Was in there when it was being " taken by Chelsea" the night they burnt down the old supporter club.
The scores going up at half time on the west stand wall.
giant floodlights in each corner.
Disappointment at fences and segregation when they came in
The " Posh" West stand and it's wooden seats, sat there once, crap view.
Having to move "our spot" around as they made the South the away end, so went on to the east terrace, then that closed so went to the small bit in North west corner.
Running on the pitch at the end of each season
Will add more as I think of them
Some things never change ;-)
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it was still a tanner a bag in 1969 (thats sixpence in real money or 2.5 new pence)
The toilets behind the old covered end being a wall, it always used to rain about 20 minutes before kick off which affected the walk up crowd, 3pm Saturday KO's remember them? Used to stand halfway up East Terrace level with Half way line, remember that because on rare occasions we had to move as 'The Big Match' gantry was there instead & I saw Brian Moore a few times. Think I used to pay £1.60 as a junior to get in.
After that when ever I went to another ground I always felt a bit claustrophobic.
Come back and post other bits when you have a bit more time.
As has been posted elsewhere the pitch was surrounded by a red shale/cinder track. My dad told me that the players would train on the track and I remember thinking how narrow it was in comparison to the track in Charlton Park where my dad and I would sometimes train.
Other miscellaneous memories: Dick Neve (I think that was his name) on the tannoy, Harry Gregory jumping onto the wall with the little fence that surrounded the track to celebrate scoring, being told by my mother that swearing wasn't clever only to then see Brian Ord lying injured on the track and hear him say to the trainer "it's my f***ing knee." She wasn't at all impressed when I came home and smugly told her that footballers swear so why can't I? Les Berry and Peter Shaw competing to see who could boot the ball highest over the gable roofed West Stand in between seeing who could give Nicky Johns the most horrendous back pass.....I could go on.
I loved the Old Valley. That doesn't mean I don't love the New Valley too.
have a read and add your views / memories of the 'old ground'
with you being a bit backward, should be ideal :-)
2. The steam coming from the bogs on cold evenings.
3. Palace being put in the Covered End cos it was raining...you could smell their fear.
4. A couple of rows with Pompey in the early 80's.
Are you bored by any chance?
Remember sitting in the south not long after it became seated and me dad had to have a word with some ipswich fans that were effin and jeffin next to us.
I bet its a very different view now...
Those daft little corner terraces connecting the west stand with North and South.
My 2ND memory was Arsenal coming down for Les Berry's testimonial and it absolutely kicked off in the covered end with Arseanl getting battered and my dad's mate who took me told me to stand down the front and siad he'd be back in a minute. I secretly watched where he went - lo and behold straight in to the row windmilling like a maniac.
Back 5 minutes later then moved us round to the East.
I remember having a season ticket for the seats behind the goal in the late 80's and it was a sit wherever you want jobby. I always sat in the same seat.
Remember being in there the night we beat Preston to clinch promotion 1975, you know when 'Arry Cripps wnt off with a banged head and Peter Hunt come on at half time and changed the game. Bobby Charlton played for Preston, the only time I saw him play.
Anyway, back in the Valley Club, we were all mixing with the players and Killer was getting really legless, that was a laugh. In those days I played right wing in the Woolwich League, and I can remember discussing wing play with Paddy Powell and asking him why he didn't accelerate after beating a defender - and he told me he hadn't thought of it. He probably thought I was an arrogant tosser.......
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