Yes. The valley club must’ve remained open after we left the valley as I played darts there and remember the crossbar from the game v Stoke was hanging up in there.
Wasn't the fans' Q&A with Alan Mullery held here (in 81-82), which I definitely went to (and I would have a drink)? That was an enjoyable evening, Mullery could certainly entertain a crowd.
One notable question concerned the hapless Viggo Jacobsen, who, amazingly, was still on our books. One guy asked, it seemed being serious, why Jacobsen wasn't being given a chance in the first team. I expected a diplomatic response along the lines of "it just hasn't worked out for him here", but instead Mullery said something along the lines of Jacobsen not being anywhere near good enough to be professional footballer.
In it's heyday the Valley Club was a proper destination, my folks went there a number of times
The only time I can remember drinking in there was the night of the meeting with Michael Norris & Lennie Lawrence held to talk to fans about the recent move to Selhurst. Went in there as a kid with my cousins a couple of times too.
I might have gone to a junior red party there. Is junior reds still a thing?
There's a nice picture in the replies to the Museum tweet about the Valley Club that was taken at one of the Junior Reds Christmas Parties by the looks of things:
I suspect there's probably a few of us on here that went to one of those held there.
@Todds_right_hook These days it seems to be split between Junior Addicks and Teen Addicks, and I doubt they do the away trips any more. Having to get any parent volunteers DBS checked would be a massive faff for a starters. It's a shame, as it meant I got to go to a lot more away games in my mid teens than I would have done if I had to rely on going with my family, and there's no way they would have let me go on my own.
Oh yes, was there when Lennie and Mark Aizlwood had to placate the madding crowd which initially got irritated over free train tickets. Few of us on here would play quiz matches subsequently at this venue. But didn't mind ultimately we ended up playing somewhere else (quiz that is) 😊
I went in there before games quite a lot in the period running up to us leaving The Valley in 1985, and then the notorious meeting when Aizlewood was dragged in to calm everyone down. That meeting is worth a thread on its own.
Pretty sure the last time I was there was to get tickets for the St Andrews game with Leeds, Lennie Lawrence was in there that night, made you wonder if we were so skint he had to buy a ticket as well.
Ray Donn has his own Wikipedia entry, seems to have led a very full life:
When was it knocked down and when was the land it was on sold?
Isn’t the land it was on now swallowed up by the North Stand expansion onto Harvey Gardens? 🤷♂️
I don't remember any traces of it when we returned in 1992?
It was knocked down in the summer of 1991. When we returned in 1992 the land was initially used as a car park behind the Covered End. The land now is a combination of the forecourt for the East Stand turnstiles and the entrance for Crossbars area
Don't think I ever went in there before we left in 85. During the exile years went there numerous times for Junior Reds Christmas parties, Quiz Nights, Supporter Clubs AGM, Football Presentation and the occasional Saturday night as my Dad became a member. Also went in there one Saturday morning to collect leaflets for the Valley Party which we distributed in Woolwich. Was also in there the night Greenwich Council finally gave us the go ahead in 1991
I played darts for various pubs, RoD, Antigallican, Royal Oak, Horse & Groom (same bunch, we were just nomads!) throughout south east London from 75 to late 80s and most years The Valley Club were in our league - they had a very good team and we nicked a couple of their players!
Comments
The valley club must’ve remained open after we left the valley as I played darts there and remember the crossbar from the game v Stoke was hanging up in there.
One notable question concerned the hapless Viggo Jacobsen, who, amazingly, was still on our books. One guy asked, it seemed being serious, why Jacobsen wasn't being given a chance in the first team. I expected a diplomatic response along the lines of "it just hasn't worked out for him here", but instead Mullery said something along the lines of Jacobsen not being anywhere near good enough to be professional footballer.
In it's heyday the Valley Club was a proper destination, my folks went there a number of times
Ray Donn has his own Wikipedia entry, seems to have led a very full life:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Donn
The museum sits almost on top of where it stood