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Has there ever been a match at the Valley where the away fans outnumbered the home?

24

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  • Wheresmeticket
    Wheresmeticket Posts: 17,304
    I think there were a couple of games last season where the players on the pitch outnumbered the home fans.
  • addickfanatic
    addickfanatic Posts: 1,113
    By the sounds of it November 5th 2017 stands a chance
  • CAFCTrev
    CAFCTrev Posts: 5,978
    This Sunday.
  • thai malaysia addick
    thai malaysia addick Posts: 18,336
    edited October 2017
    I went to see the final of the Metropolitan League Cup in the early to mid 60s against Spurs. I think it was effectively our third team or reserves plus some youngsters. I am sure there were more Spurs' fans there than Charlton fans. I think we won but I really can't remember. We may have won the League but lost the League Cup Final. Spurs played in mauve shirts and black shorts, I recall. I think the attendance was a thousand or so.
  • Covered End
    Covered End Posts: 52,008
    _MrDick said:

    In all of my years of watching Charlton, I would stick my neck out and say we’ve never been outnumbered by away fans except when we played Millwall in 1972. Several teams have taken the coveted end Spurs, Westham, Chelsea, Sheffield Wed, Leicester, Millwall. But apart from that night in April 72, no one has outnumbered the home Support.

    I was standing on the East Terrace for those Spurs and Chelsea games and even though we scored 4 in both games, there was hardly a ripple of applause. I'm not certain, but I think Chelsea had both the Covered End as well as the South End and they were pretty much everywhere else.
  • bolloxbolder
    bolloxbolder Posts: 7,962
    Leicester taking the covered end? Not in my lifetime.
  • blackpool72
    blackpool72 Posts: 23,679
    bolloxbolder said:

    Leicester taking the covered end? Not in my lifetime.

    They tried and failed.
    FACT
  • RaplhMilne
    RaplhMilne Posts: 4,601
    Covered End said:

    _MrDick said:

    In all of my years of watching Charlton, I would stick my neck out and say we’ve never been outnumbered by away fans except when we played Millwall in 1972. Several teams have taken the coveted end Spurs, Westham, Chelsea, Sheffield Wed, Leicester, Millwall. But apart from that night in April 72, no one has outnumbered the home Support.

    I was standing on the East Terrace for those Spurs and Chelsea games and even though we scored 4 in both games, there was hardly a ripple of applause. I'm not certain, but I think Chelsea had both the Covered End as well as the South End and they were pretty much everywhere else.
    They were not quite everywhere, I and few of the Eltham lot were together in the bottom corner of the East Terrace by the Covered End, it kicked of in that corner and in the walk way at the back of the Covered End, although I have to admit we got a hiding. Was an occasion when police intervention was very welcome.
  • Leuth
    Leuth Posts: 23,316
    The good old days sound bloody awful, with all due respect [something about namby-pamby millennials]
  • bolloxbolder
    bolloxbolder Posts: 7,962
    Just to confirm what others have said we were outnumbered at home v Millwall in 72 and Chelsea and Spurs that very same decade. I was hiding like most of us on the East Terrace.

    I was only 11 at the Millwall game. My Dad very sensibly took us out the ground with a couple of minutes to go. As we walked up Floyd Road there was a massive roar. My claim we must have equalised was quickly rebuffed by my Dad. Wasn't so sure so rushed downstairs as soon as the papers were delivered the next morning to check. My heart sank as I saw the score. Possee had scored their second.

    I felt humiliated as a fan that night. We were relegated a couple of weeks later. That's when I learnt the hard way to hate Millwall. That will never change!
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  • Airman Brown
    Airman Brown Posts: 15,734
    edited October 2017
    Given what we were averaging and what you would expect in turnout for big games - e.g. the 24,000 for Preston - I've never been persuaded by the idea we were outnumbered by Chelsea or Spurs. I was there but it's hard to be objective.

    Remember we had 33,000 for QPR in the LC - does anyone think they brought, say, 17,000? I think you got a lot more neutrals in those days.
  • Big William
    Big William Posts: 3,841
    QPR bought next to nothing that night. In the 70's there were a lot of people about who had given up on Charlton but got tempted out by a big game.
  • _MrDick
    _MrDick Posts: 13,108
    bolloxbolder said:

    Leicester taking the covered end? Not in my lifetime.

    1969, I think. We lost 5-1
  • sunbury-addick
    sunbury-addick Posts: 1,929
    Airman Brown said:

    Given what we were averaging and what you would expect in turnout for big games - e.g. the 24,000 for Preston - I've never been persuaded by the idea we were outnumbered by Chelsea or Spurs. I was there but it's hard to be objective.

    Remember we had 33,000 for QPR in the LC - does anyone think they brought, say, 17,000? I think you got a lot more neutrals in those days.

    I was staggered that QPR night, only a couple of hundred visible - they were top of the league (Top division)

    Was at the Spurs Chelsea 4 goal games, they were in CE but doubt had more in ground than us.

    Pompey was biggest away support I can recall at the Valley, in answer to previous poster, probably reason they didn't try to take it was that it was full up at 1.45. Sheff Wed had come rolling into an empty CE at 1.30 the previous round.

    Obviously, these are long old memories and not claiming to be spot on, but sure fairly accurate.
  • ElfsborgAddick
    ElfsborgAddick Posts: 29,045
    Covered End said:

    _MrDick said:

    In all of my years of watching Charlton, I would stick my neck out and say we’ve never been outnumbered by away fans except when we played Millwall in 1972. Several teams have taken the coveted end Spurs, Westham, Chelsea, Sheffield Wed, Leicester, Millwall. But apart from that night in April 72, no one has outnumbered the home Support.

    I was standing on the East Terrace for those Spurs and Chelsea games and even though we scored 4 in both games, there was hardly a ripple of applause. I'm not certain, but I think Chelsea had both the Covered End as well as the South End and they were pretty much everywhere else.
    I stood in the relative safety of the terrace between the Covered End and the west stand.
  • Airman Brown
    Airman Brown Posts: 15,734
    edited October 2017
    _MrDick said:

    bolloxbolder said:

    Leicester taking the covered end? Not in my lifetime.

    1969, I think. We lost 5-1
    Easter 1970 5-0? Firmani's last match as manager.
  • Big William
    Big William Posts: 3,841
    bolloxbolder said:

    Leicester taking the covered end? Not in my lifetime.

    Did Norwich take it one year, about 1971?
  • flyingkiwiDK
    flyingkiwiDK Posts: 5,723
    edited October 2017
    I was more thinking along the lines of the Kent Senior Cup back in the days when we used to bother entering the competition and play home games at the Valley.

    We would have been quite a draw. I recall going to the match against my hometown club (Sittingbourne) sometime in the mid 90s. Small crowd but reasonable away support especially as the bourne were a non league club “going places” back then.

    Not sure they outnumbered us though.
  • stockportugaladdick
    stockportugaladdick Posts: 1,135
    The 4th round fa cup game against Pompey in 76 I think might have run the home support close, Pompey had one of the largest away followings I've seen at the Valley
  • Baldybonce
    Baldybonce Posts: 9,648
    RaplhMilne said:

    Covered End said:

    _MrDick said:

    In all of my years of watching Charlton, I would stick my neck out and say we’ve never been outnumbered by away fans except when we played Millwall in 1972. Several teams have taken the coveted end Spurs, Westham, Chelsea, Sheffield Wed, Leicester, Millwall. But apart from that night in April 72, no one has outnumbered the home Support.

    I was standing on the East Terrace for those Spurs and Chelsea games and even though we scored 4 in both games, there was hardly a ripple of applause. I'm not certain, but I think Chelsea had both the Covered End as well as the South End and they were pretty much everywhere else.
    They were not quite everywhere, I and few of the Eltham lot were together in the bottom corner of the East Terrace by the Covered End, it kicked of in that corner and in the walk way at the back of the Covered End, although I have to admit we got a hiding. Was an occasion when police intervention was very welcome.
    In that case i was with you and the other gents from the Man of Kent.
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  • blackpool72
    blackpool72 Posts: 23,679
    Big William said:

    bolloxbolder said:

    Leicester taking the covered end? Not in my lifetime.

    Did Norwich take it one year, about 1971?
    Norwich had the covered end half full about r5 minutes before kick off.
    We were all still in the pub.
    By the time the game kicked off it was about 50.50 Charlton and Norwich.
    Defo us on top by the time the game finished.
    Happy days.
  • Baldybonce
    Baldybonce Posts: 9,648
    We are going to get told off for being 60 year old men talking about punch ups.
  • Leuth
    Leuth Posts: 23,316
    Proper times. A man could punch a man and everyone agreed it was ok. You knew where you were with people then. Taking each other's home stands, punching each other, learning how to live. Today's children couldn't even find their way into a stand let alone punch their way through it. Soft.
  • Baldybonce
    Baldybonce Posts: 9,648
    Leuth said:

    Proper times. A man could punch a man and everyone agreed it was ok. You knew where you were with people then. Taking each other's home stands, punching each other, learning how to live. Today's children couldn't even find their way into a stand let alone punch their way through it. Soft.

    To be honest Leuth there was f all else to do. For a working class boy living in Charlton it was about as exciting as life got.
  • Leuth
    Leuth Posts: 23,316
    edited October 2017
    Probably fair.

    And if a load of twats tried to 'take' the Covered End now I'd probably try to defend the people being attacked. Mind you I've never seen anything like it since I started going. I guess there was that one family of Wednesday fans who got kicked out
  • blackpool72
    blackpool72 Posts: 23,679
    Leuth said:

    Proper times. A man could punch a man and everyone agreed it was ok. You knew where you were with people then. Taking each other's home stands, punching each other, learning how to live. Today's children couldn't even find their way into a stand let alone punch their way through it. Soft.

    Impossible to explain what it was like to younger people as the world has changed.
    But it was what it was and I lived through it and I certainly ain't gonna apologise for what happened.
  • Covered End
    Covered End Posts: 52,008
    RaplhMilne said:

    Covered End said:

    _MrDick said:

    In all of my years of watching Charlton, I would stick my neck out and say we’ve never been outnumbered by away fans except when we played Millwall in 1972. Several teams have taken the coveted end Spurs, Westham, Chelsea, Sheffield Wed, Leicester, Millwall. But apart from that night in April 72, no one has outnumbered the home Support.

    I was standing on the East Terrace for those Spurs and Chelsea games and even though we scored 4 in both games, there was hardly a ripple of applause. I'm not certain, but I think Chelsea had both the Covered End as well as the South End and they were pretty much everywhere else.
    They were not quite everywhere, I and few of the Eltham lot were together in the bottom corner of the East Terrace by the Covered End, it kicked of in that corner and in the walk way at the back of the Covered End, although I have to admit we got a hiding. Was an occasion when police intervention was very welcome.
    Yes, I saw it. Like I said, they were pretty much everywhere.
  • Covered End
    Covered End Posts: 52,008
    Big William said:

    QPR bought next to nothing that night. In the 70's there were a lot of people about who had given up on Charlton but got tempted out by a big game.

    Yeah, there weren't many QPR fans that night (as such). I think they were top of Division 1 when we played them or if not near top.

    Totally unlike the Spurs & Chelsea games.

    I think you get a rough idea of who is supporting who when the goals go in.

    If you hadn't already worked it out by the number of people looking to iron you out.
  • Covered End
    Covered End Posts: 52,008
    sunbury-addick said:

    Airman Brown said:

    Given what we were averaging and what you would expect in turnout for big games - e.g. the 24,000 for Preston - I've never been persuaded by the idea we were outnumbered by Chelsea or Spurs. I was there but it's hard to be objective.

    Remember we had 33,000 for QPR in the LC - does anyone think they brought, say, 17,000? I think you got a lot more neutrals in those days.

    I was staggered that QPR night, only a couple of hundred visible - they were top of the league (Top division)

    Was at the Spurs Chelsea 4 goal games, they were in CE but doubt had more in ground than us.

    Pompey was biggest away support I can recall at the Valley, in answer to previous poster, probably reason they didn't try to take it was that it was full up at 1.45. Sheff Wed had come rolling into an empty CE at 1.30 the previous round.

    Obviously, these are long old memories and not claiming to be spot on, but sure fairly accurate.
    I remember the same. I got to The Valley at around 1.30 and Sheff W had already taken the Covered End.
    I remember (I think) it being a sea of green and yellow scarves, which surprised me as I was expecting blue & white.
    The next game (round) I could hear "play up Pompey" ringing out as I walked down Lansdowne Lane at about 1.45, but as said they were all in the South Stand (as was).
  • AFKABartram
    AFKABartram Posts: 57,825
    Leuth said:

    Probably fair.

    And if a load of twats tried to 'take' the Covered End now I'd probably try to defend the people being attacked.

    Ha, @Leuth mate, we all know that it's far more likely you'd pull out an 'Away Fans Welcome Here' banner in the middle of,the Covered End :-)

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