Famous Stadiums

[Selby White]

Moving on from the Stadium trivia question that turned into an interesting thread tell us your stories good or bad about trips to any of the following (will add others as we go) -

Anfield
Highbury
The Dell
Maine Road

Goodison Park
St James Park
St Andrews
Stamford Bridge

Around Yorkshire -
Hillsborough
Boothferry Park
Leeds Road
Ayresome Park (well it was once Yorkshire )
Bramhall Lane

And down in the Smoke -
Old Wembley
Upton Park
White Hart Lane
Loftus Road

Over the Hills -
Burnden Park
Turf moor
Ewood Park
Boundary Park
Old Trafford

West Midlands -
Molyneaux
Victoria Ground
Villa Park
Highfield Road
Hawthorns

[Selby White]

Will start with Anfield (as the team do) and sadly not a happy hunting ground for me in the fact its the only ground I've been to a few times and never seen us win.

Always a bit of a dodgy walk before and after the match back in the day. You certainly needed your wits about you crossing Stanley "knife" Park between the away coaches and stadium.

My claim to fame though was been there on a famous day in 1977 for a morning KO. Lost 3-1 but then it was across to Aintree to see Red Rum make history.

[NottinghamWhite]

Anfield
Was there to see us win the Championship in 1969 as covered in the nostalgia thread. As SW the walk across the park was scary & you certainly needed to have your wits about you. Was there when Gary Sprake threw the ball into his own net.

Highbury
Marvellous old ground. Went there many times in the 70’s. I can remember one season where Arsenal fans infiltrated the away end which was not the clever thing to do. I’m sure they saw the error of their ways

The Dell
An easy walk from the station. Our fans would congregate outside the station & walk to the ground en-masse ( long before police escorts) to the ground usually causing carnage en-route.

Maine Road
Probably the worst ground to visit as an away fan. Lots of ginnels to walk down where City fans would ambush you. Inside was a cauldron of noise. Used to like City in the 70’s Summerbee, Lee, Bell et al.

[Davycc]

Sadly never made any of them.

[Selby White]

Highbury
Marvellous old ground. Went there many times in the 70’s. I can remember one season where Arsenal fans infiltrated the away end which was not the clever thing to do. I’m sure they saw the error of their ways

Think that may have been the game just before Christmas in the mid-seventies. Remember British Rail ran a special train to London from York-Selby-Doncaster for Xmas shoppers. Timings were perfect and cheap fares and it was basically hijacked by Leeds fans.
Remember a big mob of gooners coming up the tunnel in the centre of the Clock end and all hell broke out.
Not sure if it was the same match but remember a classic where arguably the two best midfielders in the league scored wonder goals. Tony Currie for us and Liam Brady for them.

[Mr Russell]

Sadly never made any of them.

Makes two of us, maybe one day!

[johnh]

Been to Anfield several times (1940's). Been to Highbury once and that was in a private box.

[Saxon]

Anfield, went several times, remember a 5-0 drubbing, that might have been the time when Gary Sprake threw the ball in his own net.
Another visit, Sprake again nearly starting a riot on the kop by ripping up the turf in the penalty area in front of them before game started, he cut trenches with his studs in a sort of arrow head starting at the penalty spot back to the goalposts.An FA cup game,we got a draw and beat them back at Elland road in a midweek afternoon game played because electric strike no floodlights. Usual nonsense outside Anfield, kids saying "Mind your car for you mister?' give them 2 bob or you come back after the game and you've got a headlamp smashed.

The Dell. I would say the worst of the old first div grounds I went to. Tiny ground, small open terrace both ends, one stand tapered in steps from one end to the other. Southampton fans all dressed like some TV character of the time. Couldn't believe it trees and flowers blooming, back in Leeds we had freezing fog and sleet.

Maine Road. massive, dark, cavernous, is how I would describe it from those days, easy to see before they put benches on the covered end how they accommodated record breaking crowds in the old days. Except for Roker Park it was the coldest ground I was ever in,no sunlight ever entered any part of the ground all covered in black paint and tar. Mascot 'Old Lady' ringing a bell all game. They did have a great team late 60's with Bell, Summerbee, lee, crazy coach forget his name, would kick over the ice bucket when they scored, same guy broke international sanctions and brought an all star team over to South Africa to play 'Friendlies' when I was there, saw him in a hotel bar after one game, girl on each arm. Malcolm Allison, name just came to me.

[Selby White]

Maine Road. massive, dark, cavernous, is how I would describe it from those days, easy to see before they put benches on the covered end how they accommodated record breaking crowds in the old days. Except for Roker Park it was the coldest ground I was ever in,no sunlight ever entered any part of the ground all covered in black paint and tar. Mascot 'Old Lady' ringing a bell all game. They did have a great team late 60's with Bell, Summerbee, lee, crazy coach forget his name, would kick over the ice bucket when they scored, same guy broke international sanctions and brought an all star team over to South Africa to play 'Friendlies' when I was there, saw him in a hotel bar after one game, girl on each arm. Malcolm Allison, name just came to me.

Malcolm Allison I really rated as a coach a real character of the game. Can see him now sat in the dugout wearing his Fedora and smoking the biggest cigar ever.
Turned us over with 3rd division Crystal Palace at ER, coaching masterclass they outplayed us that day, sometimes you just have to admit it.

As for maine road my first memory was the 73 semi when we beat Wolves, remember been squeezed in like sardines.
Also remember playing a cup replay against West Brom, think it was Jock Steins last game. Leeds fans liked him despite only been with us the same length of time as that horrible bitter little man.
It was common knowledge Jock was going to the Scotland job but the Leeds fans sang his name all match trying to persuade him to stay.

Visiting to play City as others have said the ground was in a rough area of Manchester and locals were a crazy bunch.
Remember on Xmas fixture where a large number of them infiltrated the Leeds section and were tooled up with chains. Stormed in hitting everyone in site and a few of ours received some nasty injuries before the police took control.
After that when visiting City Leeds fans stook together and let's say looked out for one another.
Rember once leaving the ground was an escort of about 1,000 of us and instead of the usual chants everyone started whistling to the tune "when Johnny comes marching home again", sounded amazing.

[Selby White]

The Dell, went a few times but the one thing I recall is the fencing.
At the time the authorities thought it a good idea to cage fans in Southampton took it to the extreme building theirs out of the heaviest guage metal they could find making it almost impossible to watch the game through it.
All it needed was razor wire on the top and a machine gun turret and Steve Mcqueen wouldn't have got out.