Apparently there was 'huge numbers' of empty seats...

[moenchengladbach blau]

My apologies for only reading half a post. I thought it was at The Liberty Stadium.

NP = I just thought it a bit strange that the first time I heard it in decades of following City was at the ground.

My son thought it was more strange at a little pub in the Valleys on the way to the Millennium that a cracking looking barmaid called his dad 'Lovely'.

I was less surprised;-)

 

[Chelsea Lad]

Can I just point out that when we look at attendances and compare with now almost every team will have 'sh!t gates' in the 80s. Better to look at where the club was in comparison with the average or in terms of best supported teams. Starting in 1979-80 City were: 3rd, 4th, 4th, 4th, 6th (but in Div 2), 8th (but in div 2), 4th, 8th (relegation season), 12th (in 2nd div), 6th, 5th (1989-90). I don't think that's a bad record and you could easily compare City's position with Spurs who were 5th, 6th, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 11th, 5th, 5th, 5th and 6th but were never out of the top division during those seasons and, indeed, had some significant highs and the likes of Gazza, Lineker, Ardiles etc. playing for them at times.

Yeah totally agree, 79 Arsenal won the fa cup, 80 West Ham won the fa cup and Arsenal got beat in the cup winners cup final. 81 Spurs won the fa cup and West Ham got beat in the lge cup final replay. 82 Spurs won the fa cup while Chelsea was a poor div 2 side going through its worst period, All 3 had European football so they were way ahead of Chelsea in this period. Strange that in 83/84 Chelsea averaged 23k in div 2 while West Ham averaged 18k in div 1. But come 85/86 the average gates were Arsenal 23,824, Chelsea 21,984, Tottenham 20,859, West Ham 21,179, QPR 12,664. So Chelsea for all its low gates and in the main poor football the previous few years didnt hold up to bad yet this is not remembered now. This was West Ham's best ever season coming 3rd in div 1 yet Chelsea got a higher average gate. Just for the record Liverpool did the double yet averaged 35,271 while Man Utd who hadnt won the lge for years averaged 46,323.

 

[JOGAMIGMOG]

We haven't done too bad over the years have we seeing as though we've got fuck all history and have been shit for large swathes of it too!

Maybe these "empty seat" journos and associated sheep could do with reading this thread.

ps. Can't wait to see the Rag's crowd v Midget Land.

 

[Gary James]

Yeah totally agree, 79 Arsenal won the fa cup, 80 West Ham won the fa cup and Arsenal got beat in the cup winners cup final. 81 Spurs won the fa cup and West Ham got beat in the lge cup final replay. 82 Spurs won the fa cup while Chelsea was a poor div 2 side going through its worst period, All 3 had European football so they were way ahead of Chelsea in this period. Strange that in 83/84 Chelsea averaged 23k in div 2 while West Ham averaged 18k in div 1. But come 85/86 the average gates were Arsenal 23,824, Chelsea 21,984, Tottenham 20,859, West Ham 21,179, QPR 12,664. So Chelsea for all its low gates and in the main poor football the previous few years didnt hold up to bad yet this is not remembered now. This was West Ham's best ever season coming 3rd in div 1 yet Chelsea got a higher average gate. Just for the record Liverpool did the double yet averaged 35,271 while Man Utd who hadnt won the lge for years averaged 46,323.

I wrote this the other year after Newcastle fans started giving City abuse. There are a few positives about Chelsea in there you may want to throw at any other London club (look at the points I make about Arsenal). There are also a couple of lows for Chelsea I mention (sorry!) but that was just to keep the general theme: http://www.mcfc.co.uk/news/club-news/2014/october/gary-james-blog-7/1411729382

In terms of Chelsea's position in Attendance records in 80s they still had an OK record overall considering the low League positions: 1979-80 - 14th (div 2, better than WHU); 21st (Div 2); 28th (Div 2); 27th (Div 2); 10th (Div 2); 9th (1st Div, better than WHU in 1st); 8th (better than WHU & Spurs); 12th; 8th (relegation season, better than WHU); 17th (Div2);10th (div 1 better than WHU). If I were a Chelsea fan though I'd dig out the stats pre 1972 - that was the first season Chelsea's average fell below the average for the division they were playing in. Pre 72 Chelsea had topped the attendance chart on several occasions (4 times between 1919-1939) and are one of only 9 teams to have been the best supported. Highest average is about 17,000 more than West Ham's best average.

 

[M18CTID]

Some cracking info over the past few pages, and as Gary says you have to look at the context of the 80's - crowds were much lower all over then. I remember a United fan on Rag Cafe taking great delight in our sub-20,000 average for 1987-88 but as has been pointed out, we were still the 12th best supported team in England that season despite finishing mid-table in Division 2 and below 30-odd clubs in the league pyramid.

As for Chelsea, yes they did have some bizarrely low crowds in the 80's and early 90's. I say bizarrely because to be fair, their away followings during that period were almost unreal. I remember reading that they had 3 sides of the ground for a league match at Ninian Park against Cardiff in 1983-84 and their numbers at Maine Road at the back end of that season are well documented. Granted they were going for promotion in those games and interest would've been high so let's pick a random low-key game. In October 1993 we played them in an early round league cup match at Maine Road. We won 1-0 (Vonk) and from memory the crowd was around 16,000. I'd estimate that Chelsea brought over 4000 that night - and they were loud as fuck - which was hugely impressive for a midweek match in the league cup. Incidentally, we played them about a month later in the league at theirs on a Monday night and there were barely 10,000 there! I'd say there were no more than 500 City fans there that night freezing our bollocks off on that open away end - probably the lowest away following I've ever been part of.

 

[cyberblue]

in the 70s I went to load of away games in London and except the cup games at Chelsea we never took many there same at west ham. QPR AND Arsenal usualy a decent turn out away at Sunderland and Newcastle again not many went but Ipswich and Norwich there was always a great turnout

 

[Balti]

rags empty seats never seem to get mentioned by these rag journos surprise surprise

when they mention how many empty seats there are at the theatre of shit then I might give a tinkers fuck

 

[1961_vintage]

I hope the media folk use red hearts rather than circles for highlighting what I'm sure will be millions of empty seats tomorrow as all the loved-up City fans will be too busy exchanging body fluids with their partners to attend the match.

 

[Chelsea Lad]

I wrote this the other year after Newcastle fans started giving City abuse. There are a few positives about Chelsea in there you may want to throw at any other London club (look at the points I make about Arsenal). There are also a couple of lows for Chelsea I mention (sorry!) but that was just to keep the general theme: http://www.mcfc.co.uk/news/club-news/2014/october/gary-james-blog-7/1411729382

In terms of Chelsea's position in Attendance records in 80s they still had an OK record overall considering the low League positions: 1979-80 - 14th (div 2, better than WHU); 21st (Div 2); 28th (Div 2); 27th (Div 2); 10th (Div 2); 9th (1st Div, better than WHU in 1st); 8th (better than WHU & Spurs); 12th; 8th (relegation season, better than WHU); 17th (Div2);10th (div 1 better than WHU). If I were a Chelsea fan though I'd dig out the stats pre 1972 - that was the first season Chelsea's average fell below the average for the division they were playing in. Pre 72 Chelsea had topped the attendance chart on several occasions (4 times between 1919-1939) and are one of only 9 teams to have been the best supported. Highest average is about 17,000 more than West Ham's best average.

Great post & link mate, the thing is us older blues fans are the first to admit about our poor gates but the way other clubs fans go on about it especially London clubs you'd think we were the only club to suffer poor gates, even Liverpool in their prime reduced the capacity at Anfield in the early 80s, these are good stats i have to throw back at mates who support other London clubs..

Top 20 gates from the 1968/69 season and Chelsea again has the highest gates above London rivals. This was a regular thing years ago.

 

[mat]

Some empty ones at SoL.

Commentator on Rag Radio says its down to people still milling in the concourse!!!!