Bernard Halford

[Northerndave]

Gillingham - average gate around 6000 - allowed season ticket.hokders to buy up to 10 tickets each and anyone with a Kent postcode could buy a ticket.

That was because the league insisted on a 50/50 split of tickets, the wankers. You couldn't make it up. I remember the 6-7 hour queue for tickets that started at the ticket office on the corner and naked up and down 2 terraced streets, pulled a sickie from work to get a ticket. One thing never changes, our ticket office has always been shite.

 

[Gary James]

@Scaring Europe to Death
Maybe @Gary James can help.
The Hillsborough disaster was only a few weeks before the Bournemouth game but I seem to recall instantly capacities of large terraces were cut. That's why I think the capacity went from 52 to 48 in between the two games.
Happy to be corrected.

Don’t get me started on dodgy attendances, Bernard’s time in power etc. I want to think positive thoughts. Oh, it’s about capacities? Phew!
Yes, the capacity did drop after Bradford fire. Partly because the Platt Lane was almost condemned. The extensions to it (built in 1931 & 1935) included some wooden flooring/terracing, so that was considered unsafe. The stand was handed over to away fans and the corner near Main Stand was supposed to be additional segregation.

The 52,500 capacity of 1984-85 was dropped to just below 50k if my memory is correct. Of course this all makes that Charlton 85 official attendance look even more ridiculous - we know it was many thousand about 52k but was declared as several thousand below!

 

[nmc]

That was because the league insisted on a 50/50 split of tickets, the wankers. You couldn't make it up. I remember the 6-7 hour queue for tickets that started at the ticket office on the corner and naked up and down 2 terraced streets, pulled a sickie from work to get a ticket. One thing never changes, our ticket office has always been shite.

Wow. I was in that queue but fully clothed.

 

[JGL07]

That was because the league insisted on a 50/50 split of tickets, the wankers. You couldn't make it up.

And the League were quite right

Would you have supported United getting 50% more tickets at Wembley last season than City? Do it on average attendance and United would have received 60% to 40% for City.

Gillingham were perfectly entitled to receive the same allocation as City.

 

[Northerndave]

Wow. I was in that queue but fully clothed.

hahaha, we didn't have a clothing deal with CP back then :)

 

[Northerndave]

And the League were quite right

Would you have supported United getting 50% more tickets at Wembley last season than City? Do it on average attendance and United would have received 60% to 40% for City.

Gillingham were perfectly entitled to receive the same allocation as City.

That's not a valid comparison though. 35k each meant we didn't have enough for our average gate and the Gills had 6 times their average gate

 

[JGL07]

That's not a valid comparison though. 35k each meant we didn't have enough for our average gate and the Gills had 6 times their average gate.

Did Maine Road even have 35,000 seats at that stage?

The Wigan play off round immediately before had an attendance of 31,305 at Maine Road including the pie eaters.

It is a fundamental principle that for finals should have an even split of tickets. You can’t pick and choose which matches it should apply for.

 

[paulchapo]

Gillingham - average gate around 6000 - allowed season ticket.hokders to buy up to 10 tickets each and anyone with a Kent postcode could buy a ticket.

I couldn't believe they sold out, the whole town must have gone. I could remember my old Kent postcode from when I lived there and I also had lots of friends who lived there so I could have bought one. Unfortunately they'd sold out before I could get off the ship.

 

[paulchapo]

My dad queued for 8 hours.

Utterly ridiculous looking back. The internet wasn't widely used back then but surely a better way could have been found. I laugh when fans complain that the club doesn't listen to them now. Incidents like this are a stark reminder they didn't really give a fuck about us back then either. Remember, in those days we were on the bones of our arse and they desperately needed our support, but we were still treated with contempt.

 

[pride in battle]

Don’t get me started on dodgy attendances, Bernard’s time in power etc. I want to think positive thoughts. Oh, it’s about capacities? Phew!
Yes, the capacity did drop after Bradford fire. Partly because the Platt Lane was almost condemned. The extensions to it (built in 1931 & 1935) included some wooden flooring/terracing, so that was considered unsafe. The stand was handed over to away fans and the corner near Main Stand was supposed to be additional segregation.

The 52,500 capacity of 1984-85 was dropped to just below 50k if my memory is correct. Of course this all makes that Charlton 85 official attendance look even more ridiculous - we know it was many thousand about 52k but was declared as several thousand below!

I was in the Maine Stand, hundreds without a seat, sat and stood on the steps...how did that happen ?