Football in the 1980s.

[Mutchy]

Around the 92 in the 1980s

A tour of the lost world of Football League stadiums

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Golden Arrow]

Remember the photographer Stuart Clarke doing something similar around British and foreign grounds and capturing moments on and off the field.

He used to have a shop in Ambleside (?) where I bought a framed photo of the back of the Southbank called "Leeds will die".

Remember other Wolves framed photo's in his shop; one showing the Wolves support at a Wigan Athletic v Wolves FA Cup match (think Carl Robinson scored the only goal), and a Boxing day fixture at Hillsborough in 1990 when it absolutely chucked it down.

 

[sillytuna]

I still have some images I bought from that shop 25 years ago.

 

[wayne-the-wanderer]

Around the 92 in the 1980s

A tour of the lost world of Football League stadiums

www.bbc.co.uk

Great article

Thanks Mutchy for posting

 

[Burton Wolf]

Brilliant. Thanks Mutchy.

 

[SingYourHeartsOut]

Do people still do the 92 club? I've got a vague memory of people who had done all the grounds with Wolves when we played Bradford in the FA Cup round 3 late 80's? These days it seems almost impossible, I just had a count up and I've been to 65 of the current league, but several of them not at their current grounds. Imagine there are lots on here with far more.

 

[bilstonwolf]

Do people still do the 92 club? I've got a vague memory of people who had done all the grounds with Wolves when we played Bradford in the FA Cup round 3 late 80's? These days it seems almost impossible, I just had a count up and I've been to 65 of the current league, but several of them not at their current grounds. Imagine there are lots on here with far more.

I'm trying to do it but I'm only on 32 at the moment, it can be quite hard with relegation to the national league and new stadiums etc.

 

[bully9]

I’d guess at there only being 10 clubs fans , who could of possibly done all 92 with there own club

 

[SingYourHeartsOut]

I’d guess at there only being 10 clubs fans , who could of possibly done all 92 with there own club

Just found this article, Bradford did complete the 92 for this lad just watching Wolves in 1988, at the age of 16!

Ledbury Wolves: the father and son who have missed just 7 Wolverhampton Wanderers matches in the equivalent of 110 years - Sports Gazette

There are fans, there are ‘Super fans’, and then there’s the Ledbury Wolves. Father and son John and Anthony Reynolds, from the small Herefordshire market town of Ledbury, have missed just seven Wolverhampton Wanderers first team matches between them since 1974, despite living over 60 miles away...

sportsgazette.co.uk

 

[Frank Lincoln]

A great article and it brought the memories flooding back. He mentioned meeting Bryan Hamilton at Wigan Athletic. It must have been around that time when we went to Springfield Park to watch Wolves play. I think it ended in a draw. Anyway, my main point is that we met Bryan Hamilton as we were entering the club shop. He was really friendly and signed my sons programme.

 

[Flea]

Do people still do the 92 club? I've got a vague memory of people who had done all the grounds with Wolves when we played Bradford in the FA Cup round 3 late 80's? These days it seems almost impossible, I just had a count up and I've been to 65 of the current league, but several of them not at their current grounds. Imagine there are lots on here with far more.

I´m doing it,from Sweden.
Have been travelling around since 2007..every year two trips with the obvious exceptions of the Covid years.
With Hartlepool dropping,I´m on 67 grounds at present.
Hopefully,the 92 will be done in about six years time.

The piece was lovely reading.I wish I would have had the chance to experience more of the old grounds than I have.

 

[Flea]

I'm trying to do it but I'm only on 32 at the moment, it can be quite hard with relegation to the national league and new stadiums etc.

Nothing wrong as I see it making up your own rules.
I personally is not counting new grounds..if I´ve been to the club in question at their then home ground and watched a competitive football match(league,FA,milk cup)then I will count it as done.
This said,I guess only three clubs has moved sticks out of my 67 thus far.

 

[Norway Wolves]

I've done 79. And the strange thing is I remember in my mind every single one of them in great detail. Generally I can't remember alot that happened last week in detail, but football stadiums from 30 years ago, all their intricate details are etched in my memory.

I don't seem to have the ability to remember everything Mrs Norway Wolves tells me she has told me and apparantly I have agreed to thats for sure.

 

[Frank Lincoln]

Do people still do the 92 club? I've got a vague memory of people who had done all the grounds with Wolves when we played Bradford in the FA Cup round 3 late 80's? These days it seems almost impossible, I just had a count up and I've been to 65 of the current league, but several of them not at their current grounds. Imagine there are lots on here with far more.

I have been to about 60, but a few of these are no longer there.

 

[Banks's Mild]

I'm trying to do it but I'm only on 32 at the moment, it can be quite hard with relegation to the national league and new stadiums etc.

I wanted to do all 92 watching Wolves rather than just going to tick them off by watching anybody and managed to get to 62 before realising how difficult it was to do them all and losing the enthusiasm and as you say with all the clubs going out the league and being replaced makes it even harder. I have been to both old and new at a few stadiums as well.
The only way to probably do it now would be to just go and watch any game at each stadium and good luck if you do decide to carry on and try and complete it.

 

[Norway Wolves]

I suppose many of us have seen Wolves in all 4 divisions, so we are fortunate in that way. Did anyone experience Northamptons old ground? Surely the worst...

 

[Banks's Mild]

I suppose many of us have seen Wolves in all 4 divisions, so we are fortunate in that way. Did anyone experience Northamptons old ground? Surely the worst...

Yeah, and on a Sunday if my memory serves me correct.

 

[WickedWolfie]

I suppose many of us have seen Wolves in all 4 divisions, so we are fortunate in that way. Did anyone experience Northamptons old ground? Surely the worst...

With the cricket pitch on one side? Elm Park and the Manor Ground were both bloody awful as was Aldershot (forgotten the name) for other reasons.

 

[Flea]

I suppose many of us have seen Wolves in all 4 divisions, so we are fortunate in that way. Did anyone experience Northamptons old ground? Surely the worst...

Isn´t Oxford old Manor ground and Reading old Elm Park legendary dumps?
That said..Molineux in the latter part of the 80´s wasn´t exactly prawn sandwich either as I have been told.

 

[oldgold4ever]

Cracking photo of the old south bank.

 

[lets all have a disco]

I've done about 88 of the current 92......and obviously quite a few who have gone out the league.....

The 92 doesn't bother me as such as I tend to go to games just involving wolves....but my brother is all over the 92 and loads in the non league.....he cheats a bit though as he has mates who support port vale and Morecambe.....he takes it quite serious and occasionally I have gone to a few with him....last season it meant a Friday night drive to barrow v Newport to complete his set again......which I did join him on...

I'm one for going to foreign grounds though...been all round Europe watching games in about 20 different countries.....got a double header booked for late August Hungary n Serbia to catch a couple of games to add them to the list....hoping for honved or ferencvaros in Budapest and either partizan or red star in Belgrade ...

 

[SingYourHeartsOut]

I have been to about 60, but a few of these are no longer there.

God yes, again some people (maybe including you) will have done far more than me, but just off the top of my head...
Highbury, Eastville, Fellows Park, Leeds Rd, Boothferry, Burnden Park (don't), Maine Road, Victoria Ground, Highfield Rd, Gay Meadow, Baseball Ground, The Den, Manor Ground, Millmoor, Goodison oh no hang on......

 

[bilstonwolf]

I wanted to do all 92 watching Wolves rather than just going to tick them off by watching anybody and managed to get to 62 before realising how difficult it was to do them all and losing the enthusiasm and as you say with all the clubs going out the league and being replaced makes it even harder. I have been to both old and new at a few stadiums as well.
The only way to probably do it now would be to just go and watch any game at each stadium and good luck if you do decide to carry on and try and complete it.

That's what I do, thankfully got mates who support a wide range of teams across the leagues so that alleviates the boredom of having to go by myself.

 

[bilstonwolf]

Nothing wrong as I see it making up your own rules.
I personally is not counting new grounds..if I´ve been to the club in question at their then home ground and watched a competitive football match(league,FA,milk cup)then I will count it as done.
This said,I guess only three clubs has moved sticks out of my 67 thus far.

Conversely I count any game from the men's first team (including pre season) so sadly my Selhurst Park jaunt with our U23s doesn't count. A stadium change calls for another visit but I've only had that issue with Brentford and Wimbledon.

 

[Stourport wolf]

With the cricket pitch on one side? Elm Park and the Manor Ground were both bloody awful as was Aldershot (forgotten the name) for other reasons.

I thought Elm Park had a lot of character. Awful I agree, but in it's own way unique..

 

[glorybox]

I've done about 88 of the current 92......and obviously quite a few who have gone out the league.....

The 92 doesn't bother me as such as I tend to go to games just involving wolves....but my brother is all over the 92 and loads in the non league.....he cheats a bit though as he has mates who support port vale and Morecambe.....he takes it quite serious and occasionally I have gone to a few with him....last season it meant a Friday night drive to barrow v Newport to complete his set again......which I did join him on...

I'm one for going to foreign grounds though...been all round Europe watching games in about 20 different countries.....got a double header booked for late August Hungary n Serbia to catch a couple of games to add them to the list....hoping for honved or ferencvaros in Budapest and either partizan or red star in Belgrade ...

Aaah a football tourist ..!

 

[Hot Fuss]

Isn´t Oxford old Manor ground and Reading old Elm Park legendary dumps?
That said..Molineux in the latter part of the 80´s wasn´t exactly prawn sandwich either as I have been told.

Depends what you want from a football ground. I loved the Manor ground, even though we were always **** there. Elm Park was good as well.

 

[Arky_R]

Do people still do the 92 club? I've got a vague memory of people who had done all the grounds with Wolves when we played Bradford in the FA Cup round 3 late 80's? These days it seems almost impossible, I just had a count up and I've been to 65 of the current league, but several of them not at their current grounds. Imagine there are lots on here with far more.

My brother is doing it at the moment. Think he needs to do league 2 now

 

[Ian]

Around the 92 in the 1980s

A tour of the lost world of Football League stadiums

www.bbc.co.uk

Lovely read.
Thanks so much for posting it

 

[Macman]

Just found this article, Bradford did complete the 92 for this lad just watching Wolves in 1988, at the age of 16!

Ledbury Wolves: the father and son who have missed just 7 Wolverhampton Wanderers matches in the equivalent of 110 years - Sports Gazette

There are fans, there are ‘Super fans’, and then there’s the Ledbury Wolves. Father and son John and Anthony Reynolds, from the small Herefordshire market town of Ledbury, have missed just seven Wolverhampton Wanderers first team matches between them since 1974, despite living over 60 miles away...

sportsgazette.co.uk

Im similar to the lad in this article. We are both similar ages and by the early 90s i had done 81 league grounds all watching just Wolves as i started going away regularly when i was about 12 in 1984. Most of the grounds i hadnt been to were first division/premier league grounds.

Obviously now with so many promotions from the National League there are a lot of grounds i havent been to such as Stevenage, Crawley, Forest Green etc

however, if you just include the original 92 league teams before relegation/promotion from non league, then there is only one ground i havent been to watching Wolves.… Southampton. Most of these 81 league grounds were the original grounds before rebuilds and moves. (Ie, i have been to Roker Park, but not the Stadium of Light).

even looking at the current National League table, all the ex-football league clubs I have been to watching Wolves, except Yeovil, and i have seen a few games there as we have relatives who are big Yeovil fans.

 

[Olivergoldblack]

It's a lovely article.

Just reminds you what a state all the stadiums were in at the time. So run down, even all the big clubs at the time.
Imagine telling a Spurs fan that in 1990 that 30 years later they'll be putting down 1 billion to rebuild the stadium.

My opinion is that Football stadiums now are like what cathedrals were for the last 2000 years. The centrepiece, most extravagant and symbolic structure in a town or city that inspire awe.

Because of the Premier League's worldwide reach, people in far off lands might not be familiar with Wolverhampton, but they'll know the football club, our badge and our colours, and what Molineux looks like. So as I've been beating the drum on the stadium page, I'd love us to build a magnificently beautiful, iconic and original stadium that's admired around the world as our cathedral of football.

 

[Banks's Mild]

Depends what you want from a football ground. I loved the Manor ground, even though we were always **** there. Elm Park was good as well.

As much as I like the comfort and safety of all these new stadiums now I'm older, I used to love going to all those old grounds back in the day even if a lot were dumps. Always enjoyed the variety and particularly enjoyed Highfield Road as an away day but all had their own identity whereas a lot of that has been lost now.

 

[Werewolf of Wombourne]

One of the reasons I look back on the period 87-90 with such fondness is all the crappy away grounds I got to go to,

• Gigg Lane, with it's all wooden seating and corrugated walls
• Sealand Road, where the away end was a grassy bank with a few poles sunk into the ground and a single copper patrolling the top to stop you from sneaking in because there was no rear wall.
• Field mill to see Roger 'KKK' Gifford send off another black centre half of ours,
• Throwing up a mixture of Ribena and Monster Munch in my mates car on the way to London Road on New Years Day because I was hungover to ****.
• Looking like a Belisha Beacon in the pub because I'd had a Bully cut in the morning and then got sunburned to hell in the away end at Elm Park
• Getting **** all over my leg at Blundell Park due to the utterly inadequate toilets
• Being bored ****less at Leeds Road because the official supporters club coaches had badly misjudged the length of the journey and got us there at 10 to 12 and the police herded us into the ground so we had 3 hours of standing there without even the program sellers or catering being open.

At least we might get to go to Kenilworth Road next season!

 

[Frank Lincoln]

God yes, again some people (maybe including you) will have done far more than me, but just off the top of my head...
Highbury, Eastville, Fellows Park, Leeds Rd, Boothferry, Burnden Park (don't), Maine Road, Victoria Ground, Highfield Rd, Gay Meadow, Baseball Ground, The Den, Manor Ground, Millmoor, Goodison oh no hang on......

Those yes, plus one of my favourite old ground, The Dell at Southampton. A lovely little ground that had a great atmosphere, something that has been sadly missing since they moved to St. Mary’s.