Your memories of the 80's - part one
Thursday, 18th Sep 2008 18:16

We've had an amazing response from you on our memories of the 1980's feature. Here are the best ones so far....

Hillman writes: "Eating the awful f*****g pies , sat on my own one night in the south stand..."

Phil Salmon writes: "I remember going to watch us against Stoke in 1985 at Stoke, Dad took me and my brother, because we live in crewe near Stoke and couldn't get to any elland road matches,so it was a treat. We were in the stoke end. it was only £4.00 to get into the ground, and we got thrashed 5-2 i think.. we were bloody awful, Mark Chamberlin ripped us apart. I remember ian snodin playing. We were stood by the players tunnel, and Andy Ritchie and Terry Phelan were stood in the tunnel next to us. They were not playing, and my Dad asked them for their autographs. Andy took the programme and went into the dressing room, and got all the players autographs. I still have that program to this day, what a nice bloke Andy Ritchie is."

Deputy Ed writes: According to the record books, Leeds lost 6-2 at Stoke at start of the 1985/86 season, August 26th 1985 to be precise. The following season we lost 7-2 at the Victoria Ground, and on the subject of Stoke...

Neale Sheldon writes: "The 80's was my era, and I really enjoyed supporting Leeds United. I didn't make the grade as a footballer with my local team Stoke City,

"I was told I had a mouth like Billy Bremner and was as dirty as Hunter.The next best thing was to become a "full time supporter" of everything Leeds United, basically I was young free and single and got a job that allowed me to take holidays or part days off when I wished.

"I am glad to say "I was there"

".....the Adamson Out era, West Brom safety fence getting pulled down, Grimsby the first season back in the 2nd Division, West Stand car park after Eddie Gray got sacked.

"BUT, my highlight was the Billy Bremner era.After having given Bremner an ear bashing one foggy afternoon before a Central League Reserve match, I got to know Billy pretty well and spent many hours talking football. "That wee lad over there",he told me referring to a small David Batty, you just watch, he will be in the 1st team in a couple of years.

"The satisfaction of watching a lad come from the junior team and go on to become an England International.

"The thing about the Bremner era was the togetherness/family atmosphere, from Sheila and Bob Baldwin in the Club Shop, Terry Yorath's mother in law, Sheila who ran Sheila's Cafe opposite the ground.

"There was just a magical "something" in the Bremner era,I couldn't get to the ground quick enough. Leaning out of the train window getting a whiff of the "good Leeds air" seeing the
massive diamond floodlights, the smell of train diesel fumes at Leeds City Station,a quick jog to the Corn Exchange to get a 53 bus and the tingle down my back getting off the bus outside Elland Road.

"Roll forward to 2000, even the European nights lacked a little something.

"Getting back to 2008, the magic has gone, everything at Leeds seems so bland!".

Chris Balmforth writes: "I just remember the open end and the plastic pitch at Oldham one rainy, wind-swept NewYears Day when the ball wouldn't stay still for dead-balls and every player needed a 'holder' when taking corners. Merv 'the swerve' had a fantastic day in goal and Andy Ritchie scored with our only effort. 1-0!! We were wet and frozen but the pies and hot soup were fantastic at Oldham back then - I think we spent the whole of the second half huddled under one of the canopies on one of the pie vans. Great days!!!"

Ell Lee Sixty Five writes: "Beginning of the promotion season, Wilko having splashed out on Big Mel, Vinnie et al and combined with the post-Hillsboro capacity reduction (think we were down from a 43,000 capacity to around 32,000) demand was high and Leeds had introduced a daft, short lived membership scheme for the South Stand. Id travelled 90-odd miles for our game with Blackburn at ER but could not get in and was not going to miss it, so I bunked into the Rovers end- I took my Leeds shirt off and hid it in my jacket. Unfortunately I could not contain myself when Chris Fairclough headed home the equaliser, but it struck me how intimidating the atmosphere for visitors was back then in comparison to the deserted church that ER has been since we went all-seater really. Leeds took a lot of stick that season for giving just around 1200 spaces in the SE corner, okay the few clubs with big followings (Newcastle, Sunderland, Bradford etc) would have a moan, Sunderland even cut-back our own allocation in retaliation and famously could not sell the tickets kept-back for their own fans which we would have snapped-up! That's enough for now, just off to dust down my "Race for the Title" VHS - cheers!

Email Me with your 80's memories if you have not already done so!"

Keep em coming folks,

Photo: Action Images

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