Our crowds early 80's

[pcbear 10,924]

I was looking for a midweek game v Dundee Utd when we got humped 4-1 but could not find it, on wiki it gives you the crowd/scorers in all the games I was looking at seasons  80-83 and our attendances outwith the scum games were shite, anything from a low of 6-7k to regular 15-20k and an odd 40 odd v them was pretty much the norm, no problem getting a seat then, when Souness took the job 86 ish  we were getting crowds for non of games of 30-40k and I could not believe it, it all seems pretty small fry now but these were huge crowds to what we were used to.

[the old guard 2,347]

Remember drawing with Morton and there was around 6k there, think it was January, it was fkn Baltic. 

[LOL153 No Surrender!!! 1,810]

I used to go with my uncle in those days, yeah there were some dreadful attendances in those days, big brand new stadium and hardly anybody there. 

Was fucking frozen as nobody sitting beside us. 

We had season ticket in Lower Govan, well Season Book, all those empty seats and we still sat in those seats every game, rain snow or hail, could have moved back a bit under cover, but no we just sat where we were, 

I believe we played St.Mirren and that was about three thousand, brilliant day, used to love the chips going home though, 

[pcbear 10,924]

I watched through all these shite years and moved to London late 86, I remember buying a paper at Euston one day  and looked at the crowd v Clydebank and it was around 27k and I thought fuckin hell that's unreal as the season before it might have been a quarter of that.

[TheMotor 2,208]

And believe it or not, we still had a Subway Loyal fucking off after 75 minutes.

I used to love the mid-week games back then because it was the only time me and my friends could get a block of seats together in the Copland Rear. We would be in the CF for Saturday games.

Ground always seemed to fill as CR, then CF, then Enclosures. Govan and Main Stand frequently seemed to be well under half full.

[LOL153 No Surrender!!! 1,810]

3 minutes ago, pcbear said:

I watched through all these shite years and moved to London late 86, I remember buying a paper at Euston one day  and looked at the crowd v Clydebank and it was around 27k and I thought fuckin hell that's unreal as the season before it might have been a quarter of that.

We played St.Mirren away at the old Love Street about those years, think it ended 0-0 or 1-0 to them, I was younger and my Dad and my uncle had went to see Rangers in a tournament in Belgium, Beershott, not sure if i had spelt that rite. 

They brought me back an air horn and being frustrated I gave it a blast at the end of the game, think my uncle gave me a slap on the head and the stares around me because we hadn't won were a bit scary in those days to a young boy, 

[The Ibrox Derry 8,969]

The Govan Rover ticket? Anyone remember that?

[blueballss 2,972]

http://www.fitbastats.com/Rangers/club_records_league_attendance.php

 

[superallysbears 7,768]

25 minutes ago, pcbear said:

I was looking for a midweek game v Dundee Utd when we got humped 4-1 but could not find it, on wiki it gives you the crowd/scorers in all the games I was looking at seasons  80-83 and our attendances outwith the scum games were shite, anything from a low of 6-7k to regular 15-20k and an odd 40 odd v them was pretty much the norm, no problem getting a seat then, when Souness took the job 86 ish  we were getting crowds for non of games of 30-40k and I could not believe it, it all seems pretty small fry now but these were huge crowds to what we were used to.

Probably one of my earliest memories going to ibrox is a midweek game with my dad back then, and it was a midweek game against dundee utd we got beat, now I'm not saying it was that very game your talking about but as I was reading your post the memory came back, we were sitting in the brown seats and I can also remember the big blue tube tunnel coming out at half time. 

[Fred H Crawford 1,182]

19 minutes ago, pcbear said:

I was looking for a midweek game v Dundee Utd when we got humped 4-1 but could not find it, on wiki it gives you the crowd/scorers in all the games I was looking at seasons  80-83 and our attendances outwith the scum games were shite, anything from a low of 6-7k to regular 15-20k and an odd 40 odd v them was pretty much the norm, no problem getting a seat then, when Souness took the job 86 ish  we were getting crowds for non of games of 30-40k and I could not believe it, it all seems pretty small fry now but these were huge crowds to what we were used to.

The Dundee Utd game was in march 81 , the crowd is given as 14 000 which would be about normal for a midweek game around then . Jim Stewart made his debut that night .

  Pre Souness it was not unusual to roll up at the stand of your choice , or the smallest queue , at ten to three . You then paid your cash and had time to have a pish , buy a pie/Bovril and still be in a seat before kick off ? Even the first few home games of the Souness era while a lot busier , were still only watched by the types of numbers we were used to when facing the tarriers or the sheep . Took a few months and the realization that this might be more than some of the previous false dawns before we were facing the prospect of sell outs and all ticket games . 

[pcbear 10,924]

2 minutes ago, The Ibrox Derry said:

The Govan Rover ticket? Anyone remember that?

I had a Rover season ticket, you could sit in any seat in any stand apart from the main stand, it was 40 quid.

[blueballss 2,972]

Loved those days, sentimental but was my growing up as a fan, away days were special

[TheMotor 2,208]

Just thinking, actually. It couldn't just have been us having a shite time back then as far as crowds went.

We used to go to all of the away games independently and I only ever remember having to have tickets for the beasts and the sheep.

Could be old age fucking with the memory though.

[pcbear 10,924]

2 minutes ago, blueballss said:

http://www.fitbastats.com/Rangers/club_records_league_attendance.php

 

nice find

[The Ibrox Derry 8,969]

2 minutes ago, pcbear said:

I had a Rover season ticket, you could sit in any seat in any stand apart from the main stand, it was 40 quid.

I loved the multi coloured seats, when they were replaced they looked very dated, but looking at them now they look amazing.

[pcbear 10,924]

2 minutes ago, Fred H Crawford said:

The Dundee Utd game was in march 81 , the crowd is given as 14 000 which would be about normal for a midweek game around then . Jim Stewart made his debut that night .

  Pre Souness it was not unusual to roll up at the stand of your choice , or the smallest queue , at ten to three . You then paid your cash and had time to have a pish , buy a pie/Bovril and still be in a seat before kick off ? Even the first few home games of the Souness era while a lot busier , were still only watched by the types of numbers we were used to when facing the tarriers or the sheep . Took a few months and the realization that this might be more than some of the previous false dawns before we were facing the prospect of sell outs and all ticket games . 

We were in the Broomloan that night, I gave the guy a 20 pound note and he had no change, I had to go back out until another few punters paid then he had enough for my change.

[The Ibrox Derry 8,969]

[Paulbrian11 433]

My first game was in 83 against Dundee United.  There was actually a reasonably big crowd of about 25,000 there as, believe it or not, Dundee United were champions and brought a big support.  It was a shit game, 0-0 draw.  It was pretty grim for the first few years to be honest.  Then Souness arrived and people who hadn’t been in years suddenly started going again haha

[Ibroxholm 2,281]

Even in the 70s, we were only getting around 15-20k for a normal midweek league game.  In the winter, used to regularly see fires started in the terracing with fans gathered around them.

[rfc_watp 1,503]

Question to the older bears. 

What did that feel like having such low attendances when 10/15 years previous, the game you were going to were just shy of 100,000? 

Must have been tough to take at the time.

[pcbear 10,924]

11 minutes ago, superallysbears said:

Probably one of my earliest memories going to ibrox is a midweek game with my dad back then, and it was a midweek game against dundee utd we got beat, now I'm not saying it was that very game your talking about but as I was reading your post the memory came back, we were sitting in the brown seats and I can also remember the big blue tube tunnel coming out at half time. 

Paul Sturrock and Graham Payne ran us ragged with Gregor Stevens trying to kill everyone.

[Ibroxholm 2,281]

1 minute ago, rfc_watp said:

Question to the older bears. 

What did that feel like having such low attendances when 10/15 years previous, the game you were going to were just shy of 100,000? 

Must have been tough to take at the time.

I started going in the early 60s and, as I remember, there was quite a variation in the attendances depending on the opposition.  You did get big crowds 60k plus  for the bigger games against celtic, Hibs and Hearts but we were only getting 25-35k for run of the mill league games.  

[blueballss 2,972]

1 hour ago, pcbear said:

Paul Sturrock and Graham Payne ran us ragged with Gregor Stevens trying to kill everyone.

Sturrock was immense, Payne would be one loads on hear don't know but some player, I played with Gregor later on in his career, yes he did try... every game ? ? 

[pcbear 10,924]

4 minutes ago, blueballss said:

Sturrock was immense, Payne would be one loads on hear don't know but some player, I played with Gregor later on in his career, yes he did try... every game ? ? 

Wee ginger guy sort of Strachan like with his socks at his ankles, great wee player, Stevens was wild.

[blueballss 2,972]

59 minutes ago, pcbear said:

Wee ginger guy sort of Strachan like with his socks at his ankles, great wee player.

https://goo.gl/images/HGidcE