Congratulations & other stuff...

[Mickey Pearce's Hat]

I usually try and catch a game or two at the den with a millwall supporting mate and went up on tuesday for the bristol city game, as I couldn't get a ticket for our promotion game.
I hate to say it, but I saw a guy knocked out at south bermondsey station and a load of racist abuse going on in the stand. Now, I like your club, but until these things get sorted out then it is unlikely that the 'wall will be able to attact a wider audience to come to the den (home or away fans). That said - the millwall board do seem to try their best, but it must be depressing how these problems linger at a few clubs and progress is slow.

Anyway - all the best to you guys. I'm looking forward to next seasons game already.

You're right. But, you've got to think of Millwall as like a tough inner city comprehensive. It's an on going project & you cant click a finger to change things over night.

Unless the club leave the area to somewhere like Buckinghamshire there will always be an element at the club. And to be fair, Millwall really is the only 'true' inner city club in the country. The likes of Arsenal etc have been diluted by 'outsiders' due to success.

What you have at The Den is truly a reflection of the local area, good & bad (you saw violence & racial tension). The club can only do what it is currently doing; working with people like Kick It Out, and have a zero tolerance policy to those caught.

The club is moving in the right direction (maybe as the area changes too). But, it won't happen over night.

I have always bee impressed when talking to Brighton fans about how much more insightful & intelligent they are to & about the problems Millwall face. Rather than the usual blanket 'you're scum' approach of others.

 

[Mickey Pearce's Hat]

Hi bud and good post
Although what gives you the impression you could bring 5k?
You are not known for large away followings unless its a london fixture

Because we sell out London games and take a lot to southern fixtures (Watford, Reading, Southampton, Gillingham, Luton etc) all get 2-3,000 Wall fans, plus even midland clubs see over 1,500 Wall.

It's just past Birmingham our support slips down to 500-600.

Brighton is only 40 minutes from London Bridge, it's a great place to go out, lots of people will be up for it, trust me, if we can take the full allocation to the shitehole that is Luton in League One we can 5,000 to Brighton.

Our away support can be massive (percentage wise comapared to home gates) IF there's:
1) Something at stake (like most clubs), ie 6,000 to Wigan midweek, no trains back, for League One Play-Off Semi.
2) It's an aggro match, ie 3,000 to Hull City a couple of seasons back.
3) Or it's an attractive fixture for some reason, ie 7,000 to Aston Villa.

But you're right, it can be poor...only 500 odd bother going to places like Burnley, Preston etc.

Although, having an all-ticket members only policy doesn't help.

 

[Freddie Goodwin.]

I was at that Easter game you mentioned in 75/76 and millwall hit form at just the right time as others, like us were tiring.

It was scorching and that wasn't just the weather. The Den was a pretty scary place with 9,000 but make that 23,000 and most turnstiles were behind one goal, and it really was scary. one of the 1st sights greeting me was a bloodied Albion fan and a copper saying "Come on, he must have had a reason for hitting you!"

It was an intimidating place and that fear was evident on & off the pitch. I just couldn't wait for the game to end and get home safe!

Albion really blew promotion over that Easter.

The new Den is totally different and one of my fav away games. loads of good pubs at london bridge, we usually do very well, totally safe inside the ground and pretty safe outside as long as you don't get too laery.

A neighbour of mine, in his 70's, is a 'Wall fan, although he doesn't go to as many home games as he used to. I felt really sorry for him when he did the Withers game a few years back when we won 4-1 in the pouring rain. he vowed never to go to Withers again and who could blame him? hopefully he'll be able to make the short trip to Falmer next season.

 

[Mickey Pearce's Hat]

Oh yes, I remember that 4-1 game well. We sold out the away end but by half time most had left, it was that bad both on & off the pitch.

I stayed until the bitter end, as my girlfriend promised she'd pick me up after shopping...and no way was I walking home, even if was just to Bear Road, about 2 miles or so away.

BTW: In the other post I meant 1 hour from London Bridge. JUst another 40 minutes further than Palace where we always take 5,000 plus official fans, plus quite a few more in home areas.

2,500 & a roof will do though...after the horrors of Withdean!!

 

[Gblocksouthstand]

As an aside...any of you wise (not old) enough to remember Millwall v Brighton in 1976.

My uncle was going on about it on Saturday. As the atmosphere & April sunshine, plus the dynamics of the game, us chasing them down v Leeds United reminded him of that day.

It was the 16th April 1976, Easter holidays. At the start of the game we were 4th in the Old Third Division, you were 3rd. It was the famous season we came from no where to over take Palace, who were much hyped & even got to the FA Cup Semi-Finals. But, who slumped to 5th, after leading for much of the season. Indeed, when we played Palace just before xmas we were 15th & they were clear at the top. We'd been mid-table right into March. I think this was the season that really ignited the Palace & Brighton rivarly.

Anyways, we had lost at the Goldstone at the start of Februry to a Binney goal, in front of 15,332 mostly happy fans. All of whom probably thought it was the Seagulls who were destined for promotion, not the Lions.

Yet, fast forward to a balmy Easter day down at an uncharactistically sunny Cold Blow Lane , where over 23,000 assembled to see if the Lions could overhaul the Seagulls. Binney scored again for Albion, but in reply for the Lions so did Lee, Seasman and Brisley in a 3-1 win. According to my uncle thousands of Albion fans made their way up to the game (putting the few hundred that Palace mustered earlier in the season whilst top to shame)...one young Seagull even brought a drum, creating a continental type atmosphere to the traditionally proud working class Den home of Millwall.

So, Millwall went 3rd and secured promotion with a win at Swindon, where 7,000 Lions made up the 13,000 crowd, and a fiurther 4,000 or so Millwall fans went to cheer on a surprised Chester City to a draw at Selhurst Park. Saving themselves from relegation & preventing Palace from promotion. Brighton finished 4th, 3 points behind the Lions and above the Eagles by 0.14 of a goal.

Any memories of this season/game(s)?

Yeah, my mate got thumped in the mouth by a Millwall fan on New Cross Road after the game, and he lived in New Cross; par for the course in those days. Went to Aldershot the next day (Easter Saturday) and was behind the goal when Ward smashed in a volley to equalise that made me realise that he was different class. Got our own back on Millwall a couple of seasons later when Ward flicked the ball over a defender and volleyed in for a 1-0......happy days.

 

[Sadlad]

Congratulations to Brighton from a Walsall fan. It has been a great effort and fully deserved. As you can imagine a massive game for The Saddlers on Saturday as we play hosts to the Seagulls. Its so tight at the foot of the table and we really need the three points. Can't see it happening though. Enjoy the day all those who are travelling up.

 

[El Presidente]

I remember going to The Den in '85 (or '86) and Millwall were on the back of a 15 months unbeaten run at home. We had nothing to play for, but for some reason you allowed Mick Ferguson the ball, we assumed he would fall over within two seconds as usual, but your defenders let him trundle forwards 30 yards and score the winner.

It was carnage afterwards, as your boys decided to register their (understandable) dissent.

 

[sir albion]

Because we sell out London games and take a lot to southern fixtures (Watford, Reading, Southampton, Gillingham, Luton etc) all get 2-3,000 Wall fans, plus even midland clubs see over 1,500 Wall.

It's just past Birmingham our support slips down to 500-600.

Brighton is only 40 minutes from London Bridge, it's a great place to go out, lots of people will be up for it, trust me, if we can take the full allocation to the shitehole that is Luton in League One we can 5,000 to Brighton.

Our away support can be massive (percentage wise comapared to home gates) IF there's:
1) Something at stake (like most clubs), ie 6,000 to Wigan midweek, no trains back, for League One Play-Off Semi.
2) It's an aggro match, ie 3,000 to Hull City a couple of seasons back.
3) Or it's an attractive fixture for some reason, ie 7,000 to Aston Villa.

But you're right, it can be poor...only 500 odd bother going to places like Burnley, Preston etc.

Although, having an all-ticket members only policy doesn't help.

Yeah you had 1592 at reading which was a pretty good turn out for a midweek game

You better hope you sell the 2500 next season first as a poor season will change what you think mmmmm.

 

[Mickey Pearce's Hat]

Yeah you had 1592 at reading which was a pretty good turn out for a midweek game

You better hope you sell the 2500 next season first as a poor season will change what you think mmmmm.

I'm sorry, but I don't know what you're driving at.

Millwall fans aren't like Palace we are not obsessed with gates.

1,600 to Reading mid-week for a club that averages 12,500 is good. Especially when all our away games are all-ticket and members only.

I didn't even know this was any kind of debate re what we'd take to Brighton. I mentioned it because everyone at Millwall is looking forward to it, me especially as I live here. I didn't say we'd take 5,000 as if to say 'wow, look at us, we're massive'...Millwall fans actually like being just a 'neighbourhood' club. I said it because it's true.

Everyone loves coming to Brighton, and now you've got a decent stadium to go to, Millwall would take whatever allocation Brighton gave us, whether we were top of the Premier League or in League Two.

Simply because Brighton is cracking piss-up, it's an hour away direct from London Bridge (ie our main station, in which Millwall fans live around) and the AmEx is (looking like) a fantastic stadium to visit.

I remember Man City fans telling us we wouldn't dare go to Maine Road back in 1999, because Moss Side was soooo scary...cue 3,000 sell-out in 2 days. You could bet your life we'd take thousands up there for a ruck. That's the odd thing about Millwall. Yep, we'd struggle to take 500 odd to say Burnley one season, but if there's a sniff of agrro for some reason, 3,000 turn up, as happened in 1999/2000 season.

Brighton has the same draw to Millwall fans...tits, fanny, Millwall & beer. Trust me, we'll be at Falmer no matter what next season. Even if we adrift at the bottom. This is gonna be a mental away day for us.

Again...not because we're 'massive'...we are clearly not...no, because Brighton is a great, easy to get away day!

The non-football residents of Brighton are gonna be shocked if they've only lived in Brighton for ten years or so. Possibily the younger Brighton fans too. Even the smaller clubs, like Barnsley, Watford, Doncaster etc will bring huge support to Brighton now.

Those of you old enough to remember the 70s, 80s & 90s, before you left the Goldstone will remember some of the carnage in town. Perhaps why some people in Brighton didn't want the club back. Next season thousands of pissed-up football fans are on their way from all over, and even Doncaster will bring 2,000 odd.

 

[Simster]

I remember going to The Den in '85 (or '86) and Millwall were on the back of a 15 months unbeaten run at home. We had nothing to play for, but for some reason you allowed Mick Ferguson the ball, we assumed he would fall over within two seconds as usual, but your defenders let him trundle forwards 30 yards and score the winner.

It was carnage afterwards, as your boys decided to register their (understandable) dissent.

Bricks into the away end with 20 minutes still to play. *shudder*

 

[El Presidente]

Bricks into the away end with 20 minutes still to play. *shudder*

Then bricks into every window of the train taking us back to Brighton. *Nawty*

 

[El Presidente]

I'm sorry, but I don't know what you're driving at.

It's ok, we've had 10+ years of having no idea of what he is on about either.

 

[Mickey Pearce's Hat]

It's ok, we've had 10+ years of having no idea of what he is on about either.

Oh, good.

Because my comments weren't point scoring, so I don't know why he was driving to that kind of debate.

I teach kids like that. You can always spot them.

 

[El Presidente]

Oh, good.

Because my comments weren't point scoring, so I don't know why he was driving to that kind of debate.

I teach kids like that. You can always spot them.

Two lines max of incoherence, followed by a smiley, he never fails to deliver.

 

[Mickey Pearce's Hat]

Ah, the smiley...the sign off of a moron.