Late 80's/Early 90's Crowds

[Julius Geezer]

Fairly sure the Coventry or Chesterfield games of 83 were dire attendance wise, circa 8k?

My memories fade though, had my ST 81 through 93 and always remember the Gwladys being full but maybe because blocked out the poor attendance matches and see through Blue tinted specs the rest.

As many have said 80's in Merseyside particularly were desperate for so many, I feel relatively lucky to have been a teen and largely unaffected as was still living at home but my Dad being made redundant but still buying me my ST but him not going.


To be honest, attendance and downturn apart, would defo go back to that time when football was for us and not the Prem Prawnies.

I went to the Notts County game in 83 was about 14000 there,early 84 when our 2 cup runs started to gather pace 21-24000 was a good gate.

 

[Wat Tyler]

I was there against Southampton in December 1993, a game made 'famous' for Howard Kendall's resignation after the game because the board (which BK was part of, by the way) wouldn't sanction the deal he'd agreed with Man Utd for Dion Dublin.

Goodison attendance that day...13,667. The lowest for a league game in all the time I've followed this club. Swathes of empty seats everywhere on this vid.

You can tell this is years old because we won a match

 

[Dixieslaces]

I went to the Notts County game in 83 was about 14000 there,early 84 when our 2 cup runs started to gather pace 21-24000 was a good gate.

Flashback of the Andy Gray on the ground header at County Ground....Happy days!

County relegated 83 iirc?

 

[wembley84]

The gates were definitely lower but the tax fiddle was riduliculous in some games.

Vividly remember a game against boro around Xmas early 90's and the ground was rammed.

Official attendance was 25k.

 

[captainvindaloo]

The gates were definitely lower but the tax fiddle was riduliculous in some games.

Vividly remember a game against boro around Xmas early 90's and the ground was rammed.

Official attendance was 25k.

I remember games like that. There would actually be an audible gasp of disbelief and then a chuckle around the ground whenever the 'official' attendance was announced. Like, everybody knew what was going on. Finance shenanigans in football is a given. Nothing has changed much. Re: current business affairs of the club.

 

[Davideeyore]

Watching a few clips on YT of Goodison in the late 80's early 90's. From the back end of the great days up to the Beardsley/Ablett/MoJo days.
Very striking how small the crowds were!
Empty spaces every where. Avg crowds of 27-29,000.

Anyone here of that vintage know why that was??
If anything I'd say we were a lot bigger in the city than we are today. Seems very odd?

I was one that went back then too! There was similar with the early/mid 80's. Our glory period had attendances that fluctuated in the the 20's and 30's.

Different reasons I think I was a kid in the 80's I think it was more economical and also football was not appealing as it is now & hooliganism too..

In the early 90's I think this was basically the start of our decline we were no longer trying to win the title I think that had an affect. Again football itself wasn't
as appealing the change to the PL & Sky probably turned the game around along with all-seater stadiums. If you see that our attendances from the mid-90's become locked at mid-30's and continued to rise and nowadays it's a full stadium come what may.

And come what may, the football club sure do take the fans for granted.

 

[Davideeyore]

What's more surprising or shocking from a modern take, I don't know about anyone else, but these days most of us live and breath Everton we're on GOT twitter You Tube etc. I don't think we had the same appetite back then maybe the football Echo & programmes.

There was the occasional live game and and the highlights, going back to the 80's we only had Grandstand, and the radio to listen to the match they didn't even cover home matches, only away games and ONLY the 2nd half!

 

[lancs blue]

Paying cash at the turnstile

Able to sit pretty much where you wanted

Now a worse team with a stadium full each week

Mad times

 

[daza_1973]

Oh, the ironic cheers when the suspiciously low attendance figure was announced mid second half in the early 90s.

 

[Alanbileysfeathercut]

And ciggies ...

And wrigglies

 

[sam domingo]

I went to the Notts County game in 83 was about 14000 there,early 84 when our 2 cup runs started to gather pace 21-24000 was a good gate.

I remember that game against Notts County. I'm sure it was the following week we played Spurs in the FA cup and there were 3 times as many there! Mind you the FA cup meant everything back then of course. I remember another game against County the following season, we beat them 4-1 and the crowd was even smaller than the previous season, barely 13,000.

 

[Everton1654]

I had a season ticket in the nineties. There was no waiting list and they were very affordable. The footy was utterly terrible, however!

I bought my first Season Ticket during my dinner hour at school. Just went up to the box office and picked my seat.

 

[Mademan]

I was there against Southampton in December 1993, a game made 'famous' for Howard Kendall's resignation after the game because the board (which BK was part of, by the way) wouldn't sanction the deal he'd agreed with Man Utd for Dion Dublin.

Goodison attendance that day...13,667. The lowest for a league game in all the time I've followed this club. Swathes of empty seats everywhere on this vid.

It was literally after the game cos I heard it on the radio driving home. We opened with 3 wins that season as well.

 

[Number_25]

Mental to think it used to be empty

 

[Mademan]

I remember a home game in the early 90s, can’t remember who were the opposition but that same day, Sunderland’s game at Tranmere was called off so they shoved their travelling supporters in the top right of the old Park End so they could see some footy.