Watford FC - History Thread

Discussion in 'The Golden Years' started by Nuandy, Apr 18, 2015.

  1. Nuandy

    Nuandy Academy Graduate

    2 photos taken from the top of the Vicarage Road end. One in 1979 the other in 2015. In 1979 I sat in row A seat 11 of the Shrodells stand.

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 18, 2015
  2. Layton

    Layton First Team

    I loved the vic as it was when i first came in the early 80`s but i always have thought , we do have a tidy little ground , would hate to leave
     
  3. hornetgags

    hornetgags McMuff's lovechild

    I miss the greyhound track...
     
  4. I Blame Pozzo

    I Blame Pozzo First Team

    As Virginia Slims used to say "You've come a long way baby!"

    Good pictures!
     
  5. hornetgags

    hornetgags McMuff's lovechild

    Well if we were to leave then a new stadium would probably mean the 1881 could congregate behind the goal where they belong...
     
  6. Layton

    Layton First Team

    Not a good enough reason really , for me anyway
     
  7. Luther Bassett

    Luther Bassett Reservist

    It's a unique stadium, am so glad we didn't end up with a retail park kit built monstrosity. Great photos; was characteristic then, too but we never were able to get an atmosphere like we can now.
     
  8. Stevohorn

    Stevohorn Watching Grass Grow

    That first pic is a little earlier than 1979. It appeared in the 4th division promotion souvenir brochure of 78. Reason i know this is because i scanned the pic :)


    PS The dog track was removed at the end of the 78/79 season .. and the South West corner was also concreted over for the first time.
     
    PowerJugs likes this.
  9. Nuandy

    Nuandy Academy Graduate

    Cheers I was not 100% of the year I guessed 79 as it looked like that are working on S/W corner were they away fans got moved to that season
     
  10. bert slater

    bert slater Reservist

    fark me i'm old . i remember the main stand (east/sej) without the "new" square bit on it!
     
  11. Timbers

    Timbers Apeman

    With the stand and running now, perhaps it is time for the clock
     
  12. Stevohorn

    Stevohorn Watching Grass Grow

    Yeah confused me a bit that as well.. as it looks like the work on that corner has started but the first season with away fans in that corner was the first season back in div 2 (79/80) That pic is defo 78, or earlier. So if they did the work on the S/W corner at that time we must have had one season before the away fans moved in.

    Have you seen this pic of the Shrodells before?

    [​IMG]
     
  13. Stevohorn

    Stevohorn Watching Grass Grow

    The East stand extension was built in 1969 wasnt it Bert?
     
  14. V Crabro

    V Crabro Reservist

    Wasn't the Shroddels stand dismantled and brought from Cassio Road to Vicarage Road in 1922?
     
  15. Stevohorn

    Stevohorn Watching Grass Grow

    Not sure Cabro. Wouldnt be the first time stands have been moved but i dont recall reading that was the case with the Shrodells.. or Union stand as it was first known. I could be wrong though and i will do a bit of research about that.
     
  16. blahblahblah

    blahblahblah Reservist

    Yes you're right.
     
  17. Nuandy

    Nuandy Academy Graduate

    Yeah seen hat photo. Before Stevohorn
    I was standing about were the old photo was taken when Mo Johnson scored the ET diving header winner against Luton in The fa cup 2nd replay in 84
     
  18. KelsoOrn

    KelsoOrn Squad Player

    When we built the Rous wasn't it dismantled again, sold to the Scummers and isn't it still there?
     
  19. bert slater

    bert slater Reservist

    Yes about then. It appeared in my 2nd season, think I was 9.
     
  20. KelsoOrn

    KelsoOrn Squad Player

    I remember it being built although I'd never have remembered the year. I do remember my dad thinking how posh it looked at the time though. Ha!
     
  21. Hussar

    Hussar Academy Graduate

    I think the main stand extension opened in the 69/70 season for a game against Birmingham.

    As for what happens to old stands, driving on the A38, just past Buckfastleigh, looking to the fields on the left is a stand that was at Torquay, and subsequently for point to point racing
     
  22. Teide1

    Teide1 Squad Player

    Cost about £50,000 which a lot of people thought was a waste of money then!
     
  23. Teide1

    Teide1 Squad Player

    What were the two chaps doing in the photo of the Old stand as I thought that was a cinder track
     
  24. watfordfcmoose

    watfordfcmoose Academy Graduate

    Lots of happy memories of the fireworks, that image reminded me how great that was.
     
  25. Nuandy

    Nuandy Academy Graduate

    That is a photo of work being done on the SW corner when Concret terracing was put in.
    In the 79/80 season away fans were mover from the red lion corner to that corner and Hslf of the rockery
     
  26. ITK platypus

    ITK platypus Squad Player

    I remember when they first opened the Almen Abdi Megastand, 2036 was it? Replaced the old Vicarage Road stand which was less than half the size.

    Oops, posted this in the wrong year.
     
  27. oldmanray

    oldmanray Reservist

    Yup the old ground looks rather quaint ...... but it still held a darn sight more fans than The Vic does nowadays with all its new stands. I'd be quite interested to know how many we could fit in today if we tossed all the seats and Elf n' Stacey out of the window. I'd wager we'd be a 40k+ football ground (not a bloody stadium) going on memories of WHL/Upton Park/Maine & Elland Rd etc from back in the day .... maybe more - even that bunch of filthy scruffs up the road used to get 20k on occasion (usually when we went up there and filled their biggest terrace - the Kenilworth Road end - to show them what a football crowd should look like!).
     
  28. Witneyellow

    Witneyellow Reservist

    I remember New Year's Day fixture 1985 when I was rammed against the little white wall at the front on the NW terrace in a crowd of over 27k (edited after referring to Watfordarchive.com). Mind you my dad regaled me wth tales of 70k + at Stamford Bridge just after WW2!
     
  29. ITK platypus

    ITK platypus Squad Player

    I never understood why the Main Stand extention was a completely different shape to the Main Stand? Our ground wouldn't have looked quite so ridiculous if it had at least matched! Anyone know why this was?
     
  30. Daruma

    Daruma Academy Graduate

    Cost.
     
  31. Stevohorn

    Stevohorn Watching Grass Grow

    Probably cost.. but i wondered whether the long term plan was once to take down the old stand and extend the newer part the full length.



    Griffin Park also has two different builds on the main stand side.. but the roof line is disguised at the front with boarding.

    [​IMG]
     
  32. Shakespearo

    Shakespearo Reservist

    Good spot.
     
  33. Stevohorn

    Stevohorn Watching Grass Grow

    Apparently it was just the roof that was brought over from Cassio Road. The rest of the stand was built on site.. at a cost of £1,250.

    Another pic here..

    [​IMG]
     
  34. bert slater

    bert slater Reservist

    i think the red seats were added later, pretty sure there was shallow terrace in front of stand originally,
     
    wincey74 likes this.
  35. Stevohorn

    Stevohorn Watching Grass Grow

    Yes Bert.. it was originally a standing paddock in front. Seats were bolted on to the terracing in the early 80's.
     

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