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I think swapping ends was par for the course at all grounds in the good old days.

The thing that gets me about these grounds is that they all look absolutely massive! Compare the size of the old terraced Love Street to the new SMP, for example. It was huge!

The only ground on here that I've experienced in its original form is Brockville, mainly due to Caley not being in the league until 1994. Brockville was a great stadium, when we played Falkirk just before Christmas 2002 we had a good crowd down and there was an atmosphere. However, some wheelchair bound fans had difficulties accessing the ground - you can see why things had to change, it's OK for me, a relatively sturdy young(ish) man but for older or disabled fans terracing probably wasn't as good.

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My grandad told me it was common place at muirton park to swap ends at half time with the opposition fans

Absolutely the same at Brockville. I have a great photo of my Dad in the crowd at Brockville in 1947. It's difficult to spot anyone in the crowd over the age of ten who isn't wearing a hat.

Edited by Guest
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Which came first at Shawfield...was it a greyhound track Clyde decided to move into or was it originally Clyde's football ground that they adapted to allowing racing as an income generator?

If it was always a greyhound track, where did Clyde play before and why move?

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Which came first at Shawfield...was it a greyhound track Clyde decided to move into or was it originally Clyde's football ground that they adapted to allowing racing as an income generator?

If it was always a greyhound track, where did Clyde play before and why move?

Clyde played at Barrowfield Park from their inception until 1898 before moving to Shawfield, which was a former horse trotting ground. The club were struggling financially in the 1920's and a greyhound racing company offered to lease the stadium and give Clyde a percentage of the gate receipts, but animal racing was forbidden in the deeds of Shawfield. They managed to get around it by setting up a new company (largely financed by Clyde's directors), who bought the stadium from Clyde, and this allowed them to implement greyhound racing, and Clyde were now tenants. The then owners decided to evict Clyde and they left in 1986. Clyde announced they were moving back to Shawfield in 1988, but the owners did a u-turn and decided that speedway would be a better option. The speedway track cut into the grass (see below), so it couldn't host both.

Shawfield1.jpg

Another interesting fact is that Shawfield passed right through the Glasgow-Lanarkshire boundary (I think a third in Glasgow and two thirds Lanarkshire). Clyde finished 3rd in Scotland in 1966-67 and should have had a place in the Inter Cities Fairs Cup, but there was a "one club per city" rule. Rangers had finished 2nd, and the authorities deemed Clyde a Glasgow team due to their membership of the Glasgow FA. Clyde tried to argue that most of the ground was in Lanarkshire but were denied their place and 6th place Dundee took the European spot.

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Since other stadiums have been posted, I think it would only be fair to include the greatest of them all.

These photos were apparently taken 16 July 1950, when Uruguay upset Brazil in the World Cup Final.

The official attendance is recorded at 199,854, the largest ever recorded.

There are some fantastic photos of the ever-changing Maracanã, through the years.

However, there are too many great ones to include, so here's some from the 1950 World Cup Final:

1701095_full-lnd.jpg

juanalbertoschiaffino1950_275x155.jpg

512307_FULL-LND.jpg

article-2273504-17596A1E000005DC-442_964

PA-2373463.jpg

Edited by Mon Dieu
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Official figure was 16,560 for the semi-final. Was my first one and still had the ticket stub up until a few years ago but I've somehow managed to lose it.

I saw a few weeks ago the United subscription TV service advertising highlights of it. Would love to see them and was hoping they might find their way onto YouTube.

It's almost painful looking at some of these old photos as so many great memories of brilliant grounds. The reasons for redevelopment were well intentioned but we've lost so much from the game. It can't be the same for kids starting out on their football travels these days. You felt so much more part of the action I felt than you do now.

That's true if youngsters are frog marched off to top flight grounds which are all seaters. If they are taken to junior, lower league or non-league senior games they can still sample the delights of the terraces.

Pittodrie was never the same after it became all seater.

I much preferred the terraces, and still do on my increasingly rare visits to football matches, but that was the way it was when I first started going. You never miss what you never had!

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Sir Alick of Milne told me that Woods Park was where Sir Harry Lauder Road is now and was used by Junior club Portobello Thistle.

Anybody got any memorobilia of old grounds? I have a shower tap rescued from the ruins of Victoria Park, Newtongrange after the stand was demolished. It was probably touched by greats such as Willie Bauld and Dave McKay in its time. I also have a sink tap from Dunbar's Countess Park and a wee souvenir of the East Terrace at Easter Road.

I'd get those into a safe deposit box at the bank, pdq, and just hope there are no cat burglars with internet hacking skills on line. :lol:

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Clyde played at Barrowfield Park from their inception until 1898 before moving to Shawfield, which was a former horse trotting ground. The club were struggling financially in the 1920's and a greyhound racing company offered to lease the stadium and give Clyde a percentage of the gate receipts, but animal racing was forbidden in the deeds of Shawfield. They managed to get around it by setting up a new company (largely financed by Clyde's directors), who bought the stadium from Clyde, and this allowed them to implement greyhound racing, and Clyde were now tenants. The then owners decided to evict Clyde and they left in 1986. Clyde announced they were moving back to Shawfield in 1988, but the owners did a u-turn and decided that speedway would be a better option. The speedway track cut into the grass (see below), so it couldn't host both.

Shawfield1.jpg

Another interesting fact is that Shawfield passed right through the Glasgow-Lanarkshire boundary (I think a third in Glasgow and two thirds Lanarkshire). Clyde finished 3rd in Scotland in 1966-67 and should have had a place in the Inter Cities Fairs Cup, but there was a "one club per city" rule. Rangers had finished 2nd, and the authorities deemed Clyde a Glasgow team due to their membership of the Glasgow FA. Clyde tried to argue that most of the ground was in Lanarkshire but were denied their place and 6th place Dundee took the European spot.

Excellent. Many thanks for that.

I actually knew the boundary situation. It's a good story and a bit like Chester's ground being part in England and part in Wales. TRS tried to use it to their advantage but also failed.

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Since other stadiums have been posted, I think it would only be fair to include the greatest of them all.

These photos were apparently taken 16 July 1950, when Uruguay upset Brazil in the World Cup Final.

The official attendance is recorded at 199,854, the largest ever recorded.

There are some fantastic photos of the ever-changing Maracanã, through the years.

Fact for the day... Hibs are the only Scottish club ever to have played in the Maracana.

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Regarding the swapping of ends, Id say Dundee United come to mind as well as Ayr. Most Scottish fans seemed to stand at the sides (usually under cover) so less changing of ends. English fans seemed more to go in for the popular behind the goal end thing, Spurs jump out as an exception with the amazing structure that was the shelf. It is so sad that these will never come back, looking at pics of the shed at Firhill breaks my heart.

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Results (all at the Maracana) in the unofficial 'Club Cup of the World' were:


June 7 1953 - Vasco da Gama 3-3 Hibs (Reilly x2, Turnbull)

June 13 1953 - Botafoga 3-1 Hibs (Reilly)

June 20 1953 - Fluminense 3-0 Hibs

John Campbell's volume 4 of the epic Hibs history gives surprisingly little extra detail on these games. It says that Turnbull scored first before Reilly got his brace, Turnbull and Johnstone both hit the bar in the second half, and Vasco's third goal was dubious for offside. Nothing else.

Edited by HibeeJibee
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Roughly whereabouts was Hamilton's new ground built. Presumably around the top left corner where the Warehouse and large area of trees are.

NDP is as you say roughly where the large warehouse and trees were. ODP was where Sainsbury's currently sits.

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