Fulham Protest 1987

What was Craven Cottage like in 1987? Someone has posted a bunch of pitctures from the Walsall protest at Craven Cottage in 1987.

We've come a long way.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/34517490@N ... 614230747/

 

Love the, uh, excrement banner/sheet. Only in England...

 

Some fanbases fight to get a new ground. Very few fight tooth and nail to keep the old one.

 

Oh yeah? I protest 2009. What do you think of that?

 

A wise man once said, "There's a very fine line between clever and stupid." That man had an English accent.

Still: that was something else. Thank heavens the team has come from such a long way. I don't want to see the Cottage sans scoreboard again or thoughts that Fulham would merge with someone. Good on the Walsall fans to support the protest in their own way (at least, that's what one of the pictures says)

 

I invaded the pitch that day, my brother and I lept over the barrier in the Stevenage Road stand (at the time they were around 4ft high and I could only just see over the top.

My father told us to come back, but when we ignored him he followed with my grandfather.

The protest was totally peaceful and a very friendly atmosphere existed on the pitch itself. It was a very Fulhamish type of protest.

 

That behavior from the fans had to be an essential element. Any violence or vandalism done to the Cottage by the fans would've been disastrous public relations--especially in that era when any act of hooliganism was played up and used by governments to restrict the ability of football clubs to redevelop or build grounds.

GBFC, I loved the story about your Dad and Grandpa coming on the pitch with you. Sounds like a scene from a movie: humorous and poignant at the same time.

 

I like the photo of the cops guarding the goal. Looks like they were just a little bored by the whole thing. Glad FFC fans said what they had to say without destroying anything.