The West London 'affinity'??? 15:42 - Jun 27 with 7056 views | TheChef | One for the older fans here - I saw this posted on an FB group, was this actually a thing or is this guy on a wind up? I've read about QPR and Brentford fans going to the others' matches if the other team was away, but nothing like this with Chelscum! A lot of younger fans are unaware of the West London affinity. Before away travel in the 60s Chelsea fans would support QPR or Fulham when Chelsea were away. Even in the 70s when Chelsea played away at Loftus Road most fans in the stadium were Chelsea fans. The friendship with QPR lasted until around 78/79 when QPR fans found their own identity. The Fulham/ Chelsea friendship lasted a few more years with neither set of fans really bothered who won the derby games. Although younger fans won't feel the affinity we older fans haven't changed our affiliations. | |
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The West London 'affinity'??? on 15:45 - Jun 27 with 5453 views | dmm | I wouldn't pretend to be an absolute authority on this, but from what I do know, I'd say this is not true. That team's fans were never friendly and neither were we to them. | | | |
The West London 'affinity'??? on 15:59 - Jun 27 with 5384 views | stowmarketrange | I went to Fulham a couple of times when marsh and best were playing for them and Qpr were away.I even went to griffin park once to see Gerry Francis play for Bristol rovers,but I would never set foot inside that other sh@thole unless I was watching us play there. Although I did have to visit it on the March for men 3 years ago as part of the walk around south and south west London grounds.It wasn’t a pleasant experience. | | | |
The West London 'affinity'??? on 16:09 - Jun 27 with 5310 views | Addinall | As someone from the distant pass I don't remember any fan animosity beyond schoolboy rivalries. My best friend was a Fulham fan (and still is). If both were not at home together we would both go to the one that was.So I remember seeing Johnny Haynes,Jimmy hill and Bobby Robson playing together. The best part however,compared to today,was that you mixed on the terraces with the other sides fans. No away ends were necessary then and I don't remember serious trouble being a problem. | | | |
The West London 'affinity'??? on 16:18 - Jun 27 with 5260 views | queensparker | I used to go to a lot of Brentford games when we were away in the 80s/early 90s with my mates from round there, and they came to some of ours. This rabid hatred Brentford seem to have invented recently and pretend has been around since the 60s was absolutely nowhere to be seen. Went to a few games at Fulham in the 80s as well when they were in Div 4 and had Stevie Milton playing up front and were a bit of a joke. Chelsea though - no fkin way. | | | |
The West London 'affinity'??? on 16:36 - Jun 27 with 5187 views | qprmarkoct1966 | The Scum , No Way ! I was there in our first season in Division 1 when we were gubbed at home 4 Nil , 1970 FA Cup 6th Round , gubbed 4- 2 , bunked off school for the FA Cup during the three day week and they were in the Loft and smashed down the boys paddock . I would not set foot in there sh-t hole unless we are playing there. Absolute dump , not having them at any price , i am afraid the original post is deluded. West London is R's and they need to bloody well reminded , Tossers! | | | |
The West London 'affinity'??? on 16:37 - Jun 27 with 5167 views | dutch | My dad had been Rangers, which I inherited, but then he passed away and my step dad was a Fulham man. So I went to both when I was about ten or eleven in the early 70's, had a proper soft spot for Fulham, which never entirely went away until they went above us. Did not know where Brentford was, (still not sure, don't really care). But would never be seen dead at that other mob. Certainly from the 70's onward there was a degree of animosity between us and them, partially to my mind because of their fascist politics and scumbag fans. | | | |
The West London 'affinity'??? on 16:41 - Jun 27 with 5148 views | colinallcars | I'm one of those that went to Brentford games when Rangers were away and I was still at school and a bit too young for away games. Used to get there on the 607 trolleybus ! Like above posters I have no recollection of Chelsea fans going to LR. Relations with Fulham and Brentford fans were amicable. | | | |
The West London 'affinity'??? on 16:44 - Jun 27 with 5127 views | qprmarkoct1966 | Selling the NF toilet paper Bull Dog next to the program sellers , absolute scum always will be ! Been fortunate to see us win there a few time since the early 70's. They have also sold us some right shit , Mike Fillery anyone , FFS ! | | | | Login to get fewer ads
The West London 'affinity'??? on 16:48 - Jun 27 with 5103 views | dutch | Apart from the Worlds End lot and maybe a few from West Ken, Chelsea's support has always been way down in the Surrey Boondocks. Proper over the water suburban boys. Don't remember them having many from our manor at all until they became the Oligarch's plaything | | | |
The West London 'affinity'??? on 16:58 - Jun 27 with 5059 views | terryb | Back in the '60's I would say that it was very usual for supporters to go to other London clubs when their team was playing outside the capital. Also to go to two matches on Boxing Day, Good Friday etc, when 11.00am/11.30am kick offs were often the case with Rangers. I certainly went to Rangers v Cardiff on GF 1968 followed by Tottenham v Leeds in the afternoon. It must be remembered that outside wartime, Rangers did not play against Chelsea in any football league or FA Cup game until the 1968/69 season & so there was no reason for any antagonism between the two clubs or fans. I would sugest that quite a few Rangers suppoters were more likely to go to Stamford Bridge than watch Rangers away. I've said it before (no doubt I will again), but when I became a supporter of Queens Park Rangers, I was informed that our rivals were Brentford, Watford, Millwall & Palace. Many a trip over 100 miles saw less than 100 of us following the R's! | | | |
The West London 'affinity'??? on 17:03 - Jun 27 with 5036 views | daveB | a Chelsea fella I work with in his 70's tells me he used to go to watch QPR when Chelsea were away, he did that until the mid 80's when he said it started to get a bit dangerous so he stopped | | | |
The West London 'affinity'??? on 17:31 - Jun 27 with 4938 views | DannytheR | Can't talk about anything firsthand before the '80s, but without wishing to take the piss, I never even met any Brentford or Fulham fans until much later in life. They and their clubs just didn't register. (Appreciate we may now sadly and weirdly be at risk of becoming the same for the average 10 year old Brentford fan...) Definitely do NOT remember any 'friendship' with Chelsea or their fans by the time I went to my first game in '82, either at school or locally. [Post edited 27 Jun 2022 17:31]
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The West London 'affinity'??? on 17:35 - Jun 27 with 4912 views | derbyhoop | I can remember going to a (League Cup?) game at Brentford. Can't recall who they were playing but there were fans there from virtually every London club. | |
| "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the Earth all one's lifetime." (Mark Twain)
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The West London 'affinity'??? on 17:35 - Jun 27 with 4913 views | MrSheen | I always liked going to Brentford with school friends from Ealing but it was too far for me to consider going too often. No affinity for anyone else, but it was cheap and easy to get in anywhere in the 80s, I went all over London when we were away - particularly fond memories of Hoddle and Waddle at Spurs, and Forest winning 6-2 at you know where. I tried my hardest but couldn’t abuse them as hard as their own fans did that day. | | | |
The West London 'affinity'??? on 17:41 - Jun 27 with 4882 views | daveB | In the early 90's I used to go to brentford when i couldn't get to QPR, a man at school was a Brentford fan so I used to go with him, always enjoyed, they were not a bad side either with Neil Smilie, Marcus Gayle and a few others. I still can't get my head around them hating us, we seemed to get along back then | | | |
The West London 'affinity'??? on 17:55 - Jun 27 with 4807 views | Juzzie | Used to go to a few random London games back in the 80's/90's. Not necessarily when QPR were away. Off the top of my head; a few West Ham home games as I used to go to the East Ham College of Technology so a group of us would go if there was an evening game on, a few Arsenal games, Orient a few times, Fulham a few times. As for the Brentford hate, been very much stirred up by one rather spiteful individual, who is actually an employee of the club, with an regular audience to play up to. Cannot believe he hasn't been told to reel it in, very unprofessional. | | | |
The West London 'affinity'??? on 17:59 - Jun 27 with 4784 views | JimmyR | I used to go to Brentford all the time when QPR were away in the late 90’s. Never chelscum tho | | | |
The West London 'affinity'??? on 18:24 - Jun 27 with 4648 views | extratimeR | Yes, we used to wander over to Brentford when the R's were away, but when we all started playing on a Saturday afternoon that stopped, and it was just the R's then. As mentioned this bizarre "hatred" thing they seem to have obtained must have arrived when Brentford/Kew/ Chiswick/Richmond started merging into one I got to say no way would any of us have set foot in that other Sh**h*l* the idea that we would wander over their with the R,s away Nope | | | |
The West London 'affinity'??? on 18:26 - Jun 27 with 4637 views | qpr_1968 |
The West London 'affinity'??? on 16:58 - Jun 27 by terryb | Back in the '60's I would say that it was very usual for supporters to go to other London clubs when their team was playing outside the capital. Also to go to two matches on Boxing Day, Good Friday etc, when 11.00am/11.30am kick offs were often the case with Rangers. I certainly went to Rangers v Cardiff on GF 1968 followed by Tottenham v Leeds in the afternoon. It must be remembered that outside wartime, Rangers did not play against Chelsea in any football league or FA Cup game until the 1968/69 season & so there was no reason for any antagonism between the two clubs or fans. I would sugest that quite a few Rangers suppoters were more likely to go to Stamford Bridge than watch Rangers away. I've said it before (no doubt I will again), but when I became a supporter of Queens Park Rangers, I was informed that our rivals were Brentford, Watford, Millwall & Palace. Many a trip over 100 miles saw less than 100 of us following the R's! |
that is pretty much spot on. i used to go and watch london clubs when we were away or not playing, say, the odd game in midweek, it was cheap, easy to get to, and pay on the day/night. you could do it more all through the 70's....mainly when we were kids/late teenagers, until it became more organised, away ends, etc. we watched, but didnt support any of the teams playing. i travelled loads away with qpr in the 70's and your right about the away support outside london, apart from regular away days to ipswich, norwich, derby, coventry, oxford, luton, and cambridge, it was roughly a 100 or so, on average. 1975, birmingham away, there was 37 booked on the football special. | |
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The West London 'affinity'??? on 18:45 - Jun 27 with 4564 views | californiahoop |
The West London 'affinity'??? on 18:26 - Jun 27 by qpr_1968 | that is pretty much spot on. i used to go and watch london clubs when we were away or not playing, say, the odd game in midweek, it was cheap, easy to get to, and pay on the day/night. you could do it more all through the 70's....mainly when we were kids/late teenagers, until it became more organised, away ends, etc. we watched, but didnt support any of the teams playing. i travelled loads away with qpr in the 70's and your right about the away support outside london, apart from regular away days to ipswich, norwich, derby, coventry, oxford, luton, and cambridge, it was roughly a 100 or so, on average. 1975, birmingham away, there was 37 booked on the football special. |
My brother in law is Brentford and I use to go to the Wembley games, which they constantly lost and the odd game at Griffin Park, never really had anything against them and I am quite pleased they are doing well, Fulham and the scum, nah! | | | |
The West London 'affinity'??? on 19:04 - Jun 27 with 4507 views | Malintabuk |
The West London 'affinity'??? on 16:36 - Jun 27 by qprmarkoct1966 | The Scum , No Way ! I was there in our first season in Division 1 when we were gubbed at home 4 Nil , 1970 FA Cup 6th Round , gubbed 4- 2 , bunked off school for the FA Cup during the three day week and they were in the Loft and smashed down the boys paddock . I would not set foot in there sh-t hole unless we are playing there. Absolute dump , not having them at any price , i am afraid the original post is deluded. West London is R's and they need to bloody well reminded , Tossers! |
That is my earliest recollection of Chelsea as well.... Osgood ripped us a new one that season and Charlie Cooke roasted us Think that was the beginning of my illogical hatred of Chelsea, and Harris scything through us My Brother and I use to go to Griffin Park regularly and always enjoyed it in the 70s.... we sort of took pity on them from a lofty height...... oh how things have changed But Chelsea I would not cross the road to pi55 on them if they were on fire.... well perhaps I would that | | | |
The West London 'affinity'??? on 19:37 - Jun 27 with 4427 views | DavieQPR | Away games were far less accessible in those days so I often went to Fulham with my mates at times. The days of Haynes, Leggett, Cohen and Macedo. Went to Chelsea once but it was such a walk after entering the ground and that flaming greyhound track. | | | |
The West London 'affinity'??? on 19:49 - Jun 27 with 4387 views | BrianMcCarthy | Used to go and watch Brentford back in the 80's/90's if we didn't have a game. Fulham occasionally too. Ch****a? Never. | |
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The West London 'affinity'??? on 19:57 - Jun 27 with 4359 views | joe90 |
The West London 'affinity'??? on 16:48 - Jun 27 by dutch | Apart from the Worlds End lot and maybe a few from West Ken, Chelsea's support has always been way down in the Surrey Boondocks. Proper over the water suburban boys. Don't remember them having many from our manor at all until they became the Oligarch's plaything |
I grew up in Wimbledon and many of the Chelsea fans I knew told me their dads would watch Wimbledon at Plough lane when Chelsea were away. I don’t think that tradition carried onto Selhurst Park. From the impression I got most of them are from South of river, Battersea, Clapham, Wandsworth etc, then you’re looking at places along the South West train line like Kingston and even further out. I really don’t think of Chelsea as a ‘West London’ club. I should have been a Chelsea fan but even as kid I was aware of the racism around the club/fans and it really put me off, despite having many mates that were fans. [Post edited 27 Jun 2022 21:21]
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The West London 'affinity'??? on 20:10 - Jun 27 with 4306 views | DannyPaddox | Seems to be a definite pattern emerging here so here’s my past West London football viewing habits other than Loftus Road … the undisputed home of West London football. Fulham … fairly often Brentford (Griffin Park) … has been known Wealdstone … yes Harrow Borough … yes Hanwell Town … yes North Greenford United .. yes Ch*ls** … n e v e r ! Ah as soon as I type this the memory-windmills of my mind are conjuring up a time in the late 70s when I went with a load of schoolmate Spurs yobs to see them play a London derby. Met at Sloane Square and walked up the Kings Road. Can’t remember who they played though 🤔 [Post edited 27 Jun 2022 20:21]
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