A neutrals view from Saturday.

[westislandterrier]

Jan 18, 2024 1:18:54 GMT 1 hoppersguide said:

Jan 17, 2024 23:31:07 GMT 1 sabailand said:

Did you ever go to our old Leeds rd ground as a Stoke fan, cant remember if you said you did or not in your article.

I did, many years ago (90's) as an away fan. We had to avoid stones being thrown from behind the away end... and we lost 3-0!

I hope those of yous that got stoned - got stoned by ‘fans’ who were stoned and not sober and narcotic free as at least it would be (however small) some loose mitigating factor although it’s still very wrong unless there was a self defensive reason... 

I don’t have many regrets in life hoppersguide but not getting to a Huddersfield Town game at Leeds Road is one huge one for sure ☹️ 

Having supported HTAFC since being a ten year old back in 1980 I worked in a whisky distillery at 18 (Bruichladdich) and we had no spare shift operators in the production division and our holidays had to be taken between June, July and mid August and we couldn’t even get bank holidays off (we got them around Christmas time) so it was hard to get time off during the football season to travel to Yorkshire and we only had Saturday off and sometimes Sunday (if not on night shift) and it was only two ferries a day then (now five) so it was pretty impossible back then for me to do it... 

However I’ve printed off around 200 different pictures of dearest old Leeds Road that I like to look at over a few whiskies at ma open fire from time to time and go all misty eyed and try to encapsulate what it must’ve been like to have attended the dear old lady - the thing of absolute beauty that she was - I’ve also got two VHS video cassettes called The Final Whistle I & II which are an amazingly skilled narrative of her history and again beautiful to watch at the open fire with a few beers and whisky - 

Thank goodness I’ve still got my VHS Video Recorder to play them ! 

Glad ya got there to visit the majestic and magnificent old Leeds Road and when I heard you got stoned I’d much rather that it was through you getting pure pissed in Huddersfield before the game rather than under attack from missiles which I presume happened to you... 

I’ve also got a fantastic book publication called ‘Leeds Road - Home of ma Dreams’ which tells you absolutely everything you need to know about her from the first sod of turf being dug in construction to the final one being set after demolition ☹️ 

I’ve also got a great framed ariel shot of Leeds Road on ma bedroom wall so a big thanks to all who put these things together for a fanatic like myself to encapsulate what must be such cherished and treasured memories for many HTAFC fans ! 

[hoppersguide]

Jan 18, 2024 3:20:29 GMT 1 westislandterrier said:

Jan 18, 2024 1:18:54 GMT 1 hoppersguide said:

I did, many years ago (90's) as an away fan. We had to avoid stones being thrown from behind the away end... and we lost 3-0!

I hope those of yous that got stoned - got stoned by ‘fans’ who were stoned and not sober and narcotic free as at least it would be (however small) some loose mitigating factor although it’s still very wrong unless there was a self defensive reason... 

I don’t have many regrets in life hoppersguide but not getting to a Huddersfield Town game at Leeds Road is one huge one for sure ☹️ 

Having supported HTAFC since being a ten year old back in 1980 I worked in a whisky distillery at 18 (Bruichladdich) and we had no spare shift operators in the production division and our holidays had to be taken between June, July and mid August and we couldn’t even get bank holidays off (we got them around Christmas time) so it was hard to get time off during the football season to travel to Yorkshire and we only had Saturday off and sometimes Sunday (if not on night shift) and it was only two ferries a day then (now five) so it was pretty impossible back then for me to do it... 

However I’ve printed off around 200 different pictures of dearest old Leeds Road that I like to look at over a few whiskies at ma open fire from time to time and go all misty eyed and try to encapsulate what it must’ve been like to have attended the dear old lady - the thing of absolute beauty that she was - I’ve also got two VHS video cassettes called The Final Whistle I & II which are an amazingly skilled narrative of her history and again beautiful to watch at the open fire with a few beers and whisky - 

Thank goodness I’ve still got my VHS Video Recorder to play them ! 

Glad ya got there to visit the majestic and magnificent old Leeds Road and when I heard you got stoned I’d much rather that it was through you getting pure pissed in Huddersfield before the game rather than under attack from missiles which I presume happened to you... 

I’ve also got a fantastic book publication called ‘Leeds Road - Home of ma Dreams’ which tells you absolutely everything you need to know about her from the first sod of turf being dug in construction to the final one being set after demolition ☹️ 

I’ve also got a great framed ariel shot of Leeds Road on ma bedroom wall so a big thanks to all who put these things together for a fanatic like myself to encapsulate what must be such cherished and treasured memories for many HTAFC fans ! 

Everything you say about Leeds Road there, is exactly how I feel about the old Victoria Ground at Stoke.

Indeed, one of the reasons I've started groundhopping is due to me never falling in love with the 'new' ground. The Vic was my second home and I miss it still.

It sounds silly to get attached to a place like that but it doesn't make it less real.

I really wish I had chronicled my adventures around the country back then! Imagine looking back on reports like the one I did at the JSS in 30/40 years time!

Oh! As for the stones, I think it was just a sign of the times and thankfully, most fans have moved on from that kind of stuff (though not all)

[sapphireblue]

Jan 17, 2024 12:03:32 GMT 1 hoppersguide said:

Jan 17, 2024 8:02:55 GMT 1 Flowerdisco said:

What a great read and takes a neutral to makes you realise we actually have a nice town.
Interesting to read the gasworks is being pulled down. Not before time it's a major eyesore.

Mrs Hopper agrees with you about the gasworks but I reckon it could be turned into something much more appealing with a paint job, neon lights and being part of a broader museum for the town 

Many of those structures were just storage vessels for controlling the gas flow for peak periods. (I'm sure you knew that.
One problem with the Leeds Road site is that it was the manufacturing site for town gas, made from poor quality coal.
This limits the use of the site without very expensive cleaning.

Anyway, thanks for your report. Very enjoyable.

[goodbet]

Jan 18, 2024 12:01:34 GMT 1 sapphireblue said:

Jan 17, 2024 12:03:32 GMT 1 hoppersguide said:

Mrs Hopper agrees with you about the gasworks but I reckon it could be turned into something much more appealing with a paint job, neon lights and being part of a broader museum for the town 

Many of those structures were just storage vessels for controlling the gas flow for peak periods. (I'm sure you knew that.
One problem with the Leeds Road site is that it was the manufacturing site for town gas, made from poor quality coal.
This limits the use of the site without very expensive cleaning.

Anyway, thanks for your report. Very enjoyable.

I can still remember the smell when we drove down St Andrews road that came off the old gas works.

We were told that it was chuckie eggs gone bad.

My grandad died while working at the gas works.

[argyleterrier]

Jan 15, 2024 21:53:11 GMT 1 galpharm2400 said:

It definitely wasnt a game for the neutrals. Hard enough to watch in blue or green.
Spurs v man utd was a good one for the neutral, toon v city was even better.
I dont expect many neutrals are drawn to watch us at the moment.?

Or in my case, much to my son's disgust - both blue and green  

[sapphireblue]

Jan 18, 2024 12:49:51 GMT 1 goodbet said:

Jan 18, 2024 12:01:34 GMT 1 sapphireblue said:

Many of those structures were just storage vessels for controlling the gas flow for peak periods. (I'm sure you knew that.
One problem with the Leeds Road site is that it was the manufacturing site for town gas, made from poor quality coal.
This limits the use of the site without very expensive cleaning.

Anyway, thanks for your report. Very enjoyable.

I can still remember the smell when we drove down St Andrews road that came off the old gas works.

We were told that it was chuckie eggs gone bad.

My grandad died while working at the gas works.

I was told that up until recently the site down there used to add the smell to North Sea gas (which is naturally fairly odourless) before it was piped into homes
When going down there you could often smell "gas", which wasn't actually gas but the additive.
I was told they had detectors that could detect gas in case of a real leak.