I was just wondering what sort of crowds we used to get when we played at Dalymount Park. A quick google search revealed nothing, apart from record crowd of 47000 against England in 1957. Anyone know? Any site with crowd stats?
I don't know about the old days but there was a friendly against Italy in the mid-80s (lost 2-0 I think) where the crowd was a jam-packed 40k or threabouts.
But there were also some games (Poland & Mexico friendlies, the 8-0 win against Malta...) where the crowd was ridiculously small. There was a decent crowd - about 25k - at a 0-0 draw against France in about '89 when Andy Townsend made his debut I think.
I think I was at that game with me dad (against the French)...but don't remember it too well...was only 11. Was Batts in goal or did we play them in 87 aswell. My first game and I have the programme for it was the Brazil game in 87 were only 17,000 turned out. Why was there so much changing of venues in those days? Has this anything to do with poor turn outs?
Tuesday, February 7th 1989
Friendly
Dalymount Park, Dublin
Republic of Ireland 0
France 0
Ireland: Packie Bonner (Glasgow Celtic), Chris Morris (Glasgow Celtic), Mick McCarthy (Glasgow Celtic) capt, Paul McGrath (Manchester Utd), Chris Hughton (Tottenham Hotspur), Ray Houghton (Liverpool), Ronnie Whelan (Liverpool), Andy Townsend (Norwich Cty), Liam Brady (West Ham Utd), Frank Stapleton (Le Havre), Tony Cascarino (Millwall)
Subs: John Aldridge (Liverpool) for Stapleton 75 mins
Manager: Jack Charlton
France: Bats, Kastendeuch, Silvestre, Battiston, Sonor, Amaros, Blanc, Sauzee, Durand, Papin, Paille
Subs: Toure for Paille 45 mins, Roche for Silvestre 73 mins, Vercruysee for Blanc 66 mins
Referee: Lloyd (Wales)
So yes, Bats was indeed in goals for France. Well remembered!
I do not know of any official stats, but unnofficially one that would have to be considered was the WCQ 1972 against France. We arrived early enough to gain entrance on the north side of the "stadium". The road was jam packed with thousands queueing. There were just two turnstiles open and eventually the gates were opened (or fell down) to let the crowd in.Originally Posted by davey
Whatever the official attendance was, then add on about 8,000. I have attended many packed Dalymount games but none of them came close to that night. Great athmosphere and a real victory. By my own reckoning at Dalymount 35,000 was cosy, 40,000 was a squeze, 45,000 tight, very tight, possibly relieved by a few hundred climbing up to sit on the shed.
my uncle told me of manys a time when he was walking out of dalymount, your feet wouldnt be touching the ground, you were just being carried along by other people.
I'm a bloke,I'm an ocker
And I really love your knockers,I'm a labourer by day,
I **** up all me pay,Watching footy on TV,
Just feed me more VB,Just pour my beer,And get my smokes, And go away
Was at Ireland v Holland game in 84 I think, Gullit debut and Micky Robinson could have easily had us up 3-0 at half time. Crowd was massive and you could only see one half of pitch. I was on terrace where Bohs have a training pitch now. Must have been 40,000 at that, dangerously overcrowded.
It was a Euro 84 qualifier played in October 1983 and was my one and only visit to Dalyer (Lansdowne was having a new East Stand fitted). Great atmosphere spoilt by the Dutch coming back from 2-0 down to win 3-2, but it was f*cking dangerous leaving the ground. There were no steps from the terrace onto the street just a kind of mud bank. No way this ground could ever get a safety licence now. One thing that was apparent was that there were no Dutch support (Dr. Herrema excepted) of note, especially when you consider the turnout they brought to Germany in 1988. Total silence when the goals went in.
This is the cooooooooooooolest footy forum I've ever seen!
Was it 83 lopez? Jeez, my memory is fcuked - I have the programme tucked away somewhere. You're dead right about the danger aspect, it was sardine time that night. To make matters worse a mate of mine I brought to the match had his jacket stolen from my car plus broken window and the engine overheated near Lucan and we nearly drove into a fallen tree on the Birr Portumna road.
Silence at Dutch goals was eerie, you're right there. Bummer all round.
Last edited by hamish; 21/05/2005 at 2:20 PM.
That's because you must be one of the few older c*nts on here than me if you not only had a car then (I didn't pass my test till November) and was able to afford the insurance.
This is the cooooooooooooolest footy forum I've ever seen!
That's because you must be one of the few older c*nts on here than me if you not only had a car then (I didn't pass my test till November) and was able to afford the insurance.
Ah but a cnut is a useful thing!!!! I can't drive anymore so that my cheer ya up a bit.
Yeah, the insurance I paid over the years was outreageous and I genuinely sympathise with you at that, man, 'cos it's obscene for young drivers at present.
As for the driving test, do you know what one of the things the bo!!ix failed me on - not being assertive enough at a junction. I mean, how the fcuk was I suppose to drive into a funeral cortege - that actually happened???
Alright lads. Hello sirhamish, we haven't had the pleasure.
My auld fella (who useta work with Lopez) is from Clonfert and I have family in your neck of the woods sh (Hymany Park in the town). Small world but, as Mrs PP says, you wouldn't want to paint it.
PP
Semper in faecibus sole profundum variat
Nice to meet you Plastic Paddy. Yeah, Hymany Park, just down the road. It's right beside the B'sloe Town FC ground. I'm sure I know your relations as I've loads of friends there, most of them in football.Alright lads. Hello sirhamish, we haven't had the pleasure.
My auld fella (who useta work with Lopez) is from Clonfert and I have family in your neck of the woods sh (Hymany Park in the town). Small world but, as Mrs PP says, you wouldn't want to paint it.
Clonfert I can see from my front window - just up the road.
Keep in touch, man.
Some great stories ! Too young to go to Dalyer myself, but must have been hairy on a big match day
I seem to remember us playing a game at the RDS sometime in the late 80s - is this a dream? What were the circumstances behind it?
The biggest crowd I remember at Dalymount was a friendly against Italy where the crowd were also seated along the touchline inside the fence.
Dalymount was a death trap. There was one gate down and the crush going out it was incredible. I was at such games as the 3-0 over the Soviet Union and the Mick Leech final Rovers 3-0 Waterford where there were huge crowds of 30k+.
Total madness that night I heard. If I'm correct that was a pay-on-the door set up, FFS. I picked up a copy of Guerin Sportivo in London the following week and the magazine thought it was a huge joke with people standing on the touchline.Mine wasn't too bad in Sasana (£150 a year) but I remember a friend who was paying about IR£1K for insurance in 85. Dunno if that's if you don't take the test. You sound about the only one that bothered. Word was that everyone drove around with a provisional licence and learner plates until they died back then....Yeah, the insurance I paid over the years was outreageous and I genuinely sympathise with you at that, man, 'cos it's obscene for young drivers at present.
As for the driving test, do you know what one of the things the bo!!ix failed me on - not being assertive enough at a junction. I mean, how the fcuk was I suppose to drive into a funeral cortege - that actually happened???
Last edited by lopez; 22/05/2005 at 8:22 PM.
This is the cooooooooooooolest footy forum I've ever seen!
I think against Wales in the early nineties.Some great stories ! Too young to go to Dalyer myself, but must have been hairy on a big match day
I seem to remember us playing a game at the RDS sometime in the late 80s - is this a dream? What were the circumstances behind it?
Yeah, OwlsFan, the Russia game was amazing. I was lucky to get a stand ticket just above the entrance to the dressing rooms. Remember Terry Mancini that day?
The crowds at League of Ireland were massive in the late sixties. A thousand pound gate usually equated with a 5,000 crowd or thereabouts in those days and I remember Athlone getting lots of £1000 gates in 1968, 1969 and 1970. The crowds at that Mick Leech game was around 40,000 I think. Cork Hibs used to get regular crowds of 10,000 and Waterford got regular 6,000 crowds.
Still a lot, I believe, doing it despite Brennan's crack down. When I did the test, it was the year following a general amnesty which gave tens of thousands of prov. drivers a full licence so I reckon that the government lost so much money on that amnesty that they upped the fail rate to make up the defecit. I wasn't a car owner when the amnesty was given - just shows how screwed the country was in the late 70s, 80s - fcukin' bongo-bongo land.Total madness that night I heard. If I'm correct that was a pay-on-the door set up, FFS. I picked up a copy of Guerin Sportivo in London the following week and the magazine thought it was a huge joke with people standing on the touchline.Mine wasn't too bad in Sasana (£150 a year) but I remember a friend who was paying about IR£1K for insurance in 85. Dunno if that's if you don't take the test. You sound about the only one that bothered. Word was that everyone drove around with a provisional licence and learner plates until they died back then.
Tuesday, February 5th, 1985
The great Paul McGrath makes his Irish debut - game held up as huge crowd spills out onto Dalymount pitch
Friendly
Dalymount Park, Dublin
Republic of Ireland 1 (Waddock)
Italy 2 (Rossi pen., Altobelli)
Ireland: Packie Bonner (Glasgow Celtic), Chris Hughton (Tottenham Hotspur), Mark Lawrenson (Liverpool), Mick McCarthy (Man City), Jim Beglin (Liverpool), Gary Waddock (QPR), Kevin Sheedy (Everton), Liam Brady (Inter Milan), Tony Galvin (Tottenham Hotspur), Frank Stapleton (Manchester Utd) capt, John Byrne (QPR)
Subs: Paul McGrath (Manchester Utd) for Lawrenson 9 mins, Ronnie Whelan (Liverpool) for Galvin 29 mins, Alan Campbell (Santander) for Byrne 76 mins
Manager: Eoin Hand
Italy: Tancredi, Bagni, Vierchowod, Scirea, Bergomi, Cabrini, Conti, Tardelli, di Gennaro, Rossi, Altobelli
Subs: Serena for Conti 72 mins, Dosena for Rossi 72 mins
Referee: Keizer (Holland)
The attendance was 40K plus on that day. Not a bad Irish team either and pretty much the side that jack led us to Germany with.
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