What was the capacity of the Embankment in its pomp? Seen some pictures from back in the day and it looks rammed. Just to clarify I'm talking about the Embankment terrace at BP and not the chubby poster on here.

33 minutes ago, embankment said:

85000+ in the ground .

Was reported when disaster struck.

Burnden Stand was closed on the day of the disaster, filled with food hampers and other supplies for post-war distribution, but room was eventually made to accommodate those who had exited the Embankment on the side of the pitch to let the match continue. So probably 3000 seats unavailable at kick off....

17 minutes ago, embankment said:

Remember watching Wigan Rugby League v Manly . Central Park was packed . Official attendance 36895. There must have been 43000+ on that night.

A lot of very rich turnstile guys

that was one mad night wasnt it 

never to be forgotten , bet we were there for 6 30

5 hours ago, Johnnyrotten said:

I was going to say it in jest, then when I thought about it, how could it not be a factor?  In 1954, average weight of a Brit was 11st 6, and 34 inch waist.  Now its 12st 6, waist 37, so fair to assume in early 1900s the gap was even bigger.  50k people stood on terraces in 1910 may have needed 20% less space than 50k in 2000!  How else can you explain Burnden holding 70k? Take it or leave it, no charge for this analysis 😀  

Average football fan weight is I'm reliably informed 22st 6

2 hours ago, jayjayoghani said:

Average football fan weight is I'm reliably informed 22st 6

So as i tip the scales at 15st 4 , which makes me " a below average fan"

I would like contest that fact.

The simple fact that i have travelled the uk rail network on Saturday mornings with at least 38% of the not rights on here to support BWFC makes me a Very much above average fòotball fan.

There aren't many reasons for being glad to be turning in to an owd bugger - but it does mean I am old enough to remember the Embankment. My first memory of it was with just the one set of dividing fences down the middle - home fans on the Manny Road half and away fans on the Burnden Paddock half. Very often though they fastened up some tape to the crush barriers in that away half of the terrace to effectively split it in to three. Then they did split it into three with pucker fencing at the start of 78.9 (I think). 

That middle section wasn't too often used after we fell out of Div 1 in 1980. I remember the game against Leeds in 78.9. Their fans had crammed the normal away third and they opened the gates in the middle section. The Leeds fans all seemed to run on to the middle terrace like a hostile aggressive tide of humanity. 

Most Bolton fans I've seen on there was probably the Fulham when we clinched the Div 2 Championship in 77.78

And of course they occasionally switched things around and put the away fans in the home section... which meant they were next door to those benign and friendly characters in the Manny Road North. Remember the Manny Roaders trying to get over the fence in to the Blackburn fans one festive period game in the early 80s!

38 minutes ago, paulhanley said:

There aren't many reasons for being glad to be turning in to an owd bugger - but it does mean I am old enough to remember the Embankment. My first memory of it was with just the one set of dividing fences down the middle - home fans on the Manny Road half and away fans on the Burnden Paddock half. Very often though they fastened up some tape to the crush barriers in that away half of the terrace to effectively split it in to three. Then they did split it into three with pucker fencing at the start of 78.9 (I think). 

That middle section wasn't too often used after we fell out of Div 1 in 1980. I remember the game against Leeds in 78.9. Their fans had crammed the normal away third and they opened the gates in the middle section. The Leeds fans all seemed to run on to the middle terrace like a hostile aggressive tide of humanity. 

Most Bolton fans I've seen on there was probably the Fulham when we clinched the Div 2 Championship in 77.78

And of course they occasionally switched things around and put the away fans in the home section... which meant they were next door to those benign and friendly characters in the Manny Road North. Remember the Manny Roaders trying to get over the fence in to the Blackburn fans one festive period game in the early 80s!

Us really old buggers remember it when there was no dividing fences - there was some fun and games in the years preceeding segregation

44 minutes ago, bwfc2003 said:

Us really old buggers remember it when there was no dividing fences - there was some fun and games in the years preceeding segregation

Sunderland and Stoke stand out for me

11 hours ago, RUREADY2ROLL said:

60000 

I stand corrected. When I googled the number I thought it seemed a lot.

It was rammed when I went an Everton game in the 70s

I wasn't at the Everton game in the LC semi as I'd just started going (first game was the one before, beating Notts C) and so I've often wondered out of the 50k how many were Everton? Just because the most Bolton fans I've been with at a game must be the 36k for the Fulham match (Fulham brought one coach) - as there's no way we've had a 36k allocation for any Wembley/Cardiff event, and other big crowds at Burnden I'd been in had significant away numbers. So if you were at the Everton game do you beat the 36k?

1 hour ago, SatanGreavsie said:

I wasn't at the Everton game in the LC semi as I'd just started going (first game was the one before, beating Notts C) and so I've often wondered out of the 50k how many were Everton? Just because the most Bolton fans I've been with at a game must be the 36k for the Fulham match (Fulham brought one coach) - as there's no way we've had a 36k allocation for any Wembley/Cardiff event, and other big crowds at Burnden I'd been in had significant away numbers. So if you were at the Everton game do you beat the 36k?

About right at 36000 Bolton and 14000 Everton. Apart from Wembley what’s the biggest Bolton away following? I would guess at Blackburn 1978 where I would say we had 20000 Bolton on

1 hour ago, SatanGreavsie said:

I wasn't at the Everton game in the LC semi as I'd just started going (first game was the one before, beating Notts C) and so I've often wondered out of the 50k how many were Everton? Just because the most Bolton fans I've been with at a game must be the 36k for the Fulham match (Fulham brought one coach) - as there's no way we've had a 36k allocation for any Wembley/Cardiff event, and other big crowds at Burnden I'd been in had significant away numbers. So if you were at the Everton game do you beat the 36k?

Where did they put the Fulham fans that day? Bolton were all over the Embankment.

It was a works outing including a couple of Everton fans and we all stood together

14 hours ago, Johnnyrotten said:

For the life of me I cant imagine 70k cramming into Burnden.  The biggest crowds I was part of were Spurs/Fulham in 77-78, about 33,000 and it seemed absolutely packed.  But I know there were 50k for the Everton semi and surely that was the absolute maximum at the time?  I think the fact that the average height/weight of a human has reduced over the decades has to be a factor.  If they were calculating capacity for Burnden now there's no way they'd be suggesting 70k, nearer 50k I bet.

I've been on with 62,000 & 63,000.

My memory is that it was claimed to be a 68,000 max.

The Embankment 28,000, as stated above, also rings bells.

37 minutes ago, RUREADY2ROLL said:

About right at 36000 Bolton and 14000 Everton. Apart from Wembley what’s the biggest Bolton away following? I would guess at Blackburn 1978 where I would say we had 20000 Bolton on

Same season at Blackpool - day after Boxing day seem to remember it being reported 20k Bolton

21 minutes ago, bwfc2003 said:

Same season at Blackpool - day after Boxing day seem to remember it being reported 20k Bolton

There was only 25K on that day so you'd guess the 10k-15k range. Huge following all the same.

Any list of big away followings has to include huddersfield and newcastle (elland road)

3 minutes ago, Casino said:

Any list of big away followings has to include huddersfield and newcastle (elland road)

Huddersfield was the FA Cup and we won 1-0; probably 15000 Bolton in the 27000 crowd. Newcastle game its hard to judge because Newcastle probably had more than us on. 

Preston on Sir Roger Hunt's debut there was a big Bolton following; around 10-12K

I only remember going on the Embankment once. First game of the season i think against Wimbledon

1 hour ago, paulhanley said:

Where did they put the Fulham fans that day? Bolton were all over the Embankment.

They probably just blended in 🙂

I do remember walking out and on the main road the Fulham fans coach was inching along. Summat must have been said or gestured and Bolton fans ripped open the emergency exit and tried piling in. And I'm thinking, "there's a time and a place lads" - attacking one coach full of the meekest fans in the country a few minutes after promotion and outnumbering them a 1000 to one isn't really one of them. But that was Burnden back then 😄

 

2 hours ago, RUREADY2ROLL said:

About right at 36000 Bolton and 14000 Everton. Apart from Wembley what’s the biggest Bolton away following? I would guess at Blackburn 1978 where I would say we had 20000 Bolton on

One variation on that was asked many moons ago on here: "what's the biggest combined mileage put in by Bolton away fans for a game?". I would guess the answer is the Bayern match? 5k, each doing a nigh-on 2k mile round trip? Fuck me - that's 10 million miles!

Would sunny beach not be more

And guimaraes?

1 hour ago, Casino said:

Any list of big away followings has to include huddersfield and newcastle (elland road)

Everton away in League cup semi final - sure that was reported as 20k

Athletico possibly tops the lot

37 minutes ago, bwfc2003 said:

Everton away in League cup semi final - sure that was reported as 20k

According to a couple of Newspaper reports I have from this time , Everton were expecting 15000 Bolton fans for the match at Goodison , and a month later it was reported Everon had sold their entire allocation of 13,750 for the second leg at Burnden Park