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Nice memory of the Shelf

EastLondonYid

Well-Known Member
Jan 26, 2010
7,837
16,145
Idle googling the other day and a link to this popped up. Nice article and it brought back a few memories.

Evening Standard: The Shelf at Tottenham once made White Hart Lane London's most hostile stadium

Stood in 'The Cage'' from boy to man, we use to call it ''Kebab Corner'' as we were in a large group who stood together of whom most were of greek cypriot origin , hence kebabs...

So many fantastic memories , none more than UEFA cup final , we were crammed in like sardines.
 

spurnut

Well-Known Member
Jul 16, 2006
1,037
336
The sit down brigade are ruining the atmosphere imo, a few people say you can sit down and cheer and sing but it's just not the same and the bloody stewards that have been sent to make people sit down arent helping matters, such a shame I hope the club eventually relax their stance on this matter.
 

Led's Zeppelin

Can't Re Member
May 28, 2013
7,333
20,178
Over the years I have been a regular in virtually every part of WHL.

My best memories for atmosphere and excitement:

Undoubtedly the Shelf for the 1984 UEFA Final. It rocked like nothing ever rocked before or after. And the Park Lane terrace whenever we beat Arsenal or Chelsea from the late 60s onward until crowd segregation reduced adrenaline levels somewhat.

And plenty of away games, where the raw tribalism often substituted for any lack of excitement in the game itself.

And my very first game. In the standing section of the West stand, packed like sardines because they never closed the gates and just let more and more in, for my very first game, against Liverpool, in which Jimmy Greaves scored 4 and we silenced them and roared our way to 7-2, the memory of which still warms me to this day, even when they beat us 2-0 in an insipid disappointment of what should have been the biggest game in our history.

Games will define our memories and the atmosphere will gradually grow as we get used to the fact that NWHL is our home, it is Tottenham, and it is that part of us that has never gone away.
 

Gassin's finest

C'est diabolique
May 12, 2010
37,348
87,806
I never got to sit in the old Shelf, having only been a regular since 2010. But I have always sat in the east upper. After the Park Lane it always felt like the best place to be.
 

Mr.D

Old Member
Dec 2, 2014
4,262
7,876
Standing on the shelf was one of the highlights of the matchday. Always had at least one half up there. Sometimes popped to the Park Lane or cage for the other half.
 

longtimespur

Well-Known Member
Sep 10, 2014
5,830
9,949
I remember hanging off the front of the shelf on a few occasions as a teenager. It was soo crowded in the ground that any stand was a crush and I wasn't that big a lad. Went with my first missus to watch a Liverpool game once and she spent most of the time sitting down at the end of the row we were standing in so I was near the steps leading up the stand. Never took her again though:mad:
I'm sure there were often more than 65000 in the ground although officials figures didn't show it. Many jumping over the turn-style and the money being pocketed I wouldn't be surprised.:cautious:
 

spud

Well-Known Member
Sep 2, 2003
5,850
8,794
Nice article. I never thought of how the opposition regarded the Shelf through all those years of standing on it, so it's interesting to see a viewpoint of a Liverpool fan who also stood on it to watch his own team. I particularly liked this bit: "From the Park Lane where away fans stood, the entire length of the Shelf was visible: some 120 yards of double-decker hostility."
 

popstar7

Well-Known Member
Jan 14, 2012
3,036
9,367
It was pretty special on big nights. I didn't go to the UEFA Cup final but I was at two packed out midweek games against United and Everton the following season when we were going for the league. 48,000 officially and it was heaving. Incredible atmosphere. Lost both games obviously...
 

ralphs bald spot

Well-Known Member
Jul 14, 2015
2,777
5,177
It was pretty special on big nights. I didn't go to the UEFA Cup final but I was at two packed out midweek games against United and Everton the following season when we were going for the league. 48,000 officially and it was heaving. Incredible atmosphere. Lost both games obviously...

The Everton game still breaks my heart Bowen' s mistake - Southall's wonder save - the United game killed us though Stevens run into the bloody post left us with no midfield so many injuries
 

riggi

Well-Known Member
Jun 24, 2008
48,486
104,718
Did oppo fans sing the “poor little yiddo” song or us?
 
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