Yep - the very easy line of thinking is "rubbish club, no toilets, no hot drinks, stopping us wearing home colours in home areas".
But when you actually think it through slightly less emotionally, it's not as much "home areas" as corporate areas, where it's very likely the general rule anyway.
Then it's just plain unfortunate that the hot drinks are off, and you could actually say they've done well to alert people, AND give them a workaround?
The EFL Excellence folk would appear to disagree. Giving Wycombe a 9 out of 10 rating they describe us an ‘Accessible and welcoming club’. Full details on the official website.
The EFL Family Excellence mystery shopper’s vote was from the viewpoint of an individual making a one-off visit to a stadium. He/she found the stewards friendly and welcoming. That should come as no surprise unless the stewards have suddenly adopted the less welcoming approach of those described on here following our visit to Fratton Park.
The mystery shopper would of course have been completely oblivious to the wider issues /gripes affecting fans of Wycombe Wanderers.
How could he/she put himself/herself in their position ? They (phew) won’t have the slightest idea how it feels to be a fan or what a fan perceives to be unreasonable treatment by the owners. Whole different ball game.
It was a great afternoon in no small part to efforts off the pitch as well as on. To make todays game happen in such difficult circumstances many staff went way beyond what many would expect. By way of just one example, our under pitch heating is on its last legs (understand it will be replaced close season), as a result a member of staff remained at the stadium all night so that when the system tripped and switched itself off they were there to manually switch it back on. And there are many many more examples where that one came from. We are lucky to have such dedicated staff. Let’s cut them some slack and give the club a break, time for some festive cheer folks.
Absolutely great effort to get the game on. Especially when compared to the Eden Centre just across town...the outside part of the car park was still covered in snow (5 days after it actually snowed) and so around a quarter of the car park was closed, meaning lots of cars were leaving without finding a space. If I was a shop owner in town I'd be fuming at losing customers on the busiest shopping day of the year for what boils down to laziness and/or terrible management. So for the club to have a decent pitch, car park, and surrounding areas free from snow/ice is a huge achievement.
Doesn't really excuse all the other nonsense, but credit where it is due!
I remember travelling up to that York away game on a supporters coach wondering whether the game would be on with all around being called off. My recollection seems to be one of players dancing on ice, freezing cold and was it a 2-0 defeat? Brrrrr!
4 January 1986. York City 2 Wycombe 0. Remember it well. Ron Monk (old boy you chatted to on the Frank Adams concourse a few months ago, @MorrisItal_ ) was a mere 52 that year but, to me, he seemed like quite an old man. Small and skinny too and I remember feeling slightly vulnerable when he turned round on that freezing terrace behind the goal and told some young guys to watch their language.
Around that time, there was a big old boy (Jack) who sported a standout combover and usually wore a large colourful jacket/coat similar to what you’d see forestry workers wearing in Canada. I “christened” him lumberjack for that reason. On one occasion, he was standing near us behind the goal at Dagenham. The Dagenham players were effing and blinding a fair bit which prompted Jack to shout out “get a fucking grip on the swearing, ref.” Funny the things that stick in the memory.
I think they put straw on the pitch to see off the frost!
Don’t forget the rudimentary gents toilets, with one khazi and a trough. Didn’t even have a roof on it. God knows what the women’s facilities were. Great to see they were completely unchanged in my last visit, before York were sadly relegated from the football league.
I was 15 at the time and had never been that far north before. Remember marvelling at the pit wheels as the M1 snakes through Notts - like a different world.
On the way home, the M1 was down to one lane in places due to the snow.
@micra I remember Ron Monk used to go around with his taller mate, think his name was Ray Sharp. I believe he passed away some years ago. Between them they never seemed to miss a match, they would always be there. Ron's mate could be a bit of a moaner, but you couldn't doubt his commitment. Think he lived in Burnham.
I think the Jack you mentioned was Jack Atkins, who used to go around with the late Geoff Sutton. Lived near Hazlemere. Another absolute diehard fan, but never saw him again after we moved to Adams Park.
Jack Atkins, in his checked lumberjack jacket, was one of the great characters behind the goal at Loakes Park. Always critical, I don't think I heard a positive word from him!
Another great character was the greasy haired rocker in the black leather jacket, again a great terrace critic. I don't know his name, he was a part-time fireman at Gerrards Cross. He would get into arguments with others around him, and he stood with his tall friend in the long trench coat.
Aah, Ray Sharp. He and Ron were indeed great mates. You’re being very kind when you describe him as a bit of a moaner ! I can still hear him today - possibly the most negative person I’ve ever known - and it used to amaze me that he continued to go to matches home and away until not that long before he passed away 12 years ago.
Yes, I remember thinking when we moved to Adams Park that Lumberjack seemed to have stopped going to matches. I don’t remember seeing him with Geoff Sutton but he often used to be with a couple who were still attending matches last season when I went to the first three or four games. I used to think of him as Peter Pieman (not to be confused with Peter Pearman !) because he drove for Peter’s Pies. He was in a motorised wheelchair when I last saw him. Which reminds me of another man who ate sweets continuously on the coach to away games and also whistled continuously and tunelessly - quite an achievement! The last time I saw him, at least a year ago, he was going round Morrisons on a mobility scooter.
@micra Peter Pieman = Nick Cooper, and his wife Sheila, again from Hazlemere, two more supporters of 50+ years standing, and yes, they could often be seen with Jack, but I seem to remember they joined the 30 Club at Loakes Park and went in the seated stand. Haven't seen them for a while, but like you I did notice that Nick was in a motorised wheelchair.
I don't know if the greasy rocker was the same chap I remember, sounds like he may well have been, as I'm sure I saw him a few times in Gerrards Cross when I was doing work experience there.
Incredibly loud, booming voice, always shouting abuse at some poor Wycombe player or other. The wingers used to get a torrid time off him. He must have toughened up the likes of Guppy for his career though.
Me and friends would strategically position ourselves near him just to watch his performances, just waiting for a pass to go astray to watch him explode in rage.
Used to see him at Loakes Park in the latter years there, but remember him more in the Woodlands Terrace in the early years at AP.
Think it was at Harlow Town, or it might have been Croydon, where the opposition goalie was subjected to an absolute tirade of abuse by Greasy Rocker, for reasons which weren't particularly clear. Mentioned before on these pages, but never forgotten.
Greasy Rocker was an absolute loon, but he is still alive and well living in GX. He is often spotted on his way to warm beer festivals, still looks very well. He used to have an encyclopedic knowledge on poor refeerees, and used to berate Andy Graham in a Bez like Frenzy. The very old chap stood next to him, was nicknamed El Cid, as when Greasy Rocker was going into full explosive meltdown, he would stand there motionless. Hence we thought he must have been already dead, and just like in the movie El Cid, they had sent him out there with a stick down the back of his shirt to keep him upright.
Lumberjack man agreed was never more happy than when moaning, I know Wanderers fans used to call him Frank Cannon, but I always used to think he was double of Welsh darts player Leighton Rees. His Ralph Coates combeover was a sight to be seen at windy away games, when he didn't have the shelter of the Loakes Park cow shed.
Ray Sharp was a dignified but terrible moaner, he would come into the Blues club after a tremendous performance and victory complaining why we hadn't played like that for the previous 10/20 or 30 games. Total gentlemen though.
Nick Cooper is a cross between Diddy David Hamilton and Charlie Drake. He often used to hangaround with lumberjack man, alongside his high pitched voiced wife.
But talking of Terrace characters, Dennis the menace from Wooburn in his oversized suit, and Flackwells Derek Carpenter in his crushed velvet jacket take some beating.
I remember Greasy Rocker nearly strangling the ref at Croydon (It may have been Keith Wenham) after we got beat 1 nil and Westy got sent off. If I recall correctly John Goldsworthy penned notes in the next programme, highlighting the unsporting behaviour of Wanderers fans at Croydon Arena, the previous week.
The chap in the motorised mobility scooter was Degsy Henderson.
I used to work with him at William Bartletts, he sadly died of Covid a couple of years back. A great character, who never stopped whistling, he was never a fan of Mark West, and would strangely still moan about him years after he retired.
Dennis the menace from Wooburn was a character, through the 70s he hardly missed a game. I lived in Flackwell Heath at the time and would often get off the away trip coaches at Loudwater to catch the bus up to FH. Dennis would catch the Wooburn bus from the same stop. We both often popped into the little paper shop by the bridge in Loudwater to by the Evening standard for the Isthmian league results. I didn't know at the time but my wife to be worked behind the counter, years later she told me she remembered me and the bloke who bought comics from the top shelf.
I didn’t know his name, @ChasHarps or that he’d died. He’d been in very poor shape for a few years, I think. The whistling could become really irritating if you were sitting across the aisle from him on a long coach trip. The first time I was in that situation I tried to engage him in conversation. It didn’t work!
I was only a sporadic visitor to Loakes Park, but, from my knowledge of the early Adams Park years, am waiting for the bloke with the towel to make an appearance. ALLEZ, LES BLEUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Some rogues actually had a register:- Already discussed , Greasy Rocker, Sealink, a fan who would take the most ridicules route to away games, Lofty Saltmarsh, Trousers Brown, Nethen (who definitely still attends), The bloke who never finishes his sent....... Which eventually deteriorated to The Bloke, Cheese Roll, Muppet, Burper who occasionally turns up at random away games, Peanut and many more that will come to me later. I dread to thing what mine was.
Not seen either of the duo for some time sadly. I think that farmer clipping that fox with his mower and then finishing it off with his gun barrel might have been the end for them.
Pretty certain Foxy even covered his companion’s eyes during the assault. Although I may have made that bit up…
Comments
Yep - the very easy line of thinking is "rubbish club, no toilets, no hot drinks, stopping us wearing home colours in home areas".
But when you actually think it through slightly less emotionally, it's not as much "home areas" as corporate areas, where it's very likely the general rule anyway.
Then it's just plain unfortunate that the hot drinks are off, and you could actually say they've done well to alert people, AND give them a workaround?
The EFL Excellence folk would appear to disagree. Giving Wycombe a 9 out of 10 rating they describe us an ‘Accessible and welcoming club’. Full details on the official website.
The EFL Family Excellence mystery shopper’s vote was from the viewpoint of an individual making a one-off visit to a stadium. He/she found the stewards friendly and welcoming. That should come as no surprise unless the stewards have suddenly adopted the less welcoming approach of those described on here following our visit to Fratton Park.
The mystery shopper would of course have been completely oblivious to the wider issues /gripes affecting fans of Wycombe Wanderers.
If the EFL guy read this thread he’d probably think some of our fans needed to have a quiet word with themselves.
How could he/she put himself/herself in their position ? They (phew) won’t have the slightest idea how it feels to be a fan or what a fan perceives to be unreasonable treatment by the owners. Whole different ball game.
It was a great afternoon in no small part to efforts off the pitch as well as on. To make todays game happen in such difficult circumstances many staff went way beyond what many would expect. By way of just one example, our under pitch heating is on its last legs (understand it will be replaced close season), as a result a member of staff remained at the stadium all night so that when the system tripped and switched itself off they were there to manually switch it back on. And there are many many more examples where that one came from. We are lucky to have such dedicated staff. Let’s cut them some slack and give the club a break, time for some festive cheer folks.
Absolutely great effort to get the game on. Especially when compared to the Eden Centre just across town...the outside part of the car park was still covered in snow (5 days after it actually snowed) and so around a quarter of the car park was closed, meaning lots of cars were leaving without finding a space. If I was a shop owner in town I'd be fuming at losing customers on the busiest shopping day of the year for what boils down to laziness and/or terrible management. So for the club to have a decent pitch, car park, and surrounding areas free from snow/ice is a huge achievement.
Doesn't really excuse all the other nonsense, but credit where it is due!
I remember travelling up to that York away game on a supporters coach wondering whether the game would be on with all around being called off. My recollection seems to be one of players dancing on ice, freezing cold and was it a 2-0 defeat? Brrrrr!
4 January 1986. York City 2 Wycombe 0. Remember it well. Ron Monk (old boy you chatted to on the Frank Adams concourse a few months ago, @MorrisItal_ ) was a mere 52 that year but, to me, he seemed like quite an old man. Small and skinny too and I remember feeling slightly vulnerable when he turned round on that freezing terrace behind the goal and told some young guys to watch their language.
Around that time, there was a big old boy (Jack) who sported a standout combover and usually wore a large colourful jacket/coat similar to what you’d see forestry workers wearing in Canada. I “christened” him lumberjack for that reason. On one occasion, he was standing near us behind the goal at Dagenham. The Dagenham players were effing and blinding a fair bit which prompted Jack to shout out “get a fucking grip on the swearing, ref.” Funny the things that stick in the memory.
I think they put straw on the pitch to see off the frost!
Don’t forget the rudimentary gents toilets, with one khazi and a trough. Didn’t even have a roof on it. God knows what the women’s facilities were. Great to see they were completely unchanged in my last visit, before York were sadly relegated from the football league.
I was 15 at the time and had never been that far north before. Remember marvelling at the pit wheels as the M1 snakes through Notts - like a different world.
On the way home, the M1 was down to one lane in places due to the snow.
It was brutally cold.
@micra I remember Ron Monk used to go around with his taller mate, think his name was Ray Sharp. I believe he passed away some years ago. Between them they never seemed to miss a match, they would always be there. Ron's mate could be a bit of a moaner, but you couldn't doubt his commitment. Think he lived in Burnham.
I think the Jack you mentioned was Jack Atkins, who used to go around with the late Geoff Sutton. Lived near Hazlemere. Another absolute diehard fan, but never saw him again after we moved to Adams Park.
Jack Atkins, in his checked lumberjack jacket, was one of the great characters behind the goal at Loakes Park. Always critical, I don't think I heard a positive word from him!
Another great character was the greasy haired rocker in the black leather jacket, again a great terrace critic. I don't know his name, he was a part-time fireman at Gerrards Cross. He would get into arguments with others around him, and he stood with his tall friend in the long trench coat.
Do we still have 'characters' on the terrace?
The greasy rocker was amazing. Just pure vitriol, week in week out. He’d be bending double with fury at times!
One to remember when someone comes along suggesting unreasonable behaviour only came about because of social media.
Aah, Ray Sharp. He and Ron were indeed great mates. You’re being very kind when you describe him as a bit of a moaner ! I can still hear him today - possibly the most negative person I’ve ever known - and it used to amaze me that he continued to go to matches home and away until not that long before he passed away 12 years ago.
Yes, I remember thinking when we moved to Adams Park that Lumberjack seemed to have stopped going to matches. I don’t remember seeing him with Geoff Sutton but he often used to be with a couple who were still attending matches last season when I went to the first three or four games. I used to think of him as Peter Pieman (not to be confused with Peter Pearman !) because he drove for Peter’s Pies. He was in a motorised wheelchair when I last saw him. Which reminds me of another man who ate sweets continuously on the coach to away games and also whistled continuously and tunelessly - quite an achievement! The last time I saw him, at least a year ago, he was going round Morrisons on a mobility scooter.
@micra Peter Pieman = Nick Cooper, and his wife Sheila, again from Hazlemere, two more supporters of 50+ years standing, and yes, they could often be seen with Jack, but I seem to remember they joined the 30 Club at Loakes Park and went in the seated stand. Haven't seen them for a while, but like you I did notice that Nick was in a motorised wheelchair.
I don't know if the greasy rocker was the same chap I remember, sounds like he may well have been, as I'm sure I saw him a few times in Gerrards Cross when I was doing work experience there.
Incredibly loud, booming voice, always shouting abuse at some poor Wycombe player or other. The wingers used to get a torrid time off him. He must have toughened up the likes of Guppy for his career though.
Me and friends would strategically position ourselves near him just to watch his performances, just waiting for a pass to go astray to watch him explode in rage.
Used to see him at Loakes Park in the latter years there, but remember him more in the Woodlands Terrace in the early years at AP.
Think it was at Harlow Town, or it might have been Croydon, where the opposition goalie was subjected to an absolute tirade of abuse by Greasy Rocker, for reasons which weren't particularly clear. Mentioned before on these pages, but never forgotten.
LOL it certainly is all I can remember of one particular Wembley final was the bloody streaker .
Greasy Rocker was an absolute loon, but he is still alive and well living in GX. He is often spotted on his way to warm beer festivals, still looks very well. He used to have an encyclopedic knowledge on poor refeerees, and used to berate Andy Graham in a Bez like Frenzy. The very old chap stood next to him, was nicknamed El Cid, as when Greasy Rocker was going into full explosive meltdown, he would stand there motionless. Hence we thought he must have been already dead, and just like in the movie El Cid, they had sent him out there with a stick down the back of his shirt to keep him upright.
Lumberjack man agreed was never more happy than when moaning, I know Wanderers fans used to call him Frank Cannon, but I always used to think he was double of Welsh darts player Leighton Rees. His Ralph Coates combeover was a sight to be seen at windy away games, when he didn't have the shelter of the Loakes Park cow shed.
Ray Sharp was a dignified but terrible moaner, he would come into the Blues club after a tremendous performance and victory complaining why we hadn't played like that for the previous 10/20 or 30 games. Total gentlemen though.
Nick Cooper is a cross between Diddy David Hamilton and Charlie Drake. He often used to hangaround with lumberjack man, alongside his high pitched voiced wife.
But talking of Terrace characters, Dennis the menace from Wooburn in his oversized suit, and Flackwells Derek Carpenter in his crushed velvet jacket take some beating.
I remember Greasy Rocker nearly strangling the ref at Croydon (It may have been Keith Wenham) after we got beat 1 nil and Westy got sent off. If I recall correctly John Goldsworthy penned notes in the next programme, highlighting the unsporting behaviour of Wanderers fans at Croydon Arena, the previous week.
The chap in the motorised mobility scooter was Degsy Henderson.
I used to work with him at William Bartletts, he sadly died of Covid a couple of years back. A great character, who never stopped whistling, he was never a fan of Mark West, and would strangely still moan about him years after he retired.
Dennis the menace from Wooburn was a character, through the 70s he hardly missed a game. I lived in Flackwell Heath at the time and would often get off the away trip coaches at Loudwater to catch the bus up to FH. Dennis would catch the Wooburn bus from the same stop. We both often popped into the little paper shop by the bridge in Loudwater to by the Evening standard for the Isthmian league results. I didn't know at the time but my wife to be worked behind the counter, years later she told me she remembered me and the bloke who bought comics from the top shelf.
I didn’t know his name, @ChasHarps or that he’d died. He’d been in very poor shape for a few years, I think. The whistling could become really irritating if you were sitting across the aisle from him on a long coach trip. The first time I was in that situation I tried to engage him in conversation. It didn’t work!
This is turning into a superb thread. Love hearing all the old stories about the characters that used to go to games
I always love hearing about the player they didn’t rate, despite all the evidence to the contrary.
It is amazing that anybody didn't rate Mark West.
I was only a sporadic visitor to Loakes Park, but, from my knowledge of the early Adams Park years, am waiting for the bloke with the towel to make an appearance. ALLEZ, LES BLEUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
and his mate that ate the cigarette.
Some rogues actually had a register:- Already discussed , Greasy Rocker, Sealink, a fan who would take the most ridicules route to away games, Lofty Saltmarsh, Trousers Brown, Nethen (who definitely still attends), The bloke who never finishes his sent....... Which eventually deteriorated to The Bloke, Cheese Roll, Muppet, Burper who occasionally turns up at random away games, Peanut and many more that will come to me later. I dread to thing what mine was.
Does Foxy still sit in the woodlands towards the Valley End?
Not seen either of the duo for some time sadly. I think that farmer clipping that fox with his mower and then finishing it off with his gun barrel might have been the end for them.
Pretty certain Foxy even covered his companion’s eyes during the assault. Although I may have made that bit up…