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Has Blundell Park ever been a fortress ?

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grimps
January 15, 2017, 5:45am
balderdash
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I know we always hear the "Let's get Blundell park back to being a fortress'
But in all my time supporting the Mariners (From the 80s) I can't ever remember it being a fortress , Under the Buckley promotion years we whacked a few teams but without checking I always seem to think it was out away record that took us up.
I would say under Buckley important big games we usually would win  but for the last 20 odd years we've never really done the business at home for some reason.
Under Hurst we was in the top five for four years on the bounce and still had a very average home record and always seemed to lose the important games or the games that we needed to kick on and start a run.

I can't for the life of me think why this is but it's probably one of the reasons why we have an exceptional away following , I know loads of people that go to big away games but hardly ever go to watch them at home.
Maybe a new ground would help ?
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Mrs Doyle
January 15, 2017, 6:45am
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It most definitely has, for older fans like me who remember the Laurie Mac/George kerr era. We were beating the likes of Man city, Wolves. Leeds,both teams from Sheffield etc at BP for fun.

B.P. was packed to the rafters and the wall of noise we made was unbelievable, it was said that it could be heard as far away as Freeman Street.

Brian Kidd ex Man Utd and Everton striker said Blundell Park was the most intimidating place he had ever played at.

If Davy Boylen sees this he will back me up on this one he was one of the heroes during that era.
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grimps
January 15, 2017, 6:51am
balderdash
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I was a young kid in the late 70s and early 80s so can't really remember much about that time.
What's changed since then ? When you look at our gates in the 70s and early 80s we was averaging 10-12000 at home.
There is defiantly something not right about Blundell park and I'd be more than happy for us to leave
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Mrs Doyle
January 15, 2017, 7:27am
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A combination of things mate we had a lot of local talent brought up through the ranks, a great team ethic.players who bust a gut every game proud to play for GTFC.

A manager that famously took the players down to the fish docks to show them the sort of people who paid there hard earned money to see them.

Standing was the best as far as atmosphere goes,better build up/banter before games between bigger more local Yorkshire derbies.

You could hear the crowd singing long BEFORE you got to the ground and that was twenty minutes before kick off.

People use to be running just to get in.

I agree the old Park is just a mere shadow of it's former self and is well past it's sell by date,

A new stadium might be needed for this mind set to change.
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97
January 15, 2017, 8:17am
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Noisier yes, but fortress is a bit of a misnomer. Certainly a reputation as somewhere other teams don't want to come, all the North Sea cliches etc, but the only time in recent years where I remember it as being genuinely fearsome was the Newell relegation game against Gillingham. I actually felt sorry for the Gillingham fans...

Before that? Early 80s. All seater killed it.
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97
January 15, 2017, 8:21am
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Oh and on the subject of a new ground, although I begrudgingly accept we need one - has there ever been an example of a new ground improving atmosphere? I suppose it you mix local away fans like they do at West Ham's fiasco bowl then that could work....
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Mrs Doyle
January 15, 2017, 8:33am
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The bottom line is if you win games the atmosphere will get better always as done.
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MuddyWaters
January 15, 2017, 9:15am
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As Mrs D says, GTFC of the 70's was a team that always had some local lads and managers who sent their teams out on the front foot.

Football has changed a lot since then, all seater stadia, more overseas players, much less local talent and therefore less comprehension by both managers and players as to what makes this area tick. Fans have always been fickle, many have stopped coming due to the long decline combined with the recession and it's nice to see some drifting back.
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Garth
January 15, 2017, 9:34am

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Has Blundell Park ever been a fortress ?

Yes, when the likes of Brace, Boylen, Brolley, Drinkall and the Moores brothers ruled the roost
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Bigdog
January 15, 2017, 10:20am
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A lot of clubs in this league might be asking the same question. Probably due to how teams are being cleverly set up for away games, there have been 118 home wins and 112 away victories so far this season..
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