The March to Wembley

[W12_Ranger]

walked with the ol' man and his pals for the 82 game and remember fighting in that big pub on the left before you get into wembley(spurs fans got a west london welcome). never walked for the replay(not sure anyone did).
got up really early on that morning in 86 and headed to meet my mates at a well known pub in ladbroke grove-when i got there it was packed to the rafters. we had a couple of pints and waited for the latimer road lot to meet up with us before walking firm handed up to the corner of grove and harrow road. stopped for more beer. the dwarf was running around trying to organise everyone. by the time we set off on the march to scrubbs lane they was a good couple of thousand rangers from grove/latimer/harrow road/queens park etc with more joining all the time from kensal green and surrounding areas. when we got to scrubbs lane we merged with all the lot that had walked from bush/white city etc. harlesden did'nt know what hit it-untold fans ran into an offy and took what they wanted-shop was left with a few bottles of wine(lucky fulham were'nt playing or the owner would have been left with nothing). not sure of the numbers that walked but it stretched as far as the eye could see-the atmosphere was amazing(until the game started!!!)
honestly believe if we got to wembley again we would have much bigger numbers because back then it was word of mouth and only people local to the areas i mentioned.

Nice story Bush

I wonder if we could do it nowadays though or wether the OB would prevent it from happening.

If it did happen again only would it be acceptable that those physically incapable off the march not to do it.

I have visions of a sea of 25000 Rangers fans bringing West London to a stand still.

[Kirill]

Unfortunatley wasnt even a twitch in me old mans boxers then.

Yeah, but if it was now, could you actually march? :=B:

[bushcelt1]

Nice story Bush

I wonder if we could do it nowadays though or wether the OB would prevent it from happening.

If it did happen again only would it be acceptable that those physically incapable off the march not to do it.

I have visions of a sea of 25000 Rangers fans bringing West London to a stand still.

could'nt see the o.b being able to stop it w12. we would defo get more than on previous walks because of networking sites/messageboards etc-back then there was'nt even mobile phones!!!.
in hindsight(easy i know) i would have taken a day out at wembley and relegation. at the time i never would have thought we would wait so long to get there again. if we go down i hope we go back up via the playoffs-thousands would still do the walk.

[Bigdave]

Excellent thread and some good stories , unfortunatley i was a bit too young at the time but know many Northolt bods who did the walk/s.

[W12_Ranger]

In a day and age of massive media coverage an event of this kind seeing 20k football fans marching through London to watch their team play in the most famous domestic cup competition in the world would capture the football communities attention. Whilst coffin carriers hold aloft the oppositions burial it could be the sort off event which goes down in folklore...we just need to get there!

[MattyRangers]

Yeah, but if it was now, could you actually march? :=B:

March / waddle, tis all the same eh

[bushcelt1]

friend of mine pushed his brother in his wheelchair. was ment to push him all the way but hailed a taxi near stonebridge and put him in.... where he then preceded to get sick all over the back seat. reckons it was nothing to do with the 15 or so cans of fosters!!!!

[qprted]

bushcelt

bushcelt amazingly i can tell you your story but from another concept I was with the other lot who walked from loftus road

so this copper stands in front of the march at harlseden and seeing me wearing a stewards badge says can you hold up your mob here,i say officer are you mad this is only a small portion of whats comming from around that corner there must be thousands pouring up behind me
AND ANYWAY THIS MARCH IS FULL OF WOMAN AND CHILDREN these people are not combatatants
THE OLD COPPER LOOKED AT ME STERNLY AND SAID
as may be as may be
BUT LADBROKE GROVE HAVE ORGANISED ANOTHER MARCH AND THEYVE SMASHED EVERYTHING THAT HAS BEEN PUT IN FRONT OF THEM

[Brooksie]

Stupidly as a 12 year old at the 82 final, took the tube although I lived in greenford and got the " he's only a poor little ranger" by the whole of the carriage who were ***s. 86 walked from Sudbury and after a few cans of strong lager thought it was hilarious watching the Oxford fans cowering as we pretended to brick their coaches.

[72bus]

82 , stayed up all nite , early meet at the smuts, marched past the scrubs prison beer lorry got stuck , lloyd jumped on the lorry and passed crate after crate down; just before we got to the match a open top truck of spurs pulled up and there was a free for all in the road, the equaliser was one of my happiest memories tens of thousands of us all going mental. i will never forget that weekend and thank god i took my camera

[W12_Ranger]

82 , stayed up all nite , early meet at the smuts, marched past the scrubs prison beer lorry got stuck , lloyd jumped on the lorry and passed crate after crate down; just before we got to the match a open top truck of spurs pulled up and there was a free for all in the road, the equaliser was one of my happiest memories tens of thousands of us all going mental. i will never forget that weekend and thank god i took my camera

show us then

[W12_Ranger]

Quite surprised at the lack off response to the thread for the second time , this is part off our history . Over 5k for 82 and 86 I'm told....nobody remembers the Open top spurs supporters bus in harlesdon ???

[bushcelt1]

Agree.very poor response for this. Iknw that thousands walked so i thought more would contribute. A lot of my mates and others who would have walked from grove/bush etc are not on messageboards but could tell ya some right good stories!! It was very local thing that a lot of fans from other areas never got into-seemed to know everyone!! The actual march has been better than the games. Its a feeling relatively few rangers fans have felt.

[Qprnw10]

Open top spurs bus in harlesden?.why???

[superhoop67]

Open top spurs bus in harlesden?.why???

took a heavy pounding of bricks and bottles