Dave it was rough in the 60's (my dad lived up Sunbury Rd for ten years) but if you saw it now mate you'd know what I mean. The place looks like a warzone ffs. It's sad Dave honest to god. Just because it was rough back in the day the majority of people were still decent folk who deserved better.
Expansion should never have been a future dream and never was. It just should have been planned properly when we were doing the Centenary etc. It might still have taken ten years from then but would have given us a decade of an extra 10-15000 a week (lost revenue at todays prices of over £100 million).
Certain people at the club (conveniently ignored by the council) deliberately set out on the policy of buying up properties and leaving them empty in the early 90s because they'd tried and failed to strong arm the locals out. They knew damn well how much money they could make and yet they still went about it with unbelievably dodgy deals and practices to try and save themselves a few quid. Bunch of ****ing spivs cost the club a ****ing fortune and the area its dignity![]()
Sorry Billy but it was a disgrace in the 60s - I went there every day. But it wasn't alone. My family came from off Park Road and that was a disgrace as well. The one thing that I will agree with you on was that the people were in general brill. Me Nan's door was open all day yet nobody even thought of robbing her. The steps were scrubbed and the brass done till it shone. The houses were poor terraces but the majority were so clean you could eat off the floor - it was a matter of pride.
I can't argue with you about the clubs reaction in the 90s as I wasn't there. But what you say does not surprise me. Leadership at that time totally lost touch with the way that the market and society was changing.

, tbf they were given a brand new stadium for next to nothing after their city council had already cleared thousands of houses and businesses in the run up to the Commonwealth Games to get the stadium built, so City never had to get their hands dirty.