Question When was the Golden Age?

[Reg Martin]

The one certainty about the coming season is that people will be telling us they've just seen their worst ever game at Roots Hall, this is the worst ever Southend side, this is the weakest League two ever, I'm not renewing my season ticket, etc, etc. As people were saying this even when we were riding high under Tilly, it makes me wonder when was the time when everything was great for our club?
I've followed Southend from close at hand and from afar since 1970 and it seems to me it's always been a rollercoaster ride.
A battle to avoid applying for re-election in 70-71 followed by a first ever promotion in 1972 with gates of 15k or more in some games followed by selling Bill Garner and a relegation battle the following year. A couple of mid-table seasons and then relegation back to the basement in 1976.
The Dave Smith era had some great times with two promotions and some great cup peformances but it was against a backdrop of falling crowds and hooliganism.
The chaos and near extinction of the mid-80s, crowds down below 2k, followed by more yo-yoing between the bottom two divisions.
Then something I never thought I would see - promotion to the second tier, a six-year stay there but crowds never got much above a 5k average, the owner wanted to move us to Basildon and then Barry Fry walking out when he could have taken us to the Prem.
Late 90s and early 2000s another near extinction, stuck in the bottom tier going nowhere.
Then the glory years under Tilly, two promotions, cup finals, crowds consistently higher than any time since the 60s but still plenty of moaners from early days in the championship until his final season when everyone rallied round Tilly as Ron Martin became public enemy number one.
Followed by another near extinction and now back in the basement again.
So when was the golden age and I'm going to assume no-one on here was around before the 50s when setting up the poll.

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

For me the late 60's.The era of Phil Chisnall,Eddie Clayton,Sammy MacMillan,Andy Smillie and Billy Best et al.

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

For me the late 60's.The era of Phil Chisnall,Eddie Clayton,Sammy MacMillan,Andy Smillie,Eddie Firmani,Tony Bentley,Graham Birks and Billy Best et al.

 

[Jam_Man]

Dave Webb getting us to Division 1 for the first time and spending a few years there.

Tilsons era was great, but didnt manage to sustain the success so that would come 2nd.

Anything before 1980 is before my time.

 

[Pak Power]

Me too the 60's . Best team in ther world. (why we were in the bottom half of division four always mystified me!)

 

[Dick Bate's Protege]

Dave Webb's great run promotions for me as well, purely because I was a kid and football meant so much more to me then.

 

[Uncle Leo]

Much as I saw much more of the Tilly era, so that was more special personally, I can't really argue with the back-to-back promotions and sustained spell in the second tier during the 90s.

 

[davewebbsbrain]

The early 90's were amazing, Collymore, Angell, Benjamin et al....standing in the North Bank. Magical times.

 

[stickyboy]

No Dick Bate option?

 

[DTS]

Webbys time by far as we were going to places we had no right to win and winning comfortably. The only time we have ever really been able to compete.

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

No Dick Bate option?

See Red Card Roy for Doughnut's accurate account of him.:winking:

 

[Richard Hearn]

The Golden Age is always the period just before any individual supporter began attending.

 

[Austin the Shrimper]

early 90's..Chrissy Powell, Collymore, Otto, super Sammy, Division one..For half a season looking like Prem material.

 

[GodblessArthurRowley]

Mid 80's for me in particular Rochdale at home one Friday, sitting in a near deserted East Stand with my mate, bloke comes up to me with a matchday ticket and says I'm sitting in his seat. I did the decent thing and let him sit there, as we only had a couple of thousand others to choose from. Marvellous times.

 

[Rattus Norvegicus]

Mid 80's for me in particular Rochdale at home one Friday, sitting in a near deserted East Stand with my mate, bloke comes up to me with a matchday ticket and says I'm sitting in his seat. I did the decent thing and let him sit there, as we only had a couple of thousand others to choose from. Marvellous times.

:hilarious::hilarious: Yes. I saw the same once in the away end at the Darlington ground .... acres of empty seats to chose from!

 

[CocklesShrimps&Whiteweed]

Always a toss up between the Webb and Tilson era.....where was the silver-wear in the Webb era though hmmm?

 

[davewebbsbrain]

Always a toss up between the Webb and Tilson era.....where was the silver-wear in the Webb era though hmmm?

Top of the championship for an afternoon does it for me.

 

[Mick]

Always a toss up between the Webb and Tilson era.....where was the silver-wear in the Webb era though hmmm?

silver-wear ? must be referring to the LDV final shirts ?

 

[Just Who Is the 5 O'Clock Hero]

100% Webb era for me ............ LEGEND AND PURE CLASS NO CONTEST

 

[CocklesShrimps&Whiteweed]

silver-wear ? must be referring to the LDV final shirts ?

Well that and the two trophies I recall the team lifting during Tilly's reign.