Well by judging bt some of the comments victoria park was a loved and a hated place,its sort of living up to the collingwood name and reall we would not want it other way.Let me start by saying that i am saddend that a lot of footy youngsters will never ever see suburban warfare at its best,to witness 30.000 plus collingwood people going ferral is something to behold its another reminder that football is more than just a game,Victoria park football the home of the collingwood football club was a way of life,it was a meeting place,a place where many long living collingwood supporters have had there ashes spread across the ground as a long token gesture that when you are collingwood you are also
collingwood in death.As a collingwood supporter you more or less grew up at victoria park it was to become your second home,you learnt how to look after your self at collingwood,you had your first drink at collingwood and many of us discovered the opposite sex at collingwood,many were even married at collingwood,we all had so many uncles at collingwood it wasnt funny'hey joffa meet uncle ken'hey joffa meet uncle brian and so it went on,we were a family at victoria park you didnt have to know the next collingwood supporter standing next to you if he was collingwood somehow he was family.The saddest thing i have found since the closure of victoria park is that i no longer see all those wonderful collingwood characters any more(the MCG our new home is kinda too big im sure they still go but its easy to get lost at the MCG the place is simply that big)Every game year after year at victoria park you allways saw the same people the strage thing is half the time you did not even know there names but you allways stopped to have a chat and then move on to your favourite position to watch your beloved collingwood.Myself i was introduced to victoria park at the age of 5 years,and that was 30 years ago when football was football it was tough and so were the football supporters,i distintcly remember a fight between two old collingwood ladies and i can remember enough to know that you should never say anything wrong about a supporters favourite player and yes even your own supporter.I started to frequent collingwood games at victoria park on my own from the age of 7 years,i dont know why but i allways headed to the yarra falls end behind the goals and even now after all these years i still head for that end of the ground.Last year the collingwood football club in the VFL competition were still playing games at victoria park but now they joined with williamstown and so it ends for good, one of the most historical and traditional chapters in Australian rules football.The collingwood supporter is a much maligned supporter we are not as bad as some people think,sure we were one eyed and we will allways defend our love for the club,pretty enduring qualities i would say
i guess some football people find it offensive to see so many collingwood supporters gathered in such a small place
just loving and supporting collingwood.
But victoria park was just like any other suburban football ground if you were not collingwood and wanted to talk tough the answer was simple, you had to know how to look after yourself and usually smartarse big mouths just did not know how to look after themselves,it was nothing to hear an allmighty whack and see some opposition supporter go down on his backside.I can remember clearly as a youngster some drunken opposition supporter with a broken beer bottle wanting to take on all collingwood supporters he was knocked unconcious and dragged up behind the score board and left there for the duration of the game,At collingwood it was a brave person to go and dob on you to the coppers for whatever reason,your fete for doing this usually awaited for you at the end of the game near the foot bridge near victoria park station!!
But it was a place to make great friendships with opposition supporters,you would basically see them year after year when it was collingwoods turn to play them at our home ground,and the joking and shit stirring was fantastic a s long as they did not go too far it was acceptable and usually recieved in good humour.It was a special place in the sense that our parants were victoria park people and so were there parants and it just went on.And it was special to be a collingwood supporter at victoria park,we did share the place with some of the biggest names in football history
rose,gabbelich,kyne,mchale,the twomeys even on to modern collingwood times such as mckenna,thompson,millane,daicos and so on,it was an endless supply of past and present greats that graced this ground with there footballing talants.It was kinda spine tingling to just in a small way be a part of it all.But there were some very fond memories from my time supporting collingwood at victoria park and some not so good.History is correct in saying that collingwood was the most feared ground in football chuck in a famous club in front of all those one eyed collingwood people and we were hard to bloody beat,but sadly in later years this was not to be the case collingwood started to lose a lot of games at vicky park.Modern day football had caught up with collingwood its proud past, and tradition was no longer a guarantee for victory infact sometimes you got a feeling it was holding the club back.I remember peanut man at all games he would be there yelling out'peanits peanuts 20 cents a bag peanuts'I remember the collingwood trainer who would wave his white towel to all in the collingwood stand on the wing when collingwood were making a comeback the noise would be deafening and at times you would swear it got the maggies home,i remember jim odea making the stkilda team many many years
after he nearly murdered our champion john greening and it was frightening i can tell you very bloody frightening.And peter daicos what a champion, i remember a game against melb some time ago when at 3 quarter time we were down something like 23 points and things were not looking too good,in the opening minute of the last quarter he kicked a torp from the centre of the ground for a goal the noise was deafening it lifted the magpies, who went on to a memorable victory
and i remember the day against the swans wheb they were owned by the doctor,well some one should of told this idiot that you just dont arrive in the middle of victoria park in a pink helicopter.But this paticular game was more memorable for other reasons,collingwood were slaughtering the swans and at half time it was how far the magpies,but in the second half the swans grew an extra leg and with minutes to go in the game the swans did recieve a very lucky free kick and did go on to win the match by a couple of points,well shite all hell broke loose so much so the umpires were decked walking of the ground(ha ha the culprit was never caught)The supporters then tried to kick down the door to the umpires room and the swans players visiting room it was mayhem at its best,and forgive me for sayin so it was good ole suburban ferral football.
Our game is poorer without it,It has now lost its identity.But we now move on to the MCG and i know things are now so very different.I know this has been a long post i hope i havnt bored you all too much,infact i really hope you enjoy reading it a smuch as i have enjoyed telling it.So long victoria park and thanks.
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There are only two kinds of people in this world-COLLINGWOOD SUPPORTERS,and those who wish they were!
SHITE here comes COLLINGWOOD to kick your ass forever BLACK AND WHITE,ha ha ha jealousy will be the death of you,SHITE!!!!!
collingwood in death.As a collingwood supporter you more or less grew up at victoria park it was to become your second home,you learnt how to look after your self at collingwood,you had your first drink at collingwood and many of us discovered the opposite sex at collingwood,many were even married at collingwood,we all had so many uncles at collingwood it wasnt funny'hey joffa meet uncle ken'hey joffa meet uncle brian and so it went on,we were a family at victoria park you didnt have to know the next collingwood supporter standing next to you if he was collingwood somehow he was family.The saddest thing i have found since the closure of victoria park is that i no longer see all those wonderful collingwood characters any more(the MCG our new home is kinda too big im sure they still go but its easy to get lost at the MCG the place is simply that big)Every game year after year at victoria park you allways saw the same people the strage thing is half the time you did not even know there names but you allways stopped to have a chat and then move on to your favourite position to watch your beloved collingwood.Myself i was introduced to victoria park at the age of 5 years,and that was 30 years ago when football was football it was tough and so were the football supporters,i distintcly remember a fight between two old collingwood ladies and i can remember enough to know that you should never say anything wrong about a supporters favourite player and yes even your own supporter.I started to frequent collingwood games at victoria park on my own from the age of 7 years,i dont know why but i allways headed to the yarra falls end behind the goals and even now after all these years i still head for that end of the ground.Last year the collingwood football club in the VFL competition were still playing games at victoria park but now they joined with williamstown and so it ends for good, one of the most historical and traditional chapters in Australian rules football.The collingwood supporter is a much maligned supporter we are not as bad as some people think,sure we were one eyed and we will allways defend our love for the club,pretty enduring qualities i would say
i guess some football people find it offensive to see so many collingwood supporters gathered in such a small place
just loving and supporting collingwood.
But victoria park was just like any other suburban football ground if you were not collingwood and wanted to talk tough the answer was simple, you had to know how to look after yourself and usually smartarse big mouths just did not know how to look after themselves,it was nothing to hear an allmighty whack and see some opposition supporter go down on his backside.I can remember clearly as a youngster some drunken opposition supporter with a broken beer bottle wanting to take on all collingwood supporters he was knocked unconcious and dragged up behind the score board and left there for the duration of the game,At collingwood it was a brave person to go and dob on you to the coppers for whatever reason,your fete for doing this usually awaited for you at the end of the game near the foot bridge near victoria park station!!
But it was a place to make great friendships with opposition supporters,you would basically see them year after year when it was collingwoods turn to play them at our home ground,and the joking and shit stirring was fantastic a s long as they did not go too far it was acceptable and usually recieved in good humour.It was a special place in the sense that our parants were victoria park people and so were there parants and it just went on.And it was special to be a collingwood supporter at victoria park,we did share the place with some of the biggest names in football history
rose,gabbelich,kyne,mchale,the twomeys even on to modern collingwood times such as mckenna,thompson,millane,daicos and so on,it was an endless supply of past and present greats that graced this ground with there footballing talants.It was kinda spine tingling to just in a small way be a part of it all.But there were some very fond memories from my time supporting collingwood at victoria park and some not so good.History is correct in saying that collingwood was the most feared ground in football chuck in a famous club in front of all those one eyed collingwood people and we were hard to bloody beat,but sadly in later years this was not to be the case collingwood started to lose a lot of games at vicky park.Modern day football had caught up with collingwood its proud past, and tradition was no longer a guarantee for victory infact sometimes you got a feeling it was holding the club back.I remember peanut man at all games he would be there yelling out'peanits peanuts 20 cents a bag peanuts'I remember the collingwood trainer who would wave his white towel to all in the collingwood stand on the wing when collingwood were making a comeback the noise would be deafening and at times you would swear it got the maggies home,i remember jim odea making the stkilda team many many years
after he nearly murdered our champion john greening and it was frightening i can tell you very bloody frightening.And peter daicos what a champion, i remember a game against melb some time ago when at 3 quarter time we were down something like 23 points and things were not looking too good,in the opening minute of the last quarter he kicked a torp from the centre of the ground for a goal the noise was deafening it lifted the magpies, who went on to a memorable victory
and i remember the day against the swans wheb they were owned by the doctor,well some one should of told this idiot that you just dont arrive in the middle of victoria park in a pink helicopter.But this paticular game was more memorable for other reasons,collingwood were slaughtering the swans and at half time it was how far the magpies,but in the second half the swans grew an extra leg and with minutes to go in the game the swans did recieve a very lucky free kick and did go on to win the match by a couple of points,well shite all hell broke loose so much so the umpires were decked walking of the ground(ha ha the culprit was never caught)The supporters then tried to kick down the door to the umpires room and the swans players visiting room it was mayhem at its best,and forgive me for sayin so it was good ole suburban ferral football.
Our game is poorer without it,It has now lost its identity.But we now move on to the MCG and i know things are now so very different.I know this has been a long post i hope i havnt bored you all too much,infact i really hope you enjoy reading it a smuch as i have enjoyed telling it.So long victoria park and thanks.
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There are only two kinds of people in this world-COLLINGWOOD SUPPORTERS,and those who wish they were!
SHITE here comes COLLINGWOOD to kick your ass forever BLACK AND WHITE,ha ha ha jealousy will be the death of you,SHITE!!!!!
