Firstly the notion that the ground was once all cinders (and that is probably correct) which caused people to continually shuffle their feet with the impression that they were regularly scratching has been suggested.
Secondly that the east paddock used to get so crowded (in the halcyon days!) that spectators were so tightly packed together that they were not able to move their hands to scratch any part of their anatomy! And finally the suggestion that chickens were kept underneath it during the war.
This last idea is simply not true as there is insufficient room underneath the east paddock to do any such thing.
The only thing that has been kept underneath the small, damp and dark area was mushrooms which Glyn James and one of the Blackpool trainers cultivated during Glyn's time at Bloomfield Road!
As for the history of the east paddock, it was once known as the Supporters Club 'Bob' Stand. This is because it was money raised by the Supporters Club that was responsible for the covering of the paddock and because it cost one shilling, a bob, entrance.
There was always a paddock on the east side of the ground but the erection of the roof in the mid-1920s cost £2,185 13s 11d and the job was done in two parts.
The first part was ready for the start of the 1926/27 season while the remainder was completed by May 1928 and Blackpool director Albert Hindley thanked the Supporters Club for a magnificent gift".