The biggest "gate fiddle" of all time was the promotion showdown v Bournemouth in April 1987. The official gate was 14,000 but most people regard the true gate as around 25,000. Which had been the CG's capacity prior a few years before. I was there that day, and it was close to being dangerously overcrowded in the Town End. As in other parts of the ground including the away end.
A few weeks later we played Gillingham in the playoffs when the gate was again 14,000 but as this game was all-ticket it really was about 14,000.
And you could see on TV as well as if you were there, it was nowhere near as packed.
I assume Hillier was fiddling the figures for tax purposes. Either that or else, post-Hysel he was afraid of punishment for exceeding the new restricted capacity.
Although I appreciate the sentiment, factually you're wide of the mark, insofar as the crowd was nowhere near 25,000. Perhaps 16,000 the regime then would never underestimate by so much, just too risky.
The last crowd of 25,000+ at the CG was for the Wolves game Jan 80....when the TE was just old school TE. A similar figure was out for the Spurs game at the beginning of the month . I've posted up a pic before now of what a crowd like that resembled