the ‘lads’ despite what they claim only went to games every now and again – cup matches or bolton,preston and tranmere or anywhere else were there was a chance of some action from opposing teams ‘lads’.
the true away supporters all knew one another or a least you regognised their faces – even now you bump into someone you havent seen since the springfield park days and the conversation always drifts to “do you remember when we went to ???????”
fec me riks bar only opened its doors and closed again in the last few years and arky has never run his tour bus every week – mostly big matches only and more often in promotion/first year premiership days and we all know it, work,families and banning orders have thrown the last sentance right out of the window – but why let facts cloud that.
I feel I must apologise now for not being a superfan like you as I have not been going since 1978, most probably because I was 4 years old.
I started going in the mid 80’s and I reckon from 1987-91 missed no more than half a dozen games (for 2 seasons running the only game I missed was Aldershot away as I couldn’t get time off school). I was at Bournemouth when we got relegated and the coffin was carried around the away end. I was at the Plymouth home game the week before when Peter Shilton was in the nets and I was at the game Vat mentioned at West Brom when Bob Taylor banged in a hat trick (I think)
I’ve been to night away games at Gillingham, Southend & Fulham when there were less than 50 Latics fans in the away end. I’ve served my time on the Supporters Club coach, by car and train and Darren Todd’s Elite Travel Club (remember than one eh loudmouth?) but hey I’m starting to sound like you now so I’ll shut up.
As I’ve said elsewhere it doesn’t make me a single bit better than anyone else and I wouldn’t have brought it up at all only that you did…
Except to say that lots of other people who write for the fanzine can and do also write very eloquently about such periods and the non league days and frequently do, so we’re either all a bunch of liars (and it’s a bit of a risk to put lies in print, it kind of invites libel action) or you’re lying again loudmouth……incidentally 3 of our contributors are in their 20’s so quite how they were supposed to be there when we were at our lowest ebb I don’t know as they were probably in nappies. I’ve not even met a few of our contributors, so much for the elitist theory
By your logic it seems that because the article covered a period of our success, this therefore means that me, the author and everyone associated with Mudhutter, whether they be in their 20’s or 50’s was never there?? Now who’s generalising
The article was specifically describing the rise and fall of the club, the rise beginning a couple of years after Whelan joined and we moved to the DW. I can talk to you about the Kenny Swain years (why it’s even mentioned in that article that I sent my train tickets from a game away at Colchester to Kenny Swain after we’d got gubbed 3-1 out of frustration) and I can talk about the John Deehan Championship season but that wasn’t what the article was about.
Did you expect me to write about every game I’ve ever been to, which must run to a thousand or two over 25 years just so that I can satisfy you that I was there?
Even in the 4th div championship season we only got 4,000 on most weeks, the rise really began when we moved to the DW and part of the fun was that Arky started to run coaches for like minded folk, some of whom enjoyed a nice social drink as part of the day out. It’s only relevant because they were good times after a few years in the doldrums
After all this mr loudmouth, you know what if you turn up and support them just as I do and indeed you have done for much longer than me I’m in no position to preach to you, or indeed anyone who goes, even though I find your one dimensional argument a bit droll and repetitive. You pay your money, you’re entitled to your opininon, I hope but cannot guarantee that Bob turns things round and wins over even his harshest of critics like yourself.
The whole article was based around the 16,000 home fans who turned up in our first Premier League season who are now down to 10,000. This worries and frustrates me -and yes the football worries and frustrates me and I have been critical of the manager, I just don’t see an alternative to Roberto Martinez mainly because I have ten times the awareness you have of the financial circumstances under which he is operating so I will support him because the alternative (a Dowie or a return of Paul Jewell dare I say) it simply wouldn’t work at this football club any more
