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in my time watching the latics , over 40 years now think one of the most loyal fans is big Alan im sure most latics fans will know who im on about used to jump up and down on the terraces at spring field ,,, and coming of after the QPR game saw him walking up springfield road ///// i know he used to go to every game home and away in the none leauge days so this bloke must be one of the best fans the latics have ever had would e nice if he would get a write up in your cockney latic mag
Not a bad fan is Alan Fairhurst but not sure if he goes away as much anymore with his nephew Darren. Other good all weather fans would be Danny Kennedy and Brian Sabin but fact Brian used to blag free tickets at away matches used to wind a few regulars up. Old Fred and his wife used to be my favourites. Home and away through all the leagues. Club Legend! Oh and that fella with a tash and perm who was always at Springy with his Peroxide Blonde wife with the massive set of teeth has been knockin about a few years.
yes i know the ones you are on about think they lived in hindley trying to think of any more of the old ones that still go to every game i dont go away now as my job doesnt allow me graham pye was one he used to run the coaches from the old suporters club , still see him at the matches one lad used to go criss coffee never seen him for a few years now
don’t think Danny Kennedy goes any more, not been for a few years i believe(but i stand corrected).
Best fan i knew from a while back was owd Ernie Claxton(rip). Used to man the door on the supporters club with an iron fist, he used to turn fekin players away if he didn’t recognise them, rum bugger was Ernie.
Best fan today is Kevin Pownall(sp, might be Powell) by a long way.
He phoned me in the brick a couple of years back one weekday night, on his way alone to Norwich to watch the youth team in an FA cup match.PS close second John Heeley.
don’t think Danny Kennedy goes any more, not been for a few years i believe(but i stand corrected). Best fan i knew from a while back was owd Ernie Claxton(rip). Used to man the door on the supporters club with an iron fist, he used to turn fekin players away if he didn’t recognise them, rum bugger was Ernie. Best fan today is Kevin Pownall(sp, might be Powell) by a long way. He phoned me in the brick a couple of years back one weekday night, on his way alone to Norwich to watch the youth team in an FA cup match. PS close second John Heeley.flaming heck ernie and his mate (i think is name was joe) were legends, 10 barley wines each before crewe on southern trips – straight into the railway workers cafe/bar/club under euston station with bill bootle, joe lee, and a few others who’s name i cant remember – they were all train drivers or from horwich loco on free travel.
i remember ernie and little joe getting arrested before kickoff somewhere, could have brentford or orient because they were that drunk they fell down the terraces christ sake they were both 70 + at the time -nearly caused a riot.
i also remember being on a train to portsmouth and i took a photo including ernie and joe and billy bootle with sir alec guiness wearing a latics scarf – saturday before our famous monday night cup win at chelsea – i gave harold ashurst the film and told him the story and it was in the observer that week – 3 days later i got a phone call from a news agency and sold them the photo for 200 quid(flaming heck it was over 2 weeks wages for me in 1978) – it was in all the national papers the following day with the headline “tinker tailor soldier latics fan” which was massive at the time and apt as its just been released as a new film.
who says latics/fans have no history we have created our own over the last 30 years.
one last word on great fans, i want to mention two,
jack green – i dont think he ever managed to see us in the premiership before he died but he always stood behind the goals at springfield with his daughter pat -his grandson still goes i think – one of the most knowledgeable and loyal latics fans i ever met and the other one george owen who collapsed at the west ham game last season and died later – he was a lifelong fan and cursed and moaned like a trooper, but his support never waivered and even did a couple of away games last season at the age of 84.
we may be fewer in numbers than alot of other teams, but by heck we are as good and passionate as any.well i spent most of my younger days in the suporters club was in every night used to be great fun and had some great times in there the best ever was when we in the leauge a night ill never forgot was some ok women as well
ernie claxton and joe, he’s my uncle, were well known at the time, two rum buggers they were ! alas, ernie no longer with us, joe is still alive, no longer goes to matches. i have the photo of them with alec guinness, somewhere. the look on his face as if to say, what am i doing with these two , priceless !!!!
Loudmouth,
Couldn’t agree more about jack green. Absolute legend. I knew him when I was knee high to a grasshopper. Jack was mates with my dad(r.i.p) and used to look after me on the touchline while my dad played rugby for st.cuthberts. Jack was a lot older than my dad and he was like a grandad to me. Lost touch with him as I grew up – think he passed away a few years ago?
ernie claxton and joe, he’s my uncle, were well known at the time, two rum buggers they were ! alas, ernie no longer with us, joe is still alive, no longer goes to matches. i have the photo of them with alec guinness, somewhere. the look on his face as if to say, what am i doing with these two , priceless !!!!alec guinness was actually sound that day -he was in a first class carriage on his own and someone spotted him – there was about 20 or so wiganers on the train so we all piled down for a look to see if it was him, someone asked him for his autograph and as i had a camera it led to the photos.
in the photo hes got a latics scarf on it was him who asked to wear one before i took the shot, somebody else gave him a can of beer which he drunk and we all sat talking to him until he got off at guildford, he was very knowledgeable about us and knew all about our election to the football league.Remember the arrest on arrival incident. It was Brentford. The lads had just paid then walked up on to the terrace and then promptly escorted out.
A real classic. But Jesus they were ratted.Got to agree LMB jack green was friends with my dad, you could ask jack anything about latics and he would give you the answear in the blink of an eye another one was colin barnes a true gent and loyal fan but never got to see the good times along with my dad both died at young ages
the suporters club was great in them days love to hear from any one who used to go in them days say from 1974 to 1984 molly was in charge in them days you could get a drink any time u wanted ,, any one remember big eight ,, lyn broad …. dave walsh dave fletcher ,,, criss coffee ,,, john elwood ,,,, the disco in them days was good to love to find out if any still go i know dave walsh does
want to echo the praise for jack green…me and beany used to walk home from springfield park with jack, as he lived near beany, always stood in the same spot right behind the goal, we used to go under the popular stand till about 15 mins left, then make our way round and stand with jack for the last 5 or so mins then if we would either go in the club or walk home over the bridge with jack.
i know times av changed, and if we’d have stayed at springy park we would have probably died….but i’d love to go back in time for 1 more game…hang about under the floodlight for abit, stand with jack for 5 mins, then go in the club, check my coupon on that big feck off tele they had at the front, av a couple of pints, and wander off home over ‘the gant’….
football was real back then……dont let em blind you about how wonderful this premiership and football is now, with its greed and pompous attitude..
it was better back then..
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