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HATS!
Well in advance of the summer tour, the required sun protection has arrived. The new Rotterdam 91-esque bucket hats are finished. 22 ordered, the remainder of which will no doubt be on sale via the RRF once they’ve all grabbed one themselves. Anyone can get their own fan stuff made up these days. Google it, and you’ll find plenty of producers of scarves, hats etc. So grab a bucket hat whilst you can and then get thinking about what other merch, we as fans could produce at FC.
The photos also offered me the chance to show off my new toy. A late 60s/early 70s version of the German football game “Tipp-Kick”. Metal figures, in United colours. Lovely.
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Spotted in town:
Regional railways & REDS!! -
Spotted in town:
With a barcode but not for sale…
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RRF!
I love my crew :-) -
Rushall Olympic (Away):
A nice long away trip by our own meagre standards was the promise and, my, did it deliver! 8am and the rather depleted RRF met up at Picadilly for our first train of the day, down to Wolverhampton. Despite the slow train over to Rushall, we made our first pub (The Boathouse) by mid-morning and got stuck into the darts and pool. The police turned up a bit later for a nose around, but the bar stayed open and it was only when the only cask ale (Partridges very own Directors) ran out that we took a wander on. That was a bit of luck as it happened, as the next pub was even better, with a big range of ales and, bizarrely, no bar! You just sort of wandered in and stood where the bar should be, whilst the barmaid served from the taps on the wall. After a few leisurely drinks in the sunshine outside, it was time for kick-off so we made our way over the bridge to the ground.
The match itself was nothing to write home about. An uneven pitch and very agricultural football from both sides. It was unlikely there were going to be many goals in it, and low and behold, Rushall got the break through a defensive cock-up. We had a goal disallowed, and had probably deserved a draw, but it was not to be. As always though the result is only half the matter with football, and a good time was had under the covered stand, mostly catching up with friends.
After the match we headed for the Black Country Arms in nearby Walsall. This place had about 12 different ales on cask, was full of reds and so we weren’t keen to move on. As certain beers ran out, the sign, listing what was on each pump, even clattered down like a departures board at the train station!
The journey home eventually had to be made. We had an hour to spare though, waiting for our connection back to Manchester, so we decided to stop for one in Birmingham too. We opted for my old favourite, The Victoria, a vaguely “in” pub and hangout with Wyre Valley beer on offer. We weren’t disappointed. No bouncers and a good pint served in proper pint glasses with handles!
A quick stop to stock up on spirits, and we caught our train back home. Then it was off out into the night, with good soul music at the Thirsty Scholar.
“Do you know what a shit barometer is?” :-)
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RRF!
The winter break also provided a little time to dream up some new ideas of things to make and do for FCUM, the first (and lets face it, most realistic) of which was to make a new flag for the RRF.
The RRF or Regional Railway Firm hardly had humble beginnings. The Facebook page, the unclear number of members and of course the hugely expensive flag. Hollywooooooood! The flag, naturally, was left in the Social Club at Radcliffe one evening and was never seen again. However the spirit lived on, all be it a really shit spirit (sort of like the cheapest Gin at Tescos, which just has the word “GIN” on it in black letters). By Stockholm 2009 and the subsequent trip down to Hamburg for St Pauli’s last game of the season, a flag of sorts was back. Fitting, for that short while, but lets face it, fucking appalling.
Yet since then, the RRF, now down to a core base of participants (or morons) had honed its style. The liberal attitude towards drink continued, but occasionally the odd sign was shown of progression. Songs were invented, help was provided at Malcolmses, articles were written, donkey’s lives were followed and the right people were pissed off. All of this though, happened without a proper flag.
When many of the RRF marched against the Tories in Manchester last year, alongside other FCUM fans and friends, it was remarked upon that there was no obvious FC flag that joined it all together. Instead people marched under the banner of “Making friends not millionaires”. In retrospect it was a fitting choice, but nevertheless the RRF needed a flag once more.
The new design, above, hopefully addresses that need. A “Bandiera-Rossa” was an obvious starting point. The British Rail logo not only represents the RRF’s favoured mode of transport, but with the star is a little nod to Red Star Parcels (just because it cheers us up when you see its logo still hanging about at the odd train station). The font favored for the RRF letters, is a popular one amongst the Ultras on the continent and so therefore was always going to be a front runner. Not in the sense that we think we are ultras, but more our interest in scenes outside our own environment. Likewise the use of “Lads” is not because we think we are “fackin ledges” or because we are some deluded NWIF divs, but an appreciation of how English football culture of the 70s and 80s was the inspiration for fans on the continent leading to them appropriating terms in the group names like “fighters”, “lads”, “boys” etc. Now that the continent leads in terms of football culture, we can pinch a little back.
Finally to Jarama Valley. Jarama Valley has a historical link to the city of Manchester. At FC we continue to remember that. Woody Guthrie’s song of the same name was once sung at Malcolmses. Another lad who has got more than the one nod in FC’s brief history, after O’F’s fine work.
All a bit pretentious, so before Two Mowers accuses us of being so scouse that we could be the ref and linesmen next week, I’ll remind you all that the gold fringe not only gives the flag a nice union banner feel, its also because, to some, we will always be regarded as a right bunch of frilly fronts! ;-)
Further Reading:
http://radicalmanchester.wordpress.com/2009/07/09/sam-wild-and-bessie-berry/
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Friends of Mine:
It was with a mixture of delight and horror, that I received the news that the Regional Railway Firm (FCUM’s softest group of chancers) have finally got their blog up and running. Its quite sweary, but its worth a read!
http://therrf.wordpress.com/about/
Lovers not fighters!
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Crumpsall punchlines…
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Casually dressed and deep in conversation (inane conversation, but it still counts)
FC is all about volunteering. In the spirit of this, FCUM’s Regional Railway Firm will be helping run (I think in aggro speak that would be referred to as “taking”) Course You Can Malcolms on the 25th April. Ey! Ey! Ey! Ey!
FCUM A.D. Established 2009. Yeah, I know what you are thinking, FC United of Manchester was established in 2005, not 2009. Well here Im talking about FCUM A.D., that is a blog (the very blog you are currently clicking about on) and some (but not all) of the activities documented within.
Whats it all about? Getting off your arse and doing something. Not watching the match in the pub, not even just turning up once in a while to the ground, but dedicating time to pushing things on a notch. Whether its knocking out fanzines, running radio shows, producing banners and choreos for matches or running around town late at night making the walls and lampposts look prettier with football club related stickers, paste ups, graffitis or tags.
The A.D. is short for Art Department, thats vague enough to incorporate plenty. This blog started out concentrating just on the stickers and streetart bit, but it likes to cover other things too. As the Germans would say "blick über den Tellerrand". Is it all Grade A? Probably not, but as Minor Threat sang "You tell me that I make no difference. At least I'm fuckin' trying. What the fuck have you done?" :-D
Supporters not Consumers.
Contact/Feedback: fcum.a.d[at]googlemail.com
