Fleetwood Town FC reintroduce retro contest with modern twist

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Fleetwood Town FC reintroduce retro contest with modern twist

The 1948-9 Fleetwood Town programme entry relating to Face in the Crowd

BSE, the sponsors of Fleetwood Town FC are speculating over whether their new initiative that has recently been introduced on match days has also encourage the BBC sports programme ‘Match of the Day’ to include a somewhat similar retro aspect to their opening sequence.

In July, the commercial gas and energy supplier announced that they were launching a new, season long competition called ‘Face in the Crowd’. Every Fleetwood fan is photographed when they arrive at the ground, and all the pictures are then flashed across a 25 metre screen, and the 60 plasma TV’s linked to it, at some point during the match.

The screen freezes and the persons face displayed at time is the winner, who receives a signed football. Inspiration for the contest was taken from a programme dating from the 1948/9 season that was found in the archives of the club, and shows that a similar contest was run at the club is the post war period.

BES is actually reintroducing a retro contest and bringing it up-to-date through the use of modern technology and audio-visual equipment. The new opening title sequence of Match of the Day has also gone a little retro and features a similar face in the crowd contest from another match programme from yesteryear.

BES’s director, Michelle Davidson, says: “We had the idea of running the BES Face in the Crowd contest before we discovered the old match programme and prior to seeing the new Match of the Day titles.  We are delighted that our new contest is so ‘in vogue’, but also has reference to the past and the traditions of Fleetwood Town”.

The Fleetwood Town winners back in 1948 were a Mrs Roskell of Warren Street, a Mr F Robinson of Devon Avenue and a Mr H Mellor of Lower Lune Street. Top prize was £2 and 2 shillings, second prize £1 1shilling and third prize 10s 6d.

Whether any of their descendants are now Fleetwood Town supporters is not known, but BES would like any relatives of these winners from the 1940s to get in touch, if they are also  Fleetwood Town supporters, by calling Jane Hunt on 01253 891114.

“It would be great if we could get relatives of these three winners down to the club one day”, says Michelle Davidson. That way, we can really unite the past with the present”.

BES Commercial Gas is the main club sponsor for the 2012-13 season at Fleetwood Town FC, with BES Commercial Electricity being the Associate Club Sponsor.  Both energy suppliers are able to offer commercial customers substantial savings on their energy bills, of up to 40% on commercial gas and up to 50% on commercial electricity.

 

Maradona’s shirt set to be the star exhibit at the new Museum of Football

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The new National Football Museum certainly has some interesting exhibits, including a penalty shootout area, coins given out at petrol stations and one of Maradona’s shirts. Whilst Steve Hodge may not be English footballers most memorable figures, and is often referred to more as a journeyman than a star, he is the proud owner of this most renowned item of football memorabilia.

At the end of the notorious quarter final in the World Cup of 1986, when a certain Mr Maradona effectively punched England out of the competition with his hand of god goal, it was Hodge who swapped shirts with the diminutive Argentine cheat. From that day he has held this in his possession, well almost, as he had to keep it in his bank as his home insurance company deemed it to valuable to insure under his contents policy.

While it isn’t recorded anywhere officially, it’s rather safe to assume that Diego didn’t have the same problem with Hodge’s shirt. From next weekend though, Hodge will no longer have to make an appointment with his bank manager if he wants to have a look at this shirt of shame, as it will take its place amongst the 3000 items that make up the display of Manchester’s new National Museum of Football.

Adam Comstive is the marketing and communications manager for the museum, and he says that when they have had test groups around, it’s one of the first things they go to see. He added that he thinks its is an object that we all love to hate.

To be honest, the object of such revision isn’t much to look at. A short sleeved, Royal Blue shirt with visible scuff marks on the neck, presumably from where it had to be stretched to fit over the wearers vastly oversized head.

 

WE’RE THE FAMOUS MAN UNITED

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OLD TRAFFORD IN THE ’80s: THE PLAYERS’ STORIES

With: Bryan Robson, Frank Stapleton, Gordon McQueen,

Arnold Muhren, Alan Brazil, Clayton Blackmore, Gary Bailey,

Arthur Albiston, Bill Garton, John Gidman and Ron Atkinson

NEW PAPERBACK EDITION!

Published by Vision Sports Publishing, Out Now!

RRP £7.99, ISBN 9781907637094

The 1980’s was certainly a barren decade for Manchester United as far as league titles were concerned, but they did bag two FA Cups during that time. The teams that conquered did so with grit, determination and some seriously dodgy perms. Eleven key players from that time have been tracked down by author Andy Mitten to tell their own stories in this new book.

They played hard on the pitch, and many played just as hard off it. Working class lads who got to live their childhood dreams by playing for the biggest and most glamorous team in the country. There are 11 chapters in the book, each one a mini-bio of the players involved. Through their stories we get the chance to build up a picture of what life was really like at Man Utd.

The football, the fights, the boozing sessions and the childish pranks are all recorded for posterity. This was an era when footballers were still one of us, they lived alongside the fans who turned out to watch them and went for a pint after training. These footballers weren’t celebrities and played for the love of the game, as there wasn’t much money to be made back then. When they retired they were lucky if they had a few medals to show for their efforts.


Kenny Dalglish at Anfield

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Kenny Dalglish at Anfield As a football player, Kenny Dalglish can be proud of his achievements with Liverpool, winning four League Cups, six League titles, the FA Cup and three European Cups. In his first spell as a manager he has been equally successful in leading his team to two FA Cups and three League titles. He has treasured each of these moments when reflecting on the good old days at Anfield.

As his second spell as a manager gathers pace and the chanting of his name gets louder on the Kop, even the normally taciturn Scot must admit to a surge of excitement and some humility. It is as if he has never left. It would be better for me if the punters chanted the names of the players rather than mine, says Dalglish, as they are the ones doing the work on the field.

After his promotion from caretaker to manager, confirmed by American owners, Fenway Sports Group, Dalglish said that if he could help he would and he has returned. He felt it is an honour to have been asked and to be here.

Birmingham manager, Alex McLeish, has said that there is no other conclusion to make. Kenny has returned and has made everyone happy. He has them all laughing again, he just has that way about him. Players respect him and his decisions and they pay attention to his orders shouted from the touchline. McLeish cannot see Dalglish not getting the job.

Under the leadership of Roy Hodgson, Liverpool held 12th position in January and chances of a challenge for a European place were slim. Now after 27 points and 14 matches they are in 6th spot and are in a very good position to take full advantage of any blunder by an unsteady Tottenham Hotspur.

Black player honoured at international match

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Black player honoured at international match It would only be telling a small part of an incredible story by suggesting that club cricketer, champion cyclist, professional footballer and record-breaking sprinter, Arthur Wharton could play a bit.

The story is finally receiving the attention it deserves after being lost for over 60 years where it ended in a pauper’s grave in 1930 hear Doncaster after having started in the Gold Coast of present day Ghana, in 1865. Now an appropriate ending will be written to Wharton’s story with his final chapter being written thanks to Shaun Campbell, a Darlington businessmen and Sheila Leeson a Rotherham grandmother.

A ceremony prior to Tuesday’s friendly between England and Ghana will be attended by the two and will celebrate the legacy of Wharton and him being the first black in professional world football.

Wharton came to England at aged 19 in 1884 the son of a Ghanaian princess and renowned half-Grenadian half-Scottish Methodist minister. Darlington FC proved to be impossible to resist even though he was supposed to study at Cleveland College to be a missionary.

He was spotted by Preston North End in his first season at Darlo as the fixture between the sticks and he joined the team from Lancashire the following year and helped them to their semi-berth in the FA Cup, football’s premier competition at the time in 1887.

He was much more than just a goalie, holding the world record for 100 years that he set in 1886 at Stamford Bridge at a first every 10 seconds flat and he set a record time for a bike race from Preston to Blackburn in 1887.