Football matches

[graham]

I think we need a sub page on the site for the infamous 'Armless Teddies' vs 'Threshold' ('Closedown') football matches held in priory park aroiund 1986... These were at least partly convened as a way to thrash out the ideaological differences between the bands ('we', ie Threshold lot, were all kahaki wearing, hunt-sabbing, Kropotkin reading anarchos witha Crass legacy, wheras teddies were more up for a laugh and not so 'serious'... but the matches themselves certainly revealed the authortarians amongt us, I remember Tony Quin sending me off for being too stoned and chatting up the Teddies cheerleaders instead of paying attention to my goalkeeping job, and people like Rick Prevost and Oz (RIP) taking themselves far too seriously as 'proper' footballers... and the anarcho team had Sheena and Ron 'totally organic maaan' Bates onside as well...

Mim also produced some programs for the matches that were classics, I probaly still have them some where, so Mr moderater, hows about a dedicated page or 2 fotrhe Southend punks footabll tournaments???

[donnap]

on a similar thread what about a bit of space for the Subuteo Challenges that used to go on - not part of it myself but years later I recall Martin Fulton's absolute dedication to the sport where he would still spend hours painstakingly re-painting authentic world cup strips of the 60's on his trusty teams. On saturday afternoons he would re-enact whole world cup tournaments (always from the 60's/70's mind) . . .

[Marcus]

I well rememer the Subbuteo tournaments at Ivanhoe in Palmeira Ave. It was a proper league and everything with some of the Basildon chaps and 86 Mix and Southchurch Victoria FC types. It was taken bloody seriously - although I fear my attempts to get a game I was losing called off due to adverse (snow) conditions caused by the liberal application of talcum powder may have been somewhat frowned upon.

[chris]

Yeah, the Subbuteo was er.. interesting. Sam Fulton was excellent though I can't remember his team name. He trounced me 6 - nil at Steve Dobson's place. Julian Ware-Lane dubbed my side "Tijuana Athletic" as I think I was the only one who had a car - an Austin 1100 dubbed the "Tijuana Taxi" after the Herb Alpert song. I used to ferry 86 mix gear and lots of people around. Sheena Fulton's team was called "Just Eastwood" - remember "Kent Elms Corner" by SZ? Marcus had the cleverest team name - "Hyde Rangers"... I'd like to think Pad Mander was in it and his side was called "Mad Panda"... Oh and 86 mix drummer Gary Evident was "Quiff City"...

[Marcus]

Ah, Mr K, I wondered if you would make your appearance on here.

OK, to be honest, the anticipation didn't exactly keep me awake at night or anything, but I did think about it once when I (even by my standards) was particularly idle.

I can remember some of the team colours; JWL was green, I was sky blue, WK was red, and I believe Sam's lot played in white. I also remember that there were always disputes over the offside rules. Didn't Johnny Milne also play?

It's generally not a good idea to play it in 1970s houses with heating vents on the floor since if the players go down there they tend to melt - and produce hugely distrorted and ungainly centre forwards (a bit like Peter Crouch on reflection). It was also considered preferable to have a "crouching" goalie rather than a "diving" goalie (and definitely not a goalie on a spring; which was just insanity in the Subbuteo world).

Oh, btw - whatever happened to Voss Trent?

[chris]

Hello Mr W...things have picked up a bit ever since me and my son (oh well, mostly him), converted old 86mix tapes to mp3 and let Jeff Danahay have a copy on CD...now I'm doing them for graham and steve...and julian.
The pitch at steve's lonhge used to ruck terribly. The baize/felt never really clung to the nylony carpet. I played much better in the Ivanhoe "lounge" of Julian. Maybe that was a home fixture from me for the time I spent there?
Even though Sam's family hailed from NI, I was always "He flicked to kick, and I didn't know"
I think Johnny Milne played but all I can remember is the hair. Did the Mad Panda play?

Voss Trent is alive and well and putting his name to articles for The Fall fanzine and writing poetry. He is still miffed about not getting a tiny bit of credit for the first copy of New Crimes!

[Marcus]

The best pitch I ever played on was on top of Stinky(?)'s snooker table. A good height and Wembley-like smoothness.

I don't think Pad played - if he was being his normal self he would have been organising the crowd violence behind one of the goals. Actually, I know that Subbuteo made crowd figures, I wonder if they did little hoolie figures. Hmm, they could have done streakers too.

Anyways....

I also belive that Voss Trent contributed to Confidential Waste, at least to the Top 10 Hit Parade (Salt Peanuts by Dizzy Gillespie indeed....)

[chris]

Chris "Stinky" Hardy had a pool table in an upstairs room. I used to play a few games with Julian and Dennis De Veuve. I think there was even a couple of Subbuteo fixtures round at my Mum and Dad's place in Wakering. If so, then it would have been Wayne and Julian getting round by Austin 1100 - blue - D reg.
A relative once bought me Subbuteo rugby! Dreadful concept and a very slow affair. I didn't use them for the tournament, though. Just went out and bought those green slim rectangular boxes.

Pad wore the same leather jacket all year round.
Did Andy Kippar feature in the tournament?

Oh...Salt Peanuts..pretentious, moi? All borrowed from Southend Library.

Oh again...I thoughlessly preferred a diving keeper though an opposing player could always blast over the top of him...

And...my son used to pull the Subbuteo pitch away if he was losing - bring on the Humbrol glue...

[Marcus]

Bluddy glue sniffing punks.......whatever next?!

[graham]

Nothing wrong with Dizzy Gillespie...

[chris]

I think I most enjoyed his playing from those days...I also believe that I came across lots of jazz stuff "back in the day".
Does anyone remember a football match we played down the road from graham's house? Don't know the name of the park, though we ran around like fools for about an hour. Must have been 1980. Sam had very tight shorts on and I think one of only a few of us in some sort of kit...
Also, we used to bowl along to Roots Hall (where they held Totters Market at 5 am on a weekend (?)) and hang about on the South Bank not watching football. Marcus took a few photos - he of course of the leather jacket, light coloured rockabilly shirt with the collar turned up, light denims with turn-ups and white baseball boots...

[donnap]

A more perfect description of Mr W couldnt be had. Except you forgot the zippo . . . .

On reflection however this also suggests Marc that perhaps you should have changed your shirt a bit more frequently.

[Marcus]

Right you two - you can stop that right away!

It is a well known fact that one shirt is more than enough for anybody.

Oh, and the baseball boots were usually black and white - and had the little circle and star.....

£1.99 from the Army & Navy on London Road if I'm not mistaken (although Paul's clothing in Southchurch Road also rings a bell).

And the shirt never stopped you ripping it open to..........err, hang on, that was actually a dream I had, please forgive me.....

[donnap]

ah, Pauls of Southchurch, where workman's clothing could be turned into something else with the addition of some bondage straps, zippers, studs and a bit of paint and axel grease. And everything was packed in a 10 by 10 brown paper bag and cost under a fiver. They were situated right next to the ballet shop weren't they? Which brings back horrors of a completely different age.

[chris]

yes, Pauls was good though you had to hunt a bit...I once bought a greeny/browny pair of thin material drainpipe trousers for £4...though I did get my old men's shoes from Victoria/y Shoes...btw I still wear desert boots from that shop sending relatives in to buy 'em - good value at £14.99 - even of they have an odd cardboardy layer!
Army and Navy promised much but never quite delivered for me...I used to get better luck at Help the Elderly/Aged just down the road from the Top Alex, jumble sales and secondhand shops in Westcliff...
Marcus also had some light-coloured trousers and for some reason I have a b+w photo of him in them with Pad taken in Sainsbury's with the both of them grinning...Marcus had some fashion mags from the 60's though not the Letraset catalogue on that occasion...(wonder if I could scan some of those onto here?)...Marc also had the trousers at the correct length, skilfully showing off the baseball boot without being too skinhead high or baggy low...