Football Memories & Indie Sounds⚽
This memory comes from about 33 years ago, isn't it scary how time passes by so quickly, life felt different, I had very little responsibility and was pretty care free, my life consisted pretty much of working, earning and going out spending it and enjoying myself, I didn't have much thought of house, mortgage, wife and kids scenario at the time (I wouldn't swap having that now though). I was a lot younger and as well as being in love with music I also found another love to go along side it....football, especially lower league, grass roots type football.
Music Baggy Unlike the Football Kits
Ah... The 6th November 1990, my first real foray into unfashionable football. Picture if you will a cold and damp Tuesday night and a man already working in London in a full time job and wanting to 'get ahead' by furthering career with education already late for his college course at Southend Tech. The floodlights from Southend United's Roots Hall football ground glistened in the near distance and beckoned us from the college steps away from the clutches of a boring lecture and into the arms of a whole new world of lower league football that is still my passion to this day. The guy I used to go college with suggested 'popping along' to the game instead of going in so late to a lesson that was so dull it would make dishwater gleam in comparison, I agreed and so off we trotted...
The Stranglers, Go Buddy Go...
The result a 10-1 humping by Southend on poor old Aldershot, I think all but the referee had a pop at their goal, even our goalkeeper had a go. I couldn't believe the feeling of 'euphoria', of feeling that joy and excitement and the buzz of it from the mere one thousand two hundred and eighty one people that could be 'arsed' to attend that night. It was almost like a drug that made you want more...
By the time I went to see them play Torquay United a week or so later and I had watched Southend bang in a total of 17 goals! What wasn't to like or to follow. The team and management at the time were just outstanding.
Football Meets Music⚽
Kicking around in the U.K. Charts back at the time was this number from the legendary Happy Mondays and the track 'Kinky Afro' released on the Independent Factory Record Label as FAC 302. A record label bringing the world the delights of post punk with Joy Division and New Order to the 'dance fuelled' sounds of Acid House at Manchester's finest venue The Hacienda. Shaun Ryder swaggering with attitude and Bez in a maniacal dance frenzy. The 'baggy scene' was alive and kicking in the UK, starting in the late 1980's and into the early 1990's.
And also from the same sort of 'baggy' type genre (except from Liverpool) The Las' with their beautifully melodic jangly sound 'There She Goes'. Also from Liverpool at the same time The Farm with their second dance inspired single 'Groovy Train'. Some good, good music about and some good times too!
Musically and geographically, although I am from the South it seemed to be from the North that more progressive and interesting sounds seemed to emanate, in a way making places like Liverpool and Manchester more vibrant and fresh in new sounds than perhaps a more 'stale' and unimaginative London scene which would alter a little during 'Britpop'. The North 'cool', the South following it's lead.
Uppers & Downers
The joy continued throughout some of the seasons with Newcastle and Manchester United games winning 4-1 against Newcastle and hitting the 'top spot in the league' (knocking on the door of what was League Division 1 now known as The Premier League), as well a beating the 'Mighty Manchester United' in a cup game only by 1-0 but with team and management who clearly although at the top of the pile in the football league 'underestimated' the hunger, resilience and determination of a lower league club, along with the lows (but still fun) of Port Vale and other 'humpings' we took. Port Vale sticks out as we decided to all go to an away game in November, the only choice on the 'menu' of games was Port Vale (buried in Stoke On Trent).
We took the journey up there and decided in a moment of madness to do that whole 'fancy dress' thing punters do at football matches, the decision was one of us would dress up as a Bishop and the others (me included) dressed up as monks complete with hooded tunics. So we got kitted up and left from where we stayed over at Coalville near Ashby De La Zouch near Leicester and drove to Stoke...We got lost on the way and had to flag down for directions, which included popping into a 'locals pub' in Stoke, if you can picture the scene of a guy in a bishops outfit being followed by 3 monks in cassocks asking directions! (gave them some fun on a Saturday morning anyway!).
Monks, Bishops & Alf
We made the match and Port Vale's ground is pretty big for a small club. We received many whoops from both home and away fans, in fact for about the first 15 minutes of the match the crowd chanted 'We've some Monks and a Bishop'. The happiness soon wore off though as although 'we' as fans had turned up the 'team' certainly hadn't, it was pretty relentless stuff, they seemed to concede sloppy goal after sloppy goal eventually leading to the 5-1 humping they deserved, all however was not lost...
In the car park after the game, although we were disappointed, we weren't half as p*ssed of as Alison Moyet, she passed us and commented something to the effect of 'what the 🤬 do you lot look like?' to which one of our crew smartly whipped back 'dressed and waiting for some divine intervention Alf', the response was probably something like 'Eff Off!'. It was still a fun packed away trip I still look upon with much fondness.
We followed the team about all over the place, from Huddersfield, Sheffield, Southampton, Brighton, Norwich, Leyton and many more.
Going Down, Down, Deeper Than Down🔻
How the mighty have fallen, poor management, a stadium that hasn't happened, players wages not paid, transfer embargos and 'winding up orders' a plenty.
Just before the pandemic kicked in I got tired of seeing the same misery of them losing games unnecessarily and paying over £20 to see it, court orders, players that just 'didn't turn up' (understandably so I guess if they aren't paid). The club has plummeted since from once upon a time knocking on the door of what was back at the time the 'Premier League' to dropping division by division each season until they are now not in the main football leagues and recently once again faced a 'winding up order' that would have seen the club fold and close it's doors for good the same story of many of the lower league teams such as Bury.
The new coach Kevin Maher (an ex-Southend player) who played for the club between 1998 -2008 and the team he has assembled since his start in a managerial position in 2015 have performed really well, but have been sadly let down by an under investment in the club. The guy has so much passion and appears to be a coach the players and fans respect, but without the investment his hands are tied, unable to bring in new players, suffering deduction in points due to mismanagement of the club's finances over the years.
A Quiet Prayer🙏
I miss going, but I hated seeing a football team in what felt like their 'death throes', I felt I would much rather have the memories and old football programmes of when they were a great team and I quietly pray for an investor that can see the potential the club has and how it can benefit Southend as a now 'City'. Perhaps my 'quiet prayer' has been answered, it appears recently there has been interest in an investor, I keep my fingers crossed and hope the team can get back to being able to play and sparkle again, the new stadium build can kick in and perhaps I can feel like I want to go and feel that 'football passion' once again!
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Video Thanks