I have an unrequited love of football from about 1970 up until the corporate crappery that is spewed onto our screens daily by Sky (which means I stopped paying any real interest at about 1996).
I was an avid Arsenal supporter. By supporter what I mean is that I travelled around the country watching them hack and slog their way to fourth placed mediocrity season in and season out. I did not stay at home, watch the game on cable and then eulogise about their performance utilising soundbites from the Mirror or the Sun. No; I was a real supporter.
I loved the terraces. I loved standing in strange towns and listening to strange accents all in the name of cheering on what I regarded as my team.
But those days are gone and will never return… I really miss them.
Still, I can look back and launch myself on nostalgia trips. To that end, I hope to be posting articles about my days as a gooner, as well as commenting on football - real football - between the aforementioned dates.
So today, I present to you: Hairstyles.
Just about everybody from my generation can recall Kevin Keegan’s perm. It’s bedspring like resilience was and is legendary. But he was not alone. A colleague at work pointed me in the direction of the Northern Ireland and Blackburn player Noel Brotherston.
I mean what can you say about that dual bush perched on his crown, looking not unlike a rural scene whereby a country path is fading into the distance between two hedgerows? Simply wonderful.
It would be remiss of me not to crowbar in an Arsenal player, in what I will readily admit is the most gratuitous fashion. Here is Charlie George:
Charlie is a legend amongst us Arsenal fans. He blasted in the winning goal against Liverpool in the 1971 FA Cup Final (this was when that trophy meant something and wasn’t a testing ground for the premiership sides to field ‘B’ teams). His celebrations afterwards are etched in my mind, although to be honest I was barely two-years old at the time and wasn’t lucky enough to see it live - still his antics have moved into Arsenal lore. Not least because about a week prior to the final, Arsenal had won the championship at… wait for it… White Hart Lane!!
Charlie was also born in Islington - the home of The Arse and was one of those rarities: a supporter of the club he played for. He joined the team as a youngster and despite periods in exile at far flung places such as Derby has gone full circle and can be found (so I am told) assisting with the running of the Arsenal museum. In fact, his skill, shooting and passing were of a standard that he should have been seen far more regularly in the England side. It’s a bit of a mystery that he never quite made the grade.
It must have been his hair. Charlie was a bit of a rebel. His lank locks and temperamental personality must have given the impression of a loose cannon from the Manson Family making their way into the opposition box. Still wonderful hair for a wonderful player. More to follow…
