From love to hate

[Ball_Sup (Phil)]

I'm working up an Academic Thesis on the nature of being a football fan. (ie trying to steal some ideas for a Blog). I was born in the 1950s. Brought up on The Shoreham. Naturally, we sang FOR our team. Naturally, we sang "the anthems" - You'll Never Walk .... Alone. Occasionally, we sang AGAINST our opponents of the day - In Your Liverpool Slums. But. But. But. I don't remember us singing all that much about our hatred of Sheffield Wednesday unless we were playing them. I can place - No Pig Fans In Town - to 1981 (I moved to London & I remember a guy I shared a flat with asking me the lyrics). Also blah blah blah Jackie Charlton is the Clown blah blah blah Tommy Tynon blah blah blah Monkeys In The Zoo.

Go on then. Have a bang. What's your earliest recollection of a song AGAINST Sheffield Wednesday ringing around the ground when we weren't playing them. I'm prepared for "I remember singing We Hate Wednesday in 1957" - but come on, a proper anti-Wednesday song. What's the earliest you got?

I'm one of those weirdos who likes to be FOR something, not necessarily AGAINST something. If you want to demonstrate you're the biggest Pig Hater - this thread not for you Buddy......

 

[BladeInIreland]

Your name just clicked for me. Wow.

No comment on the thread, I'm too young to compete in this. Just had to point out my stupidity.

 

[derfblade.3]

Fed up of anti Wednesday songs. The young uns in G row on the kop spend all game singing shit about "them". FFS, give it a rest and sing for the Blades instead.

 

[COME BACK CHED]

I remember the Pigs singing to the Grocer Jack song tune , about Alan Hodgkinsons mother who had died just before the Derby as vile a set of fans , as you will find anywhere .

 

[HodgysBrokenThumb]

I'm working up an Academic Thesis on the nature of being a football fan. (ie trying to steal some ideas for a Blog). I was born in the 1950s. Brought up on The Shoreham. Naturally, we sang FOR our team. Naturally, we sang "the anthems" - You'll Never Walk .... Alone. Occasionally, we sang AGAINST our opponents of the day - In Your Liverpool Slums. But. But. But. I don't remember us singing all that much about our hatred of Sheffield Wednesday unless we were playing them. I can place - No Pig Fans In Town - to 1981 (I moved to London & I remember a guy I shared a flat with asking me the lyrics). Also blah blah blah Jackie Charlton is the Clown blah blah blah Tommy Tynon blah blah blah Monkeys In The Zoo.

Go on then. Have a bang. What's your earliest recollection of a song AGAINST Sheffield Wednesday ringing around the ground when we weren't playing them. I'm prepared for "I remember singing We Hate Wednesday in 1957" - but come on, a proper anti-Wednesday song. What's the earliest you got?

I'm one of those weirdos who likes to be FOR something, not necessarily AGAINST something. If you want to demonstrate you're the biggest Pig Hater - this thread not for you Buddy......

It stretches the old brain-cells beyond their capabilities to re-create the sounds of the 50s and 60s, but for what it's worth, here are my recollections (home and away, up to around 1965).
1. Noise was largely shouting, rattles. League matches were generally not raucous.
2. Chants were much more common than songs, especially the '2-4-6-8, who do we appreciate?'
3. Singing was largely reserved for the Cup, especially away, giant-killing matches. I associate big cup-days with 'Ilkla Moor', which presumably was regarded as a Yorkshire anthem in the days before Leeds became successful.
4. Wednesday were pretty well ignored.
5. Football songs grew in part out of 60s pop music? 'You'll never walk alone'
6. First song I can think of mocking the opposition was 'Georgie Best superstar, carries a handbag and wears a bra.' Early development of celebrity culture, and cutting-edge 60s satire?

 

[PeterNdlovu081]

Your name just clicked for me. Wow.

Gi' us a clue then.

 

[bornablade]

The Alan Brown / John Ritchie / iron lung one would have been about 1967.

 

[1066blade]

If I had the wings of an eagle,
If I had the arse of a crow,
I'd fly over Hilaborough tomorrow,
And shit on the bastards below, below,
Shit on the bastards below...

 

[SouthEssexBlade]

The first one I really heard was the one you quoted,

There's a circus in the town
Jackie Charlton is the clown
and Roger Wylde and Tommy Tynan too,
they're just monkeys in the zoo.

I would place that at about 1977 as to when it was sung fairly regularly. Prior to that I can't recall any real anti-S6 songs or chants, even when the guy meandered around to the scoreboard to change indicator 'A' to 1-0 there would be ironic jeers generally followed by a lusty 'United, United' chant, nothing about we hate Wednesday.

 

[Sean Thornton]

"Swanny, Swanny the coppers are after you"was early but too young to remember any other lyrics.

 

[Isaw Joeshaw]

"Swanny, Swanny the coppers are after you"was early but too young to remember any other lyrics.

To the Swanny song , or in general from that era ? If it's the former , I know the rest .

 

[HodgysBrokenThumb]

Further to my post 6, I associate some clubs with songs from cup games: Newcastle, of course, had the Blayden Races, and Birmingham had 'Keep right on to the end of the road'. There must have been others, and they were clearly designed to celebrate and inspire. No attempt to belittle the others. This could turn into a Hovis advert.

 

[Sean Thornton]

To the Swanny song , or in general from that era ? If it's the former , I know the rest .

I thought it was to the tune of "A Bicycle made for two",

 

[Ball_Sup (Phil)]

Some themes for my Doctorate are emerging.
The older, easier to date songs featured or were directly aimed at specific players or individuals.
Peter Swan, Alan Brown, John Ritchie, Tommy Tynan, etc.
My theory is that fewer more recent anti Wednesday songs are player specific. Discuss...

 

[Isaw Joeshaw]

I thought it was to the tune of "A Bicycle made for two",

Yes .

" Swanny , Swanny , the coppers are after you
When they catch you , they'll give you a year or two
They'll tie you up with wire
Inside a Black Maria
And you'll look sweet, upon the seat
Of a bicycle made for ...
Two, four six eight who do we appreciate etc."

 

[Jonboy60]

Not so much a song, more a mantra at the time. Not sure how far it goes back. “WE HATE WEDNESDAY”, repeated. can’t remember singing it about anyone else.

 

[Ball_Sup (Phil)]

Not so much a song, more a mantra at the time. Not sure how far it goes back. “WE HATE WEDNESDAY”, repeated. can’t remember singing it about anyone else.

Leeds? We all hated them, according to what I heard.

 

[8lade]

Love
Live
Lite
Late
Hate

 

[super_pig]

The first one I really heard was the one you quoted,

There's a circus in the town
Jackie Charlton is the clown
and Roger Wylde and Tommy Tynan too,
they're just monkeys in the zoo.

I would place that at about 1977 as to when it was sung fairly regularly. Prior to that I can't recall any real anti-S6 songs or chants, even when the guy meandered around to the scoreboard to change indicator 'A' to 1-0 there would be ironic jeers generally followed by a lusty 'United, United' chant, nothing about we hate Wednesday.

tommy tynan song that’s a blast i remember not even knowing whio tommy tynan was for ages!

 

[Sean Thornton]

Yes .

" Swanny , Swanny , the coppers are after you
When they catch you , they'll give you a year or two
They'll tie you up with wire
Inside a Black Maria
And you'll look sweet, upon the seat
Of a bicycle made for ...
Two, four six eight who do we appreciate etc."

That's the badger.

Cheers ISJS

 

[Jonboy60]

Leeds? We all hated them, according to what I heard.

True, but that particular chant was to a different beat.

 

[Piffle and Tosh]

I remember the Pigs singing to the Grocer Jack song tune , about Alan Hodgkinsons mother who had died just before the Derby as vile a set of fans , as you will find anywhere .

that's why they have more than their fair share of scum

 

[HodgysBrokenThumb]

Leeds? We all hated them, according to what I heard.

Not before the mid 60s - we’d barely heard of them.

 

[Ball_Sup (Phil)]

that's why they have more than their fair share of scum

I'm genuinely trying to keep "nostalgia for the old days" out of my thinking. But, it's this sort of thing I don't get. Singing about someone's iron lung breaking down is surely "scum" as much as singing about someone's Mum.
It's all Pantomime Villain stuff really.
People are searching for reasons to justify & prove their Pantomime Hatred of "the others"

 

[SW12 to S12 to S18]

I'm genuinely trying to keep "nostalgia for the old days" out of my thinking. But, it's this sort of thing I don't get. Singing about someone's iron lung breaking down is surely "scum" as much as singing about someone's Mum.
It's all Pantomime Villain stuff really.
People are searching for reasons to justify & prove their Pantomime Hatred of "the others"

Phil,
Next time you’re on one of your CBF days out, have a word with Jessop. He knows loads, there’s the one about Derek Dooleys wooden leg floating down the Don and others about Swann etc. I’m sure he’ll have loads he could tell you about.

 

[I should coco]

I don't remember us singing all that much about our hatred of Sheffield Wednesday unless we were playing them. I can place - No Pig Fans In Town - to 1981

19/9/81 Ull away is the first time I can recall The Ants inspired "Don't you ever, don't you ever, lower yourself...."

Oct/Nov 1979 and we beat Barnsley at home to a chorus of "Bring on the Wednesday". That worked out well.....

Leicester away March 88 was my first singalong to "Cheer up David Pleat" and his nocturnal vehicular activities. Little was I to know that this would be resurrected as an anti-Wendy song a few years later ("a shit footballing team").

Probably loads of others but as I've drunk at least as much beer as you, the grey matter is not what it was.

 

[Eskimo]

Derek Dooley’s wooden leg is floating down the Don as the Blades go marching on
Glory glory etc...

 

[Ball_Sup (Phil)]

Phil,
Next time you’re on one of your CBF days out, have a word with Jessop. He knows loads, there’s the one about Derek Dooleys wooden leg floating down the Don and others about Swann etc. I’m sure he’ll have loads he could tell you about.

Will do. If I can get them to stop snaffling & counting Teamsheets long enough to get a word in. Oh & the CBF is not the sort of organisation that thinks in terms of "days out". It's a curse, not a blessing.

 

[South Bucks]

I don't remember any significant bitterness in the early days, in fact I can remember standing on the BLLT in amongst them with my utd scarf on with my grandad when we beat em 3-2 in October 1970, there was no trouble.

 

[LondonRoad]

"Sheffield Wednesday's f****d it up again!" at many a home game from about 1977, followed by a cheer as the scoreboard man changed the latest score relating to wednesday's match.