Fans United - The Plymouth fan

[Soul Finger]

Was just thinking about the first Fans United day against Hartlepool and the 15 year-old Plymouth fan who suggested it - was it Richard Vaughn?

Does anyone have a copy of the old NSC threads where the idea was mooted?

 

[The Large One]

Was just thinking about the first Fans United day against Hartlepool and the 15 year-old Plymouth fan who suggested it - was it Richard Vaughn?

Does anyone have a copy of the old NSC threads where the idea was mooted?

Only in Build A Bonfire, I suppose.

 

[Wozza]

Was just thinking about the first Fans United day against Hartlepool and the 15 year-old Plymouth fan who suggested it - was it Richard Vaughn?

Does anyone have a copy of the old NSC threads where the idea was mooted?

Richard's message wasn't on NSC or a messageboard - it was in a 'campaign guestbook'. IIRC, it didn't draw any responses.

When I raised the suggestion on NSC several days later, I got just two replies - from Gary C (site owner) and Kev B.

Gary and I got together and planned it from there - picked name, chose date, got Danny Baker to promote etc.

 

[Goring Gull]

So fans united wasn't even and Albion fans idea mmmmm

 

[Wozza]

So fans united wasn't even and Albion fans idea mmmmm

Well inviting fans from other clubs to show solidarity for our plight wasn't, no - although, not to devalue Richard's contribution, I think I'm right in saying that other fans (certainly Germans) were already coming to some Albion matches.

Calling it Fans United and promoting the event via Danny Baker's show and the web was definitely down to Albion fans though, I can personally assure you of that.

 

[Goring Gull]

Faith is restored.

 

[Safeway]

So WOZZA was resposible for Fans United?

Cor, and to think we never used to get on.

 

[Man of Harveys]

Keep Wembley, Highbury, Cardiff: I was there for all of them but Fans United was the best day as an Albion fan EVER.

I've not admitted this before but, when I got home, I had to have a lie-down afterwards, I almost felt faint from the sheer exhilaration of it all. Magic.

 

[The Large One]

I recall reading Richard's message at the time, and being impressed by the idea, though thinking tha little would be done about it. I do recall one or two people picking up on it. But, if I recall correctly, when I first heard about Fans United being planned for 8 February (England were playing Italy later that week, so there were no Premiership matches that weeend), I remembered immediately that it must have been on the back of Richard's original suggestion. It wasn't long between the original message (9 Dec 1996) and Fans United being advertised.

His exact message was -
I see the scum FA have now taken 2 points - who do they think they are? They wouldn't do this to Man United. It makes me sick what is happening to your club and it's an insult to your fans. I'm a Plymouth fan and I thnk that one week when we're away, I'm going to come up and support your protest. I think it would be a good idea if LOADS of fans from different clubs turned up at Brighton (with their shirts on) and joined in. It would show that we're all behind you 100%... I would love to hear from some Brighton fans. Email me.

 

[Wozza]

It wasn't long between the original message (9 Dec 1996) and Fans United being advertised.

It was probably about a week and a half.

It went from idea to reality when I wrote wrote a letter to Danny Baker saying that "we" were organising a big event called Fans United (I said "we" but the only people aware of the plans at that stage were Gary and I).

I hand delivered the letter - including 100s of messages of support from other fans taken from the Campaign Guestbook - at the BBC late one night.

Danny started raving about the event on 606 as soon as he was on air, just a couple of hours later.

Over the following few days, I got a call from various Albion support groups wondering what the f*** was going on.

 

[On the Left Wing]

I spoke with Richard at length last year. We also swapped a few emails and he provided some good insight stuff on how the first Fans United day came about and how he feels about matters now. His comments and copy will eventually appear in a book we are working on about the ownership/financial crises in British football - a good chunk of the book looks at the Fans United movement and the events at Chester, York, Donny Rovers, Brighton, Cambridge, Wrexham etc.

Richard is now 24 and when I spoke to him was working in Exeter.
Although an Argyle fan he admits he always looks for Brighton results every Saturday.

Which reminds me ... we have yet to interview Wozza!

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

To me the biggest legends of that period were the Mansfield fans we met outside the North who had travelled down to that boycotted game and on hearing what was going on refused to go in having come all that way. Just hope they got in for free when we charged onto the East Terrace.

 

[The Large One]

I though the Hartlepool fans largely took it in good spirit that day - they were the day's whipping boys after all, so fair play to them.

 

[Wozza]

Which reminds me ... we have yet to interview Wozza!

Well you know how to get hold of me.

You can't write that book without interviewing Gary C (ManxSeagull) too.

His Campaign Pages site (and NSC) were instrumental in many ways.

 

[Fran Hagarty]

I spoke with Richard at length last year. We also swapped a few emails and he provided some good insight stuff on how the first Fans United day came about and how he feels about matters now. His comments and copy will eventually appear in a book we are working on about the ownership/financial crises in British football - a good chunk of the book looks at the Fans United movement and the events at Chester, York, Donny Rovers, Brighton, Cambridge, Wrexham etc.

Richard is now 24 and when I spoke to him was working in Exeter.
Although an Argyle fan he admits he always looks for Brighton results every Saturday.

Which reminds me ... we have yet to interview Wozza!

I met up with Richard the last time we played at Plymouth. He had a video of Fans United, on which he was featured, but lent it to someone who never gave it back. He would love another copy, if anyone can help out. I can contact him.

 

[On the Left Wing]

Well you know how to get hold of me.

You can't write that book without interviewing Gary C (ManxSeagull) too.

His Campaign Pages site (and NSC) were instrumental in many ways.

I am afraid everything has been on hold a bit since the divorce and bankruptcy .... been stuck at chapter 6 or 7 since early this year.

Really need to get back to it - piles of interview tapes, pix and dox to wade through .... and loads of people still to talk to. The donny rovers stuff in particular is amazing

 

[The Large One]

I am afraid everything has been on hold a bit since the divorce and bankruptcy .... been stuck at chapter 6 or 7 since early this year.

Really need to get back to it - piles of interview tapes, pix and dox to wade through .... and loads of people still to talk to. The donny rovers stuff in particular is amazing

Need a typesetter / layout designer for when it's done?

 

[On the Left Wing]

Need a typesetter / layout designer for when it's done?

Bloody hoping the pubisher is taking care of that!

 

[The Large One]

Bloody hoping the pubisher is taking care of that!

Ouch! Which arm or leg would you care to pay with?

 

[On the Left Wing]

Ouch! Which arm or leg would you care to pay with?

They are (were) funding it!