I’ve just seen this new page on Instagram that posts old Scunthorpe United programmes and so on. It looks good. If you’re on there go have a search for it – The Scunthorpe United Museum.
They posted a couple of the fanzine covers from the early 1990s – Get A Grip Ref and Son Of A Ref. Made me reminisce. Thinking back to those regular booklets they were good examples of ‘fanbase’ critical thinking – in other words they were able to completely separate deep love for the club from any business or current affairs around it. A lot of non-Kool Aid talking, also a very large dose of taking the p*ss – often as absolutely far as it could be taken.
Looking at the health of the current environment – the Facebook fans page, and the podcasts, and the supporter groups… I’m not sure these fanzines would be particularly well received. However, their vibe is probably more needed now than it was back in the day!
Not just our club but a lot of them want to stifle criticism
Seems to be a modern devil’s pact – club access in exchange for compliance from your podcast / fan group. It seems it is a badge of honour, these days, to be completely drunk on the Iron’s Kool Aid. There’s no doubt that a bit of player / behind the scenes access can be great, exciting etc – but get too close and the cost is that you are utterly castrated. As seen with the Hilton fiasco and certain people / organisations now almost denying complicity.
Funny how the two publications I mentioned in my previous post still had a bit of club access (there were a number of interviews with Brian Laws, and several with his players, for example) but were able to stay independent and at arm’s length. They appear to have been tolerated in their criticism or questioning, and almost all of the time. By the club, yes, but also by other fan groups (though there weren’t many back then).
.
