We’ve mentioned before (https://footballfanzineculture.blog/2025/05/22/football-fanzines-and-the-media-today/ ) some of the many famous people who started out in fanzines, Danny Baker and Steve Lamacq to name two but there more who were involved specifically with football fanzines during the boom period of the late 80s. This blog will cover some more of the writers, artists and entertainers that were involved in football fanzines including… Jimmy Cricket.

Lust For Life

Did you know that the famous author Irvine Welsh wore PVC ‘breeks’, kept eels, loved Crossroads and played guitar in a band called Pubic Lice?[1] No and you’re probably not fully aware of his contribution to fanzine culture either. So let’s have a look at just a few of those contributions.

Hibs Monthly (which became Mass Hibsteria) ran from 1987 to 1992. 36 volumes are archived in National Library of Scotland and Welsh wrote under the pen name Sinister Hibernian, Octopus and Leith Lounge Lizard [2]. Welsh has commented that he used these pseudonyms to hide his identify from friends and allow him to develop his writing style in private. Appearing at various times, his articles included two Hibs themed pub crawls, a list of the best fast-food spots in Edinburgh, arguments against a proposed ground move, an article about “Ugly bastards of Scottish football” and spoofs such as “Obese Jim Baxter”.

The story of Trainspotting’s publication is intrinsically linked to fanzines as well, it was proofread for £20 by Sandy McNair who Welsh knew from Hibsteria. McNair spotted a hefty pile of A4 papers in his flat. “Just something I’m getting published,” said Welsh. “What published published?” meaning not in fanzine form. “Aye…” McNair suggested a glossary to help people with the vernacular lingo used, Welsh refused.

Fanzine culture goes even deeper as Clocktower press. Taking its name from the clock-tower of South Queensferry’s town hall Welsh’s first publishers were inspired by fanzine culture, James Meek, who went on to be The Guardian‘s Moscow correspondent in the 90s describes the company as “a pre-internet effort to get past the gatekeepers of publishing”. [3] A perfect description of fanzines.

WSC

Barney Ronay has written several tremendous books about football first appeared regularly in WSC in 2002 with a very funny and scathing piece about one of the many lad mag style TV shows that were churned out at the time. He cut his teeth with articles about Fulham’s temporary move away from Craven Cottage to Loftus Road, Bill Shankly, Fifa marketing wheezes, shirt numbering, press coverage reporting David Beckham had become a “txt maniac” (geddit?!) and a scathing piece on the “Chattering media” and its coverage of hooliganism. Quite a brave piece for a future Guardian columnist.

A Higher Place

There must be something in the water in Dundee because Alan Pattullo “sports writing asparagus farmer and Big Dunc chronicler” has been writing for The Scotsman since 1998 and was heavily involved with Dundee fanzine “Eh Mind O Gillie” and 200 yards away at Dundee United before creating Bob Servant, Guilt and Gold, Neil Forsyth was a frequent contributor to When The Hoodoo Comes

Staying at Tannadice, Dundee United’s first and most famous fanzine was called ‘The Final Hurdle’. Created in 1988 by a wannabee Labour MP, Mark Watson who would go on to be the Scottish Executive Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport and was “elevated” to the lords to became Lord Watson of Invergowrie by Gordon Brown. In a strange twist of events, he later served jail time for arson in 2015 and had to give up his MSP seat but retained his seat in the lords as there was no mechanism to have that stripped at the time.

Echoes

Guy Havord (Sky Sports/Talk! Sport) probably won’t want to be reminded of this but he produced a neat and standard Arsenal fanzine with lots of efforts to bait Tottenham and West Ham fans. Before issue 3 was issued Havord was apparently arrested for selling the fanzine inside the ground as it might “upset the manager” so he gave out the phone number of the assistant secretary of the club encouraging fans to call in protest, an early case of doxing. All good practice for the banter filled sounds of TalkSport.

There are lesser-known celeb stories here as well. How about Jimmy Cricket lending his support to Rochdale fanzine “Who Ate All The Pies” (a fanzine also mentioned in Scunthorpe’s programme if you want to stretch the celebrity theme even further)

Atilla the StockBroker, punk poet and multi instrumentalist had articles published in Eagle Eye, Crystal Palace zine and also….Und Nun Voll dampf, (and now full steam) an English language fanzine dedicated to Lokomotiv Leipzig, the East German “works” team that have evolved into the very non punk Red Bull Leipzig. A spoof one off fanzine produced by the people behind the City Gent, amongst its stated aims were the “re-education of trainspotters and vegetarians.”

Finally, we return to Stockport FC’s “The Tea Party” a very funny creation that didn’t have famous creators but (as mentioned in this blog https://footballfanzineculture.blog/2025/05/16/previously-on-twin-peaks/ ) somehow managed to get Richard E Grant and Jeremy Beadle reading the fanzine!!

I still have to unravel this story but it goes on…there are also photos of Barry Hearn and Robert Powell (yes, the Jesus bloke) reading the fanzine on the brilliant website covering the Tea Party’s mad history ( https://57hattersyears.co.uk/ )

The Final Whistle

Fanzines live on in print form (and online) but more importantly whilst many have slipped away, they continue to shape large sections of art and the media today and launched many successful careers, far more than the few we cover here.

People often dismiss fanzines and football fandom in general as being lowbrow, cheap or boorish but I hope we are showing you via these blogs that this view needs revision and in fact an incredible number of fanzines fashioned important creative ideas, influences that are still pushing the boundaries today.

Fanzines and their influence are very much worth commemorating, many “names” started their creative lives in fanzines simply trying to capture what it’s really like to be a fan. 

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[1] https://www.scotsman.com/whats-on/arts-and-entertainment/interview-sandy-macnair-on-his-friendship-with-irvine-welsh-908732

[2] https://www.scotsman.com/news/fanzine-alive-and-kicking-again-for-cup-final-special-1629976

[3] https://www.vice.com/en/article/irvine-welsh-profile-scotland-trainspotting/