Following on from yesterday’s “Fanzines sort of named after a film” we travel to September 1994 to look at Issue 8 of Walsall’s Blazing Saddlers for today’s #FanzineoftheDay (If anyone has a copy of Glentoran fanzine A Nightmare on Dee Street we’d love to see it). The news that Kenny Hibbitt has been sacked as manager is covered in spectacular fashion on the cover. We find Walsall sitting in the 3rd (4th) division after Hibbitt had guided them to the playoffs the previous season, all for nought it would appear.

The rear cover also fancifully announces a managerial departure with Billy Bonds leaving soon to be cup opponents West Ham in a row over the make up of his coaching staff, specifically the promotion of a certain Harry Redknapp, never heard of him. For the Stattos West Ham would win the tie 3-2 on aggregate (2-1 at the Bescot, 2-0 at Upton Park)

Back to Kenny, the editorial and accompanying piece, all unfortunately in comic sans, do at least portray just how upset the editor is, just how apathetic the fan base seems to be, how clubs just couldn’t be bothered to communicate back then and how cack club call was. There is the hope of BS merch to look out for though and look at that available from list, a classic of its type with Nottingham as a nice outrider (The subscription address was in Walsall)

This being a Midlands based fanzine there are TWO pieces about matches in…Malaysia. All mixed up with a sending off for the ages, news of another Walsall fanzine, Millwall thugs, Derby, a sad Pompey fan, transfer news and “executive stand” seats for £2.04. Great stuff.

A discussion about the merits of green socks with fat bloke over fish, chips, mushy peas and gravy, roe, pickled onion and half a dozen scallions is a maybe a spoof but it raises a number of good points about kits. Many clubs changed to predominantly white when floodlights first came into common use, Walsall included. Over the years they also played in claret and blue (OMG!) and in this bobby dazzler in the 1892-93 season.

Finally, there is a call for Sandy Sadler, the mascot, not the American boxer. Ken Wheldon is of course not fondly remembered by football fans across the Walsall-Birmingham diaspora but you can still pick up a Sandy Sadler pin badge on eBay for £8.99 and though I’m not sure Sandy did ever return at least the Saddlers have had Mat Sadler in charge since 2024. Nominative determinism lives on in Walsall even if the brilliant Blazing Saddlers doesn’t.