Issue 6 of Motherwell’s Waiting For The Great Leap Forward appeared in September 1990 as the ‘well started what would be a successful season with a first Scottish cup since 1952. Yet another fanzine named after a song, a Billy Bragg number in this case and a fine one at that. Issue 10 of GLF carried an eight page interview with him, something I’ll try to work into a future music and fanzines blog. They also borrow from the Sex Pistols with their header graphic and perhaps even The Smiths with the words below club hero Charlie Aitken.

The image of Charlie Aitken pressages things to come as the editorial announces they will now be doing a history section as well. Charlie was a something that doesn’t happen now, a one club man, playing for the Steelmen for 17 years starting in 1951though interrupted by something else from the past, two years of national service. The music links continue, half of the fanzine stockists are record stores!

Elsewhere the editorial is a fascinating insight into a club actually trying to work with a fanzine to facilitate a better relationship without actually agreeing with or doing anything….For example the fanzine’s views on sectarianism unfortunately weren’t listened to by the club but they did come away from the meeting with a sponsorship deal for Steve Kirk’s underpants. You had to take what you could get.

The back cover returns to Steve and his underpants for reasons that escape me. It appears he may have punched a team mate at some point but there is nothing online that can confirm this and based on the editorial I’m sure the club wouldn’t have confirmed that anyway.

There is another sign of a common tension between clubs and fanzines with a great letter from a fanzine reader AND the programme editor answering criticism of his work. A fantastic piece of historical context, he is very open about what the club would and wouldn’t allow in the programme demonstrating very clearly why some people started making fanzines as an antidote to a boring official publication.

Something that absolutely would not have been allowed in a programme even today was this “What The Stars Say” feature not least because it was probably a pack of lies. I’ve checked and that IS a picture of Iggy Pop, Incredibly Oor Wullie is revealed as a ‘well fan, plus Robert De Niro calls Mickey Rourke a bigot AND correctly predicts the ‘Well will win the Scottish Cup. Amazing.

The club are looking for a reporter for reserve games and in another wouldn’t happen today event they are looking for someone under 16 who would have access to the ground in return for no pay you would assume. Why they want a fanzine reader in particular is a mystery.

Proof that the GLF boys have stumped up the money for Stephen Kirk’s duds comes via a lovely caricature and an official letter from the club. This also confirms that SK was not their first choice..

The “Unity is Strength” piece is a sad reminder of the deindustrialisation that happened everywhere north of Watford under Thatcher’s slash and burn policies. A great piece demonstrating the role fanzines played in protest of all sorts supporting local communities up ad down the land.

A great fanzine with all the hight quality moving bits that such fanzines have. Independence, a sense of community, the voice of protest, a broad set of interests and voices but most of all a great sense of humour. GLF went on for a long time with79 issues from 1989 until 2012 and we’ll come back to it again. If you need more int the meantime there is a quite superb online archive here. https://www.motherwell-mad.co.uk/sngl/edz2/waiting_for_the_great_leap_forward_988487/index.shtml