Comments on: The Old, Weird Everywhere: Bristol Rovers and “Goodnight, Irene” http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/02/16/the-old-weird-everywhere-bristol-rovers-and-goodnight-irene/ Exploring football culture around the world. Tue, 07 Oct 2008 16:21:39 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: Soccer Rag http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/02/16/the-old-weird-everywhere-bristol-rovers-and-goodnight-irene/#comment-5257 Soccer Rag Tue, 08 Jul 2008 02:43:36 +0000 http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/02/16/the-old-weird-everywhere-bristol-rovers-and-goodnight-irene/#comment-5257 This is an amazing piece, Brian - it also tells the story yet again why English football is so much more appealing globally, not only because of the very fascinating (and sometimes strange) history behind many clubs, but also the availability of such information to fans. While Bristol Rovers might not be particular well supported outside of English fans, historical facts like these provide so much anecdotal interest you cannot help but be pulled in. This is an amazing piece, Brian - it also tells the story yet again why English football is so much more appealing globally, not only because of the very fascinating (and sometimes strange) history behind many clubs, but also the availability of such information to fans. While Bristol Rovers might not be particular well supported outside of English fans, historical facts like these provide so much anecdotal interest you cannot help but be pulled in.

]]> By: Football and Music » Bristol Leadbelly Rovers - You only sing when you're winning http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/02/16/the-old-weird-everywhere-bristol-rovers-and-goodnight-irene/#comment-3456 Football and Music » Bristol Leadbelly Rovers - You only sing when you're winning Thu, 06 Mar 2008 18:23:18 +0000 http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/02/16/the-old-weird-everywhere-bristol-rovers-and-goodnight-irene/#comment-3456 [...] need for me to tell the whole story behind the song or about Leadbelly because Pitch Invasion has this very excellent article about the whole thing. Seriously. Take some time and go and read [...] [...] need for me to tell the whole story behind the song or about Leadbelly because Pitch Invasion has this very excellent article about the whole thing. Seriously. Take some time and go and read [...]

]]> By: Yatesman http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/02/16/the-old-weird-everywhere-bristol-rovers-and-goodnight-irene/#comment-3355 Yatesman Sat, 01 Mar 2008 19:20:51 +0000 http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/02/16/the-old-weird-everywhere-bristol-rovers-and-goodnight-irene/#comment-3355 A fantastically well researched story which was a joy to read and a joy to listen to. Goodnight Irene is the glue that binds Gasheads( Rovers fans collective nickname, another story there!) in the bad times and which they sing exaltant and triumphant in the good times. I was one of those singing at Wembley in the play off final in the video clip above and can say that when you're amongst 35-40,000 gasheads belting out Goodnight Irene it does indeed make the hairs on the back of your neck tingle. A fantastically well researched story which was a joy to read and a joy to listen to.

Goodnight Irene is the glue that binds Gasheads( Rovers fans collective nickname, another story there!) in the bad times and which they sing exaltant and triumphant in the good times. I was one of those singing at Wembley in the play off final in the video clip above and can say that when you’re amongst 35-40,000 gasheads belting out Goodnight Irene it does indeed make the hairs on the back of your neck tingle.

]]> By: Gerry.Prewett http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/02/16/the-old-weird-everywhere-bristol-rovers-and-goodnight-irene/#comment-3152 Gerry.Prewett Fri, 22 Feb 2008 06:39:16 +0000 http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/02/16/the-old-weird-everywhere-bristol-rovers-and-goodnight-irene/#comment-3152 Brian, I actually got the local ABC Radio Station to play Goodnight Irene every Friday morning prior to Rovers games. They followed Rovers for a season AND palyed a different version each week. Versions by Rolf Harris (fantastic) Brian Wilson, Alex Harvey, the Scotts Dragood Guards, Van Morrison stick in the memory. To hear 'Irene" at Wembley in the Play-Off Final was amazing, to hear it in an FA Cup Semi-Final would make the few remaining hairs on the backl of my neck stand up. OK you have my e-mail what's the deal LOL Brian, I actually got the local ABC Radio Station to play Goodnight Irene every Friday morning prior to Rovers games. They followed Rovers for a season AND palyed a different version each week. Versions by Rolf Harris (fantastic) Brian Wilson, Alex Harvey, the Scotts Dragood Guards, Van Morrison stick in the memory. To hear ‘Irene” at Wembley in the Play-Off Final was amazing, to hear it in an FA Cup Semi-Final would make the few remaining hairs on the backl of my neck stand up. OK you have my e-mail what’s the deal LOL

]]> By: JD http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/02/16/the-old-weird-everywhere-bristol-rovers-and-goodnight-irene/#comment-3112 JD Tue, 19 Feb 2008 14:20:58 +0000 http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/02/16/the-old-weird-everywhere-bristol-rovers-and-goodnight-irene/#comment-3112 great story - i am loving reading these articles - it is such a rich topic, and a great chance for fans to share their knowledge & passion! jd great story - i am loving reading these articles - it is such a rich topic, and a great chance for fans to share their knowledge & passion!

jd

]]> By: Tom Dunmore http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/02/16/the-old-weird-everywhere-bristol-rovers-and-goodnight-irene/#comment-3098 Tom Dunmore Mon, 18 Feb 2008 20:11:25 +0000 http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/02/16/the-old-weird-everywhere-bristol-rovers-and-goodnight-irene/#comment-3098 It's certainly true that wallowing in misery is an English pastime, and there is very much that tendency in English football. E.g., the perverse joy of suffering in the wind and rain as one of 547 fans watching a meaningless Auto Windscreens Shield first round tie on a Wednesday night, something I remember strangely fondly myself. Though on a semi-related note, I didn't think that Winner captured English football with the incisive brilliance in that book as he did Dutch football with Brilliant Orange: perhaps because he's English. It’s certainly true that wallowing in misery is an English pastime, and there is very much that tendency in English football. E.g., the perverse joy of suffering in the wind and rain as one of 547 fans watching a meaningless Auto Windscreens Shield first round tie on a Wednesday night, something I remember strangely fondly myself.

Though on a semi-related note, I didn’t think that Winner captured English football with the incisive brilliance in that book as he did Dutch football with Brilliant Orange: perhaps because he’s English.

]]> By: Brian http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/02/16/the-old-weird-everywhere-bristol-rovers-and-goodnight-irene/#comment-3097 Brian Mon, 18 Feb 2008 20:05:43 +0000 http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/02/16/the-old-weird-everywhere-bristol-rovers-and-goodnight-irene/#comment-3097 Gerry, congratulations on a great win! What a scene that must have been in Perth. I was especially happy because I wrote about Hereford on The Run of Play the day before they won their third-round match, and now Bristol Rovers have made it to the 6th round right after my post about them. If you're a fan of a small club, I'm prepared to use this power for a small fee. Just send me an email and we'll work out the details. Historyman, I haven't read the book, but the argument sounds plausible. Bristol Rovers got handed a favorable home draw against West Bromwich Albion today---here's hoping they can make it to the semi-finals and spare themselves melancholy for at least one more round! Gerry, congratulations on a great win! What a scene that must have been in Perth. I was especially happy because I wrote about Hereford on The Run of Play the day before they won their third-round match, and now Bristol Rovers have made it to the 6th round right after my post about them. If you’re a fan of a small club, I’m prepared to use this power for a small fee. Just send me an email and we’ll work out the details.

Historyman, I haven’t read the book, but the argument sounds plausible. Bristol Rovers got handed a favorable home draw against West Bromwich Albion today—here’s hoping they can make it to the semi-finals and spare themselves melancholy for at least one more round!

]]> By: historyman http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/02/16/the-old-weird-everywhere-bristol-rovers-and-goodnight-irene/#comment-3088 historyman Mon, 18 Feb 2008 08:12:20 +0000 http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/02/16/the-old-weird-everywhere-bristol-rovers-and-goodnight-irene/#comment-3088 Regarding my comments in post 1, I 've finally remembered where I read about English fans revelling in being melancholy. It's in David Winner's, "Those Feet - An Intimate History of English football." It has a chapter entitled 'It's Cold and we're Rubbish", which explores the miserabilism of being a supporter of an English football club. Winner argues that this is an extension of the English character in general. Regarding my comments in post 1, I ‘ve finally remembered where I read about English fans revelling in being melancholy.

It’s in David Winner’s, “Those Feet - An Intimate History of English football.” It has a chapter entitled ‘It’s Cold and we’re Rubbish”, which explores the miserabilism of being a supporter of an English football club. Winner argues that this is an extension of the English character in general.

]]> By: Gerry Prewett http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/02/16/the-old-weird-everywhere-bristol-rovers-and-goodnight-irene/#comment-3061 Gerry Prewett Sun, 17 Feb 2008 15:19:22 +0000 http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/02/16/the-old-weird-everywhere-bristol-rovers-and-goodnight-irene/#comment-3061 Great story and the legend of the Plymouth Argyle game seems to be the most frequently remembered although it is said that Rovers fans sang "Goodnight Argyle". During that season Rovers reached the 6th Round of the FA Cup and played the great Newcastle United team at St James Park, This was the game that the song was first heard constantly. The replay at a packed Eastville the following Tuesday also heard "Irene" sung and the song has stuck ever since. I now live in Perth in Western Australia but in Saturday night half a dozen of us GasHeads got together at the Casino to watch the game on the big screen and Goodnight Irene was heard much to the bemusement of everyone else as 50 years on Rovers once again reached the 6th Round of the Cup! Great story and the legend of the Plymouth Argyle game seems to be the most frequently remembered although it is said that Rovers fans sang “Goodnight Argyle”. During that season Rovers reached the 6th Round of the FA Cup and played the great Newcastle United team at St James Park, This was the game that the song was first heard constantly. The replay at a packed Eastville the following Tuesday also heard “Irene” sung and the song has stuck ever since. I now live in Perth in Western Australia but in Saturday night half a dozen of us GasHeads got together at the Casino to watch the game on the big screen and Goodnight Irene was heard much to the bemusement of everyone else as 50 years on Rovers once again reached the 6th Round of the Cup!

]]> By: Brian http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/02/16/the-old-weird-everywhere-bristol-rovers-and-goodnight-irene/#comment-3060 Brian Sun, 17 Feb 2008 13:07:01 +0000 http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/02/16/the-old-weird-everywhere-bristol-rovers-and-goodnight-irene/#comment-3060 Historyman, that's an interesting question about the preponderance of melancholy songs among English club anthems. I don't know enough about supporter songs on the continent to answer it definitively, but the ones that spring to mind tend to be more club-specific and conventionally anthemic ("FC Bayern, star of the south, we will never go down"). Maybe someone with more knowledge of songs in the Eerste Divisie or something could think of more exceptions. Ian, "Deliliah" has to be near the top of my list of strange football anthems. "How can we show our love for our club?" I imagine the Stoke City supporters saying to each other. "Clearly, by singing a song about a man who stabs his cheating girlfriend to death." The strangest thing is that it was written by the same songwriters who did the completely conventional "Marching on Together" anthem for Leeds. It's not the first time this has been said on this site in the past few weeks, but someone should really write a book about this stuff. Historyman, that’s an interesting question about the preponderance of melancholy songs among English club anthems. I don’t know enough about supporter songs on the continent to answer it definitively, but the ones that spring to mind tend to be more club-specific and conventionally anthemic (”FC Bayern, star of the south, we will never go down”). Maybe someone with more knowledge of songs in the Eerste Divisie or something could think of more exceptions.

Ian, “Deliliah” has to be near the top of my list of strange football anthems. “How can we show our love for our club?” I imagine the Stoke City supporters saying to each other. “Clearly, by singing a song about a man who stabs his cheating girlfriend to death.” The strangest thing is that it was written by the same songwriters who did the completely conventional “Marching on Together” anthem for Leeds.

It’s not the first time this has been said on this site in the past few weeks, but someone should really write a book about this stuff.

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