Welcome to Issue 267 of Red All Over The Land.
Things have changed since I first published Red All Over The Land in November 1995. Back then the tools of the trade included sellotape; spray mount, a photocopier and a gallon or two of tippex. Waiting until everyone had cleared off from where I worked so I could use the new fangled computer; then getting another manager to put the content on something called a floppy before getting a football friend who was MD at the Loughborough Echo to sort it all out and print Issue One. Two friends at the time who I travelled with helped sell it on a wet November 18th before Liverpool played Everton. We sold pretty well but lost the game. Evertonians came out of Anfield in triumphant mood, they were the FA Cup holders and believed great times lay ahead. Since that day their victories over Liverpool have become somewhat rarer but they’ve saved a fortune on silverware polish.
“You haven’t won a trophy, since Red All Over The Land came out”!
Now we have digital print, PDF’s. I can Email the Fanzine to my printer and four days later have them in the post to subscribers. Thanks to everyone who has helped make this possible, the list is too long but without all the help Red All Over The Land wouldn’t have survived. [Reaches for tissue before moving on].
I had plans to celebrate the 25-years but like me wearing a white suit at Anfield, Liverpool parading the trophy and maybe even Christmas that has had to go on hold. However, there are one or two nostalgic look backs in this Issue so all is not lost.
In 1995 football still felt part of real life but now it seems so far removed from reality; I sometimes wonder what planet those who control the game live on. Players are being run into the ground because of an unrealistic fixture list which is only happening to suit the demands of TV. There can be no other explanation. Who came up with the idea of PPV in the current climate? Whether it was a collective decision or not doesn’t matter; it was designed to use the pandemic as a money making tool and further fleece football supporters. Heads should be hung in shame but won’t be.
Results since the mauling at the Villa have improved but the injury situation hasn’t – and now news of Joe Gomez [injured training with England] and Mo Salah [Infected at an Egyptian wedding] has broken. What went on at Goodison defied belief? In 1995 if you got a bad decision you questioned the referee’s parentage or eyesight, moaned all the way home but then got on with life. Now despite having all the help they could ever have wanted the officials have got worse and debates seem to rage forever. There are noises of a vaccine on the horizon to help combat Covid but for the incompetence of match officials or those who run our game there seems no apparent cure; there’s more chance of Donald Trump being gracious in defeat. A referee once told me there was an unwritten law of the game; it was called common sense. I think the current crop are immune from that.
I thought against Atalanta and then at The Etihad, there were signs of the team getting to grips with things. I wouldn’t normally be in favour of five subs but with the chaotic and unnecessary fixture list you can see where Jürgen is coming from.
JJP Walking down a long and lonesome road babe; that’s what social distancing does to you.