h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

You think that's bad? After the Bradford fire disaster, Margaret Thatcher posed for a photo with the team wearing a City scarf. This was in the mid-Eighties, when her Government was doing its damnedest to make the whole north of England as uninhabitable as possible...

That sounds awful but the question is did you actually SEE her doing it? I think Androyd actually witnessed this horror show

No, mercifully, I have never been in the personal presence of Maggie, so I take your point.
However, on the opening day of this season I was trapped in Anfield as Chris de Burgh was brought on for an interview at half-time - and they played his new single TWICE!
Now is that cruelty to innocent footie fans or what?

Chris de (B)urgh - what a horrendous idea! I think the worst half time entertainment I have seen is the troupes of cheer leaders who 'graced' the pitches of many clubs during the first season of the Premier League! I remember one such event at Highbury - at the end they were trying to make a pyramid (standing on each other's shoulders) and they couldn't do it at all - I heard that when the one who was meant to be on the top fell off she broke her arm! Can't say quite what I would like to see though - at the moment the
'highlights' of the Middlesbrough game are probably NOT favourite!

Mike Peters (he of the Alarm) was paraded on the Racecourse pitch before a Wrexham match last season. He was introduced as a Wrexham fan, but everybody knows he is a Man Ure fan ...
... now a Man Ure fan on the pitch has got to be worse than Maggie, Jeremy Beadle and David Mellor all rolled into one

Know what you mean - we had Angus Deayton (another ManUre fan) on our pitch taking part in some penalty competition a while ago! The best part was that he came and sat in the North Bank (with all the other participants) and got barracked mercilessly by all the Gooners around him! He took the hint and left at half time

Firstly, in reply To Comrade Rumble(sXe):

I do agree with the point you make, but I do think it is laughable to suggest that fans of teams (especially in the Premiership - and most notably Manchester United) are 'local' !

I myself am a recent convert to the joys of the beautiful game and do not have a strong allegiance to any one team - this is frowned upon by most football fans I meet and seems to render my views as totally irrelevant !

Is it not possible to simply appreciate good football wherever it is played, without being delusion about the superior qualities of a handful of players at a single club (many of whom will end up playing for local rival teams within a few seasons anyway !) ??