[eastsussexred]

Originally Posted by WasanActonlad

All is well ESR, trust you're coping with the crowds on the coast in your neck of the woods..

Once again your latest additions makes interesting reading....

The one that intrigued me is the report of the Rhyl game by the Rhyl reporter interacting with 3 other Rhylites...with the Wrexham crowd especially what he dubs as the Wrexham choir some 50 strong and their intriguing chant or rendition of "play up Wrexham".
One can almost visualise it, some 70 years later it could easily have been "come and have a go , if you think you're hard enough, " more a case then of "come and join us if you can sing"...
I do find it interesting how the descriptive language of the Victorian/Edwardian era has changed, in that the chant of "play up Wrexham" would today be a case of the chant of "C'mon Wrexham"...(yes we know during recent seasons most chants may commence with an expletive).
The 2 things actually 3 that stand out from the report, even then the crowd got behind by singing, strange how things go full circle re where crowd gather to sing..then the original MRS, we've had the tech end, then the kop, now its back to the new MRS and tech end. Unless I'm wrong the stantsy side has never been a venue for the gathering of the "in crowd".
Secondly as refurred to above the terminology of the day as in "play up Wxm", is not used to day, though those of you familier with Ireland will be aware that if a local sporting team is doing well, especially as you get close to the later stages of the "All Ireland's" for gaelic football and hurling its not uncommon when travelling through an area whose team is doing well to see banners proclaiming for example "Up Kerry" or "Up Cork"..etc...Staying with Ireland strange how in sporting terms they not use term "squad" but "panel"....one is on the "panel" for the forthcoming game, not "one is in the squad".

Anyway meanwhile back at the ranch, and getting back on track , the 3rd point is....
"could we yet again lay claim to football first"...…?

Now bear with me....
The report states how harmonious the "Wxm Choir are in their rendition of Play up Wrexham", and in musical terms describes what I believe is described as a "round", (one is not musical.....infact only song I can sing in tune is Lee Marvin's "Wandering star").
Now I'm thinking hang on isn't there something familiar about "play up Wrexham"...
Then it struck me its the famous "Pompey Chimes".....as in "Play up Pompey, play up".

Now correct me if I'm wrong but I believe Portsmouth FC were founded (you can see where I'm going with this) in about 1907.
This is a report from 1899...…
So where we chanting the "Pompey Chimes" before they became the "Pompey Chimes", and they should be called the "Wrexham Chimes"...…??????

yes I know lockdown is affecting the train of thought....

Yes. I thought the 12th man in 1899 was interesting WAL. I think the 'play up' chant was about long before the 1904 chant of 'poor old Pompey' that later became 'play up Pompey', and so is almost certainly not of Portsmouth origin.
https://www.theguardian.com/notesand...,-2010,00.html

I will take a look to see if I can find when, where and why the 'play up' chant first emerged.