Fanzines

What's on offer elsewhere?

A sheer waste of money?

WBA: Grorty Dick

I admit it. I have a friend who supports West Brom. I asked him, "Why in heaven's name is this thing called Grorty Dick?" "No idea," was the reply. Not a good start.

But if you're impressed by vitriol instead of ink, then Grorty Dick is the magazine for you. Twenty pages of insider information - who's ill, who's out of favour, the despicable attitude of management to supporters is highlighted page after page. The clarion cry of all fans of all teams is here: we could organise a winning side so much better than the paid management, we wouldn't have sold the good players and bought the worst, we would have won the league...

But the overriding feeling was sheer jealousy and fear of the Seals, Tatters, Saddlers and Blues. Where the hell is the index? Are all fanzines so deliberately exclusive as this one? Who are the people they refer to by nickname only? Why do I feel this purchase was a sheer waste of money?

Apparently they have a competition each season to guess where Albion will be at the end of the season. Last season 30 people went for 8th - now that's the sort of confidence that is not often seen on the pages of the magazine. One letter-writer admitted: "We are no longer used to success". I wonder how many seasons it took for him to come to that decision?

However, it does have the (occasional) saving grace of wit, with the "What's it like to win a game?" page - maybe they should ask Huddersfield Town. What worries me most of all is that they are aiming to get 1,200 new subscribers to add to the 2,000 existing, and they quote prices for postage to Australia/Japan/Hong Kong/Oman. How far do these poor fans travel to find decent football?

Mary Lewis

A fanzine produced by the club?

Preston NE: Raising the Coffin

When introduced to this fanzine by a PNE-supporting work colleague, I was initially sceptical as he informed me that it was produced by the club.

My fears were, however, without foundation as it is in fact a first-class effort.

While it is published by the club, all articles are written by true supporters and it does not appear to be controlled or censored.

Of particular interest was a column with North End's equivalent of David Rhodes, in which he answers questions posed by fans on various club matters, transfers policy etc.

Produced monthly, it is well worth seeking out a copy when we visit Deepdale at Christmas.

Paul Lindsay