Mike Ward Is an OK Bloke (Oooo Controversial!)

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Just read Mike Ward's column in the Argus. Must admit I didn't know he actually HAD one before, was sort of hoping to stumble across a review of the fanzine and accompanying photo of Chris Moyles & Zoe Ball holding it up from the safety and comfort of 'The' Withdean Stadium.

But nope, no fanzine review. Heigh-ho, I'm sure it'll appear sometime soon. Definitely. Maybe. However, I am happy to report that Mike Ward does appear to have a regular Friday night column in The Argus. Which he used, in that rambling stylee we all love so well, to plug the Falmer Fanzine. He used the whole column to plug it in fact. Have to admit I wouldn't like to be the publisher who's paying him BY THE WORD, but once again the boy done good. Despite the fact that he's VERY well aware of the (unwarranted) slagging off he gets on here.

Top bloke Wardy

 

[mona]

Yeah stop being so nasty to the fellow. He's much closer to the terraces than Anna Swallow who writes well about Falmer but seems more of an executive club fan.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Yeah stop being so nasty to the fellow. He's much closer to the terraces than Anna Swallow who writes well about Falmer but seems more of an executive club fan.

Does Anna Swallow actualy exist? I always sort of assumed it was Lush or Safeway or roz or Easy 10 'avin' a deeply ironic larf. Anybody ever met her? Can't recall meeting her at NSC Dog Nights, or meet-ups or pre&post matches in the Brewery Tap. Mind you, I've never so much as swapped 'hellos' with Easy 10 either, so that don't necessarily mean a lot. Ah well...

 

[Turkey]

I've always said it. I think he's a top bloke. Anyway, what did he say? Stuck out here in Southampton isn't to helpful when it comes to reading The Argus.

 

[mona]

Strange. That's what I've always suspected and so I often make comments about her trying to get the truth. She didn't like Micky and apparently has an old man named Bill. Perhaps she's a replicant.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

I've always said it. I think he's a top bloke. Anyway, what did he say? Stuck out here in Southampton isn't to helpful when it comes to reading The Argus.

well, since the demise of the freebie Argus website, can't copy'n'paste it on here, or even give a link, but basically he said it costs a quid, go out and buy it at the club shop or matches

 

[Hunting 784561]

Does Anna Swallow actualy exist? I always sort of assumed it was Lush or Safeway or roz or Easy 10 'avin' a deeply ironic larf.

So is she a Spit or a Swallow.

 

[El Presidente]

The elitist attitude towards Mike Ward is pathetic. Too many people turn their noses up at him because he did not start supporting the Albion until a couple of years ago, and see him as a glory hunter. This is crap, we were relegated last season and have been very up and down at times this year, but he is still proud to wear the stripes.

Just because he was not at Scunthorpe six years ago on a Tuesday night does not mean he should not be made to feel one of us. If Falmer becomes a reality, it's people with an original baclground like him that we need to attract to the ground if it is to be filled to capacity.

His style of writing in 'Gullhanger' did not overly appeal to me, but there was no doubt that his initial curiosity about the Albion became fully fledged support by the end of the season.

We need to convert as many floaters into devotees if Falmer is not to be our very own Reynolds Arena, a quarter full and dragging the club into the abyss

 

[Bozza]

Does Anna Swallow actualy exist? I always sort of assumed it was Lush or Safeway or roz or Easy 10 'avin' a deeply ironic larf. Anybody ever met her? Can't recall meeting her at NSC Dog Nights, or meet-ups or pre&post matches in the Brewery Tap. Mind you, I've never so much as swapped 'hellos' with Easy 10 either, so that don't necessarily mean a lot. Ah well...

Anna is daughter of Bill and Jan. The whole family are Albion fanatics in every sense of the word and the amount of work Bill and Jan do for the club, often unpaid, is extraordinary.

To top it all, they are lovely, lovely people too.

Anna moves in the journalistic world but, unlike Wardy, she has been Albion since the day she was born. This is not a knock at Wardy at all - I don't know the bloke - merely highlighting that Anna is as much of a Seagull as anyone I know.

 

[ben andrews' girlfriend]

wasnt anna swallows the journo that came on here a while back and had a go at us??

 

[SussexSpur]

An extract. . .

I've been reading a hugely important publication this week. One whose importance is even huger, and I never thought I'd say this, than the copy of Inside Soap which lands on my doormat every Tuesday morning.
It's called One F In Falmer and it's been put together by contributors from North Stand Chat.
In case you're not aware, North Stand Chat is the website where Albion fans gather to discuss key issues relating to the club and, on occasions, to argue whether yours truly is a *@*~#*. (As a general rule, by the way, people who use the expression "yours truly" do tend to merit that description. Same as anyone who uses the expressions "24/7", "proactive" or "Hello, my name is Charles Hoile.")
As you'll have twigged from its title, this fanzine has one predominant theme. Namely, that we need Mr Prescott to say yes to the new stadium, ideally sometime within the current millennium.
The fanzine also hopes to boost the Falmer For All campaign from a financial point of view. It costs a mere £1 a copy (although you're welcome to hand over a £50 note and declare cheerfully: "Keep the change, my good man/woman", just as I'm sure you sometimes do with Big Issue sellers as an alternative to giving them Oddbins vouchers) and any profits will go directly into the FFA coffers.

Won't transcribe any more because after such a good start, the humour gets a bit tedious after that good start and ends on an anti-climactic Inside Soap "joke", but all is generally devoted to how the fanzine is A Good Thing and people should buy it. If it's not already sold out, that is.

 

[ben andrews' girlfriend]

i sense some bitterness! but anyway we probably deserved it and any publicity is good publicity!

 

[SussexSpur]

No bitterness here - it's all good.

 

[Bozza]

wasnt anna swallows the journo that came on here a while back and had a go at us??

Anna Swallow came on here and defended herself. A subtle difference that may be lost on some.

 

[Bozza]

i sense some bitterness! but anyway we probably deserved it and any publicity is good publicity!

Where is the bitterness?!? If Mike was bitter he would not have written a single word of that transcribed above.

 

[ben andrews' girlfriend]

sorry, read it wrong - ignore me

im going to bed so i can survive withpput thinking about not going to the football tomorrow, and so i dont have to think about needing bitchpiss

 

[Yorkie]

Ignore who?

 

[London Irish]

One of Wardy's earlier programme columns made specific reference to NSC and its users by name - he clearly does read this site and it must be galling for him to read some of the total abusive kerrapp posted about him.

But he really should take it as a badge of honour.

Anyone who seemingly writes and broadcasts about Albion whether their name is Ward, Swallow, Naylor, Hart, Camillin is always going to get abuse for some strange reason no doubt not unadjacent to the green-eyed monster.

In fact, warming to this theme, I pick up some recent Albion publication and I see a load of shit by some people called "Tom Hark from Queens Park" and "East 17", who the f*** are these big-headed glory hounds and what write have they to spout on about the club we all know and love - shut the f*** up with your fancy long words and stop pretending your bigger and better than us (cont p94).

There, I hope Tom and Easy now feel they have finally arrived as Albion writers.

Let's face it, if NSC had existed 20 years ago it would have had regular threads describing John Vinicombe as a ****.

 

[Bozza]

...and what write have they...

Come on LI - we expect better than that. From you at least.

 

[London Irish]

And you missed the your for you're. But if you have to explain a joke, I guess that means it's failed.