Whatever happened to the East Stand Kenny Everett?

Posted on September 8th, 2009 | 51 Comments |

Still singing on the wing?
Still singing on the wing?
As there’s absolutely naff-all of note in the news to hammer on about, I’ve spent the last half hour or so reminiscing about the good old days when I started going to games regularly and looking through old photos and reading back about that era.

Hopefully, you’ll forgive my indulgence. They were more innocent days when I was as concerned with learning the songs and gaining a decent reputation in amongst the big lads of The Corner as I was with what what was happening on the park. This was the bygone era of terracing and tight shorts, slimy stomach-churning burgers and rib-tickling bollards. When floodlights were things you could climb on and match tickets were for the Junior Magpies, competition winners and posh people.

We’d look forward to the games all week and we’d queue for ages to get in for certain games, but the wait and the £1.50 to get in seemed worth it at the time, laden down with replica shirts over a sweat top and adorned with black and white fishing hat and scarf. Smelling the hops and stale lager that we weren’t yet allowed to taste (legally).

There are certain things that I can recall vividly about certain games and specific incidents. One regular occurence though and could always be relied on was a song from the near side of the East Stand. The fella responsible for the outbursts used to sit in the south wing of the East Stand and would stand up on demand to kick off a song whenever the East Stand was asked to ‘givvus a song’ by The Corner or The Scoreboard in the Gallowgate.

It became more of a novelty particularly when one observant opportunist recognised that the guy in the East Stand bore a striking resemblance to the late Kenny Everett, famous for his comedy at the time. And so were born the songs, ‘We’ve got Kenny Everett on the wing’, sung to the tune of ‘Terry Hibbitt on the wing’ and the less creative ‘Kenny, givvus a song’. From that day on, our very own Kenny would stand and sway slightly but unquestioningly bellow out the start of a tune whenever required. The images have stayed with me and I guess always will. Hence my avatar as a mark of respect.

The Corner? The Scoreboard? Terracing? I hear some of the younger readers ask….

Those asking the questions will no doubt be as confused about my references to both Kenny, the lyrics, the tune from which it was coined and well possibly the sentiments on the whole. Maybe you have to hit a certain age before you start looking back fondly because you’re too busy looking forward? Either way, I’d like to ask the question for anyone who can help. Does anyone know what happened to the Kenny Everett who used to sit in the East Stand and where is he now?

If you have no idea but would like to share with us, your early memories of following the town, feel free because it’ll give me something to read and talk about. Or just tell me to bugger off, whichever is a more appropriate response in your opinion.

NUFCBlog Author: bowburnmag bowburnmag has written 234 articles on this blog.

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51 Responses

  2. Westler’s burgers pulled out of a vat of disgusting hot water, Federation ale, piss aal ower the netties, nee roof, proper violence.

    Much better than nowadays! :-)

  4. What ever happened to the fella who used to do the Indian War Cry?

    What I would give to hear that one more time. You knew Newcastle were in town when you heard it. Magic.

  6. hmm to be honest im glad i wasnt around in those days football matches sounded like a horrible experience then i mean it must have been cramped, smelly, and on occasions sweaty and also it cant have been a great experience standing in piss and also i imagine being pissed on though the atmosphere was probably better and i guess ou would have known no different

  8. A good read. I can’t say i know what happened to him but i could ask the same about some other characters from the gallowgate (corner then later the scoreboard) during the late 80’s and early 90’s…

    Norman – Big fella, looked as hard as nails. Skinhead type with more meat on him. Always legless and started the chants off at the back of the corner. I remember he turned up to the last home (league) game of the 89/90 season dressed as Dennis the Menace.

    ‘one davey beasant..’ – probably the only time this got sang at st.james! lanky, long haired type, bit harsh to be called davey beasant as he could catch things such as soes etc getting thrown his way!. Stood in the corner, used to stand on the crash barriers facing away from the pitch starting the songs off.

    ‘the wiggies’ – me and my mates named these 3 lads this as for the entire 92/93 season these 3 late teenagers/early 20 somethings turned up in ‘scouse type afro’ wigs but they were green, pink and orange if memory serves me right. They always got on the pitch when we scored (and back into the scoreboard afterwards) and i remember them all having a kick about on the pitch before the 7-1 Leicester game…one scoring a crackin overhead kick

    happy days indeed.

  9. SO69 – that’s exactly it. We didn’t know better. I miss some things and some others not so much. Like trying to watch through the fencing.

  10. Sparko – I remember the affros from those days! Missed the Leicester game with a broken leg though!

  11. summer of 69
    It was the great noisy atmosphere, paying at the turnstiles, terracing, the lack of overt commercialism, everyone looking forward to Saturday at 3pm not Monday at 8pm, the lack of the ‘prawn stottie’ brigade,etc that helped make it a fantastic experience despite the appalling facilities.

  15. In the gully down the bottom where the terracing sort of came back on itself and you didn’t want to get caught in the puddles down there. Or worse, take a tumble during the Blaydon Races.

    Not speaking from experience there like…..

  16. bowburn mag – aye, if you watch back the 92-93 season review they are on al the goals at the gallowgate and on that sticks in the memory is the green one climbing the fence at southend!

    what a game and occasion to miss!

  17. SO69 – I’m waiting to be inspired so I can write something and ask worky to use it. Nothing as yet!

  21. I remember when we got spanked 4 nowt off them a year or two before. There was nee fence climbing that day. Roots Hall was the last place you wanted to be that day if you were a Mag.

    Aye, got to Grimsby but then missed the Oxford and Leicester games. Couldn’t even get out properly for the parade.

  22. Worky

    “the lack of the ‘prawn stottie’ brigade,”

    Stardust may be offended by that!

    Quite probably

  23. Oh man, what a good read.

    Reminds of my days in The Scoreboard.

    There was a fella there who religiously at every home match would cry out “C’mon Richie” at a random moment during the game.

    Would only happen once a match. I just couldn’t ever work out why he did it. I doubt it was for Richie Appleby.

  24. any famous pitch invasion memories? the obvious are forest in 74 and the mackems in 1990. i was at the latter, aged 12….an others that stick in the memory?

  25. omg i remember kenny aswell i remember the wigs as we used to go to away games with them classic and we used to shout norman were are youuuuu and you used to pop up all over the place corner and east stand

  27. Well there were a few on the pitch at Grimsby. But it was for the right reasons at least. Can’t remember anything major. Maybe Leicester 92. Couple of kids down at Millwall but that was to get to the safety of our end really!

  28. If I was ever in the scoreboard, one bloke was fond of randomly calling opposition players psychedelic shithouses. He saved his voice for Gabbiadini in particular though.

  29. Good piecem Happy days indeed.

    Gateshead lads in the corner were rough like. If they couldn’t find any byker ladsn the bensham lads used to fight with the teams and dunston lads

  30. batty says:
    September 8, 2009 at 10:06 pm
    worky tell that lazy get stardust get a move on#

    Worky I added a little this afternoon – does it make the grade for the first one? Not sure what way to head with the headline – thought its be funny if we nicked Eds sensationalist nonsense Edline – but easy – need an image too

  31. Was I the only one who didnt find comment 1 funny?

    And Worky – Deb OOOOOIIII leave me sarnies alone.

  32. I fell in the pee in the gallowgate once – we were playing brighton on a winters wednesday night – I was only 14 or so – was gutted

  33. Great read lads. Memories from the Scoreboard also include the East stand Indian War Cry, the pee flowing freely under my feet, the odd fight in the corner amongst fellow toom fans and a bloke who never failed to scream McCreary at Davy Mac throughout the game. He attended for years after Davy Mac left and kept up his regular scream! The deadly duo of Tony Cunningham and George Reilly (Shola and Carroll wouldn’t have had a look in). The good old days before commercialism.

  34. Stardust says:
    September 8, 2009 at 11:17 pm

    “Worky I added a little this afternoon – does it make the grade for the first one? Not sure what way to head with the headline – thought its be funny if we nicked Eds sensationalist nonsense Edline – but easy – need an image too”

    I like it, but I was thinking that it should be a weekly gossip column with that backstory being introduced gradually, in an intriguing, tantalising way, in amungst aal the dort he finds in the SJP bins like. Billy should definitely be ginga n’aal! :-)

  35. “Whatever happened to Kenny Everett?”

    About ten years ago, whilst taking a sample to the lab at the old Tyne Brewery, who did I happen to bump into but ‘Kenny Everett’. “f_____g hell! You’re Kenny Everett!” said I. We then had a laugh about the stick the corner would give him and he told me he lived deep in the heart of Mackem territory and himand his brother had since moved around the stadium. Never seen him for years since S&N ratted out of Newcastle and let people from North Yorkshire bottle the Dog instead of Geordies.

  36. read the blog alot but first time i’ve wanted to comment here.
    loved the corner, the indian cry, aye i’d love to hear that again. and yes there was loads of bother in the corner, is it just a trick of memory but did they not put west ham in there for a game or was it the paddock.
    and tipping the burger stand over used to quite funny in them days.we dragged a couple coppers in with us a few times.
    I know its a load of bollocks but I was young, what can i say.

  37. Grimsby (H) 1992-93. Singing to the ‘Mariners’, “You only sing when you’re fishing”;same match, not throwing the ball back to the opposition when they kicked it out of play for an injury and Jim Dobbin’s 25-30 yard screamer into the back of the Leazes goal to halt our 100% start to the season. Happy days!

  38. workyticket says:
    September 8, 2009 at 9:32 pm
    bowburnmag says:
    September 8, 2009 at 8:43 pm (Edit)

    “It’s all about the Palace shenanigans when the courts ruled he lied to get out and go to Charlton. He’s got the right to appeal now though.”

    Not just that Bowburn. He’s the kind of cut price Big Sam. He may have embraced all these modern methods backstage (the nutritionalists and all that) but he’s a bit of an old school Championship plodder once once the players cross the line. Considering we’re in the world of the blind, where the one eyed man is king, Kinnear is much better than Dowie. But I’ll stick with the Chuckle brothers for now because the last thing we need now is more upheaval.

    Sorry to be the one to remind you but WE ARE in the Championship so maybe we need ‘a Championship plodder’.

  39. I remember ‘Kenny’ of the East stand fondly. He looked well & truly bemused the first time everyone chanted “one Kenny Everett” & “Kenny give us a song” but then joined in doing the ‘Pointy finger’ routine the original Kenny used to do when playing a Vicar!! I’ll also never forget the Gallowgate corner surges!! Jeez if you didn’t get on the pitchside of one of the concrete barriers you were going to be in some serious crushing pain!! I remember a mate of mine disappeared from sight in one particular surge & turned up about 5 mins later, beanie hat all wonky & a size 12 footprint on his back…how we laughed!! Happy times!

  40. aye i remember kenny well,one match i forget which we were giving him stick as usual.
    myself at the time had got my hair permed,it looked ridiculous,anyway he stood up out of his seat and pointed at me”hoo ye the c##t wi the hair aal dee ye ootside”.
    happy days,anybody remember mad norman from the corner? if yer proud to be a geordie be a teapot etc…

  41. TROJAN 69 – yeah, see comment 8, the same dude!

    forgot about the teapot, tree, etc…remember ‘if ya proud to be a geordie be a mackem’ and everyone shouted ‘im fooking shit, fooking shit’ whilst punching themselves! ha ha…good times.

    i also remember brighton at home just after KK had taken over. It was a must win game and sheedy missed a sitter in the last minute and we got beat 1-0. It was a terrible match and the corner entertained themselves by lighting a fire to keep warm. Dangerous when you think about it but no roof meant it was never going to develop.

    regarding the barriers, as soon as someone shouted ‘we went to blaydon races….’ everyone looked at each other and started backing into the crowd behind them shiting themselves opening up a big gap to surge into. if you were in the front line your ribs may pop out of ya body once the surges stopped and the barriers hit you!

    peterboro away this season may see a return to them mad days!

  42. sparko 1978,
    remember everybody called the point of the corner the lunatic belt,the surges would be to the tune of lets go f###ing mental la la la,if you got caught in the surge you would shat yourself as it wasn,t long after hillsborough.
    does anyone remember that black lad who got in the corner?he got done for being a hooly last year,he was in the chronic,smashed a cockney ower the heed in a restaurant with a metal serving tray.he would always wear the green and yellow striped greenalls away shirt.
    i remember during a pitch invasion he clotheslined a copper to the deck.

  43. Worky – that was my thinking too – but for those using the site now I thought we should set the background then reveal all the other stuff over time as once the first one goes it with its obvious slants at least people would get it?

    Most stories start with a background and then into the tale?

  44. I am pleased I stumbled across this blog as me and my mate often talk about the old Gallowgate Corner days (or the ‘J’ section some of you might remember it by), the days of co op tracksuits, security guard 123 (shave you tash we cannot see), sheep skin jackets, pis*ing in peoples pockets, the Blaydon races etc.. However the memory that sticks with me most (non footballing memory that is) is of Kenny Everett standing up, clapping his hands 3 times and then belting out United to the Gallowgate end. He always got it going as well! Vintage memories and a great blog. Cheers

  45. ha ha, the co-op tracksuits. silver!

    i remember Andy Thorn giving one poor ballboy near the corner flag some grief for taking his time getting the ball back to him when were were on the verge of gan down in 1989. think it was villa at home.

    moving onto the benches. used to be really envious of them as everytime we scored a handful used to jump over the front (no fences then) advertising boards and onto the pitch!

  47. Howmanheyman – that in itself has made writing the article worthwhile but some of the other stories are class. Times have been tough but we can always look back fondly.

    Chaps – the ‘J’ section!! I only remembered when you said. I ended up getting a half season ticket in the promotion season and had to move along to the left of the scoreboard. Something tells me it was ‘L’. Either way, I never really made it back to The Corner after that, sadly.

    Magpie4ever – I used to love those little celebrating (Mexican??) gadgies on the scoreboard when we scored.

    The bollards were lethal, we’ve mentioned them before on here. My mate broke one of his ribs at an FA Cup game against Forest. It was pretty hairy like.

    There was this one kid used to stand right in the middle of The Corner, probably late teens back in late 80s or early 90s. It would be hard to describe him as he was just an average toon fan really but he was consistently monged to the point I imagine he rarely saw the games and always, without doubt, ended up standing lagging all over the terrace. Occasionally he’d get hoyed out unless we closed ranks with the ‘copper’ tune as the boys in blue made their move.

  48. the benches at the front of the east stand were lethal,you had to sit on your programme for fear of six weeks worth of spelks in your backside lol.

  49. Since it all seems to be corner lads on here can I just ask Why’s the corner full of sh*t? ….:)

    Aye nice bit of nostalgia there, funny as your older you just tend to remember the good bits like the 2 minutes of insanity after a goal had been scored the roar as the toon attacked or after we’d conceded and we’re kicking off and forget the being crushed against the barriers or stepping in a stream of piss with holey trainers a mistake you only make once…..

    Peterboro might be a chance for a quick return to those days unless they’ve had some work done since that FA cup tie

  50. Bowburnmag – I believe Kenny Everett is alive and well and can be found most days in the Felling.

    I showed him this blog and he got quite excited and even wanted to get in touch.

    His name is Imre (after Varadi, but he’s actually called Ray), used to work for the dole dealing with people signing on and now doesn’t work. A few years ago he won 20k on a scratchcard from the Post Office!

    Here’s a pic for proof:

    http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/9619/imag0044a.jpg

    Great article by the way, brought back some great memories!

  51. The red indian is a painter and decorator called Dave Tinnan from Gosforth. I worked with him recently and he did the cry to prove it.