Fan Profile#5: Lichtgilphead - a beacon in the west, and a rant

1. What's the first game you recall No idea. I can remember my Grandfather taking me to Dens Park for a Dundee v Rangers Scottish Cup tie. Soccerbase gives the date of that match as 17/2/68. I'm pretty sure that I'd been taken to Gayfield before that, but cannot recall any specific games.

2. Why did you start supporting Arbroath, why do you still support them? Home town team. You never give up on your first love.

3. Best experiences as an Arbroath supporter? Both within days of one another. Top of the pile has to be coming back from 2-0 down after quarter of an hour against Montrose at the Gayf. By the end of the match, we'd scored 4 and were totally dominant. Second best was 2 weeks later when we got the required point against Queens Park to win promotion for the first time in what had seemed like forever.

4. Worst experiences as Arbroath supporter? One word - Spartans.

5. Best and worst things about being an Arbroath supporter?

Best
1) The `Tomato Soup & Lentil' chant
2) The `Na Na Na, three hatchets in your head' ending of "We come from Gayfield"
3) A proper football ground with terracing, cover on all 4 sides & swapping ends at halftime

Worst
1) No-one seems to sing the above songs any more
2) The 300-mile round trip to watch a home game
3) The moaning b*stards on the terracing that never have a good word to say about anything, but will howl derision at a youngster's first misplaced pass.

6. How many games do you manage in an average season? Probably more away games than home nowadays, but even Dumbarton (nearest senior ground) is a good 90 minutes drive away. This season has just been impossible - so far I've only managed to make 5 games.

7. Your analysis on THIS season's campaign to date? Probably haven't really seen enough to comment, but would unfortunately have to agree with others that this season is probably a year too far for a couple of players to be 1st choice in their positions.

8. Advice for Board and Manager? I honestly don't think that they could do a much better job than they are currently doing. We have to live within our means.

9. Advice to other Lichtie fans? Get behind the team FFS! And it's Bellrock's turn to get the round in.

10. Realistic ambitions for the club? It would be nice to put together a decent run in the Challenge Cup. Its the one national cup we have any realistic chance of winning. Getting a promotion as champions (instead of runners-up or thru playoffs) would be nice too.

11. Other team(s) supported? Have also lived in Dundee, Manchester & (currently) Lochgilphead so always look for Dundee Utd, Man City & Lochgilphead Red Star's results.

12. Anything else?

Rant 1
Unfortunately, Lochgilphead is one of these towns where everyone "supports" the Gruesome Twosome, and the vast majority of them follow the Huns. Lower league Scottish football might as well not exist as far as these people are concerned. It's actually a delight to meet a supporter of another team who actually knows something about Scottish players rather than wanting to discuss the Scandinavian centre-back that's currently attracting OF attention and filling the back pages of the Daily Retard.

As a case in point, todays "Monday Sport" in the Glasgow Herald doesn't have one single report from Division 2, and only one 300 word report from Division 3. It does have 6 full pages on the Old Firm though.

I would be absolutely delighted if they left and joined another league - but if they do, they should be made to leave properly - there's no way they should be allowed to play "reserve" sides in the SPL/SFL

Rant 2
Who else thinks that Hearts are going to try to shaft us again over the Webster money? They'll make their signings over the January transfer window, then it will be back to "The cheque's in the post" . I hope the board take a hard line if there's any more delays.