Burt's story supporting Fulham

[dannyboi-ffc]

WHY FULHAM?
I was a hyperactive, annoying spotty oik of a kid (not a lot has changed over the decades - only the spots have gone!) and my mother persuaded my second-eldest brother (there are 4 of us, but only 2 with the sound character that comes from a lifetime of supporting Fulham) to take me to Fulham to get me out of the house for a while.

FIRST FULHAM MATCH?
My first Fulham experience was a home draw against Blackburn Rovers. My main memories from that day were the chips in newspaper on the way in, Peter Mellor saving a penalty with his legs, and the free run of the ground I had (as back in 1974 segregation hadn't really arrived to the Cottage in any major way).

WERE YOU HOOKED FROM THAT DAY ON OR WAS IT A SLOW-BURN?
No, very quick. From that day on, I was hooked. The first couple of years were me at the front behind the goal of whatever way we were kicking, and then over time I graduated to the green pole with my brother and his mates.

NEVER TEMPTED BY ANY OTHER CLUB?
For a time I used to go to that other team in Fulham. Let me explain before I get banned from the board... As I went to school at the London Oratory, most of my mates were Chelsea supporters, so it would be one week to the  dog-track and then the following week it would be to go to the Cottage to see some proper football in a proper ground with my brother.

AND YOU'VE BEEN A REGULAR EVER SINCE?
The only real break I had from it all was when I went to University of Nottingham for 3 years. Whenever I needed a footy fix, I would go and see Notts County as they had tradition, an old ground, played in black and white, and had a great bunch of supporters who were united in hope that one day their team may just do something special... Sound familiar?

And this season has been a bit hit and miss too, as many of you know Burt Jr has been battling cancer so it was really the only last few home games of the season when he was in remission and had regained some strength that we were able to get back in to it.

SO BURT JR IS IN THE FULHAM WAY AS WELL?
Yes, from quite an early age actually. I think he was 5 years old when I took him to the Loftodrome to see us play Cheltenham Town in the FA Cup. He has been hooked ever since!

BEST GAME?
I always remember our 5-0 dismantling of prior promotion rivals Watford on Boxing Day 2000 and thinking that we actually were going to get promoted to the Premier League that season.

I also enjoyed our 3-2 win against Spurs at the Loftodrome. At half-time they were 2 up and top of the league. The next 45 minutes were probably the most outstanding 45 minutes we ever had in a premier league fixture, and when Leggie's injury time winner went in the place went absolutely mental.

MOST MEMORABLE MATCH?
Lots to choose from... It's a toss-up between our promotion-clincher v. Lincoln, Carlisle away with Micky Adams & Co, the great escape at Pompey, or the Europa League ties against Juve or Hamburg, or the Europa League final v. Atletico. I think Lincoln pips the others to the post just because my two all-time faves were playing (Ivor, Roger Brown), it was also the first time I had ever experienced a promotion, and it is the only time I have ever ended up on the pitch!!

WORST GAME?
No such dilemma here... That game against Derby at the Baseball Ground back in 1983. Wrong result, animals for home supporters, and to see the team intimidated and kicked around by the pitch-invaders for the last stages of the game was something I haven't, and won't, forget in a hurry.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT?
Being in bed with swine flu so missing the 3-0 home win v. Man U. Burt Jr called from the ground with the result and I thought he was taking the mick!

FAVOURITE PLAYER?
The one, the only, the incomparable Ivor. Not to take anything away from the other greats we have seen through the years, but he was my idol as a kid.

FAVOURITE MANAGER?
After next season, it will be Jokanovic :)

To date, it's a toss-up between Malcolm MacDonald and Jean Tigana. I would probably go with Tigana, he had us playing some amazing football and did get us to the promised land, after all.

FAVOURITE GOAL?
Ivor v. Chesterfield, from what seemed like the corner flag by the Cottage. To this day I have never seen any footage of it to see how acute an angle it was, I don't think there were any TV cameras present, but I do remember it being quite a remarkable goal. It was also a critical one as we were slugging it out with Chesterfield for promotion.

PANTOMIME VILLAIN?
None, really. Anyone who pulls on the shirt or is connected with the club gets my support. I have never booed a player, and the only time I chanted for a manager to be removed was Bobby Campbell when I was an impressionable youth and joined in with the discontent when he was busy getting us relegated.

WHAT MAKES FULHAM SPECIAL FOR YOU?
Wow... Where to start? The ground is without comparison in this day of identikit stadiums. The setting by Bishops Park and along the river is so far removed from that of most other clubs and walking to, and back from, a match is special in its own right. Although times have changed and it's all a bit more commercial and business-oriented nowadays, the "feel" you get still retains character, tradition and community. And then there's just the matchday routine - setting out with Burt Jr, getting that bag of chips from Fishers or Putney Pier (depends how late we are running), maybe time for a swift pint, meeting up with friends and family, etc.

WHAT THINGS DO YOU MISS COMPARED TO THE GOOD OL' DAYS?
Terracing. The ability to move around the ground. I loved the old floodlights, you could spot them a mile away. And strangely, I miss climbing over the railings in to Bishops Park after an evening match - in our not-so-glamorous days the park always used to get locked before the end of a midweek match.

WEIRDEST MOMENT?
You thought we were bad last season with penalties... Cliff Carr missed a couple in a home match against Shrewsbury way back when, and when his second effort sailed over the bar a guy in the Putney End went absolutely bonkers. I think he was carried out!

I also have vague recollections of someone wrapping themselves in bog roll and attempting to set himself on fire in the Hammersmith End way back when. If anyone could corroborate that then I would appreciate it as I have been wondering for years whether it was reality or me having drunk one too many!

MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENT?
When I was 12 or 13, my brother pushed me in to that porn shop on the corner opposite the Temperance. I think it was called Josephines. I am sure many of you were regulars before it was replaced by a bookies! I have only just stopped blushing.

HOW DID YOU BECOME A MODERATOR ON FOF?
I had been a member on FOF for some time, best board out there. Not that I am biased. I ended up getting to know Ed (LBNo11), I can't remember exactly when we first met, I think it may have been at a Hampton & Richmond game, and I kind of volunteered my services if ever there was a need. And then one fateful day, I got the call!

WHAT IS IT LIKE BEING A MOD?
It's actually a bit of a responsibility. We continue to thrive and grow as members know that we do have standards that will be maintained, and it is not a free-for-all place like the old offal used to be. This does take a bit of work, as some things do slip through the net, and it is also understandable that temperatures can run a bit high after a key game. So you need to have a common-sense, light-touch approach but not be afraid to take tough decisions if the need arises.

All of the mods do this in their own time, so the other dynamic is squeezing all of this in between other work-related or family-related commitments.

We're only human :)

WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT FOF?
For me, it's the closest you can get to with having a pint down the boozer and talking things Fulham with a bunch of mates. Other message-boards have too many keyboard warriors prepared to abuse and belittle others, stuff that you wouldn't see and they probably wouldn't do if the chat was happening "live" in the boozer.

It's my one-stop-shop for all things Fulham. I hardly ever go on the club website.

ANY DISLIKES ABOUT FOF?
Dislikes is probably too strong a word but when the board was smaller we seemed to be more closer-knit. Whilst I am obviously delighted that we continue to grow, I do feel we have lost a bit of intimacy.

ANYONE YOU MISS?
As we have grown and morphed over the years some have decided to up sticks and leave. I always rated Tony Gilroy for example so it was a shame to see him leave. I met up with Gozo Rich when I was holidaying in Malta, lovely fella, and I don't think he's been on here for a while now.

And of course some members have sadly passed on. Finnster01 was not everyone's cup of tea but he was a gent, family man and had Fulham in his heart, and he gave me advice on a holiday I was planning to take in his home town of New York, it was a shame we never got to meet in the end. Corked Hat, TJL and Cebu also come to mind.

TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF...
Married to a GP, got a couple of kids, live in Thames Ditton, HR Director for EMEA and APAC at a US-owned tech company that leads the way with subscription relationship management software (think Spotify, Amazon Prime, Netflix, etc), a huge sports fan and will basically watch anything but regretfully injuries through the years means I can no longer play competitively in anything.

LETS END ON A "QUICK-FIRE QUIZ" NOTE :)
Best home shirt? 1981-3, the one with the black shoulders, closely followed by 2001-3 (although with the Betfair logo rather than Pizza Hut!!).

Best away shirt? I'm probably in a minority of one as I was particularly fond of that red and black chequered effort.

Best badge/club crest? The one just before our rebrand to the current one.

Matchday ritual? A bag of chips from Fishers.

Best away ground, and why? The old St James Park was always a good place to go and it was a noisy, intimidating ground. It's lost a bit of that since the redevelopment, but as a town Newcastle is a good crack, always plenty to do, and the locals are always tolerant of us, and from a results perspective, we haven't done too badly there through the years. Generally I always have a soft spot for old, traditional grounds.

Ever worked for the club? Nope.

Favourite captain? Danny Murphy.

Musical tastes? Varied... Muse, Elbow, Pink Floyd, The Who... Anything apart from thrash gets a look-in. Best gig was AC/DC at Wembley 3 years or so ago. I couldn't hear properly for days! Iron Maiden a few weeks ago was a good one.

Pie or pasty? Remember those Pukka Pie curry pies at the Loftodrome that left your fingers yellow for days on end? Well... Not those :)

[dannyboi-ffc]

Great story mate. Thanks for sharing!

[e4b]

Thanks for sharing Burt . Sorry cant help with Bog Roll Man. Hope Burt Jr is doing well .

[jarv]

Nice one. Had me chuckling in places.

[HatterDon]

Good man, Burt. If I ever make it back over the water again, I'd love to buy you a pint.

[Mince n Tatties]

Smashing read Burt... :yay:

[bobbo]

Very enjoyable read, well done yet again Danny and thanks Burt.

[RaySmith]

Thanks Burt - very enjoyable read.

[Burt]

Thanks all for your kind comments!

I see nobody is owning up to being a regular at Josephines then :)

And the "bog roll man" must have been a figment of my imagination.

And yes, thank you, Burt Jr is in good shape, he had his first 3-month check a couple of months ago and what they took out has not come back, and what they left in has not grown, so it was the best result we could have hoped for.

And thanks by the way to the many of you who sponsored me in the Marsden March earlier this year - in total I managed to raise just shy of £2k which was much more than the £500 target I had set. £1.8m in total was raised this year, meaning that we broke through the £10m total donations mark since the March started 7 years ago!

COYW

[Jimpav]

Great read, thanks Burt.

Very pleased to hear that Burt Jr is on the mend too, I'm not on FoF as much these days so it was a shock to read that he had been ill.

[Scrumpy]

Thanks Burt, a good read.

Remember the park gates being closed after evening games. Seems hard to believe now but I guess numbers were fewer in those games. I reckon only about 100 or so fans would scale the fence (or climb through the one gap which had a missing post) and then we would walk along quite quietly because it was effectively 'trespass'. It was always pitch black too.

I think we must have rubbed shoulders near the green pole too. Different times.

[Jonaldiniho 88]

Good read burt. Obviously wishing you son good health and thanks for the work you do on the board.

[TheDaddy]

great read  :54:

[mrmicawbers]

Seem to remember cup game I think.Where people were dancing round a bombfire won 5 0 I think.

[filham]

Good read Burt.
Don't worry about the visits to the Bridge, when I was a young lad I had a number of friends who were Chelsea fans, their excuse was that they lived in Chelsea, and I used to alternate between the Bridge and the Cottage.

[LBNo11]

...Enjoyed that Burt. Good memories (and not bad taste in music for a young'an).
For the record, it was at a Hampton & Richmond Borough FC match in the Hammond's Bar that I formally approached you.

We could see that you would be an excellent moderator, which you have proven to be, a stable and steady hand on the tiller, helping to gently change courses and in the moderators section making points without stabbing people..!