CELEBRITY FANS
Many football clubs boast celebrity fans, some welcome, others not so welcome. Millwall are no different, and over the years many have graced the turnstiles of the DEN....both new and old, the trouble is, very few have 'come out of the closet' to admit it! I suppose the most famous, and perhaps the one that most know about, would be Danny Baker!
One time staff writer with NME, Baker's
first glimpse of TV fame, came in the TV documentary, "No one likes us",
a history of Millwall, where is articulacy shone through in a humerous description
of the trouble at Luton Town. Not long afterwards, he was to be seen or rather
heard on BBC Radio, notably on the 6 05 soccer show on radio 5, a programme
that he made his own, in such a way that it has never really recovered!
He then famously moved to Radio one where his tactic of slagging off the traditional
Radio 1 listener base, backfired and went down about as well as a Julian Clary
at a gathering of whores! Baker then made friends with radio entrepreneur
and self made multi Millionaire, Chris Evans, also curiously enough at one
time associated with Millwall (as a potential buyer), the pair proceeded to
get drunk and generally behave in a boorish manner, mostly in public. Although
Baker claims to turn up at Millwall matches, his presense is seen less and
less of late. Much like his career!
The earliest 'celeb' fan that I could
possibly find, would have been George Robey,
a music hall comedian, who actually signed for the club and played reserve
team football. One presumes he was a fan....bu the fact that he was a well
known celebrity is good enough for me!
After this we have the tenuous claim to the royal family. George
VI, the present Queen's Father, was seen at the Den, in New Cross,
on a number of occaisions during the second world war. Detractors might say
that there was little else to do, but it's good enough for our purposes that
he came, and on at least one occaision was accompanied by young Princess
Elizabeth! The Royals and Millwall were to be reunited with each other
in 1945, when Millwall reached a war time Cup Final against Chelsea. I just
wonder though, could it be that our present day Queen
is a closet Bushwacker?
Above: The Kings is Presented to the Millwall team
in 1945, Princess Elizabeth was there too
Next in line has to be Des O'Connor, all round entertainer, and at one time a featured writer in the Millwall match day programme. Now if Des wasn't a fan, then wasn't this a rather strange name to be associated with the club? It is well doumented that he was paid for his pieces...but unless you watch the odd game or two, it must be very difficult to write with any authority of the goings on on or off the field! Ok perhaps it was ghost written for him, but I prefer not to think about that!
DES and his column!
There are a couple of others that could well have qualified, Max Bygraves is famously a Bermondsey boy, as is Tommy Steele. I don't think anyone has ever bothered tackling Max about his allegiance to the Lions....well can you see him joining in with 'No one likes us we don't care?', and Tommy Steele, the only one of the three (Des hails from these parts too!), that has retained his cockney accent, let himself down rather badly a few years ago, when he was reportedly seen at the Valley! Shameful!
Others that have apparently graced
the Den include Lorraine Chase (remember her?),
though I cannot claim to have rubbed shoulders with her on the CBL, and one
Paul Scally. The latter has of course let himself
down very badly by discarding his Millwall roots and taking up with the pikeys
at Gillingham. I think it is safe to say, that even given their relative (and
hopefully shortlived) success...we STILL wouldn't want him in charge at the
Den!
Then we had Michael Bent, the so called boxer,
who was flattened by Herbie Hide, but not before he had claimed allegience
to the Old Kent Road, rolled around in a puddle outside the ground, and had
his complimentary Millwall baseball cap pinched by a lad in the South Stand!
Talking of Boxing, there is little Frank Maloney, manager of Lennox Lewis. Maloney is a self confessed Millwall nut, and although he did apparently attempt to give some of his wealth to Millwall (in exchange for a place on the board), it was refused and he didn't seem to try too hard to follow through. The only real question mark about Frank is the fact that he hasn't given Lennox an almighty slap for claiming to be a hampster's fan...c'mon Frank! Sort him out!!
It has been pointed out to me, by Millwall
fan, Mick Eyers actually, that there are some
reported Millwall fans on TV at present. He writes; "what about Craig
Fairbrass who plays Dan Sullivan was also in Londons Burning. Robbie
played by Dean Gaffney. and last the Vicar who's
name is Richard Driscoll. All of whom have been
reported as being Lions fans". Thanks for those Mick, my excuse is that
I don't watch either programme....as far as Eastenders is concerned, I would
rather sit and watch my piece of Old Den turf struggle to survive...yes it
is still alive....and putting up a valient effort against my constant and
dubious care! (Amazing what 'Miracle grow' can do!).
Anyway, thanks for those three, Mick.
As to footballers who follow the Lions,
Ian Wright has long claimed to be a Lions supporter,
even supposedly nearly signing for us last season. He was seen with some of
'the lads' in the crowd at Wembley for the Auto Windscreens Final, but since
then has been noticeably absent from the Den...too busy advertising chicken
tonight I presume. Says it all really doesn't it?
Of course there is one footballer who is famously known for his true allegience
to the cause, and that is Lord Edward Sheringham of
Bermondsey! Teddy to you, his background needs no introduction, and
the moment that he falls back out of favour with Alex Ferguson at old trashford,
you can bet he'll be back down at the Den to cheer the lads on!
HAVE I FORGOTTEN ANYONE? DO YOU KNOW OF ANY CELEBRITIES
THAT CLAIM ALLEGIENCE
TO THE MIGHTY LIONS? IF SO, LET US KNOW!!
