21 Questions With... Muggsy

21 Questions With: Supporter’s Club Secretary, Assistant PA Announcer, Traffordfc.com Webmeister and occasional writer of match reports…….. MUGGSY!!!

1. Favourite game?

Gotta be the Cup Final last season. Great setting, great atmosphere, great team performance, the supporters were brilliant and we won the Cup!

2. Best moment supporting Trafford?

Apart from the answer to Question 1, I’ll go for getting 2 Grand off the Manchester FA towards the new stand. I never expected that!

3. Worst moment?

The first game I ever went to. It would’ve been in 2014. Vaughny was Manager and his lad played for my team at Urmston Town Juniors. GV invited me and put me on his guestlist (along with about 37 other people!) It was winter, minus 3, a drab game, a 0-1 defeat I think. I didn’t know anyone and I sat in the stand freezing my nuts off thinking “what am I doing here….?” The rest is history!

4. Best song?

“Sometimes… all I need is the beer that I drink and the Trafford……” Inspirational genius songwriting by me and Burkey at Atherton Colls last season.

5. Worst song?

It would be unfair to give Matt Brown any more stick for his shite songs, so I’ll go with one of Liam Maguire’s: “A-Mustapha A-Mustapha A-Mustapha A-Mustapha” (Sorry Liam! You have come up with some great songs mate, and flags by the way) 

6. Favourite fan?

Andy Lee without a doubt. The source of much amusement. I’m sure he does it all on purpose – He is the Class Clown!

7. Worst fan?

There isn’t one. Everyone is great. Except that guy who watched over the fence a couple of times. He’s a twonk he is.

8. Favourite player?

There’s been loads of top players and top guys – Burnsy, Kiel, Langy, Schoey (because he fixed my windows!) Coops, Edge, The Management…..but you have to say Chris Palmer. He’s been there forever, lives round the corner from the ground, wears Trafford FC pyjamas….. Legend.

9. Least favourite player?

Opposition goalkeepers.

10. Funniest moment?

Andy Lee walking into a stanchion.

11. Best goal?

Darius against Darlo in the FA Cup earlier this season. Or was it Lewis Salmon? Can’t remember! Anyway, it wasn’t so much the goal itself, more the occasion, the glorious weather, the fact it brought us level in the game, the number of supporters in the ground and the scenes of bedlam that followed on the grass bank – a brilliant moment!

12. Best away ground?

Rammy’s quite a nice setting with the river and the cricket ground. And the stadium itself is decent too, but lets itself down by not having a bar..…..

13. Best away day?

Glinks said it was Clitheroe where Andy Lee’s glasses fell out the window of the Funbus. I thought that was Darwen away in the FA Cup last season, but anyway – that one. God knows how I managed to find the glasses, pissed up, in the middle of a busy A-road!

14. Worst away ground?

Although it was a TOP day out, it has to be Goole – bit of dump that place, and a running track round the perimeter. Not very “football” that is it? 

15. Least favourite team?

Hong Kong Bank FC. No matter where I go in my football life, nothing will EVER surpass my hatred of them lot from the 1990’s…….

16. Best fans?

Trafford’s

17. Hopes for the future?

I hope we survive the current pandemic. All of us. Kick off next season & go for promotion. I also really really really REALLY hope the Manchester FA see fit to play the Premier Cup Final. We’ve earned that, versus FC United. It’d be a shame to lose that showpiece occasion.

 

18. Pre match routine?

I usually do the PA stuff with Matt Brown so I spend a couple of hours at home that morning putting together a Spotify Playlist. I’ll look for songs with a theme for the day. It might be a player’s birthday or something to do with the opposition, e.g. say we’re playing Widnes I’ll put Paul Simon’s “Homeward Bound” on; I get to the ground about 2pm, have a chat with Foxy – are any specific announcements required? any pre-match presentations? I’ll test the PA equipment, make some notes of forthcoming fixtures & other news we might need to broadcast; Sort the running order, check the team line ups – are there any awkward names? If so, I’ll ask an away official to give me the correct pronunciation. I generally get everything prepared professionally and I certainly don’t have a pint yet……… then at 10 to 3 Matt Brown comes bounding in from the Clubhouse, grabs the mic, elbows me out the way, puts his “Now That’s What I Call The 80’s” playlist on, and proceeds to tell everyone we’re having a few technical issues while he mispronounces the foreign names on the teamsheet!   

19. Pre match drink?

I always have a coffee from the lovely Tea Ladies. No beer until after kickoff (see last answer)

20. Best performance by an individual?

Keil O’Brien in the Supporters game! 

21. Nomination?

Again, without a doubt…… Andy Lee!