We hope that you’re all staying indoors and keeping safe.

The old issue under the spotlight this week is…

WIE Issue 33 (September 2010)

This 24-page issue heralded the not too joyous return of the fanzine having been put to bed some ten years before. This was originally only intended to be a one-off publication in support of the club’s perilous situation due to an unpaid HMRC bill that was threatening the club’s very existence.

The front cover – as featured here – wasn’t of high design quality and depicted disgraced former jockey Lester Piggott, who was convicted of tax evasion in the mid-1980s, riding to the rescue as the club’s new tax consultant. Well, we thought it was funny. You will also notice that the price of this issue was £2, with all funds that were raised being donated to the survival fund.

The three-page editorial focused entirely on the club’s predicament with the HMRC bill. Not too many laughs to be had there. Nor was there any to be had with the next article, which was a tribute to Wings legend Stuart White who had been tragically killed in a car crash in South Africa in early June. He was just 46 and his untimely death had been a real shock.

Next was WIE regular Tim’s hopes that he wouldn’t have to find a new club to support having been through that particular wringer already when his first love Bexley United had gone to the wall in 1976. In this particular article Tim covered his journey to becoming a Bexley United supporter and how he dealt with the immediate aftermath of their demise.

Some pages were taken looking at potential options for the club going forward. Supporters Direct and the prospect of a supporters trust seemed to be a viable option accompanied by some words of encouragement from a Sutton United supporter who had been involved in setting up their trust in 2006. As an aside, I think we could still learn and take a lot from the way our rivals from Gander Green Lane grew their supporter base in recent years.

As this issue cantered towards its conclusion (see what we did there), Alex told a tale of his obsession with European football. And if you’re a regular reader of the fanzine you will know that Alex has since provided regular updates of his travels. Next was Terry’s view of what might have been at PVR if the Wings hadn’t secured the ground’s lease following Bexley United. We will bring you that article in full tomorrow.

The final written piece was from Tim as he mused over the challenges that faced the growing number of foreign players in England and the phrases they would likely have to confront. Think the likes of ‘back door’, ‘left shoulder, right shoulder’, and ‘stand him up’.

WIE 33 concluded with a photographic double page spread that paid homage to Stuart White.