The Football Comfortables

Comfortables

A radical offshoot of the 1980s soccer casuals movement, the comfortables rejected stylish designer sportswear in favour of air-cushion-soled shoes, easi-fit slacks and fleece-lined anoraks with pockets large enough to hold road maps, a thermos flask and a copy of the Non-League Directory. On match days highly organised crews of travelling comfortables would often meet up with rival comfortable gangs at a prearranged place - usually a pub with real ale and a strict 'no jukebox, no TV, no computer games' policy. These notorious 'offs', with their frequent vicious tirades about the cost of football pies, the atrocious state of the toilets at the Fratton Park away end, and the flipping gyratory system on the M6 westbound, often went on right under the noses of the police, who appeared powerless to stop them.

Harry Person - Dribble! The Unbelievable Encyclopaedia of Football

Casual Connoisseur Woodbank Polos

Been tracking theses for awhile. Noticed they were reduced to approx. £35 so kept tabs until got a few bob in. Then BT cut our internet for best part of a week claiming non payment. Once sorted I come back to find the coveted navy colourway I was after had sold out, however those CC lads had reduced remaining shirts to £27 and it was buy one get one free - so got green and orange colours for peanuts. Was a 'big lads' special offer as well, for once being a bat fastard pays off. Very very decent polo for summer (perhaps next summer given current weather).

Today I'll be Mostly Wearing...

Well actually it was yesterday night for Durham City's friendly game with Consett AFC...

Fjall Raven s/s Nordli
M&S Blue Harbour Luxury check shirt
OneTrueSaxon Dogwalker Jeans (with RL belt)
2005 Adidas Gazelle

Top Five Items

The five things in my wardrobe I could never part with.

1) Baby blue Stoney knit - Not a classic by any means but has some sentimental value. Had an identical one in XL that was my first ever S.I. knit. Didn't realise the smaller fitting sizes so it went on eBay after a couple of years after my chest expanded. Regretted it even though i couldn't zip it up. Then one day one appeared on ebay listed as XL and had to have it, knowing it would be too small. When it arrived it was XXL. Result. Doesn't see much action as the colour a bit gay, but good for cool spring/summer evenings.

2) Raspberry Lacoste Polo - Love my polo shirts and couldn't part with any. Especially this hot pink Laccy number. One of several plain polos with the croc on I own, but this is the favourite - even though I get a ribbing (not like that) for wearing it. They're all from approx. 5 years ago when they were (reasonably) well priced at 50 notes (Wouldn't pay the 65 they ask in House of Fraser now). They some quality though, all looking spanking brand new.

3) Barbour Dry Fly - No other jacket makes cold, windy, grey and wet days look more sexier. Pure class this jacket, made for fishing but wouldn't look out of place on a commando with all those pockets and webbing. Another bargain from the South Shields factory shop for under £75. Don't mind those who say "but you don't fish", because nor does my jacket.

4) 2004 Trimm Trab - It's documented that I'm hating trainers at the moment, but that doesn't include this artwork on your feet. Only two of five pairs of 2004 TTs that remain in my collection (bone/blue the other ones that remain - Argentina, beige/chocolate and green/blue went the journey for big bucks on eBay). Far superior to the horrible reissue Trimms Adidas are churning out every week now. Compare these to the similar colourway from last year and there is...well, no comparison. Better look, better material, better colour, better all round etc.

5) Fjall Raven Marma Smock - Got a good handful of FR jacket in my wardrobe and they outnumber the other brands due to the superior style and quality. Unfairly dubbed the new Stone Island a few years ago and, like OneTrueSaxon, lost some cred for appearing in shops like Scott's, but I love a bit of the Arctic fox and non more so than this. Longest jacket I own and with it's rabbit fur hood you can't help swaggering round like Liam Gallagher in his parka. Picked up, like many quality bits, from the now defunct Found NYC - God I miss it.

English Defence League Morons.

Marching in the Boro Saturday gone. Was working in Darlington on said day and we were on alert incase the far right numpties were out and about in Quakerville.

I totally agree. So fuck off.

But it's not their fault. They're just fucking idiots drip fed on right wing media xenophobic views. Going all socialist here but I can almost understand them doing their petty marches in places like Burnley, where you have a major ethnic population and extremists on both sides stirring up racial bigotry and hatred. But in Middlesbrough? Howay man. Fair enough it has it's share of ethnics as any major urban area, but a rather small one in proportion to say Leeds or Liverpool. And these guys are scapgoated pure and simple, and the powers that be allow it because it suits them.

Free speech is bandied around as the reason EDL/NF/BNP arseholes get their collective voice and terrorise city centres when they get together, have a few jars and sing 'I'd rather be a paki than a Turk' (possibly). I'm sorry but any government could put a stop to it but they won't. And it's easy for places like London or Birmingham to scapegoat the ethnic population, however when you're from the north east you can see past it all.

Why? We're from the area of the country with the least amount of ethnic minorites. Also it's the most deprived and deprovated aswell. And we're supposed to blame the blacks and Asians for this are we? Nice try but bollocks. Any problems in this country can be traced back to years and years of government (Red and blue) neglect. So they're happy to let scum like this shout their mouthes off because by blaming ethnics, and having the press sensationalize it, it takes the attention off the powers at be.

Rant over.

They're usually smartly dressed though. They're a shit energy provider as well.