ToffeeWeb - Season 2007-08

The Mail Bag

Tottenham

In the wake of last night's late victory, this may seem like a trivial comment but on sunday I sat down to watch Spurs v Birmingham (mostly to kill the boredom, I was tired of talking to my dog so I thought I may as well put Spurs on) and I'm convinced I heard Grand Old Team being sung in sections of Spurs' little stadium.

Did I have a lapse of sanity or did I actually hear the Spurs fans singing OUR song?! I know what many fans will say and that is it is no more our song than it is theirs ? if anything Celtic FC own the copyright to the piece. And I guess that's a valid argument but I still feel aggrieved that another English club feels comfortable adopting our tune. For me, this is as much a part of EFC as You'll Never Walk Alone is to our neighbors or the Chip Butty Song is to Sheffield United.

In closing, I would also like to add that in terms of the lyrical content, Grand Old Team more accurately summarises the history of EFC than the far less impressive history of the glorified cup team that is Spurs.
Neil Styles, Dublin Posted 06/12/2007 at 13:39:51

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Paul Clays
1 Posted 06/12/2007 at 15:01:46

It is true that Spurs have nicked our song.

I have a mate who is a big Spurs fan and he reckons they started singing it at Goodison last season when they beat us and they have carried on singing it since.

I’m not sure if they have changed the lyrics to suit there hatred of the gunners but they definitely sing it.

Brian Reidy
2 Posted 06/12/2007 at 15:35:30

I'm nearly 100% sure they were singing it 4 years ago when I was at the away game in White Hart Lane - confused the crap out of me it did!!!

Chris Jones (Wakefield)
3 Posted 06/12/2007 at 15:47:43

All’s fair in love and war.

We nicked it off the Celtic, they got it from Gilbert and Sullivan’s ’The Pirates of Penzance’ ("With a cat-like tread") who themselves pinched the melody for the intro from Verdi’s ’Anvil Chorus’.

Chris Jones (Wakefield)
4 Posted 06/12/2007 at 15:54:17

Sorry for the typo, should read "With cat-like tread"

Carlos Domingez
5 Posted 06/12/2007 at 16:04:17

I stand to be corrected, but I thought the "Anvil Chorus" contains the tune to "We?re on the march with Moyesy?s army"...

Chris Jones (Wakefield)
6 Posted 06/12/2007 at 16:08:03

I was referring to G&S nicking the melody for the "Hail, Hail, the boys (Celts) are here" bit which prefaces ’Grand Old Team’ when sung at Parkhead.

Danny Gorman
7 Posted 06/12/2007 at 16:09:46

They’ve been singing it for ages mate - went down there when we got beat about three nil and they also play it before the game as part of a medley

Allan Hobbs
8 Posted 06/12/2007 at 16:09:55

Tottenham are still smarting from Utd nicking their ’glory glory tottenham-hotspur’ ditty; like someone else said, alls fair in love & war.

Neil Styles
9 Posted 06/12/2007 at 16:06:52

Yeah I know Celtic have been singing it the longest and I aceept that-no arguments- but even if we had been singing it before the Celts, I really wouldnt be too upset if I heard Grand Old Team being belted out of Park Head because they, unlike Spurs, compete in a different league to us. Ughh, I wish we could just copyright the bloody thing- kind of like how Liverpool print their song title on their crest.
I know I sound like I’m overreacting here but I genuinely feel like some of our identity has been stolen.

Chris Bailey
10 Posted 06/12/2007 at 16:23:17

I definitely remember them singing it at White Hart Lane during our hey days in the 80s. Sorry to disappoint all, but they have been singing it a long time along with Celtic.

John Coyne
11 Posted 06/12/2007 at 16:34:51

Spurs have been singing the song for absolutely years.

There is a big piece in the latest When Skies Are Grey that goes to great length to explain how long we have been singing it.

You would be surprised.

The banks of the Royal Blue Mersey is our song, we’ve been singing it much longer than ’If you know yer’istory’ and no one can take that away from us.

Here endeth the history lesson.

Ray Williams
12 Posted 06/12/2007 at 16:59:32

I think you’ll find that Spurs released Grand Old Team as their Cup Final song many, many years ago, probably back in 1967 when they played Chelsea.
As mentioned in the Skies Are Grey article, Royal Blue Mersey goes back to 63/64, or even earlier.

Brian Robson
13 Posted 06/12/2007 at 18:01:58

I was at the Spurs match last season and they did sing Gand Old Team.
Me and my son creased up when they sang WHAT THE HECK DO WE CARE!!!
Not WHAT THE FUCK, like Dick Van Dyke.

Dave Charles
14 Posted 06/12/2007 at 19:38:23

I think you may find fans of Hibernian were first to sing the Grand Old Team tune.

Many ideas have been copied. The ’This is Anfield’ that is supposed to worry opposing players was copied from Preston North End. As Shankly was a Preston player in their heyday, he took the idea to Liverpool. Preston have always had ’This is Deepdale’ above the enterance to the pitch.

shaun sparke
15 Posted 06/12/2007 at 20:18:36

mickmac
Grow up for gods sake and stop posting this on every thread.

Alan Clarke
16 Posted 06/12/2007 at 20:49:08

I can’t think which tune Mickmac’s post goes along with. I’ve tried singing the words along with a bit of Mozart and then the Rolling Stones but the words don’t seem to fit.

Bri L
17 Posted 06/12/2007 at 21:25:42

I hate to dissapoint but Spurs have been singing it for years as well. As long as I can remember us singing it.

It’s a Celtc song originally.

Footy fans recycle each others chants. Thats a fact of life.

To be honest, we are generally quite sh*t at coming up with new original chants about players, the team etc.
Opposing fans have often commented to me about how we’ve hardly got any songs and it’s true.

Jarrod
18 Posted 06/12/2007 at 21:29:18

Bri L - exactly what i was about to say.

’Our’ song is sung by many clubs - including the amatuer club i play for in Australia.

Myself & the two Celtic boys at the mighty Thornbury United sing it with a touch more gusto of course.

Roy Coyne
19 Posted 06/12/2007 at 22:28:00

We used to sing Banks of the Royal Blue Mersey to a red nose teacher at school in 62. I remember getting cained for singing "hang the bastards one by one" instead of "kopites".

Ian Martin
20 Posted 07/12/2007 at 00:20:44

It is defo a Spurs song, they were singing it long before us or the Celtic tossers.

Rob Lloyd
21 Posted 07/12/2007 at 00:17:05

The only song that Everton should truly possess is ?We should not be moved?. This was sung by 60,000 + people nearly 40 years ago so cares what everyone is debating now? If, you,know, yer ?istory..........

Andy Callan
22 Posted 07/12/2007 at 12:20:45

Deffo - they were signin? it last night mate.

So what.

Nevermind Spurs we need to think of some of our own songs so that people can try to copy.

I lay down the gaunlett then lads....

Some new song to tunes that everone will know, but no one has already used please...............

Neil Styles
23 Posted 07/12/2007 at 14:20:42

Andy ? I agree with you big time! We need a new song. Now I know a lotta people will heartily disagree but I?ve always felt that Hallelujah (particuarly the Rufus Wainright version) could be adopted as a football song. For me, the words of the song refer to Everton.

John Lloyd
24 Posted 07/12/2007 at 14:32:32

I dont know why we cant get ?Banks of the Royal Blue Mersey? going as much as we used to.

That is my favorite, its ours... I love it.

"Oh we Bill Shankly and we hate St John
but mooooooooooooost of all we hate Big Ron
and we?ll hang th kopites one by one
on the banks of the Royal Blue mersey.........

Oh to hell with liverpool and rangers too,
Throw them all in the mersey
And we?ll FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT with all our might
for the boys in the Royal Blue Jersey"

Or something like that................love it!!

Michael Kenrick
25 Posted 07/12/2007 at 14:43:06

Err... Sounds nice... but what have we got against Ron Atkinson? And what’s John the Baptist ever done to upset the Blues?

John Lloyd
26 Posted 07/12/2007 at 15:36:44

when big ron stopped using the sunbeds by ours it went outta businesss, loss of revenue apparently!!

As for that baptist............see how much he charged Mary for the baptism? Cheeky get, thats why he never got invited the reception in the sandon!!