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25/04/2008
 This badge is my badge?
I asked the question ‘Do you want the Loggerheads badge back?’ on Blue and Amber this week. I did it because there I was last week putting words to a song sung by FC United of Manchester fans.
The song is repost at everything Glazer has supposedly bought to MUFC. It’s saying that’s as fans ‘that badge’ (the symbol of their club) is every ones badge. It’s not to be taken away or hijacked. It’s the badge of the fans.
To their song, myself and a couple of mates (ALS colleagues past and new) had a play about with it, put it on Blue and Amber and along with a version of the Sex Pistol – Anarchy in the UK, (adopted by the FCUM as a protest song against Glazer at non 3 p.m. Saturday kick offs) had some Salopians drooling at the mouth.
Unbeknown to me, on arriving at Mansfield, I had thrust about 200 song sheets, emblazoned with the Loggerheads, and the ‘This badge is my badge’ ditty. Some of you may have received one off me in the Social Club at Field Mill.
I sat at Mansfield and to be fair there were no songs of protest. The Ultras as ever tried to get an atmosphere going, even with an early goal. It had seemed that the fans had actually one foot on the beach as well as the players.
But it got me thinking. I can be radical and have been in the past, and will be in the future, but in all honesty is a campaign to resurrect the Loggerheads badge futile, and shouldn’t we be concentrating our efforts on bigger and better prizes?
Well, if the poll on B and A proved anything it’s that people do care. 86% at time of writing want the Loggerheads back. I feel there is a little deja vu here as back in 1990 – A Large Scotch started a campaign for the return of blue and amber and the Loggerheads badge from the then white shirts and ‘shrew logo’. Then a similar amount of percentage support wanted their colours and badge back.
Eventually it did come back. First with yellow and blue-stripped shirts, and then ‘the badge’ was back, on proper amber shirts (if only with a scrambled eggs design!).
My own feelings are this (for what they are worth). I like the new logo. I think it is clean, dynamic, and professional. The question is ‘is it Shrewsbury’?
The main argument for having it is the copyright issue. This started firstly when at Commercial Group meetings (Umbrella Group) people raised the issue of firms producing merchandise and Town not gaining from it. Although the amounts may now seem pretty insignificant, the fact was that our average attendance was only 2,500 to 3,000, and so it was raised, it was an income stream that should be going to the club. It was also raised that the club should ’copyright’ the Loggerheads logo, or at least a version of it, noted to STFC.
With the move to the new stadium, the opportunity arose for a new logo, that could be used to sell the club, be properly copyrighted (due to the borough connection the Loggerheads logo could not), and protect the clubs income streams from merchandising going forward.
Think rationally and you can understand the perceived story how our chairman, Mr Wycherley chose the design we now have;
The Lion emblem relates to our mascot ‘Lenny’ (know body seems to have complained we have a mascot called ‘Lion’, rather than ‘Loggerhead’), the ‘Shrewsbury Town’ legend and ‘STFC’ stand out, and people definitely don’t now think we are wearing Swindon Town away shirts (how many of you have been on holiday and heard people saying your Swindon fans?), the ‘1886’ proclaims our heritage. The badge stands out, is bold, and basically says ‘Come On Salop!’
The problem was (so the story goes) that this design was a mock up. Based on an image from Microsoft Clip Art. And so the jugulars and clowns run round the ring!
You wonder what went through the head of the design company showing a prospective client a mock up they were never intending to use. I will leave that one with you.
Of course when the ‘chattering classes’ got hold of it, the rationale for doing the change was blown away by the ‘clip art’ bit, and so the justification has never been truly proven.
Hence, when things do go slightly tits up on the field, and everything seems to be going wrong, the causes of profit come to the fore. Hence in the past ‘fanzines’ like A Large Scotch were able to gain popular support for campaigns such as ‘going back to the old logo’. (leading up to bodies like Independent Supporters Groups and onto bodies such as Supporters Trust’s today.)
I do wonder if issues such as logos are what Trust’s should be campaigning for, when in reality a greater say with a responsible voice is what is required. However Trust’s would do well to remember that the details are what fans really care about. And tradition and heritage (whether that be the termed modern heritage) is what it is really all about.
Mistakes were made with the logo choice, and the proof will come in increased/ decreased merchandise sales. We at shrewsTRUST are committed to keep the ‘loggerheads’ included in our logo, and as long as we are allowed to use it (and if STFC cant copyright it then I doubt anyone else will) then there will be a potential market for those (as some have stated on the board) that haven’t spent a £100 this year because it has ‘that clipart lion’ on it. If we can get those people to spend £100 with us, and invest in the future of STFC, then there is a market for all, and we are all winners.
Somehow though, as much as like that big bold ‘Clipart Lion’ it just aint Shrewsbury Town is it.
One person I’m sure someone who must have hated the new logo was Frank Leath OBE, who died last week. Frank was a staunch Town fan, involved with Hospital Broadcasting, and later the Executive Club. I crossed swords with him once when as organiser of SUFAN I asked for him to attend a meeting to support the clubs move to the New Stadium. As passionate as I was to move, Frank was against it. We didn’t see eye to eye and that was a shame, as his experience was have really helped us. Because of that he wouldn’t get involved (or let the Executive Club) get involved with the Umbrella Group, and again, it was such a shame because as such a respected figure he would have been such a help.
Frank was involved with previous plans for redeveloping Gay Meadow and I’m sure believed that these plans would give Salop the facilities it needed. Time of course will tell if New Stadium was the right move, (which of course I believe it was).
A couple of years ago Frank had a photo of the Gay Meadow as it was in the mid 1930’s. It was an amazing angle of how the ground looked, and you could understand Frank’s passion for a club he had seen rise from playing Ransome and Marles to beating Everton.
R.I.P Frank.
Ade Plimmer
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