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Old 05-07-2017, 06:03 AM   #64
Andi Istiabudi
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Default Re: Manchester United Mascots



SUMMER STORIES: UNITED'S CLUB MASCOTS

We guide you through Manchester United's colourful heritage of club mascots, which stretches back for more than a century...

1890s: THE BANK STREET CANARY

Michael wasn't a canary – he couldn't sing either – so when an advertisement in the Newton Heath match programme declared that, for a nominal fee, you could hear 'Michael the Bank Street Canary sing', fans might have smelt a rat... well, a goose, at least. Michael lived at the Bank Street stadium and found himself caught up in an early money-making racket. Punters were unimpressed at Michael's tuneless honk and the non-canary's days as club mascot were numbered. He disappeared suddenly one Christmas, no doubt wishing the guilty players would get a good stuffing!

1902 to 1905/06: MAJOR THE SAINT BERNARD DOG

Strange to say, but a Saint Bernard dog was instrumental in the change of our club's name, colours and stadium! Major belonged to full-back Harry Stafford. As the official club mascot, he would wear a box on his back hoping to pick up cash donations on his travels. Facing bankruptcy in 1901, the club held a fund-raising bazaar. The chronicles of the 'Topical Times' described the bazaar as a "rank failure" and, to add insult to injury, Major went missing. Stafford's search for his dog took him to the family home of one John Henry Davies, a wealthy brewery owner. Davies thought the dog would make a delightful pet for his daughter. Stafford put a high price on the dog's head – an investment of £500 in Newton Heath FC to secure the club's immediate future. Davies agreed and so began a chain of events that would eventually lead to the Heathens' financial saviour becoming club chairman. After toying with the names 'Manchester Celtic' and 'Manchester Central', Davies then authorised the club's new name, 'Manchester United', a change of colours to red and white and, in 1910, he bought the club a new football stadium called Old Trafford. Major the Saint Bernard is, without doubt, the cleverest mascot in the club's history. I mean, why carry a box on your back when you can sniff out John Henry Davies instead?

1905/06 to 1909: BILLY THE GOAT

Given to club captain Charlie Roberts by a theatre company called the Bensons, Billy became the third Manchester United mascot. Sadly, Billy died as a result of 'one too many' during the 1909 FA Cup final celebrations. Billy drank either too much champagne, or too much beer, and expired! Records show that Billy had travelled to ale houses with players on previous occasions without such tragic consequences. As club mascots, both Billy the Goat and his predecessor Major the Saint Bernard were paraded around the ground and made public appearances. They didn't lead the team out, though. Just as well really, considering Major's sense of direction and Billy's drink problem!

Late 1930s to late 1940s: 'HOPPY' THORNE, THE ONE-LEGGED WONDER


Too young to fight during the First World War, William Thorne enlisted under a false name and lost a leg in combat. When 'Hoppy' returned to Britain, he was labelled an invalid and found employment scarce, but that didn't discourage this remarkable man. He would find odd jobs to do at Old Trafford, sweeping up after matches and operating the scoreboard at Reserves games and, as a result, Hoppy became well-known among the players. But it was Hoppy's pre-match antics that made him famous. Ten minutes before kick-off, he would strip down to his running outfit, vault the perimeter fence and hop (or run if he was wearing his false leg) around the pitch. Hoppy's reign ended abruptly due to a rift with the club, when he didn't receive tickets for the 1948 FA Cup final in the members' ballot.

Late 1940s to 1963: JACK IRONS

Dressed in a red-and-white suit, holding aloft a red-and-white umbrella, John Thomas Irons paraded around the pitch, greeting fans and signing autographs. He even tossed the coin for the players before kick-off. Jack's devotion to the club knew no bounds and, when the council painted every door on his north Manchester estate regulation light blue, our mascot, unable to live with Man City colours, promptly painted his door red! Jack Irons' long service to the club was even recognised by Matt Busby. An entry in the Club Minutes Book for 9 May 1963 states: 'Mr Busby reported that Mr Irons, the honorary mascot of the Club, had decided to retire at the end of the present season. It was decided to make a presentation to him up to the value of £25-0-0d.' [NB: Jack did make a one-match comeback in 1968, willing United on to victory in the European Cup final]. After Jack's official retirement, Frank Hilton and Ronnie McWilliams both had spells 'under the umbrella' before the rise of hooliganism caused the disappearance of the friendly mascot for a while.

1994 to present: FRED THE RED


When the club decided to resurrect the humble mascot in the 1990s, it had to be a devil. United inherited the Red Devils nickname from Salford Rugby Club in the 1950s. Two decades before, Salford's successful tour of France earned them the moniker ‘Diables Rouges’. The 'Red Devils' tag transferred to Salford's football neighbours as the Busby Babes' fame grew and, by 1971, the devil appeared on the club crest. Fred the Red's debut on the final day of the 1994 season was something of a head-rolling experience – Lee Sharpe, Paul Ince and co. couldn't contain their excitement and promptly jumped poor Fred! Since then, Fred has become a well-established character on home matchdays and can also be seen on MUTV, in books and comics and around the world making public appearances. This way, children who can't get to a game can still feel part of the club by meeting him. Fred's fame has not come without a few sacrifices. Once a cuddly, almost roly-poly devil, he has had to streamline his physique in order to appear more sporty. Still that's nothing compared to the sacrifice his ancestor 'Michael the Back Street Canary' (see above) made back in the 1890s, is it?

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