Red Issue
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Red Issue is a Manchester United fanzine. A source of Manchester United news and gossip, it has been in production for well over 15 years and has become the best selling fanzine related to the club.[citation needed] Published monthly during the domestic football season, the magazine also lends its name to cult internet forum popular amongst supporters of Manchester United and FC United of Manchester, as well as several other teams. Other popular Manchester United fanzines are United We Stand and Red News.
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[edit] Content
The fanzine is a mostly satirical affair, often making jokes at the expense of one of Manchester United's own players - possibly even more than rival teams' players. Subtitled "The United Fanzine", its views are often highly critical of United's performances, though that is not to say it is against the club - it lines up with the viewpoint that the hardest people to please are the most loyal fans.
There are a number of regular pieces in the fanzine that appear almost every month:
- Editorial: views by the editor on recent United performances and United news.
- The Word on the Street (known as Backbeat from 1995-2005): Snippets of gossip regarding United, the club's players, transfer rumours and the like. Collected by 'Woodward and Bernstein' via e-mails from private sources amongst both mag readers and football insiders, and also from the Red Issue forum's Sanctuary section, it's not unusual for a story to appear here before any tabloid newspapers pick up on it.
- Life of Smiley: A play on the Lightning Seeds' track "The Life of Riley", a columnist's views on United, accompanied by happy or sad smiley faces depending on the subjects in question.
- Mr. Spleen: Another regular column, usually far more critical of Manchester United and the teams' players than the editorial or Smiley.
- Comics: Comic strips are a regular, often taking the rip out of Man Utd's main rivals Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea. "Bertie Magoo (The Bitter Blue)" and "Sticky Fingers (The Thieving Scouse Bastard!)" are two favourites.
Red Issue is closely associated with the Manchester United Supporters' Trust (MUST), and regularly carries featured articles about the trust, encouraging fans to sign up with them. The fanzine was heavily against the proposed takeover of Manchester United by Rupert Murdoch, and then against the takeover of the club by American businessman Malcolm Glazer.
[edit] Nicknames
Red Issue has a tendency to give nicknames to football players and managers, even at the first mention of them. A few select ones are:
- David "Capable Hands" Gill: sarcastic view of Chief Executive David Gill's control of the club.
- The Gimps: nickname for Malcolm Glazer's three sons, all of whom participate in the running of Man Utd after their opposed takeover.
- Lord Snooty, or That Cunt Richardson: title of Kieran Richardson, a player whom many United fans dislike both on and off the field.
- 20Legend: Ole Gunnar Solskjær, cult hero among the fans.
- The Djemba Twins: nickname for Eric Djemba-Djemba, a player viewed by many as not being good enough for the club.
- Liar23: David Beckham's departure from the club left a split view among fans, though not all took to this name.
- Dippers: One of many nicknames given to scousers.
- Bitters: Nickname given to the blue half of Manchester.
- Balsawood Man: nickname for the frequently injured United striker Louis Saha.
- PIG: Pole In Goal - Tomas Kuszack
- 2 Weeks: Gary Neville - after stating in September 2007 he would return from injury in a fortnight. His return to first team action came in the Champions League Quarter Final against A.S. Roma on April 9 2008. However he has yet to take any further part, in the first team as of May 2008
- The Scottish Player: For Darren Fletcher, who for the majority of his United career hasn't been deemed good enough for the first team
- Wobbley Gobbed Twat: Assigned to Rio Ferdinand, whose decision to stall on a new contract despite being paid full wages for 8 months after his failure to attend a drugs test led to some United fans booing him
[edit] Availability
The magazine can be purchased from sellers at both Manchester United home and away matches, and from branches of Aleefs Newsagents in Manchester City Centre, from sellers at breakaway club F.C. United of Manchester's home games at Gigg Lane, Bury. In addition, it is available on subscription the fanzine's website.
[edit] Website
The Red Issue website runs in conjunction with the fanzine, and contains links to the online forum. It contains Manchester United related news, is updated throughout the week, and carries match previews and results from the club's games. News posted online is usually very brief or taken from major newspapers such as The Times and The Guardian - every Monday a news item entitled "Views from the Broadsheets" is posted, with various articles about the weekends United game displayed.
The website carries the same satirical tone to the fanzine itself, and advertises it on many pages. Rather than acting as a replacement for it, it acts as a more regular port of call for minor Manchester United related stories, usually with a short comment by the editor preceding them. Furthermore, it carries similar viewpoints to the magazine (such as a sarcastic love for the clichéd word 'massive' when used in aftermatch interviews.
The online news bulletins from the Red Issue management stopped on December 1, 2007.
