The Fox: The rise and fall of the football fanzine
This November marks the release of the second annual edition of The Fox, a staple of Leicester City home games for 35 years. Chris Lymn reflects on the legacy of the fanzine.
A Love Supreme. The small publication being held aloft by a shy young man outside the turnstiles at Sunderland’s Roker Park in the early eighties didn’t seem to refer to the John Coltrane album of that name, in which the great improviser avowed his faith in God (which surprised me, as in the sixties I thought Coltrane was God).
But there it was, A Love Supreme, set to become my first purchase of a real grass roots football fanzine. A ‘zine whose cover featured one of their heroes, followed by the line ‘Drunk Driver’ or some such.
Crikey, this was certainly not the match programme or something from the local rag. This was real, irreverent, uncensored and honest writing by ordinary fans. Unvarnished, in the moment, straight to fellow fans and pulling no punches, its primitive, unprofessional look demonstrating its departure from the norm.
It was a product of, and chimed, with the times. Punk was still ringing in our ears and the streets were crowded with protest. Picket lines bristled with slogans. IRA bombs made life nervous and society rang with emotion, much of it anger. Subversion was in the air.
For me, already a member of an activist group, it was music to my senses. It was part of the ‘zine culture, with roots in ‘When Saturday Comes’ and ‘Foul’ magazine, which smashed its way into publishing, much of it to soar and then die out; the very thought of becoming established running counter to its being. The aggressive, anarchistic content which mirrored its time in football, music and clothes seemed, with its spine tingling vibrancy, of its day.
But the legacy lives on; fans matter, we can express opinion and our message boards and blogs of today are living proof. We are of the game even if not in it.
Fanzines on Filbert Way
In these parts fanzines made appearances, often brief, with their initial enthusiasm withering in the face of apathy in an area not noted for militancy. Titles like ‘For Fox Sake’, ‘Filbo Fever’, ‘Foxed Off’ and ‘Where’s the Money Gone?’ survived for varying periods. It’s tough selling on draughty street corners (I know from political experience), every sale a minor triumph of persistence.
In 1985 a young man from Huncote was scanning the list of fanzines in his latest copy of When Saturday Comes. He noted that Leicester City was not represented. This was a situation which needed to change, thought Gary Silke. And so was born ‘The Fox’. In 1987 Leicester’s own fanzine took flight and an initial print run of 50 sold out.
He, along with fellow collaborator Simon Kimber and others, persevered and bucked the trend. No Leicester City match day was complete without its presence. Although written, produced and sold by fans, it sought not to pose as some sort of last embers of a rebellious period of yesteryear. Nor to expose, criticise or embarrass the players or club. It looked under few rugs. The Fox is not about pissing into the tent. If its early predecessors reflected their day, then The Fox reflected its time as well.
Editorially, it eschewed the aggressive and angry approach of early ‘zines and adopted a more measured and supportive approach to reflect and provide a platform for its views. A healthy mailing list began to include a global reach, supplementing street and shop sales. Unlike many of its short-lived early cousins, its rudimentary appearance gradually evolved to a more professional look.
Alongside this, it attracted regular contributors, features and cartoon strips. A popular and staple favourite was the interview slot with former Filbo favourites. Names like Bloomfield, Collymore, Cottee, Dublin, O’Neill and Worthington sat among more than two hundred who gave their unguarded, frank and often warm insights and memories from their years among us. Their stories coloured in a past on which today’s game and our club, is built, a heritage that The Fox clearly recognises and treasures.
If yesterday’s voices of the fans concentrated on the travails they experienced, The Fox proudly took its place for three decades as part of the ongoing story of Leicester’s football narrative.
The Fox lives on
Sadly, all this endeavour and commitment began to bend to the inevitable as the decline of the printed word bowed to the advance of today’s more immediate internet commentary (shuffles awkwardly - Ed.). The readership aged, had kids and got mortgages. The Fox is no longer sold on street corners at home games, the ‘absent’ Covid season proved to be the final straw and it ceased publication in 2022.
However, it remains in an alternative, annual form. Gary has branched off into a new endeavour, Conkers Editions, an independent publisher, which now publishes the new annual version of The Fox. The first edition came out last November, and this year’s edition of The Fox Annual is available for pre-order now.
The Fox’s legacy is one of respect, even affection, for its record of reflecting the views of ordinary fans. Gary’s decades of dedication and reliable analysis will feature in any history of the club. Yes, his style is diffident (a recent editorial describe our relegation as ‘a bit unnecessary’) but his journey from the early days of motoring to Sheffield to deliver montages of pasted bits of copy and photos to a printer is remarkable.
His innate modesty will deny it but he succeeded in the task of providing a platform for Leicester City fans for which some sort of record in itself is overdue. The Fox stands, with others, as a example of how ordinary people can converse free from the constraints of mass media, in itself a legacy to be proud of.
12 Days of Christmas at The Bridge
For the past 10 years, The Bridge Homelessness to Hope has served a 3-course Christmas Dinner with all the trimmings to hundreds of people in Leicester who are experiencing homelessness.
This year, they want to go one better and offer their guests (service users) not just one day of celebrations but 12 days of festive events over the month of December.
If you’re enjoying The Fosse Way, please consider donating to The Bridge’s Christmas appeal:
