Football


 * "I always say, rather flippantly, but it’s not a million miles from the truth, that football supplies many of the requirements that other people seek and find in religion, with the difference that you can actually see the truth of it being demonstrated on the pitch every Saturday afternoon, and that’s enormously satisfying." - John Peel


 * "I find that football provides any number of useful analogies for life." - John Peel

Listeners to John Peel’s radio shows were unlikely to miss his fanatical devotion to Liverpool football team, which went as far as wearing a red suit at his wedding and giving his four children names that included references to the Anfield club. Favourite players, such as Kenny Dalglish, also inspired something close to worship. As a fan, Peel attended many Liverpool matches – including three European Cup finals – and was deeply affected by the disasters of Heysel and Hillsborough. In later years he went to fewer games, mostly those involving Ipswich Town, his local side, but his on-air comments left little doubt that his heart remained firmly with the Merseyside club.

From a wider perspective, the DJ seemed heartened by the emergence of the new fan culture that grew up around the game from the late 1980s, epitomised by the emergence of football fanzines. Nevertheless, he remained distrustful of the increasing commercialism of the modern game, along the motives of those who ran it, drawing a parallel with music:


 * Although both are run by vulgarians with nothing but contempt for the paying customers, the product itself in both cases retains the capacity to play upon the emotions in a matter entirely beyond the understanding of said vulgarians.

In both football and music, Peel appeared reluctant to dwell too much on the past:


 * I’m more concerned about what Liverpool do next Saturday than what they’ve done in the past. Their past history, although matchless, isn’t of particular interest to me … It’s the same with the music, when I say I’m more concerned about those records that I have in the back of the car that I’ll listen to this weekend than I am really even in the ones I’ve played in this week’s programmes.

Peel also played football from an early age and frequently commented that the only unfulfilled ambition in his life was that he had not played for Liverpool. When asked to name a luxury as part of his contribution to Desert Island Discs, he chose a football and a wall to kick it against.

Liverpool FC
Main article: Liverpool

Peel began supporting Liverpool in 1950 at the age of ten, when the team met Arsenal in the FA Cup Final and lost 2-0. Among other consequences, this caused him to place a ban on that team's supporters coming to Peel Acres (with the exception of Robert Wyatt and Alfie), which was "lifted" only in the mid 1990s.

Manchester United were another club that quickly earned the emnity of the youthful Peel:


 * At the first boarding school I went to, there were about 80 boys. Seventy-eight of them supported (Manchester) United, I supported Liverpool and there was one boy who wasn't interested in football. So my prejudice against United has been lifelong.

Everton, Liverpool's local rivals, were also on the blacklist, with Peel apparently deciding at an early age he would never go to their Goodison Park ground, even if Liverpool were playing there.

Meadowbank Thistle
In Scotland, Peel's preferred team were lowly Meadowbank Thistle (relocated and renamed Livingston FC in 1995), whose matches he would try and catch if he could. Why?


 * Entirely because a group of extremely droll supporters invited me to join them for a match and subsequently took me to Hampden Park where 300 benighted souls - and that 300 includes the Queens Park enthusiasts - huddled together on the open terraces across which snow stormed and the wind shrieked in a manner that would have had Amundsen sucking his teeth apprehensively. "Give us an F," they roared. "Give us an I, give us an S, give us a U, give us an L," they continued. "What does that spell?" they wanted to know. "Fisul!" they concluded. How could I have doubted, even for a moment, but I stood and suffered with the very cream of mankind?

Ipswich Town
Peel also followed the fortunes of the nearest club to his home in Suffolk from the 1970s, particularly after his wife Sheila became a big fan, and occasionally went to their matches, including a 6-1 win against Barnsley on his 60th birthday.

Player


Peel played football at public school in Shrewsbury, as a right winger. Many years after ending his education, he continued to take part in organised matches; for example, for the Radio 1 team. When interviewing Ian Rush in 1992, Peel was modest about his own abilities as a player:


 * I was great at just kicking the ball against a wall, but not much else. The one thing that I could do was kick a ball fairly hard and accurately, so I used to take all the corners and free kicks and stuff like that, but I was never good at anything else.

The DJ, though, was able to boast to the Liverpool striker that he had himself once scored a winning goal at Wembley.

Despite the thwarting of his youthful ambitions to be a Liverpool player, Peel never seemed to quite gave up his dreams. At a special gig to celebrate his 50th birthday, however, he finally admitted:


 * Think my chances of making the Liverpool side are gone now. Might still be able to get a game at one of those London clubs, though.

You'll Never Walk Alone
Main article: You'll Never Walk Alone

The second act ballad from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Carousel was adopted by the Liverpool FC fans as an unofficial anthem in the early 1960s. It held great significance for John, generating in particular (unrealised) plans for an LP of cover versions by session bands.

FabricLive07
When Peel was asked to compile his first-ever mix album, it wasn't altogether unexpected when he included personal favourite and live set staple You'll Never Walk Alone, sung by the Kop. Perhaps even less welcome for non-Reds supporters, though, was FabricLive07 kicking off with the BBC radio commentary of Alan Kennedy's winner for Liverpool in the 1981 European Cup Final, played over Asa-Chang & Junray, while 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' by Joy Division also featured Kenny Dalgish's strike in the 1978 European Cup final at Wembley - both goals that Peel had witnessed live.

Football Songs

 * "In the past couple of years, football songs have achieved a sort of curious respectability. Apart of course from those featuring Chas & Dave." (John Peel, TV Hell: Rock Bottom, 1992)

While Peel was always more than happy to play football-related records such as 'All I Want For Christmas Is A Sparta Prague Away Kit' by perennial favorites Half Man Half Biscuit, he also enjoyed the cheesier side of football music, with selections from compilations such as Flair 1989 and the Bend It series finding regular plays on his show. In April 1993, he introduced a regular slot for such items when sitting in for a week on Radio One's Jakki Brambles daytime programme. From an earlier era, 'Pass! Shoot!! Goal!!!' by Albert Whelan was picked by Peel for the posthumously released compilation The Pig's Big 78s: A Beginner's Guide.

Footballenium
In parallel with the Peelenium, the years of the 20th century were counted down on shows from 1999 to early 2000 with parallel Footballenium listings provided by listener Mick Ashman.

John Peel World Cup
An annual tribute five-a-side charity tournament has been held since 2008 as part of Liverpool Sound City:
 * 2008 John Peel World Cup
 * 2009 John Peel World Cup
 * 2010 John Peel World Cup

Links

 * FourFourTwo magazine interview, 2003: Peel discusses Liverpool FC
 * Kicker Conspiracy: Peel at Prenton Park