Which of Yorkshire’s football clubs has the best chant?

A FEW choice crooners and songstresses have hailed from New York - from Tony Bennett and Luther Vandross to Lady Gaga, Mariah Carey and Alicia Keys.
ll
l

Not to mention, Ol’ Blue Eyes himself - the legendary Frank Sinatra.

A few bands too. Sonic Youth, The Velvet Underground and the Beastie Boys to name but three, along with many more besides. The New York Dolls, the forerunners of punk, for instance.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Another ‘group’ are now making their pitch for musical stardom, namely the fans of MLS newcomers New York City FC.

Club officials have come up with a novel way of stirring up an atmosphere this season - by handing out sheets ahead of each game and providing their own musical medleys.

The Eastern Conference strugglers, in a bid to pump up the volume at the Yankee Stadium, have issued home fans with an instruction sheet which features a variety of different chants.

It remains to be seen if it inspires the likes of Spanish World Cup winner David Villa and former Chelsea legend Frank Lampard to more prolific feats. But god loves a trier.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Chants, including some thoroughly bizarre ones, include ‘You might have some history, but we don’t give a crud,’ while star midfielder Mix Diskerud has his own ditty - ‘I, wanna Diskerud all night, and party every day,’ chant to the tune of ‘Rock N’ Roll All Night’ - by American rock band Kiss.

Fortunately, in Yorkshire, club anthems do not need to be quite so contrived and manufactured, with the inexhaustible repertoire in terms of wit and banter associated with the beautiful game having ensured that fans across the Broad Acres have never been short of an inspirational chant or song or two over the years.

A vast array have drawn musical inspiration from the great and the good. Bob Marley, John Denver and Jeff Beck to name but three. Even the ubiquitous Sex Pistols.

Many others are a bit irrreverent and not really for family viewing. Others are just plain bizarre, although not quite at the genius level of the ultimate splendidly daft “Invisible Man” song chanted by Manchester City’s hardcore during their time in the third division.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Let’s face it, songsheets have never been required at Elland Road, with their Marching Onto Together anthem one of the most famous in the English game, along with plenty of other ‘highly individual’ numbers.

The MOT song first appeared in 1972 as the B-side of the record released by United to coincide with the team reaching the 1972 FA Cup Final.

As for the others on the Leeds medley list, well there’s a fair few others would require you to put a few quid in the swear box on Sunday’s.

Down the M1 at Sheffield United, the Greasy Chip Butty song, to the tune of John Denver’s Annie’s Song, will forever be associated with the Blades, catchy and expletive-free too.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

For anyone not in the know, who has been sheltering away from Yorkshire in the past three decades, the song glorifies the ‘delights’ of Sheffield - from beer and its nightlife to the eponymous chip butty. Lovely..

Across the city at Hillsborough, Owls fans have their Hi Ho Sheffield Wednesday chant and their wacky contender for silliest Yorkshire chant.

What are we talking about? The bounce’ song, so memorably sung by Wednesdayites in their play-off final with Hartlepool in 2005.

Over at Huddersfield, a Those Were The Days ditty, to their tune of Mary Hopkin’s classic, has done the rounds for a fair while along with their I Am a Yorkshireman ditty, also so favoured by Bradfordians. But with a tweak.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Bob Marley’s huge reggae hit Three Little Birds was adopted by Barnsley supporters during their Great Escape season of 2012-13 when they never worried ‘abart a thing.’

The Reds faithful also chanted about it being just like ‘watching Brazil’ during that golden hiatus in the club’s history in the mid-nineties.

Although it was famously adapted on one afternoon when Chelsea put six past the Reds at Oakwell, when it felt more like watching Ryhill, a village to the north of Barnsley.

Here’s a selection of Yorkshire’s best:

Barnsley: “It’s just like watching Brazil, it’s just like watching Brazil, it’s just like watching Brazil.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Bradford City:” Take me home Midland Road, to the place I belong, to the Valley, to see the City, take me home Midland Road.

Doncaster Rovers: “We don’t care about Rotherham, we don’t care about Leeds, all that we care about is DRFC.” “Zigga, zagga, zigga, zagga, Doncaster.”

Huddersfield Town: “Those were the days my friend, we thought they’d never end, we won the league three times in a row. We won the FA Cup and now we’re going up, we are the Town, oh yes we are the Town.”

Leeds United: Dom Matteo, scored a f*****g great goal, in the San Siro, in the San Siro....

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Hull City: “Wise men say only fools rush in, but I can’t help falling in love with you. Take my hand, take my whole life too, for I can’t help falling in love with you. The Tigers!”

Middlesbrough: “Hello, Hello we are the Boro Boys, hello, hello we are the Boro Boys, we are the Ayresome Angels and we never miss a match, we all follow the Boro..”

Rotherham: “He does what he wants, he does what he wants, that man Steve Evans, he does what he wants.”

Sheffield United: “You fill up my senses, like A gallon of Magnet, like A packet of Woodbines, like a good pinch of snuff, like a night out in Sheffield, like a greasy chip butty, like Sheffield United, come fill me again, na na na na na...OOOOHH!”