Merry Christmas everyone.
Here at Talking Bull we are delighted to bring you the BIGGEST ever edition of the Independent Hereford Football Club Supporters’ magazine with the release of Issue 128 – our Festive 2020 production.
Amazingly, this is the 11th issue we have produced during the pandemic and is crammed full of content within an astonishing 72 pages, all thanks to a plethora of articles from contributors old and new.
We bring you the legendary Rob Purdie who reveals his personal experiences of life after football following the end of his playing career at Edgar Street.
Simon Wright asks the question; Just how big a club are Hereford, and sets out to prove that the Bulls have always been Black & White, whilst in the Bulls Back in Time feature we look back at the outstanding John Charles, as Pete Davies recalls his personal memories of arguably the greatest player to have pulled on a Hereford shirt.
Nigel Preece heads off to Roots Hall, the home of Southend and reveals the events surrounding a match that got him hooked on following Hereford, whilst Chris Jones sets off on an epic journey of his own as he endeavours to become a member of the 92 club. Sam Roberts is also desperate for the return of Hereford Away-Days and looks back at his most memorable matches on-the-road, with Leroy May, Stuart Fleetwood, Tamika Mkandawire all centre-stage.
You may recall the ‘Hand of God’ courtesy of Diego Maradona in the 1986 World Cup, but what about Mike McGrath for Hereford at Mangotsfield? In an interview with Gary Lineker some years later, Diego described his effort as a ‘crafty goal’, but have the Bulls gone one better?
We bring you an insight into midfielder Richard Whittingham you certainly won’t find anywhere else, whilst Ronan Beard and Steve Hughes have both been missing the Meadow End during the coronavirus crisis.
From the commentary box Matt Ponter provides us with his thoughts after entering a silent Edgar Street ahead of matches in the Vanarama National League North, whilst it’s a case of the Midland League and Southern League re-visited for Jim Clewer.
Karan Rai explains what’s happening in the Punjab, linking together Sporting Khalsa, Hereford and the farming community. Whilst in another poignant protest Hereford fans took to the Aggborough terraces to get a point over at Kidderminster, with Agombar, Lonsdale and the invisible Football Association in the firing line.
Both Stephen Thompson and Russell Cheasley consider how the virus has impacted on our lives, how many of us foresaw how long this pandemic would last, and how it would affect our wellbeing.
The Steve Niblett camera zooms in on Sam Clucas and the ghosts of Christmas past at Edgar Street. We’ve the latest Nick Brade Quiz, a new wordsearch puzzle, and Camel’s Corner brings you a classic Talking Bull sketch featuring the Dead Hereford Bulls. The Snowy Bulls also bring you plenty of christmas cracker jokes you just might not be able to forget!
All this…and much, much more in the latest FREE edition of Talking Bull.
Talking Bull is the UK’s fastest fanzine with 11 issued produced during the pandemic. We haven’t charged for our online productions but surely they’re worth a donation thereby recognising the time and resources involved. These are welcome via this link:
https://www.talkingbull.org/store/#!/DONATE-Talking-Bull-Digital/p/84511347/category=0
Around £450 has already been raised. All donations will directly help our club. Articles and letters from old and new contributors are always welcome. All you need to do is email the content to us and we’ll do the rest.
If you’ve missed any of our previous COVID-19 lockdown issues and would like a copy – they too remain available FREE. Just drop us an email: editor@talkingbull.org
UPDATE: This edition of Talking Bull has been superseded by the latest issue so is no longer available online. However, should you like a copy please contact editor@talkingbull.org and we will be pleased to email a FREE pdf copy to you.