Issue 8 was to be the last in the great FF golden era. Although it appeared sporadically over the next few years, circumstances prevented it being any more frequent. The initial 8 issue run that caught the giddy excitement that surrounded our league and our lives that year stands as living testament to this.

Issue 8, cover dated 17th June 1995 signals it's intentions early. The front cover has an 'amusing' group photo of us all, slightly pissed, pointing at Simon when he wasn't looking. It turned into the post meal, post season roundup, and is easily the best issue of The Echo ever produced.

The meal thing went swimmingly didn't it. We ended up staying at Barratts for the food, and then buggering off, in various stages of inebriation, back to Andy's for further ale. I remember getting a taxi home rather early in the morning, but not much about the bit between leaving Barratts, and getting the taxi. Ho hum.

Anyway, there's an extra long editorial thing, and then a review of the meal on page 3. There was a review of each team's season over the next four pages complete with top photos. Andy remains convinced that I picked the worst photo for him that I could find, whereas I swear blind that it was the ONLY PHOTO.

Simon excels himself once again with a three page poetic endeavour / song type thing, which I may well publish on the website soon. There's a top quiz / game thing like you find in Cosmopolitan, that was really a thinly veiled dig at Simon & a page filling article where I give everybody an award. The back page has a comparison between Anthea Turner and a moose (thanks Janet) and a very poor quality photo of Simon dancing (poor quality as we had to copy it when he wasn't looking)

As well as the round up of the season (as expected Simon won), there's the last questionnaire of the season with some top notch answers from Mr Ramsay.

This issue is pure class, contains next to no padding, and of course has Simon's poem in it. In the same way that the Times thinks it is a journal of record, perhaps one day, historians will look back on The Echo as a similar journal of record, shaking their head wistfully while thinking 'I wish I'd been there'

Critics of Simon mention that his eyes are red in all of his photographs, and nobody has ever seen his reflection in a mirror, and therefore, he is perhaps a vampire.

Not sure what that's got to do with anything really.

Mr Smith has, from time to time, been heard to mutter, "I won the first trophy and none of you can take that away from me." For example, he said this at Barratts the other day.

And he said it on the guestbook this week too !

The FF League needs somebody to act as administrator, and tot up the points. You say 'Yes I'll do it. Ive got a blue folder specially. This will be fun'

Not sure why Simes got upset by that quiz at all.

It's time to write an article for Issue 8 of The Echo. You write 'A detailed breakdown of each team's points averages over the last two months, and what transfer action can be expected over the summer'

Although I'm starting to remember now.

From Jock's questionnaire -

What are your hobbies?

None really except reading, oh, and polishing my collection of rare South American Armadillo genitalia.

What type of music do you like?

I have very catholic tastes and like all kinds of music, and also the Tindersticks.

What would your advice be to a trainee?

Don't be a fool like me, do something else, anything, just get out of here.

How would you describe working for Royal?

Actions speak louder than words, so I'd run a hosepipe from my car exhaust in through my window and switch on the engine.