The best, worst and weirdest FA Cup fan fashion
- Published
The FA Cup always seems to inspire interesting fashion choices among fans...
The FA Cup reaches the fourth round this weekend, and we're excited.
And regardless of the team you'll be rooting for, we can all be united in the hope we'll get to see some cracking fashion on display.
Because the FA Cup always seems to bring out some quality outfits. Perhaps the most striking of them all was that of the ill-fated ‘Liverpool Spice Boys’ back in 1996. They showed off their matching suits prior to the final as they took a walk around the pitch. We can probably all agree that their clothing choice back then hasn't stood the fashion test of time.
Yet it's not just the players who dress up for the occassion. Over the years, fans have turned out with some absolutely stellar looks. Here are just a few…
Everton v Carlisle - fourth round, 2016. Budgie smugglers…
To be fair, it's not just FA Cup fixtures that sees Michael 'Speedo Mick' Cullen reach for his swimmers. He travels to Everton games whether home or away, rain or shine, in nothing but his budgie smugglers and swimming cap, all with the hope of raising money for charity.
In this instance, Mick oversaw a comfortable 3-0 win for Everton. Yet it might not have been the most comfortable watch for Mick - what with it being in Cumbria at the end of January. Shiver.
He kept faith with that look when he turned up at Sports Personality of The Year 2017, where he was nominated for the Unsung Hero Prize.
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Crystal Palace v Watford – semi-final, 2016. A look that could really take off…
Here’s a Palace fan dressed up as an Eagle, together with Crystal Palace mascot Pete The Eagle. How meta.
Palace also use a real eagle as a mascot – Kayla. Amazing piece of trivia: Kayla is the same eagle who appears on the cover of Kings of Leon album, Only by The Night.
Crystal Palace beat Watford 2-1 and progressed to the final, where they were beaten by Manchester United. Palace fans did, however, get a chance to see Alan Pardew pull of some incredible moves on the touchline.
Bolton Wanderers v Eastleigh – third-round replay 2016. Mex-I-Can…
Plenty of people have a second team - or perhaps a player who they admire despite the fact they've never played for their 'first' team. Ronaldo? Messi? A Mexican wrestler? Yes, one supporter of non-league side Eastleigh doesn't seem to have opted for one of the Premier League big boys. No, he's super keen on Mexico's wrestling scene. We're not sure who the Eastleigh F.C Luchador is, but there's footage of him tending to the pitch before the game, external. Who is this mysterious, masked hero?
Eastleigh went ahead first with a super-goal from Joe Partington but couldn’t avoid an eventual 3-2 defeat.
Arsenal v Aston Villa – final, 2015. Original Pirate Material…
You really have to admire the forethought and planning that’s gone into this creation – with full-torso body painting of the FA Cup and nipple tassels to boot.
Captain Bully is one of Arsenal's most famous fans, external who gets picked out regularly by the cameras at televised games.
Anyway, Arsenal won that final 4-0, claiming their 12th FA Cup, to become the most successful club in the competition's history. Wonder where he’s going to put the other 11 of those tattoos?
Aston Villa v Liverpool – semi-final, 2015. Hirsutes you sir…
A young Villan looks pensive (“mullet over?”), during Aston Villa’s 2-1 win over Liverpool, sporting the strongest haircut and facial hair creation since Billy Ray Cyrus, external (it’s Miley Cyrus’s dad, kids).
Blyth Spartans v Birmingham City – third round, 2015. A strong look…
It was a heroic display from the non-league side, but, in the end, their defence wasn’t quite Spartan enough to withstand a 3-2 defeat.
Also, in case you're wondering - that's not someone in an incredibly lifelike costume of former England spin bowler, Graeme Swann it's Swanny himself, whose Dad and Gran grew up close to Blyth Spartan's Croft Park home.
Wigan Athletic v Manchester City – final, 2013. Earning your stripes…
Fair play to this Wigan Athletic fan who turned up to Wembley dressed head to toe as one of those little, striped plastic bags you get from cornershops up and down the country.
Roberto Martinez’s Wigan side gave us a proper cupset that day, winning 1-0 with a last-minute goal and taking home their first major trophy.
Wigan Athletic v Millwall – semi-final 2013. Derelicte…
This fan has taken it a step further than that even, by dressing himself up completely in plastic bags – the kind you might have donned as a half-hearted, last-minute Halloween costume when you were a kid. Either way, it looks practical in those conditions.
Well, some outstanding looks there and plenty of inspiration for your spring/summer '18 wardrobe. More like this over the weekend please…
This article was originally published on 5 January 2018
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