No longer are the terraces a hostile and violent place where women, minorities and the infirm aren’t welcome. For better or worse the game now strives towards a more wholesome image. One that is inclusive, marketable and appeals to a broad and diverse audience.
A bye-product of this is the trend for the rich and famous to occasionally crop up in the stands - and sometimes even on the pitch - in the hope that their newfound affiliation with a football team will endear them to the British public.
More often than not their show of 'support' reeks of the facile.
Michael Jackson – Exeter/Fulham
Clearly not averse to changing his colours, Wacko was first paraded at Craven Cottage at the behest of chairman Mohammad Al Fayed in 1999. In 2001 the King of Pop then turned up at Exeter City’s St James’s Park alongside his spoonbending buddy, Uri Geller, and gave a speech about children with AIDs.
Kevin Costner – Arsenal
‘Build it and they will come’ - so goes the premise the 1989 blockbuster, Field of Dreams. In the film Costner builds a baseball ground for a team of ghosts to placate his dead father. In real life he’s taken in a couple of games at the Emirates.
Morrissey – Millwall
Cynical and maudlin, perhaps the former Smiths frontman and the Lions are a match made in heaven. Although often seen around L.A. wearing a Millwall shirt with “Mobster” on the back, it is doubtful whether the morose lyricist attended any games at the old Den in the 80s.
Rene Zellweger – Chelsea
"It’s got to be the Chelsea Blues,” said Zellweger when asked if she had a favourite team. “Because of the [film-set’s] proximity to the ground.” By hook or crook, Rene. By hook or crook.
Sylvester Stallone – Everton
The star of Rocky and Rambo graced the field at Goodison Park in 2007 and was paraded around in front of 40,000 fans. Although not a life-long Toffee, Sly certainly got into the spirit of things as he “held up a blue-and-white Everton scarf and punched the air on the field,” according to the BBC.
Tony Blair – Newcastle United
Blair proclaimed himself Newcastle fan before everyone learnt that you can’t trust a word he says. In an interview he said his teenage hero was Jackie Milburn, who he watched at St James's from the seats behind the goal. Unfortunately for Blair, Milburn played his last game when the future Prime Minister was only four years old, and at that time there were no seats behind the goal.