Last updated 11:24, Monday, 27 October 2008

THERE’S not much to shout about at the moment for fans of Cumbrian football clubs.

I bet that you look good on the dancefloor: Kevin Gall takes posession during Carlisle’s home match against Swansea

However, those exciting times when supporters open their hearts and lungs to serenade their teams have just been captured in a new book.

One Ginger Pele!, published by New Holland, includes hundreds of football chants from fans all over the country.

In case you were wondering, the title does not refer to Carlisle United midfielder Chris Lumsdon, but Tottenham defender Gary Doherty.

Even so, United do figure in the book. The home match against Swansea in April 2007 which ended Carlisle’s hopes of reaching the League One play-offs gets a mention. When United took the lead some fans sang: “Let’s all have a disco, let’s all have a disco!”

But two late goals gave Swansea victory and prompted this gate-crashing riposte:

“Let’s go to their disco, let’s go to their disco!”

Not quite Lennon and McCartney but you get the picture.

Another Carlisle song is also mentioned.

It was heard at a match when “Carlisle United face the unenviable position of only seeing their team score once in five consecutive games.”

No date is given but it could be most times in the past 20 years. The song, to the tune of We’ll Meet Again, is:

“We’ll score again, don’t know where, don’t know when, but I know we’ll score again some sunny day!”

Vera Lynn must have been so proud. Reiver’s favourite chant from the book happened just over the border at Dumfries.

This was sung to Queen of the South supporters by fans of Hibernian who were under the impression, rightly or wrongly, that Dumfries could not receive Channel 4. Hence this, to the tune of Bread of Heaven: “Have you ever, have you ever, have you ever seen ER?”