In the mid 80s, then chairman Vic Jobson sacked the shrimp. The mascot and the silhouette on the club badge were replaced by his own choice of a lion and an anchor. There's a happy ending though: the fans campaigned for the return of the shrimp, and finally – in 2001 – got their way. Yay! Fan power! Supporters also steadfastly stick to being nicknamed the Shrimpers, despite the attempts of some empty-headed suits to have this replaced by 'the Blues'. Yeah, cos that would have been original, and steeped in local history, wouldn't it. Suits, eh.2) The famous fans Shrimpers can boast about are rotund chanteuse Alison Moyet, Tory Teddy Taylor, and actor/comedian Terry Alderton who, one source reckons, used to play in goal for Southend. Who Douglas Adams supported I do not know; what I do know, however, is that in the second episode of The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect are rescued from asphyxiation in deep space by a craft with an infinite improbability drive, and find themselves sitting on a replica of the pier at Southend.
3) Penalty-related trivia #1: on 28 September 1991, Southend missed their seventh penalty in succession, thereby setting a new record. Though not one to brag about. Penalty-related trivia #2: left-back Jimmy Evans was top scorer in the 1921-22 season with 10 goals; they were all penalties.
4) Southend played at Wembley in 1930 - but this is not a finest hour, more something for the Trivia section below: the match was actually a league game against Clapton Orient, who were using Wembley for home matches while they had the builders in. The Shrimpers have, however, been to the Millenium Stadium – in fact, where Blackpool beat them 2-0 in the LDV Trophy final.
5) Southend's first ever season was played at Roots Hall in 1906; back then, though, the pitch was 50 feet higher than it is today. That must have made spectating a little difficult, eh. The Shrimpers moved to the Kursaal Ground in 1919, and in 1934 took residence at the Southend Greyhound Stadium. Along come the 1950s, and Southend want a ground of their own; where better, then, than their spiritual home, Roots Hall? By now, the site had been quarried and then used as a rubbish tip. The supporters' club raised £10,000 to purchase the site, and in 1953 work began – not, mind, by McAlpine or Wimpey but by just a few dedicated local folk, including several players and even the club manager, all mucking in with cement mixers, shovels, and wheelbarrows.
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