Know Your Fever

From time to time we get asked, who is Yellow Fever? It's a helluva tricky question to answer. Like any religion or sweeping pandemic it's pretty hard to pin down, and impossible to deliver any definitive list of the afflicted. Is Yellow Fever everybody bantering about football or biffing Aussie commentators on the messageboards? Is Yellow Fever everyone packed into the general region of Aisle 22 at the Ring of Fire? Is Yellow Fever simply everyone who roots for the Phoenix or is a fan of the beautiful game in this country? The answer is probably all three, and many more.

Everyone contributes and is a part of Yellow Fever through their passion and enthusiasm. And there are dozens who have put their own time and energy into getting Yellow Fever off the ground. But, there are a few lads who helped get the ball rolling and do their best to tickle it along.

Blame these guys ...

Mike Greene (aka Feverish)

The visionary. Some higher power decided that Greenie was chosen to carry the monumental vision that would forever change sports and fan culture in this country - a supporters club for the Wellington Phoenix Football Club.

Greenie is the go to guy when it comes to Yellow Fever's operations. Merchandise, banners, away trips - all that is his gig. He also insisted I mention that he designed that cult favourite, the Retro Ricki t-shirt.

Like the rest of the Yellow Fever originals, he is a footballer himself and an institution at Waterside Karori. He is known throughout Wellington for his dummy cross, petulant on-field carry-on and red mist tendencies. We are also still waiting for his first pass.

Steve Jones (aka Frankie Mac)

Jonesy is the comic relief. He is a constant reminder to the rest of us not take anything, particularly him, seriously. After blatantly and openly jumping on the Yellow Fever bandwagon in its early stages, Jonesy has now firmly established himself as a driving force within the Fever.

When he is not drinking alone in a darkened room or being treated for his allergy to children, you will probably find Jonesy leading chants, provoking opposition fans or generally offending people, including you at some point I am sure. You can also catch him on the podcast talking little sense.

His football credentials are considerable. Steven's mother has often described him as a box to box centre midfielder with a left foot that can open a tin of beans. Others have described him as fat. He's had more clubs than a Russian pup seal (bad taste I agree. It was his analogy. And he wonders why he's considered a touch "controversial"), but played more games for Waterside Karori than any other.

Sam Buckle (aka Marius Lacatus)

The mystery. It remains unclear what Buckle does for Yellow Fever. He just seems to pop up in all the photos, somewhat like that prankster/imposter who snuck into the Man Utd team photo and later came out to bat in The Ashes for Nasser Hussain. That was quality. Unfortunately, he has been with Yellow Fever from the beginning, and nobody has worked out how to get rid of him.

You will find Buckle on the podcast, but probably only when the Phoenix win. He is a bit too emotional to deal with the bad days publicly. He is also not one to take responsibility for anything - blaming his one and three year old daughters for placing constraints on Yellow Fever commitments.

Buckle is a specialist on the '82 and '86 World Cups. He sleeps with a poster of Marco Tardelli and a video of Gole. As a player, he is still recovering from the trauma of losing 17 of 18 games last season with BNU. But, it has not always been that bad. In two decades of seasons of football in Wellington and Dunedin, he claims to have finished as high as 6th - and more than once. He even once won the Coastlands cup as a 6 year old, albeit on corners in extra time.

Adam Brown (aka Cnut)

Every sports organisation needs at least one media whore. We have several, but none more outstanding than Adam. He will seriously do any interview, with anyone, about anything, even football. In fairness he knows the game pretty damn well and he will also be particularly dark if I don't mention that he is still New Zealand's only UEFA accredited journalist (largely on the back of some massive beer hall session with somebody from ESPN at the last World Cup).

Adam has made a huge contribution to Yellow Fever, and we have him to thank for the website - which is truly a work of art and head and shoulders above any other fan website in Australasia. For that, we'll give him a wee bit of slack on the shameless media whoring.

Although the halcyon days of his own footballing career are behind him, Adam was a member of the 2007 league winning University Scarfies side. Other footballing highlights include a World Cup, an FA Cup Final and playing on the Hawthorns (WBA home ground) - we think it must have been the drums.

Dave Cross (aka Hard News)

The football tragic. I think all of us fall loosely into this category. But, Hard News defines it. He spent the last two years travelling from Lower Hutt to Albany to watch the Knights home games. He was at the heart of the Kingz/Knights supporters group, Bloc 5. That kind of absurd loyalty and passion for the game made him an absolute Yellow Fever must.

Hard News is also our resident A-League guru. He knows the competition, clubs and players inside out. If somebody is about to fart in Perth, Dave already knows. He does a stack of Fever work behind the scenes - anything and everything

Hard News puts most of his efforts in to supporting the game as his playing career is in-auspicious, with a 24 year gap in the middle where he pretty much just gave up. He describes himself as a rubbish right back who generally makes sure of his continued selection for sides by helping to run them. He can be found (on the rare occasions when not injured) waddling around in Masters 2 for the Naenae Nighthawks. His son, Junior News, can be found in the centre of the Fever Zone on match days, much to his mother's despair.

Jon Norman (aka James Dean)

Slick. Undeniably, too trendy to be a real football fan, Norman has had to work extra hard to demonstrate his belonging. Although initially very uncomfortable with the particularly horrid shade of yellow selected for the Retro Rickis, Norman has warmed to the t-shirts and the Fever Zone as some kind of social/fashion experiment. You will find his alter ego right at the midst of noise and chanting in the Fever Zone at any home game. He is the unmistakable chap with the square frame glasses meant for accompanying coffee and reading Hemmingway on the Left Bank.

In a gallant effort to prove himself worthy, Norman has done a huge amount of work for Yellow Fever. All those cracking Central League match reports Yellow Fever provides during the Winter - that's his handiwork. He is also our commercial negotiator and inhouse counsel. He spends a large part of his life fretting about who will sue Yellow Fever for defamation and scouring the messageboards for anything remotely offensive. He can usually be found moderating Frankie Mac.

Norman has a true passion for the game. He currently plies his trade as a player/coach at Waterside Karori.

Regan Young (aka Reg22, formerly Da Selekta)

The football nerd. Reggie spends the best part of every morning scouring every sports and football website in the known universe for anything remotely newsworthy. He does a huge job keeping the Yellow Fever website up to date with the latest footballing news out of Australasia. Only he can rival Hard News for a truly unhealthy knowledge of all things football. It is definitely an illness.

As soon as Reggie actually gets to a game at the Ring of Fire, we might even be able to classify him a fan. While he waxes lyrical about the ability to truly analyse the game on TV, this remains a fundamental chink in his credibility and a source of fermenting Yellow Fever discontent.

Reggie has played and coached senior football all over Wellington, and pretty much everybody knows and loves him - but a young family has led a major scaling back, to the extent that now, he doesn't.