Accrington Stanley, Who Are They?

Accrington Stanley, Who Are They? is a slogan that was used in an advert for milk, by the Milk Marketing Board in the 1980s, in the United Kingdom.[1][2][3] The advert starred Carl Rice and Kevin Spaine.[4][5]

The advert features two young Liverpool fans. One tells the other that Liverpool's then-star striker Ian Rush had told him that if he didn't drink milk, he would only be good enough to play for Accrington Stanley. The other fan asks, “Accrington Stanley, who are they?”, to which the first replies, “Exactly.”[3] According to Rice, Tottenham Hotspur were originally going to be named. However, Tottenham objected, so Accrington Stanley were chosen instead, [6] as they were a non-League team at the time,[6] and were thought of as a more obscure team.[7] David Lloyd, a non-executive director of Accrington Stanley, said in an interview in 2012 that the advert earned the club £10,000.[8]

Reception

The advert was popular, and was continually shown for up to six years, after it was originally made in 1989.[9] The phrase was seen to make Accrington Stanley the subject of jokes up to the present day.[10] However, residents of Accrington view the reference positively.[11]

In March 2006, Rice was invited as the guest of honour to watch Accrington Stanley's match against Stevenage Borough,[12] and was later invited to Accrington Stanley's last game of the season against Scarborough, as they were promoted to Football League Two.[10] In September 2009, the programme on Sky Sports, Soccer AM promoted Accrington Stanley's “Save Our Stanley” campaign because of the phrase, as they wanted to continue to use it to refer to the club, when reading fixture lists.[13]

A shot-for-shot remake advertising Black Cow Vodka, which is made from milk, began airing in September 2016, with a much older Rice reprising his role.[14] The advert was banned from airing in March 2017, due to concerns that it targeted children, because of the connection to the original advert, and promoted excessive drinking.[15][16]

In February 2023, Spaine was given a life sentence with a minimum term of 18 years for murder, with his role in the advertisement featuring prominently in reporting on his trial and sentencing.[17][18][19]

References
  1. "Who are they?". Sky Sports. 22 September 2010. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
  2. "Milk Delivery". UK TV Adverts. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
  3. Charles, Chris (3 August 2006). "Accrington Stanley, who are they?". BBC Sport. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
  4. Shennan, Paddy (3 September 2013), "Boy from The White Stuff; Paddy Shennan talks to the actor who made his TV debut as a pint-sized Reds' fan", Liverpool Echo
  5. Everett, Adam. "Boy who asked 'Accrington Stanley, who are they?' grew up to be a murderer". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  6. "Accrington thank milk advert star". BBC News. 9 March 2006. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
  7. Bloxham, Andy. "Writer upsets Accrington with description of 'unlovely' town". Telegraph. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
  8. "Throwback Thursday: Remember the milk advert starring a young LFC fan?". Liverpool Echo. 9 June 2016. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  9. Laura Sharpe (9 March 2006). "Milk ad kid backs Reds". Accrington Observer. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
  10. Bunyan, Nigel (17 April 2006). "Accrington Stanley put a smile on the face of football". Telegraph. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
  11. Simpson, Mark (7 April 2006). "The club that wouldn't die". BBC News. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
  12. "Accrington ad man forgiven". Metro. 21 March 2006. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
  13. "Help save Accrington". Sky Sports. 17 September 2009. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
  14. Polden, Jake (20 September 2016). "Watch brilliant remake of famous "Accrington Stanley" milk advert". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
  15. Clarke, Josie (8 March 2017). "Remember the 'Accrington Stanley?' milk ad? This sexy remake has been banned". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
  16. "'Accrington Stanley' vodka parody ad banned". BBC News. 8 March 2017. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
  17. "Man jailed for life for murdering an associate who wouldn't answer the door | The Crown Prosecution Service". www.cps.gov.uk.
  18. Badshah, Nadeem (22 February 2023). "'Accrington Stanley' milk advert actor jailed for Liverpool murder" – via The Guardian.
  19. Everett, Adam; Lynch, Benjamin (22 February 2023). "Boy who said 'Accrington Stanley, who are they?' in TV milk ad jailed for murder". mirror.
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