The merchandising arms of the Premiership Clubs are large and well organised. Saturation television coverage ensures that it is these clubs which are always in the Public eye.

Yet the subject still comes up and it should come up. I've read plenty of articles bemoaning lack of atmosphere but what of the lack of colour? Wearing your teams colours can be just as important as getting behind the lads vocally. Often one follows the other. Look at the Dutch supporters in Euro '96 or the support for Celtic or Rangers. Huge gatherings of orange, or of blue and, yes, even of green and white.

If we acknowledge that the wearing of colours is important how do we make St James Park a mass of Red and White or at least encourage more shirts to be seen and worn around the City? This is the tricky bit since it is principally the teenage population which need to be won over (and as a thirtysomething I'm sadly out of touch!) A few ideas spring to mind:

1) all prospective members of the Supporters Club and the Red Army aged 16 years or under could be issued with vouchers entitling the to an additional 5% discount reduction when purchasing a Club Shirt (in addition to the 10% they already enjoy) Once presented at the Club Shop, the Supporters Club would pay the sum equivalent to 5% to the Football Club. In addition, and to ensure greater demand for shirts, vouchers could also be handed out on Eammo's training days at local schools and colleges.

2) Supporters could be involved in choosing next season's strip. (anything providing it's in Red and White stripes!) This would at least encourage interest in the Club strip and perhaps assist on the marketing front.

3) To encourage the Club to hold 'Colours Days'. On perhaps four occasions a season younger supporters would be granted cheaper admission to the ground providing they were wearing a Club shirt.

4) The Club shop should stock more smaller sizes and hold more well-timed sales just prior to Christmas and at the end of the season.

5) Could not the Offices of fellow Supporters Club member and Stalwart of the Express and Echo, Simon Carter, be relied upon to encourage us all to wear our colours for the bigger matches? Perhaps just prior to the Torquay game would do the trick.

Where is Roger Kendall's Flag called 'Eric' - or is this now in the City Museum?

Necessarily, all of these ideas rely upon their goodwill of the Supporter's Club or of the Football Club or of the Supporters themselves or, indeed, a combination of all three. A tall order, I know, but if we in the Supporters Club can come up with a feasible scheme it could not only bolster City's finances but make the park a much more colourful place to be. And we might even rid the world of a few Manchester United shirts to boot!