Scapegoat Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 Anyone know anything about the origin of this chant? Someone told me once that it came from Entracht Frankfurt and that the origin of the zigga zagga was German. I can see that the Zigga sounds a bit Germanic so it could be true, but it could also be a rubbish (Google translate doesn't seem to through up anything obvious). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
help_shiny Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 (edited) there was a stage play about football hooligans called Zigger Zagger. From some point in the 60's. I think the team was called Athletic although I may be wrong. Also it was being sung throughout the 70's by Latics well before any link up with the Frankfurt lot edit - Chelsea used to sing it as well. Back when they used to sing Edited December 1, 2014 by help_shiny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longtimeblue Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 (edited) . Edited December 1, 2014 by longtimeblue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longtimeblue Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 I was told it was foreign exchange students. It's used by Chelsea too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
help_shiny Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 can't see how it came from foreigners when it's a British play. Sounds unlikely Anyway, any budding hooligan thespians out there.... http://www.amazon.co.uk/Zigger-Zagger-Mooney-Caravans-Penguin/dp/0140481222 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
help_shiny Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 had a root about on tinternet and it would seem that the play was named after a hooligan chant already in existence. With oi, oi, oi rather than our more pleasing Athletic. So that would date it before 1967 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghostofcecere Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 My old man reckons there was a "gang" on the Chaddy End in the late 50's called the Zigga Zagga boys. This was a thing they used to chant, but as had been said, with oi oi oi at the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diego_Sideburns Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 In the Chaddy End back in the late 50s/early 60s, it used to go like this:Leader: ZIGGA ZAGGA, ZIGGA ZAGGACrowd: Oi! Oi! Oi!Leader: ZIGGA ZAGGA, ZIGGA ZAGGACrowd: Oi! Oi! Oi!Leader: ZIGGA ZAGGACrowd: ZIGGA ZAGGALeader: ZIGGA ZAGGACrowd: ZIGGA ZAGGALeader: ZIGGA ZAGGA, ZIGGA ZAGGACrowd: Oi! Oi! Oi! I believe the leader was called Barry Whitaker who worked in the Council's Public Health Department. Someone posted on here that it originated when a few schoolboys went to the Olympics. They came back and started singing Zigga Zagga, Zigga Zagga as they had adapted it from some German chant. I have no knowledge of this, but apparently it was discussed along these lines with Mr Mike Parry on TalkSport in 2008. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawcannon Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 (edited) Official website posted this about the death of Eric Bottomley, one of the originators, in June 2014 ... http://www.oldhamathletic.co.uk/news/article/20140613-rip-eric-bottomley-1642422.aspx Edited December 1, 2014 by Shawcannon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaticsPete Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 My old man reckons there was a "gang" on the Chaddy End in the late 50's called the Zigga Zagga boys. This was a thing they used to chant, but as had been said, with oi oi oi at the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaticsPete Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 This and what Diego said Can remember the PA announcer at Latics in the very early 60s asking the "zigga ziggga boys" to give us a chant The play was based on the Boothen End of Stoke City Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewrat Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 Being really ancient I can confirm that this chant was used by supporters of the West German national team in the World Cup and appropriated by our supporters from there. We originally chanted OI, Oi, Oi, as did the German supporters but it was quite a lot of years later changed to Athletic. I was still at school at the time so I am thinking it must have been the 1958 or 62 world cup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scapegoat Posted December 1, 2014 Author Share Posted December 1, 2014 Good discussion. So if indeed it is based on German (though the origins are older than I was led to believe) does anyone know what the original German words were before that were translated into "Oldham" and what the translation is? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disjointed Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 Good discussion. So if indeed it is based on German (though the origins are older than I was led to believe) does anyone know what the original German words were before that were translated into "Oldham" and what the translation is? "Sieg Heil" circa 1939 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scapegoat Posted December 1, 2014 Author Share Posted December 1, 2014 "Sieg Heil" circa 1939 Funny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevesidg Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 Here's a linky from 2010 on Owtb about this too http://www.owtb.co.uk/index.php/topic/28755-zigga-zagga/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diego_Sideburns Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 "Sieg Heil" circa 1939 Seem to remember this is the answer last time we had this thread.... its definitely has some associations with Chelsea and ze germans.... ... especially true when MarkOasis almost got kicked out of Elland Rd when the stewards/police thought he was singing "Zieg Heil, Zieg heil" - still one of my favourite memories... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
help_shiny Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 (edited) I see the play was put on in Germany as "Zicker Zacker". Now...Zacker means Crampon. And I reckon Zicker could be a corruption or dialect for Sicher which would mean "Secure Crampon". Errr, maybe not but maybe yes. But then if you look into "Zicker Zacker" using a certain famous search engine you find an Oktoberfest song - Zicker Zacker Zicker Zacker Hoi! Hoi! Hoi! So maybe it was a Bavarian Mountain Climbers drinking song?! Or maybe their song comes from the play which comes from England. The answers out there...... edit - apparently Zacker is used in some dialects as a prefix to a swear word. So fugg knows. I shall enquire with some Bosch acquaintances of mine Edited December 1, 2014 by help_shiny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
help_shiny Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 right, my last on this before I have to do some work - it's Zicke Zacke not Zicker Zacker. No idea what it means but it's an old carnival shout - the head pish heed would shot Zicke Zacke and the mob would shot the Hoi Hoi Hoi bit which might have been Heu (Hay) and the Zicke might have something to do with a cow. I'm seriously struggling though! Then I think there's a Third Reich military connection, there seems to be a Wehrmacht marching song called Zicke Zacke but as far as I can tell there's no "Zigger Zagger" style shouting in it Right, I best go and do some work before I get sacked for playing Nazi marching songs. Tough one to talk your way out of Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
help_shiny Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 right, got there in the end. Krefeld's number one grass seed salesman (available for all your grass seed needs) tells me that it's just a drinking song - Zicke Zacke Zicke Zacke Hoi! Hoi! Hoi! The Zicke and Zacke might have meant something once but they don't anymore. So taking that and everything above...some bevvied Germans in 1958 or 1962 passed it onto England's proto hooligans and after a few twists and turns it eventually became associated with the greatest football club on earth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peanuts Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 there was a stage play about football hooligans called Zigger Zagger. From some point in the 60's. I think the team was called Athletic although I may be wrong. Also it was being sung throughout the 70's by Latics well before any link up with the Frankfurt lot edit - Chelsea used to sing it as well. Back when they used to sing can remember my elder sister borrowing my bobblehat and scarf in the mid 70s as she was part of the crowd when her high school did the stage play can also remember seeing a tv version (play for today ) ? of the play not long after but already knew the zigga zagga chant from hearing it in the chaddy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scapegoat Posted December 2, 2014 Author Share Posted December 2, 2014 Here's a linky from 2010 on Owtb about this too http://www.owtb.co.uk/index.php/topic/28755-zigga-zagga/ Apparently according to this thread the original German words are "Zicken Zacken" which Google Translate tells me is "Pink Bitches" :-o Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brierleys555 Posted December 2, 2014 Share Posted December 2, 2014 so are certain people on this forum gonna try and ban this song now as its a german rip off. seriously though.enjoyed reading about it's origin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diego_Sideburns Posted December 2, 2014 Share Posted December 2, 2014 so are certain people on this forum gonna try and ban this song now as its a german rip off. seriously though.enjoyed reading about it's origin. Danke schön. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L1onheartNew Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 (edited) so are certain people on this forum gonna try and ban this song now as its a german rip off. seriously though.enjoyed reading about it's origin. We nicked it from the Germans and the Spice Girls nicked it from us. Since those halcyon days of Baroq when Vivaldi was de rigueur, originality has all but gone from popular music. Did I mention that creativity was also :censored:ed? Aussie Aussie Aussie oi oi oi. I rest my case. Edited December 4, 2014 by L1onheartNew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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