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Headphones Norm Barker RIP - crowdfunder info P20
Comments
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Well done to the club on a lovely tribute to Norman from Monday morning to last night’s game11
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My mate Jim and I put 11 red Roses down for Norm with a note from the two of us RIP26 -
A real credit to the club last night - they did Norman proud. A great tribute and well observed.
I hope it brings his family some comfort.8 -
Agreed - the club have completely nailed it.3
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The last thing we made as a business as we close next week for good, seemed fitting to us for Norm 78 -
That is very good - closing for good - retiring ?northstandsteve said:The last thing we made as a business as we close next week for good, seemed fitting to us for Norm 1 -
Nice piece by Tash Everitt here
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/dec/10/headphones-norm-charlton-fan-tributes-the-valley19 -
Really well written.fenaddick said:Nice piece by Tash Everitt here
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/dec/10/headphones-norm-charlton-fan-tributes-the-valley1 -
When will I stop fucking welling up.Great piece that. ❤️4
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Last nights pre game applause
https://x.com/cafcofficial/status/1998742184452092010?s=46&t=MojDVxh_AjG5taAWPQn6Tw
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As plenty of others have said, he was someone we could all feel like we were friends with, without even speaking to him. Just seeing him at a game was always a nice thing. I'm pretty sure I sat next to him at an away game about 20 years ago, I don't think we spoke much more than a hello but it's a thing I still remember!
All the tributes have been great and hopefully a permanent memorial will do him justice.4 -
It's very very rare a single fan of a football club gets this much air time but we all know if anyone deserves it, Norm does. An absolute legend of a man and its gutting I never got to speak to him. Every video I watch puts a lump in the throat. The Charlton faithful up there gain another great man 🎧💔6
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A really nice email from a Charlton fan about Norm about 45 minutes into today's Guardian Football Weekly which led a nice discussion about the type of fan Norm was7
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Great work - gonna hang it on side of F Block ?northstandsteve said:The last thing we made as a business as we close next week for good, seemed fitting to us for Norm
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Norman really did travel many miles...lovely to see that Italian fans of Chieta honoured him with this banner, respect.
Società Sportiva Dilettantistica Chieti Calcio Football Club 1922, commonly known as Chieti, is an Italian association football club, based in Chieti, Abruzzo. It competes in the Serie D, the fourth tier of Italian football.13 -
https://youtu.be/HCU26_7RGxg?si=UpRaLxxjCkNtmty5DA9 said:I’m away at the moment so couldnt make it last night, and no sky sports to watch due to geocentric restrictions, if anybody has film or links to the tributes before and during the match please would you share?
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Not only did we know how special Norm was, the reaction in the media and throughout the greater football community shows just how revered he was and still is. ❤️🎧❤️7
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This is the Guardian Football Weekly mention at 53 minutes
https://open.spotify.com/episode/1YnBrhWtQPkEZjL9743mfm?si=Y8BxMNBTTH6vBkHiV5X4dA&t=3162&ct=2918
Charlton have also posted this of the family
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZNRNB9aUQ/2 -
Been struggling to put into words but I think the lovely comments on here say anything better than I could at the moment.
I met a mate at the pub the other night and he said it best; 'He was just Charlton wasn't he?'.
RIP Norm
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The club badge with the headphones would make a great t-shirt and/or a car sticker. Proceeds to charity. As would that picture at the tributes with Norm looking down at the valley. RIP Norm. 🎧🔴⚪1
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Well done club and both set of fans.I always saw Norm at away games even in the dark days of Burton, Northampton to the big games in the premiership like United etc.
RIP3 -
I think everybody - club, fans, wider football community - have all done themselves proud in how this has been handled and the tributes that have and will be paid - such a sad thing to lose Norm but his story is pretty unique, particularly in the 80's and 90's when he was possibly in a minority of 1 at Charlton, being a black man travelling home and away and in his own unique way and look. (of course there were other famous black characters from football firms etc at other clubs). I might be getting carried away but there's potential to make a film about his life - so much division and anti immigration feeling being driven by certain people atm, Norm's story would show the other side of the story - how he took up a largely white english working class culture - at the time - and immersed and integrated himself in it and nobody was in the slightest bit interested in the colour of his skin.18
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So nice to see nothing but positive comments from all around.In searching for a small positive amongst this sad news the many references to ‘Norman’ (and the conflation with Ronnie Barker) bring to (my) mind the TV programme Porridge and a smile to my face.With some poetic licence the opening credits come to my mind (though I guess you have to be of a certain age to get the reference):
Norman ’Headphones’ Barker, you have pleaded guilty to the charges brought by this club, and it is now my duty to pass sentence. You are an habitual supporter, who accepts defeat as an occupational hazard, and presumably accepts relegation in the same casual manner. We therefore feel constrained to commit you to the maximum term allowed for these offences: you will go to The Valley in perpetuity.
It seems to sum up the genial nature described by many here and his spiritual home.I hope it doesn’t offend anyone but maybe if you share my sense of humour/ seeking some reason to smile it works.14 -
On tuesday a pal of mine told me a "headphones norman" anecdote that made me smile.He went on an away trip on the supporters coach a few years back and he sat next to norman .Whilst he had not known him he had seen him at matches for years so was expecting a journey full of recollections and stories from away matches so as he sat down my pal said "hello norman how you doing" .To which norman smiled and said "i'm good mate".norman then put his headphones on and never spoke another word the whole journey.He was essentially a very private man.
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I get it - believe it or not I was thinking his name reminded me of Norman Stanley Fletcher a few days agovalleynick66 said:So nice to see nothing but positive comments from all around.In searching for a small positive amongst this sad news the many references to ‘Norman’ (and the conflation with Ronnie Barker) bring to (my) mind the TV programme Porridge and a smile to my face.With some poetic licence the opening credits come to my mind (though I guess you have to be of a certain age to get the reference):Norman ’Headphones’ Barker, you have pleaded guilty to the charges brought by this club, and it is now my duty to pass sentence. You are an habitual supporter, who accepts defeat as an occupational hazard, and presumably accepts relegation in the same casual manner. We therefore feel constrained to commit you to the maximum term allowed for these offences: you will go to The Valley in perpetuity.
It seems to sum up the genial nature described by many here and his spiritual home.I hope it doesn’t offend anyone but maybe if you share my sense of humour/ seeking some reason to smile it works.2 -
Rufus is a dogs name said:
Norman did actually see Charlton play twice in Italy, during the Anglo Italian cup games in 1994.9 -
wtf? Surely there’s not for our norm?Rufus is a dogs name said:2 -
Chieti fans came over for the Sheffield Wednesday game. Danilo Scastiglia seems to be the main man and posted the dedication to Norm that 'When Saturday Comes' and 'football away days' picked up on Facebook. Lovely gesture.
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