Aside from being the primary forum for debates and discussions surrounding all things Footy, Football Twitter also serves as an incessant meme machine.
On most days, the machine churns out hilarious image edits featuring your favourite footballers, which are then served up without context for maximum amusement.
On other days, the meme folk embark on ruthless trolling crusades against the players of their choosing, with the selection criteria usually being along the lines of ‘who had a stinker today’.
But in recent times, a new template appears to have popped up, one that has broken normalcy for the time being.
The memes we speak of are purely satirical in nature, they’re intended as parodies of a banal and cliched news format utilized by most publications, which frankly makes these memes rather easy to get behind.
You’ve probably spotted examples of the format in discussion during your routine scrolls through FT, they likely featured the words ‘Luton Town’ and ‘Entrance’ alongside an image of a ramshackle fence, everybody’s favourite digital strip club, a literal volcano, and much more.
If the images happened to leave you scratching your head, allow us to explain.
These memes were originally conceived as part of fan attempts to retaliate against the barrage of copy-paste posts offered up by most major social media publications.
Facile in nature, these posts condensed larger news items into small anecdotes, with an example being the tale of one Will Still.
You likely know the bloke by now; he’s the youngest manager across Europe’s Top 5 leagues, he costs Reims a hefty fine and he absolutely loves a bit of FM.
The Englishman’s story went viral after he led Reims on a 19-game unbeaten streak, with news outlets pouncing upon it and emphasizing the ‘FM’ and ‘fine’ aspects.
The story was regurgitated in an identical fashion by almost all outlets, allowing for some effortless ‘like farming’.
It was clearly being milked to death, at its peak you could spot a viral Will Still tweet every other day, with the content being exactly similar to all of its counterparts.
Naturally, fans grew tired, and they started retaliating by serving up the same tweet with hilarious alterations.
Through FT’s combined efforts, the Will Still craze was effectively curbed. But in recent days, a new challenger has taken up its mantle.
With Championship side Luton Town currently holding on to 3rd place on the table, their prospects for promotion to the Premier League are looking quite bright.
Naturally, this has made them a centrepiece of attention, but fans online are actually more concerned with their stadium than the team itself.
The Hatters play at Kenilworth Road; a humble 10,000-seater venue bereft of the grandeur found at various other stadiums in the Prem. £10million
With old-fashioned sheds above the stands, cottages all around for the ambience, and an entrance as modest as can be, the venue screams Brexit.
The entrance in particular has turned into a prime news item, with many publications expressing their bafflement over its sheer working-class nature.
And just like Will Still, the story of Luton’s humble gateway is being spammed online.
Fortunately, fans were quick to pick up on the trend on this occasion, and they’ve already begun creating parodies of the post and putting an end to the ‘like farming’.
