Two Questions:

1. How did Wonderwall come to be adopted as the supporters' anthem?

2. What is the origin of our affection for Cajun Creole Hot Nuts (other than because they're damned tasty)?

1. It's actually not a supporters anthem, Coach Craig started singing it in the locker room and then after a win two seasons ago the team started coming over to the stands to sing it to us. Now we sing it with them, and to them.

2. They are sold at the NSC.

Actually, Hot Nuts are sold at the NSC thanks to the tireless efforts of Neal/Lightning Striker to get them to sell them. Neal introduced them some time around 2004 or maybe 2003 to the supporters group and basically his enthusiasm was catching, especially with such tasty foodstuffs. That and it's fun to sing about hot nuts.

Fair enough!

Perhaps we should pursue a sponsorship deal of some sorts with CCHN LLC. This could be a real money maker for the club.

pretty sure neal has tried.

Hahahahah I would love to read that letter.

DEAR SIR AND OR MADAM
I HAVE A SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY TO MARKET YOUR PRODUCT TO A LARGE GROUP OF INEBRIATED RUFFIANS...

You know, a FAQ/History section on the Dark Clouds website is a great idea.

Email/facebook/pm me or post here if you have things we should add.

I'll weed out the crap and try to make it look nice.

A History/FAQ would be awesome for the zealous, yet recently converted.

I know I have the date of the first meeting bookmarked on my home PC. If no one sends it to ya during the day expect me to get it to you tonight.

bornwithatail_ It'd be hepful if you kept track of all things you did not know about so we have a source of non-insider knowledge to populate the FAQ.

There are lots of things in the forum history that might make interesting fodder. If someone has time to troll (EDIT: Whops, we have enough of that already, meant trawl) through some of those pages and maybe bump them or link them here that would be pretty cool. I would give you a whole bag of internet nuts.

Hot nuts is all Neil, he would give them away to everybody at the games.

They make you drink more beer because they are hot.
Don't rub your eyes after eating them.

Neil
Nessie -"The NSC stadium is just like Nessie, she's in a remote location and few will ever see her"

Taka headbands

"Lash it in there"
"Diving header"

The bad trumpet player

KJ
"Mighty mighty Thunder"

?
"Score damn it"


Grump
"We got whisky over here!"
Shouted loudly during a back and forth chant (we got beer over here...) going on during the game between the official supporters behind the visiting team bench, and the un-official slightly buzzed fans/supporters in the beer garden.

Bruce and I
Threatening the Portland Supporters signing chants against the Thunder (while they were beating us) to leave the Beer Garden peacefully, or else...

score damnit can be chalked up to neal too. i cannot claim responsibility for anything really.

A list of everything I don't know would crash the servers. Long story short, a year ago I was a guy who would watch World Cup games and had some barely functional knowledge of the Premier League... and then Hairy Grump convinced me to watch the Stars v. RSL Open Cup match at Ye Olde Dankwater. [Insert crack/heroin analogy here.]

Anyhoo, ever since then I've been going to matches and kind of lurking on the fringes of the Clouds' stand, devouring blogs and podcasts, etc. I'm probably typical of a considerable demographic of casual soccer fans who are getting too old to go to punk shows on weeknights, are bored by the more mainstream sports, and would welcome a chance to get more involved with a local club and supporters' group. So, if you guys don't mind, I'll probably post some "questions from a newcomer" from time to time as they cross my mind.

Discovering Stars and Dark Clouds has been one of the awesomest things that's happened to me in a long time. So, thanks for existing and being so welcoming.

We really should petition Saeed to change the name to this.

Not that it matters, but I believe credit/blame (depending on your perspective) for the origination of the Score, Damnit chant belongs to Our Donovan.

on the subject of Our Donovan, he also was the one who brought the "Minnesota oh ah" chant.

the Dae-han-min-guk/Minn-A-So-Ta came from some randomn English dude who attended one game at the Jimmy. Unless he is now a regular and I just never put two and two together, if so sorry.

The Jimmy in St Paul
Walking behind the goal to get to the north side while the players were warming up for the game. You had to keep your eyes open because if the player missed the net the ball came rocketing at the fans walking to their seats.

Dean Johnson tryed to serve drinks and beer to the fans at the Jimmy but to do that they had to put the "bar" over by the tennis courts about 100 yards away from the field. It did not work because it took a while to get a drink and you could not even see the field from out there.

Watching the players leave the field at half and watching them walk under the stands to who knows where__ as a locker room??

Being annoyed at all the little kids running around making too much noise during the game everywhere you went (except near the DCs the parents kept them away from the DCs...!) Few of them ever watched much of any game. After I figured out that the parents kept the kids away from the DCs I would sit further down past the supporters. I'm a loner, and like watching the game without interruptions* and talking. (*until the beer garden came along) I finally found my peaceful spot at the Jimmy past the DC's.

Dean Johnson
Say what you will, but the facts are he did elevate the game to a better field, better play, and he did build a better place to serve drinks from and to watch the game from.
I miss that first beer garden, many good things happened there.

The NSC Beer Garden1
I have been to many soccer games in my lifetime, no place better to watch a game from than the NSC Beer Garden1.
-Each and every Corner Kick, it was if you were on the field and in the game standing that close to the field.
-The shoot-out where the ref moved the PKs to the other side of the field to "make it fair".
-The hole in the front wall of "My Seat" where I put my foot through the wood by kicking the boards to make noise during a big game moment.
-The fact that the front row terrace of the Beer Garden1 was almost literally a reserved spot for some of us fans. I do remember walking up one day and seeing a few young guys standing in my corner spot nearest the goal and joking to them that they were in my seat... and they then to my surprise they moved up to the second row and said someone told them not to stand in the front row...
-After about three years a shot went over the net and came directly into the Beer Garden and took the beer right out of of of the Minnesota Thunder youth team coaches that just happened to be wearing a new MLS Portland Timbers jersey.


Superrookie
Dale Wheiler fan club
-One day Rook showed up with a sign that read; The Official Dale Weiler Fan Club. He had it every game after that. I asked Rook why he chose Dale (Dale was a good player but kinda new at that point and had only played a few minutes up to this points). Rook answered that he picked a player he thought would never get to play and just went with it... Dale played well but was mainly used as a sub late in the game.

- Oneday Rook and his friends started a chant to put Dale in the game (I think we were losing) and the coach Donny G. look over to the beer garden saw us all signing for Dale and a few minutes later he put Dale in the game. We all then laughed loudly. If I remember right he then scored a goal and gave us one point...
Too many others to remember for this very creative NSC cycle rider turned NSC soccer fan...

Boy of Soccer
Beer in the Carolina GK's water bottle, nuff said. I told you the Beer Garden1 was close to the field.


Andy
The owl?? Can't even tell you anything about it. I think someone once told me but it still made no sense to anyone other than the DCs?

TurkishZath
Sitting al alone in the bleaches behind the goal in the north end because of something that went on with the one of of the supporters...?

Hoppy Guy
The good trumpet player

Only a select few
Any game where it rained all day long and then continued on throughout the whole game time. If you did not make the rain games you were not a real fan.
- I did not pay much attention to the DCs until the rain game in 2007. It was pouring so hard I had brought my best ski mountaineering Gore-Tex clothing and was quite comfortable during the 90 minute downpour. Many of the DCs showed up with little if any rain gear only a few umbrellas. After 90 minutes those 20 were still all there standing in the rain signing chants... They earned my respect that day.

Even fewer
Driving down to Rochester to see the Minnesota Thunder PDL team play. I swear they had more fans at their PDL games then we were drawing to the D2 games that year.
-We picked up Takada, Rodriguez from that team. Takada was a stand out player. I remember KJ was siting a few rows below us and came up at half to talk about the play of the PDL team. He though Lucas was a good player, I remember he spotted him before anyone else that was there that day. We then watched him and all agreed he was dominating his side of the field and playing well. I wrote about the two players here on this site. Those two players played on the D2 team the next season.

What the hell happened to the owl? And did the NSC relocate Gary the Cat when the beer garden was destroyed?

Pretty sure the owl is still in the storage area at the NSC. No word on the current location of Lutz Pfannenstiel (more info)

I have always felt bad about that story cause it was all BS. The original Owl was named "Lou the Derby Owl" which was a trophy played for between two local Bandy teams. Neal broke it out originally for Timbers game in some sort of connection with logging and Owls.

"High and Wide" - Fridley Bob

"Total Jackassery" - here is my memory of it, Zath was telling us at a tailgate about how he approached the future Mrs. Zath at a party after a Thunder game and one of his soon to be in-laws asked if he is with those "jackasses with the drums and horns?". Everyone had a good laugh and agreed it was a good description of us. Soon someone used the term "jackassery" and quickly "total jackassery" followed.

You know, I knew that, but I liked the other story better so I internalized it. I say we go with the Lutz story.

It's there, atleast it was at the end of the last season.

Don't let the truth get in the way of a good story.

Always felt bad for answering Ford with that story and never finding out if anyone set him straight.

Was the Nessie sock puppet a straight invention from Mrs. Superrookie? Or did she get the idea from hoppyguy putting a sock on his hand at a tailgate party before KC vc DC match?

Also who came up with the vuzuNessie?

who put together the hot nuts flag?

What is Ludwig's history? I know it was mentioned during last year's supporters summit.

That was Superrookie and his brother. They requested the un-stitched bag material from the manufacturer and Kevin sewed it together.

I'm looking at it as I type this. It's a priceless piece of folk art.

Ah, memories.

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned it yet but the founder of the Dark Clouds was a gentleman by the name of Wolfman Jack.

I thought it was Crist, Bruce, Neal, two others?

"on the subject of Our Donovan, he also was the one who brought the "Minnesota oh ah" chant." Mathwew
_________________________________

I don't think I created the "Minnesota oh ah" chant but I will take credit for the lyrics and for being dumb enough to keep doing it at match after match. I think its high point was reached in Chicago prior to the Poland friendly. There was a good 12 or so of us in Section 8 and we all stood and gave it our all. I recall a lot of Section 8ers mumbling about us being displaced Twins fans.

As to "Score, Damm It," I think LS gets the credit.

We should do a continuing thread on all this. Who could forget standing up at the Dallas restaurant and chanting "Stand up if you hate Milwaukee"? The poor waitress from Wisconsin never saw it coming.

Donovan

Someone please post the Stars-score-falling-kid series.

Ok I looked and what I have isn't exactly the first meeting of the Dark Clouds but the first meeting of what would become the Dark Clouds. The DC's wouldn't become the DC's for another season or two. There was a period where we were known by no name but just the Dark Cloud symbol, which I believe would follow the season after the link I will provide after this... Or maybe it was for that first the symbol appeared and in 2005 the name started to become used more often.

Anyways, why I feel this is the first meeting of the dark clouds and had it bookmarked was cause it was the first time the group of fans who didn't walk out with the Thunderhead leadership at the grassbowl game against the Timbers finally decided to focus on being more organized and growing. It started at the Local(correction:Brits), the season finally the year before, with us agreeing on starting up a website (what else were we gonna be talking about? The Thunder were thourghly beat by the Battery in that game. Maybe if Ferruzi or Menyongar scored early it would have been different. I am trying to remember who it was now that had an early chance from an early corner. Anybody?) which would become "blueskysoccer". Over that offseason a date and location was picked and it was attended by maybe 15 at the most? Distributor, halfchance, and a friend who never signed up on the board, ajwatt, me, my friend who had the tag bthrow, uchlem, and his mrs., leperchaun, bruce and I think zath?, our donovan?, CL?, Dang?, and, maybe Dan Barnes?. Of course most important was the team rep, a new hire from the defunct Indiana Blast, DjornB. If I forgot anyone please mention you were there.

3/8/2004

After this meeting the group continued to grow and expand into the awesome beast it is today.

I'd try and dig deeper and find more exact info but "Malibu Nights" from The FP soundtrack just came on and it's Friday night.

edit to add: WolfMan Jack was at the GreenMill that night too but not for the meeting. Rather he was there for the deep dish pizza cause he heard, "RAVE REVIEWS!" about it, which is what he told us.

Sarah came up with the idea for the Nessy Sock Puppet.

I contacted the Hot Nuts folks about the bags and they sent a giant box for the flag in which my brother cut them up for the labels and sewed the flag.

The Dale Weiler Fan Club can best be remembered for this photo:

Gary The Cat: This one is funny. I was setting up banners in the beer garden (the giant BELIEVE one) and I heard Meowing. I swear there was meowing, but I didn't know where it was coming from.

I went to the door that led to underneath the beer garden and looked inside and sure enough there WAS A CAT! No one believed me when I rushed back to the tailgate. KJ snickered and I told him I could prove it!

Sure enough, only Amy came to see the cat and since then the legend of Gary the Cat was born and we started a chant, "Gary Gary The Wonderful Wonderful Cat"

Gary was the original Grumpy Cat.

Wasn't Weiler the player that sent you a postcard from the Thunder's spring training camp in....somewhere warm that year?

Pretty sure that is his wife in the purple behind Tim. Who looks more excited?

Oh how I miss Friendly Bob! 'High and Wide' is a classic.

It's great to read this thread. The possibilities are endless.

I remember when Neal first brought Hot Nuts to a match. He'd yell, "Hot Nuts! Get your Hot Nuts here!" "Just don't get the Hot Nuts dust in your eyes!"

Within this History Web Page, Song/Chant development Should be included. I've got "Goals" -Beasty Boys, "The Hustle", "Suicide is Painless" and "Misty". There's so many!!! Wess has been brilliant the last two years...

I have quite a library of photographs going back to pre-Jimmy years. Grilling out of Neal's Soccer Ball Grill comes to mind.

The Score Board, The Blue Wagon, History of Smoke(AJ), Flags/Banners.. Photo's of all our Scarves...

Good thread!

Loved the VuvuNessies!

Scoreboard info: http://www.insidemnsoccer.com/2010/04/20/national-sports-center-gets-a-new-old-fashion-scoreboard/

Sounds familiar. Seconded.

Yes. That is how it started.

While everyone else was getting cards from Nic Platter, Melvin Tarley and Johnny Greenfield I got stuck with Dale Weiler.

Who the hell was Dale Weiler?

I decided at that moment to make that man a star.

I think it worked.

I like how in the comments for this post, someone commented on is showing the Stars beating PR 4-0 and how it was dreaming. Little did they know we would beat then 4-0 twice.

she looks terrified. that is a priceless picture.

Yes, the initial "organizing" meeting took place at the original Green Mill on Grand Ave in St Paul.

The reason that location was picked was because in the old days the Thunder post-game parties would happen at the Green Mill in Blaine, and we had gotten word that winter that the team was re-locating to James Griffin Stadium in St Paul. So we picked the Green Mill on Grand.

I may be mistaken about this but I believe it was AJWatt who came up with the idea to get some folks together so he posted a note on this board, picked a time and date, and then he and I just showed up not really knowing who else might be there.

He and I did know some of the other fans like Matthew, Bthrow, Leprechaun, Our Dovovan etc. But some other faces new to us showed up too. I want to say there was about a dozen people.

We talked about finding a "home" for us to rally at the new stadium. The first game at James Griffin I remember going to the Northwest corner of the stadium. Some time during the game others suggested we check out the spot in the North-central section of the stands that was directly behind the visiting team bench. By game number 2 that was our home.

The nickname for the stadium "The Jimmy" came soon after.

The Vuvunessies were my terrible idea.

I couldn't wear a sock puppet, hold a beer, blow a horn and annoy people all at the same time, and the Vuvunessie solved that problem.

I 100% disagree!

Other moments of Dark Cloud glory!


The Dual PK from me and Lightning Striker!


These shirts are a classic!


'Nuff said!


Smoke Bomb Dark Cloud-Style!


Already mentioned by SR, but worthy of a pic!


Chatting with the owner in the original beer garden.


The refs from the second leg of the 2011 NASL Championship series.


I little love from Nessy!

Enthusiasm is good.



I just received my print of a photo from the 2010 rain game vs Carolina - 3 of us standing in the stands, drenched to the skin, enjoying something happening in the Carolina goalmouth with just a hint of wildness in our eyes.

Rain games are the best.

The Carolina home rain match also featured the return of Nic Platter. However, brought in the case of beer was my pick for Man of the Match. I think KJ was wearing those goofy shoes with holes for individual toes...and almost lost one or two due to frost bite. I recall Warren Ukah also kicking the ball around on the practice pitch during the rain delay and buying a beer for Wasson. I think he was on suspenion for yellow cards.

It was an honor to be asked by the NASL to come out of my temporary writing retirement to document, in story, the Dark Clouds history. I say honor not because the NASL asked me, but because I was asked to write a story about what I believe to be the best lower league supporters group in North America. Cheers to all of you.

http://www.nasl.com/index.php?id=3&newsid=4260

Saw it on Twitter this morning. Great work as usual. It was also nice to see the comments on the FB page calling the DC's a class act. Makes me proud to be associated with the group, however loosely.

Oh hey! That was my sister or me who said that.....That's kind of fun.

Very cool article, BQ.

There are times when a simple picture is enough:

This thing is going into the Minnesota Soccer hall of fame, right next to the Hot Nut flag.

THERE IS ONLY ONE DALE WEILER
THERE IS ONLY ONE DALE WEILER
WALKING ALONG SINGING HIS SONG
WALKING ALONG IN A WEILER WONDERLAND

They must have been talking about some other group.

I may have accidentally added the "cl"