Monthly Archives: January 2024

Ah was aboot Eight or Nine before ah started lookin’ at Fitba’ stats and reading aboot the present day players ( of that era) and the auld players of the past- Davy B and I got Fitba’ annuals at Christmas and there were Fitba’ cairds and Fitba’ diaries and wee Rid Books and Pink Papers on a Saturday. One of ma earliest memories is a flickerin’ Black and White far off  memory of, possibly, Ajax and AC Milan in the ( although ah didn’t know at the time) 1969 European Cup final. Ah remember a book that had colour photy’s of Man Utd’s Previous years win in the final- photy’s of Brian Kidd and George Best and Bobby Charlton. Ah remember the 1970 European Cup final when Celtic lost to Feyenoord – Feyenoord wi’ their unusual lookin’ Tops. Ah can remember BBC Fitba’s Sam Leitch sayin’ (-in 1971) that he fancied Panathinaikos tae beat Ajax in the European  Cup final on the Saturday Grandstand before the upcomin’ Midweek match, which Ajax won 2-0. Although ah didny know at the time, this was the typical English mentality of ‘They beat oor team so they must be good’. The next year (1972) was the last European Cup final ah watched in Black and White- but, ah’m gettin’ a wee bit ahead of masel and ah have tae track back tae the 1963/64 Scottish League season when it aw began for me. Between April 1963 and May 1973, the first Ten years of my life, Thirty trophies had been played for in Ten seasons of Scottish league and Cup Fitba’- The Two big Glasgow clubs won Twenty Four of them- Kilmarnock, with a league title in 1965, Dunfermline and Aberdeen with Scottish cup wins in 1968 and ’70 respectively – and Partick Thistle, Hibs and Dundee with a Hat Trick of League cup wins in 1971, ’72 and ’73, respectively, won the other Six. In the followin’  Five Decades the picture, sadly for the neutral, didny change and Scottish clubs’ ability tae compete wi’ their big city rivals has withered away tae them seemin’ like a weed next tae an Oak Tree. The last Twenty years of Scottish clubs’ involvement in European club competitions has been, wi’ the exception of a couple of moments for the big Two, quite abject- Shite, tae be brutally honest. Strangely enough in those first Ten years of ma life Scottish clubs’ had a Golden period of European Fitba’. Between 1963 and 1973 Celtic won and lost a European Cup final, Rangers won and lost a European Cup Winners cup final, Dundee reached a European cup semi final and a Fairs Cup( an auld style Europa League) semi final, Kilmarnock reached a Fairs Cup semi final and Dunfermline reached a European Cup Winners cup semi final. Ah’ll come tae that later, though, ah’ve no’ mentioned ma early days and ma heroes in those first Ten years. Chapter Two will follow soon.