I have been pretending to myself that I don’t care whether the SFA choose Hampden or Murrayfield as a future national stadium, where, presumably, Scottish and League Cup semi-finals and finals will be played.
Our trips to Murrayfield for Champions League qualifiers in 2014 were an eye-opener. The stadium had great vantage points and plenty of facilities. But it’s in Edinburgh, so for me, getting into the city along the M8 for an evening game was a traffic nightmare.
You do not need me to tell you Hampden is a dreadful spectator experience for most – apart from those in the South Stand. At ground level behind the goals you would scarcely know what the score was, were it not for the screens and reaction of others.
Jock Stein’s comment, that we need “one neutral acre in Glasgow” had validity when he said it in the 70s, but I’m not so sure now. Most European nations flourish without a neutral acre and Scotland would be no different. The national team would benefit by moving games to venues that better reflect the expected attendance, instead of playing before vacuously empty stands. And if they had a game which required a huge stadium, Murrayfield, Celtic Park or Ibrox would be available.
I get the historical pull of Hampden. It was a theatre to many of football’s greatest achievements – and to the top dozen-or-so of Europe’s highest attendances, but that stadium is long gone. What you will not often hear about the old Hampden, is that it was also a truly terrible place to watch football for anything up to 70,000 people who were huddled behind the goals.
For the most part, in the old ‘Celtic end’, you were further away from play than the modern equivalent, and when it rained, you left covered in muddy ash from the knee down. The ‘terrace’ was latterly just a slope, with wooden uprights which long since gave up the pretence that they supported a flat step.
We complain about modern Hampden and eulogise about the objectively inferior old Hampden because our expectations and standards have changed.
So what’s that got to do with the SFA’s decision on where the national stadium should be, which they will announce this afternoon? The SFA should be considering the next 30-50 years. What will fans in future decades expect from a stadium? It sure will not be Hampden Park. For what it’s worth, the same conclusion could be reached about Celtic Park. But whereas Celtic can afford a continuous programme of improvements, the SFA do not have this kind of budget.
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JIMTHETIM53 on 11TH SEPTEMBER 2018 9:37 PM
Garry, I didn’t stop singing when I left the Pavillion. We got a bus from Buchanan bus station to Harthill. The bus driver as I found out was from Wales! There was me at the front of the bus serenading him with David of The White Rock, Myfannwy, the Welsh National Anthem. He wouldn’t join in. My sisters were mortified. But when I left the bus he was fine.
*is that the one tae the tune of derrys walls lol
Bada
Ha! Hadn’t thought about that ….
okay, I’ll be fair about this …
since it will be dawn in Scotland first, I will let DD shoot first …
I will show up when it is dawn here, and I can take my shot then.
fair enough?
DELANEYS DUNKY on 11TH SEPTEMBER 2018 10:06 PM
PCS
Just checked. Celtic signed Malky MacKay fae QPFC.
*as did Simon Donnelly, don”t recall any others, hades was more of a destination for spiders.
DD
Do I think LV is lovely?
Sometime, sometime… well, maybe more than some of the time…
:)
PS .. BIg Judith scares me. and I dont scare easily.
Ireland draw 1-1 with Polska. Lewondowski playing his 100th game (or is it one shy of his 100th goal?).
A reprieve for Martin & Roy but all not well in the Ireland camp.
BlatterDomeCSC
Redevelopment of the main Stand and the corners would take the capacity up to 80,000. This stand would cost as much as the other 3 stands put together. It includes the main entrances, Boardroom, offices corporate boxes and dressing rooms etc. The existing stand is a throwback to the 70’s that’s because that’s when it was built. The Front stand is the old standing enclosure which was concreted and seats bolted down.
The structure itself doesn’t lend itself to a phased Programme and basically we would need to pull it all down and start again. When it was built approaching 50 years ago, it was the latest in design with the main beam being the biggest span in Europe. It looked massive at the time but now looks small against the other 3 stands
There are tunnels underneath to the Vatican vis Glasgow City Chambers
Almore
My Gdansk grandad and Sligo grandad are equally happy in Paradise today.
YNWA
SETTING FREE THE BEARS FOR RES. 12 & OSCAR KNOX on 11TH SEPTEMBER 2018 8:46 PM
I would not give any money to Queens Park (who are as guilty as the SFA in creating the shambles that is Hampden since the 90’s) or to the RFU but I would walk away from the current Hampden.
*QP and the SFA have hated us since in 1890, only 2 years after our first game, the secretary of World Champions Renton asked us to help form a new professional league and not only that but for our secretary John Glass to run it, the spiders refused tae join citing their amateur status, the SFA went in a huff, surprised they didnae claim amateur status either. That animosity still continues.
Incidentally the SFA still retained governance of the game and expelled Renton soon after for breaching the regulations against professionalism. They successfully sued the SFA to have their suspension lifted and subsequently resumed their place in the Scottish League for 1891–92 season, however,they struggled financially and resigned in 1897.
In 1993 bader tried tae form his own league, it needed a unanimous vote, we held out and stated as founder members of the Scottish Football League we wished to stay there and not cross over, and so it collapsed
I was hame on holiday and had taken the stadium tour that afternoon where we were advised we could not go into the boardroom and see the trophies as an important meeting was going on.
Watching the news that night down in the Bonnie Banks I said tae my da, “we’ll pay for this”, 14 months later I was almost proved right as the Bank of Scotland’s general manager possibly at the Ayrshire steptoe’s urging almost put us out of the game.
I hate hunden always have even when we were regular tenants there, loved our victories but hated the place, one of the worst stadiums for exiting, many a time I left there without my feet touching the ground. Only hades was worse with only 1 exit at the Celtic end. The Bunnet was right, bulldoze the place, actually both of them.
There are tunnels to the Vatican vis Glasgow City Chambers
Confirmed the ole secret underground
State Aid CSC
Tontine
Funnily enough, I shook the hand of Simon Donnelly outside Arches Club. He was doing a Tartan Army gig. Asked him what he thought about EBT ECK? He laughed, turned his back on me and walked away. I knew he knew, but…
YNWA
DD & Bobby, With love and lots of it. I hope you are both well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIMhshpf0Y4
A song I can’t begin to tell you how much I love.
Be Thou my vision.
Wee Rachel
Celtic Sweethearts CSC
I’ve taken a few weeks out (the first break in 2 years) and haven’t been on CQN because I’m very seldom on my laptop. However, you can’t escape CQN. I went to Celtic: The Musical tonight; as I was leaving someone tapped me on the shoulder and said “are you VFR?” 101Trophies, a long time lurker whom I’ve never met but he was able to pick me out of a crowd in the Pavilion! A real gent!
6 degrees of separation indeed!
KTF
JTT53
Everytime you post a hymn it is one from my childhood. I loved the lady organist at Mass in Saint Paul’s Whiteinch when I was a wean. She played every hymn you have posted here, beautifully. Her son is MacJay.
YNWA
Two more Celtic sweethearts
VFR
Bet it wis the whiskers.
Need a Coia date soon.
YNWA
Bsr
You really need to get some help with this “twin peaks ” obsession of yours.
Have we not suffered enough??
BSR
Got a fright there. Thought you posted a photo of my daughter. Similar looking reds. My daughter informs me she has better boobs than Christina though;))))
VFR
I was also at the Celtic Musical tonight. It is very well done. Hope that you enjoyed it.
I would have liked to have met you. Hopefully will do in future.
DD BB
Big JR for me ?
Did Celtic not a sign a player called Ian McWilliams from QP HH
DD it wiz the whiskers! How about the Aberdeen game? 1 o’clock in Coias?
HRVATSKI JIM it was afantastic night, quite emotional. How about you join us on the 29th?
KTF
DELANEYS DUNKY on 11TH SEPTEMBER 2018 10:39 PM
I can just see my auld dear smiling.
As am I.
Good morning CQN from a dark, cold, but dry Garngad
This gym at 4.30am is getting harder in these darker mornings..??
Is all our bhoys that were on international duty fit and ready for the buddies????
Bring on Friday ⚽️???
D. :)
Good morning all from the Govanhill temperance society.
BRB. Temperance ??????
That will be tested today if you are still meeting Delaneys after work ????
Have a good one
D. :)
BRRB
You breaking the temperance later?
Good morning all.
Good Afternoon from Melbourne, stuck on a railway line waiting for Polis to remove a trespasser up ahead. At least it is sunny, and I just had a great lunch with my aunt who emigrated here 67 (!) Years ago. HH
DD – BRB. Temperance, Corpus Christi Pioneers rule
DD don’t you be leading that nice temperant BRB a stray
???
???
HH
D. :)
DD and D66. Stanley bar 5.15 tonight and I’ll crack the jokes. ?
BRRB ? Enjoy bhoys
D. :)
BRRB
See you then mate.
YNWA
morning bhoys from a wet Cheshire.roll on Friday.hh.
VFR from past my bed time last night.
Please let me have details of the event on 29th – hrvatskijim@gmail.com
Reading this morning that the “Offshore Game” asked for a meeting with Maxwell a month ago to discuss their abysmal running of our game.No reply.Just WTF was PL thinking when he told us Maxwell was hischoice to run the SFA?.And just WTF is he doing in the position he hold now?I’ve even forgotten what board he is on,SFA,or,SPFL.Seems to go back and forth every 6 months doing hee haw.
Fatty Mc Coist saying Broony was at the wind up slaughtering Hampden !!!!!!!.Dear God.
FFin’ Kevin Clancy this weekend:
“Great.
Another bead-rattl[er]”
————
“So in 5 games we’ve had the same ref twice? Surely there are more than 4 referees”
————
“We might as well practice with ten men and a serious injury.”
————
“strange we,ve had 4catholic refs”
————
“His demeanour at Ibrox is that of a soldier thrown behind enemy lines, unarmed
He dislikes being at Ibrox
He dislikes the people in Ibrox
He’s a danger to us.”
————
“I don’t think he is any way incompetent – he knows EXACTLY what he is doing, and has it all carefully planned before kick-off.”
————
“It would be interesting if Scottish refs had to declare their religion (some of them basically do on the park) …. I would imagine a certain religion is massively over-represented considering they are only 20% or less of Scotland’s population.”
————
“These refs should be made to take a polygraph test before the games are you anti [Sevco]? do you cheat against [Sevco] ? is it easier to give a result against [Sevco] on a fifty fifty decision? the machine would start squealing and run off the chart, get it done.”
————
“Yet another wrong one who had infiltrated football and has gotten to a position of power and influence.”
————
“So that will be 60% of our games (minimum) refereed by RC’s.”
————
“Does anyone know the break down of refs in the top league?”
————
“regardless of the nature mistake or just being a fenian totty picking cheating [chap]”
————
“A rabid, sectarian bigot”
FRANNY,
They did indeed sign Mc Williams from QP.He was around 6 foot 18,and every inch was terrible.
M1900- truly mind boggling from the huns hordes
https://twitter.com/purpletv1/status/1039588437135900672?s=12
God Bless TB,a wee something in my eye there….