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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TURKEYBHOY on 12TH SEPTEMBER 2018 10:41 AM
FRANNY,
They did indeed sign Mc Williams from QP.He was around 6 foot 18,and every inch was terrible.
I have it on good authority, big Iain was not a Celtic man growing up, but was buried with his full Celtic strip on.
BADA,
As tho old saying goes,”Once a Celt,always a Celt”.
He wasbrotten though,bless him.
Reading g about Elecko’s wonder team in the Times, the ‘deceltification’ of our national side is in full flow.
Naismith (conquerer of St amirren and Albania) is now automatic first pick so I assume that now puts Griff (2 against England and 100 for a team which wins things) behind whoever the f McBurnie and Russell are. Jamesy is ‘not a wing back’ so doesn’t fit with ELecko’s shape, time to tell the to stuff it James. Gordon is the rightful understudy to the banned for life Greegs. So that is three ‘invincibles’ on the scrap heap. Armstrong will struggles until the taint of being with Celtic fades. Tierney will permanently be played out of position and be criticised because ‘he just can’t help bombing forward’. That only leaves Calmac – watch for the knives Calum – Jack the thug need only snatch a goal against the new international benchmark St Mirren and you won’t be seeing the Israel game.
The exile of a he Lions is being repaid by the new generation of bigots.
As for Hampden- I see that their fallback is ‘partnership’ with the Scottish Government and GCC – in other words their coming looking for our money!
Corruption is to small a word.
Full of typos but you get the gist :-)
Dont you just love Monaghans posts.Has to brighten up anyones morning.
Gives us all an insight into their madness.Always been told”Never mock the afflicted”,but does not count with them.
Sentinel Celts was set up by its founder as complementary to other Celtic sites,not as an alternative. However,many of the responses on it have been viewed as critical towards the club,even though the articles rarely are.
Here’s another one,written by a “new” face. It might help convince some naysayers of the veracity of the above paragraph.
https://sentinelcelts.com/2018/09/12/crime-punishment-and-consequences/
TURKEYBHOY,BADABING
I’ve seen a few players in my time who really shouldn’t have been playing for us. I’ve never once blamed them for that. Why are they supposed to say when offered the chance to sign for us-no thank you,I’m not good enough?
I wasn’t good enough either,but given the chance,I’d have signed and looked as useless as you like.
BMCUW- Ain’t that the truth
Lovely wee post from Scum Media.
“Croatia would have won last night if Barisic had been playing”.
BMCUW,
I agree,its not the players fault,its whoever signed them that should get strung up.Commper springs to mind,as does Derk.
Ian McWilliams, after retiring he drank in my local, every year we had a us v them charity match all welcome, all you had to do was put your name on the list to get a game, big bugger signed up to play for thems, just as well he wisnae awe that good ?
new article posted.
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on 12TH SEPTEMBER 2018 11:04 AM
Sentinel Celts was set up by its founder as complementary to other Celtic sites,not as an alternative. However,many of the responses on it have been viewed as critical towards the club,even though the articles rarely are.
Here’s another one,written by a “new” face. It might help convince some naysayers of the veracity of the above paragraph.
https://sentinelcelts.com/2018/09/12/crime-punishment-and-consequences/
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The format is certainly much more conducive to focusing on single issues.