When even Jim Farry blocked a royal postponement

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25 years ago, Scotland were due to play a World Cup qualification game against Belarus on the day of Princess Diana’s funeral.  The SFA, then run by chief exec Jim Farry, the same man who was eventually removed from office for delaying Celtic’s registration of Jorge Cadete, decided the game should proceed as planned.

Whatever you think of Farry, he acted without concern for the royalist contingent.  Despite the SFA’s offices being vandalised and Scottish Secretary, Donald Dewer, applying political pressure, Farry dug in:   ”We have taken heed of the various viewpoints, but let’s be reasonable about this, life does and must go on.”

He did not act alone, the SFA International Committee were involved, and they included Celtic’s Jack McGinn, and the Greatest Football Administrator the world has ever known, Campbell Ogilvie!  This was a strange time in Britain, maybe the strangest few weeks of the last century.

Royalists were split between backers of the self-styled Queen of Hearts (honestly), and those in the minority, who sided with the actual Queen.  The Queen, a bit like Farry, held out as long as she could against the indulgent wallowing infecting millions, by resisting calls to lower flags to half-mast.

Before the end of the week, royal flags were lowered and the Scotland game was postponed.  Those of us who never took an interest in royalty were often heard saying “Let’s be reasonable about this”, but were largely ignored.

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740 Comments

  1. I don’t see what is irrational about enjoying a football match. The significance you accord it might be a different matter.

     

     

    Equally I don’t see that looking at a funeral procession is irrational. Again, what significance you attach to it is something else.

  2. I like ernie`s posts so I am not having a go at him when I say that some of his posts today have not been up to his usual standard. Maybe something has happened to affect him?

     

    Goodnight all.

  3. bigrailroadblues on

    Good evening all from Paddy Neesons. A fine day was had in town. I hope you are all hale and hearty.

  4. BRAYSTREET on 11TH SEPTEMBER 2022 9:47 PM

     

     

    A fine post. Let me add that I am not aware of any football match being shown on ALL BBC channels at the same time and for days on end. Indeed, not only the actual match but every possible connection no matter how trivial and frivolous.

     

     

    Definite goodnight now.

  5. As the Cortege moves to St Giles Cathedral tomorrow, and you heard this here first, the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, Dr. Iain Greenshields, can be guaranteed to put his own personal stamp on the proceedings.

  6. GFTB on 11TH SEPTEMBER 2022 9:26 PM

     

     

    AT 9.21pm

     

     

    David Low really wanted to be part of Rangers mark 2

     

     

    Think he “bears” a grudge they didn’t want his financial experience :-).

     

     

    =======≈≈==≈=≈=====≈===

     

    I would be surprised if he is/was at any level GFTB.

     

    But then again it’s an odd world.its a toxic brand

     

     

    HH

  7. Hello again all you young rebels.

     

     

    No Fitty yesterday, no preparing my midnight sannie and

     

    chilled bottle of biddy to watch my early morning bhoys.

     

    So what to do ?

     

    Felt like a wee bit of music, had the rebs on during the day

     

    so why not trawl through utube and see what I can find.

     

    Lo and behold ! came upon a wee treasure.

     

    Dublin in the rare old times

     

    An old and beautiful song by the Dubliners but it was sung by

     

    loads of bhoys and ghirls in a Dublin pub, all just jamming

     

    but each had their own verse to sing and then everybody

     

    joined in the chorus, of ringaring a roses, just wonderful.

     

    I know some people say Dublin isn’t as Celtic minded as it

     

    used to be back in the day, and I remember only Celtic stuff

     

    from my times back there in the sixties/ seventies, but if

     

    your care to have a swatch at the vid you will notice some

     

    hoops in the background joining in.

     

    Boredootmaskull CSC.

     

    H.H. Mick

  8. AT 10.16pm

     

     

    Am quite comfortably about being wrong, as I usually am, but pretty sure before our Motherwell billionaire superstar let go of his last quid …the Low character was trying to get in on the act to “sort” their finances out, to a point he offered his services (obviously for a fee)

     

     

    As I have said I have been wrong in the past and will be wrong in the future but he was angling for a job with SevcoScotland before they became The Rangers

  9. MM 12.17am

     

     

    No cheap flights going Thursday / Friday Melbourne to Glasgow ?

     

     

    BRRB will sort out a wee Coatbrig air B&B for you if you fancy a couple of pints in ML5 :-)

  10. GFTB,

     

     

    Photographed with them.

     

    If you are waiting for a coherent answer from Ernie.that’s gonna be a looooooong wait.

     

    HH

  11. Ringaring a roses

     

    As the light declines

     

    I remember Dublin City

     

    In the rare aul times.

     

    Just had to watch it again, wonderful stuff.

     

    Dubliners CSC.

     

    Wonder if any of you clever bhoys could post

     

    that vid on here ?

     

    If there’s embdy still awake that is 😜

     

    H.H. Mick

  12. TB 12.40am

     

     

    Earnest has always been polite with me so I cammy complain … but even if I am incorrect or made a backside of things I hope I reply to at least cover myself .. I quite like it when somebody who usually has a lot to write doesn’t reply …

     

     

    in my wee tiny mind that’s a win :-)

     

     

    Shoorly that post will get a response tomorrow

  13. GFTB

     

     

    Would luv to Gerry, think cheap flights are gone now.

     

    And I know I would have a rerr terr with you ghuys, Big Jimmy

     

    in the Shipbank, and with BRB wherever he may be lol.

     

    H.H Mick

  14. MM 12.46am

     

     

    Just jesting … you keep enjoying the sun down under

     

     

    Av yet to meet Big Jimmy but I can assure you BRRB is exactly the character in real life as his posts come across … retired ? Horse owner ? He’s probably wealthier than the Huns new King Charlie

  15. He he Gerry 🤣

     

    And before the Dublin bhoys come on and scold me, that

     

    song I’ve been ranting on about, the chorus is

     

    Ring a ring a Rosie lol

     

    And the vid is

     

    Incredible performance of Irish song Dublin in the rare

     

    old times.

     

    I’m sure you bhoys will identify the jamming members 👍

     

    H.H. Mick

  16. That’s the song Gerry, but the vid is a jamming session

     

    in some pub in Dublin.

     

    That’s some coincidence, ma and pa’s names.

     

    And when I visit my own DUBLINER pub down in rebel

     

    town next weekend that’s the first song I’ll request from

     

    our music maestro.

     

    H.H. Mick

  17. No Gerry, it’s not the Dubliners themselves, it’s just a pub with

     

    punters having a jam.

     

    Thanks for trying, I’m really a tech idiot, and should be able to do

     

    it myself, Wee Grace will be here tonight, she’ll show me, again lol.

     

    Off now to clean up our local soccer club after a presentation.

     

    Some of the young teams getting a medal etc, can’t help myself

     

    boasting to them all about how many trophies I won 🏆🥇🏅🥇

     

    😍

     

    H.H. Mick

  18. CELTIC MAC on 11TH SEPTEMBER 2022 6:29 PM

     

     

    Thanks for your post, informative without being spiteful

     

     

    TIMMY7_NOTED on 11TH SEPTEMBER 2022 5:07 PM

     

     

    BBC has lost a wealth of talent those who remain know what views are allowed

     

     

    GFTB on 11TH SEPTEMBER 2022 9:26 PM

     

     

    Deary me, David Low ? can you post the evidence that supports your post

     

     

    SETTING FREE THE BEARS FOR RES. 12 & OSCAR KNOX on 11TH SEPTEMBER 2022 5:43 PM

     

     

    The last time I was in London it was being run by Russians, the Ruskies were buying property, newspapers, a political party, and peerages but it is my capital and I’m supposed to owe it some allegiance Ho Hum as they say

  19. LR67 5.22am

     

     

    You do realise this is a blog and not a court room

     

     

    Opinions … that’s all it is

     

     

    Ffs if you had to provide evidence for every post you write we’d be here a while … my disclaimer was “I could be wrong, I am often”

     

     

    I have my opinion and that’s enough for me

  20. You do realise this is a blog and not a court room

     

     

    my disclaimer was “I could be wrong, I am often”

  21. HOT SMOKED on 11TH SEPTEMBER 2022 9:48 PM

     

     

     

    My point is simply that people attach their own significance to the activities they engage in, whether that’s watching football or the funeral cortege of a head of state.

     

     

    Neither activity could be said to be more objectively coherent than the other. And one is as open to ridicule and derision as the other.

     

     

    Personally I prefer watching football but I’m aware enough to realise that to a disinterested observer it could be seen as just as silly and pointless as watching a hearse or a funeral or a coronation.

  22. BURNLEY78 on 11TH SEPTEMBER 2022 9:34 PM

     

     

     

    Not sure what jeopardy has got to do with my point, which suggests you’ve maybe got a bit lost along the way. Might be why you resort to personal insult. And there was me thinking you were a grown up.

  23. AN TEARMANN on 11TH SEPTEMBER 2022 9:21 PM

     

     

     

    ‘David low has a good twitter tl on it’

     

    ###

     

     

     

    What does it say? His twitter feed is protected.

  24. This is indeed only a football blog, so can we not enjoy the fact that Celtic are once again the dominate force in Scottish football. We are a well run club, and hopefully we can get a good result in Poland on Wednesday. Hail, Hail, the Celts are here!

     

     

    #Oh, over and over, we will follow you,

     

    Over and over, we will see you through,

     

    We are Celtic supporters, faithful through and through,

     

    And over and over, we will follow you.

     

     

    #If you go to Germany, you will see us there,

     

    France or Spain its all the same, We’ll go anywhere,

     

    We’ll be there to cheer you, As you travel round,

     

    You can take us anywhere, we won’t let you down.

     

     

    [Chorus]

     

     

    #If you go to Lisbon, we’ll go once again,

     

    In Zaire you’ll find us there calling out your name,

     

    When you need supporting, you will always know,

     

    We’ll be right there with you, every where you go.

     

     

    [Chorus]#

     

     

    “Football is nothing without fans.”

     

    Jock Stein

     

     

    “Without fans who pay at the turnstile, football is nothing. Sometimes we are inclined to forget that. The only chance of bringing them into stadiums is if they are entertained by what happens on the football field.”

     

    Jock Stein

     

     

    “It hasn’t been the money that has kept me at Celtic Park. I’ve done what I’ve done out of a kind of passion … See, Celtic have been wonderful to me. You’ve heard of people being brought back from the dead? Well it was Celtic that brought me back from the dead.”

     

    Jock Stein

     

     

    “My proudest moment? Every Friday morning when I look at the board at Celtic Park and see my name on the team sheet for tomorrow’s game.”

     

    Jock Stein (when a Celtic player & team captain)

     

     

    “Unlike many other Celts, I cannot claim that Celtic was my first love… but I can say that it will be my last love.”

     

    Jock Stein in a speech at a Supporters night in 1955

     

     

    And my favourite:

     

     

    “I enjoy being manager here, because I like the people who support us.”

     

    Jock Stein

     

     

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6EMweOKNgA