Tag: football

We’ll Be Coming

~ Sue ~ Leave a comment

This past weekend has been another football based weekend. On Saturday I attended Hampden Park for the third time in about 6 weeks. Which is an oddity in itself. Just how everything has panned out.

Saturday was Scotland’s final game before they jetted off to the USA for the World Cup. The first Word Cup Scotland has attended since 1998. I remember the excitement at High School, as I was ending second year when the tournament was on. It was probably the last time that I tried to collect football stickers. Something I tried numerous times, but never ever filled an album. In fact, I think I shared some with my brother, and I remember getting angry at stickers going on squint, and not as neat as I would like.

Anywho, we were driving to Hampden, and the roads were a nightmare. We did eventually get parked up, and went into the stadium no bother. Nothing beats hearing the Hampden roar during a Scotland game.

The game had already started when we reached the stadium to find our seats. Ooops

We found our seats, and it felt like we were right in front of all the action. I had no idea we were sitting, just got told I had a ticket, and paid for it. It was from a friend, by the way. It wasn’t me buying random resale tickets. Luckily the seats were under the shelter, so that we never got hit by the what seems to be constant rain. But it was a pretty great view.

The players all warming up right in front of us.

The opposition was Curaçao, who have been the smallest island nation to qualify for the World Cup, as they are also off to the USA for the 2026 World Cup. They brought a few hundred fans with them, and they were so noisy. It was great to see. And the Curaçao team were pretty scrappy, and they scored first. Which, to the dismay of the Scotland fans, was well deserved. Curaçao player Jürgen Locadia, received a yellow card for a bad tackle. This was then updated to a red card after the referee checked the VAR. Unfortunately, Billy Gilmour went off with a bad injury. Luckily, things picked up and Findlay Curtis scored an equaliser just before half time

The second half was much more controlled by Scotland. With two Lawrence Shankland goals, and a handful of attempts on goal by Ryan Christie, Lyndon Dykes, and Nathan Patterson. Scotland felt in control. Findlay Curtis was brought down in the penalty box, and Ryan Christie scored from the spot. The players on both sides gave it a good go but the game ended 4-1 Scotland.

It was a grand wee day out, and a good send off to the Scotland team. The USA is providing to be very expensive, and a lot of Scotland fans are unable to fly to the states. The best thing about Scotland games, as the club you support is irrelevant, as long as you support the Scotland team. Speaking of support, the official Scotland football team YouTube channel have released a documentary called ’28 Summers’. It is about the qualifying campaign for the World Cup, and speaks to the players about their experience in the Scotland camp. They seem a really great bunch of lads, and if anyone can get us out of the group stages, it’s this team.

Not Everything Can Be Won

~ Sue ~ Leave a comment

On Saturday, it was the Scottish Cup final between Celtic and Dunfermline Athletic (my team). I was born in Dunfermline, I work in Dunfermline, I socialise in Dunfermline. It is home. Sport is known for having communities of fans. Something that has spread throughout culture, to theatre, music, tv shows, movies, even sweet companies have fan-based communities around them these days. When I have been at my lowest, it has been sport that has been the thing that distracted me. That took my mind off my own failures. Even when you attend sports events on your own, you become a part of the collective, something that makes you feel not so alone. You don’t get that community when you follow behind a TV screen. Nothing compares to being in the crowd, cheering on your team in person.

The last time Dunfermline reached the Scottish Cup final was 2007. Since then the club have had some severe downs. The club went into administration, but were saved from the brink. Things had to build up again. There is a thing in Scottish football, where most clubs have a singing section. Something there has been varying degrees of during the years at Dunfermline. But over the last several years Section North West, a singing section based in North West Stand at East End Park, have been bringing the songs and the vibes to matchday. They help create the atmosphere, and help get everyone behind the teams. There are teenagers, all the way up to older guys within the group, and they are a great asset to Dunfermline Athletic.

a picture of Dunfermline fans at East End park

Section North West also have a TIFO group, who put together fan displays for games. Often it is a few flags, but big games, they organise something bigger. At the cup final they lay out flags at every seat, to create a display of black and white stripes, Dunfermline’s colours, with the Scottish Cup in the middle.

Scottish Cup Final, Dunfermline TIFO display

Game day for me and my family, involved us getting a bus at 10 am. Me and my Dad arrived in Glasgow first, and ended up finding a beer garden for a couple of pints. Every pub was pre-booked, so we ended up going to try and find somewhere else as everything got busier. We ended up struggling to find anywhere, so we got a few drinks from Tesco, and going to sit on the grass outside Hampden Park. It was really sunny, so it was chill. Was also then able to see the Dunfermline team bus go by. There were guys singing songs, and it was such a great atmosphere. We went into the stadium, there was over 15,000 Dunfermline fans there, and it was great. Until a 6 foot tall guy stood in front of me. It was okay, I did manage to see the game. Though, Celtic scored 2 goals in the first half, so maybe I would have been better off hiding behind Hen Broon, in front of me.

The second have had a lot of substitutes, and a much better performance. In fact, there were times Dunfermline were the bigger team. And Josh Cooper scored, with his first touch of the game. The stands were euphoric. I think, we dreamed of a win, however unlikely would be. But, as long as we didn’t embarrass ourselves. The game ended 3-1 to Celtic, which is what we expected. At full-time, there was still a lot of singing, fans left happy after getting a trip to Hampden. Something that we did not think was going to happen at all. The team did well, against much stronger opposition. And it was a good turnout for squad that doesn’t look like will be together next season. With a lot of players having received offers from other clubs, after what has been a successful season for them. So there is a bit of sadness, but the players deserve every success. The way the season started, I never thought we’d not only get to the Scottish Cup Final, but the semis of the Play-offs for promotion to the Premier League.

The fans are what make events like this so special. The people cheering on their local club. The ones who attend weekday matches in the freezing cold of winter, the guys who attend every single match, the ones who buy merchandise, who play the 50/50 lottery, who pay into the centenary club, those who make it to an odd match when their schedule allows it… everyone. As the late great Jock Stein said, ‘without fans paying at the turnstiles, football is nothing’. And he is correct. It’s the fans who help football clubs to exist. And it is the same with every sport. If no eyes were on the matches and the races, there would be no sponsorship, no money, nothing. I do think some sports organisations *cough* FIFA *cough* FIA*cough* need realise who it is who keeps sports going. And it’s not the sponsors from the conglomerates, it’s the attention from fans. And some need to treat the fans better.

We Had a Dream…

~ Sue ~ 1 Comment

I have only just recovered from my holiday. Scotland reached the EURO 2024 finals in Germany, so me and my friend decided to join the party. Luckily for Scotland (not), they were drawn against the hosts, Germany. Me and my friend have an annual holiday travelling to another country to see Scotland play. It’s great, we get to meet the same people every trip, so it becomes an annual catch up, and the EUROs have been no exception.

Now Germany, during an international tournament, is very expensive. A lot of people who I knew who were going out to Germany, went out in a caravan, or took out tents to set up at various campsite. It was the cheaper, though not really cheap, option. But as two people with zero camping skills, and no access to a caravan, we decided to stay in a hotel instead. But, again, cost was a factor, so we spent a few days in Munich, the home of the opening match of the tournament, where Scotland played Germany.

Marienplatz, Munich- where Scotland fans met up

The atmosphere in Munich was incredible. Everyone was so friendly. It felt like parts of the city was entirely taken over by the `Tartan Army, it was amazing. When the game was on, the plan was to head up to the official EUROs fan zone, but before we left Marienplatz, we found out the zone was already at capacity, so we stayed where we were. We ended up going to an Irish bar, that had massive TVs outside, and we had a total party. Even though Germany beat Scotland 5-1. Doesn’t mean we didn’t celebrate getting one goal.

Scotland fans watching the game at a pub, Munich

It was an amazing time in Germany, and I am glad I was able to go and be a part of the tournament and revel in the atmosphere. We were in Germany 10 years ago to see Scotland play in Dortmund in Germany. Funnily enough, we were beat that time as well.

We travelled to Vienna after, but I will share that next time. The rest of the tournament for Scotland didn’t go to plan, which was not what we hoped. But, I am not particularly surprised. I was back home for the second game against Switzerland, so watched that at the local pub, where it was a 1-1 draw. The pub was full of happiness and singing, it was a great atmosphere. And then, the final game. Scotland against Hungary. Went to Dunfermline Athletic’s fan zone at their ground, East End Park. If Scotland win, we would be through to the knockout stage of the tournament for the first time ever. The whole country was excited, everyone was bouncing. History was in our grasp.

Fan zone at East End Park, Dunfermline. Me and my friend look like we are having a good gossip.

Unfortunately, things did not go our way, and Hungary scored at the very last minute of the game. We lost 1-0. Devastating. Our tournament was over. Bad choices on substitutes and a dodgy formation, lead to sloppy play, and much sadness. I’m still sad today, but it doesn’t take away the experience we had in Germany, the mood that has taken over the entire country. It has been amazing to see our country represented on the international stage. And true friendships have been created, with German fans wanting an annual game between Germany and Scotland, and the Tartan Army being voted the fans of the tournament.

It’s been great, but I hope that next time things go a bit better.

I Had A Dream

~ Sue ~ Leave a comment

What did you want to be when you grew up?

One of the things I wanted was to play football. I remember when I was younger, going to play football with the ‘bigger boys’ in the field next to my house. I was always the only girl, but it was fun. At Primary School, I could play football and train with the boys, and it was all fine. However, from around 12ish, I wasn’t allowed to play in a team with boys anymore. I had to play on a girls team. This was awful news, not enough girls in my school wanted to play football, and all the youth clubs focused on boys. It was like hitting a brick wall.

I found other hobbies, but I ended up backing away from football and rugby, both sports I had played in my younger childhood. I wasn’t ‘one of the boys’ enough, nor did i have the confidence, to push myself to make myself a place with the boys. I didn’t really feel like I could go out of my comfort zone, and look for a girls team, as none of the youth clubs nearby, had anything. So, other than the odd kick about with my brother, I didn’t really play anymore. But I still had a reoccurring dream of playing for Scotland with Ally McCoist (so much wrong with that).

I didn’t stop supporting football, the opposite. My main team became Dunfermline Athletic, and I also followed Blackpool and Aberdeen. I watched Scotland international games, and in fact still go to at least one away game a year. Football is definately my favourite sport. But it still hurts that I kind of stopped playing, in fact, I remember crying in my bed after school, cause I wanted to play with the boys and play in tournaments.

Mixed playing happens still, in Scotland girls can play with boys, till they hit 15 years old. This means that girls can play with the boys, should there not be a girls team available for them. And there are girls teams now at every youth football club in my local area. This is great, and means less girls give up playing a sport that they love. In some countries in Europe, there is no age limit, or there are mixed teams up to under-21 level. This is great. None of that stuff was in place when I became a teenager in the 90s. I remember me and my friend tried to start a girls football team at High School. A PE teacher supported us, and we scheduled training for after school on a Monday. And then 7 people showed up. It was disheartening, because the school was going to help us get games and stuff. But netball and hockey were more popular with girls, so we were quickly cancelled and forgotten about.

I grew up understanding that I could be a fan, and that’s it. Reccently I have been watching the Woman’s World Cup, held in France. It has been a great celebration of the ladies game. It felt huge because Scotland qualified for the tournament, which was amazing. It’s the biggest stage the woman’s game has had here in Scotland, it was advertised everywhere. Every game was on TV, and I saw these women play the game and live the dream that I had as a wee girl. It was amazing.

The tournament has now finished (USA won), and I hope that football organisations all over the world realise that the girls game needs investment. It’s come a long way since I was little, but it’s moving in the right direction.

Tempting

~ Sue ~ Leave a comment

I am bad at saving things for later. Be it food, money, or in today’s case, holiday hours from work. If I get an idea in my head to use something, then I’ll use it. I don’t seem to be able to keep anything till later. At all.

So today, I was to be in work, and I had a total headache. So rather that force myself in to work, I took an ’emergency holiday’. The hours used for that holiday are set aside so that if you need to use them, the holiday is automatically approved. It’s a good idea. But you only get 10 hours every 3 months. Ideally, you hold on to those hours, and use them for a proper emergency, where you might need to leave work early or something. But, I used it within the first week of getting it.

I had always decided that I was going to bail shift early, for the Dunfermline and Raith Rovers game, it was a derby game. I don’t get to go to many games, as I usually work on a Saturday.

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But Dunfermline won, which makes me happy, and makes it worth the time off. Life should include doing what makes you happy, right?

Come On DA

~ Sue ~ Leave a comment

I really enjoy watching sport, and can sit through most, but football is my favourite. Soccer to some, football to most, it is the sport that I grew up watching. So when my local, and favourite, team Dunfermline Athletic started having financial problems last season, I became concerned. Then when the club was given a wind-up order over an unpaid tax bill, and entered administration, it would not be melodramatic to say that my heart broke. This big feature of my hometown could be gone, 128 years of history gone because a few people mis-managed the club.

Over the last few months, a consortium of Pars fans and local business professionals formed a group called Pars United. The aim of this group was to bring the club back into the care of the community, so that the club could be run open and honestly, instead of directors and chairmen hiding behind closed doors. Pars United raised funds from local businesses, Pars fans and the community of West Fife, to help run the club, and try to gather a bid to take over. At the start of the summer, Dunfermline’s administrator, BDO, announced Pars United as the preferred bidder for the club. The next thing to do was to make an arrangement to who the club owed moneys of around £10 million to.

To do this a Company Voluntary Agreement (CVA) was to be created, and pitched to the clubs creditors. This would be an agreement that the club would pay a certain amount of the money back, rather than the full amount ( such as 1p in the £). For the CVA to pass, and for Pars United to start managing the club, 75% of the creditors had to agree to the CVA on Tuesday 30th July 2013.

Now whilst the actual voting is not been made public, the vote in agreement for the CVA was ‘overwhelming’. Meaning the club won’t get liquidated, and that the players and the club has a way forward, and are a step closer to being out of administration. Whilst it is great news for the club, it has been a big action by all the business effected by the clubs debt. A lot of local businesses lost out on a lot of money. But they agreed that the possible income brought about by having a football club in Dunfermline was of greater importance. And I, and every other Dunfermline fan, do not have the words to say how grateful we are that these people helped our club secure a future.

A lot of things had been put on hold whilst the CVA was sorted out. Namely the squad line-up and pictures, seemingly menial things the club would have normally done over the summer break. So Tuesday afternoon, after the CVA vote announcement, the squad had a picture day, and the offical squad list was released.  The picture of the squad is below, and you can sense the joy of the boys that have a season to look forward to.

dafc201314

The 2013/14 squad are Alex Whittle (Midfielder)
Allan Smith (Striker)
Andrew Geggan (Midfielder)
Blair Henderson (Striker)
Callum Morris (Defender)
Christopher Kane (Midfielder)
Craig Dargo (Striker)
Declan O’Kane
Faissal El Bakhtaoui (Striker)
Ivan D’Angelo (Midfielder)
John Potter (Defender)
Joshua Falkingham (Midfielder)
Kerr Young (Defender)
Lewis Spence (Midfielder)
Lewis Martin (Defender)
Michal Hrivnak (Goalkeeper)
Ross Drummond (Defender)
Ross Millen (Defender)
Ryan Goodfellow (Goalkeeper)
Ryan Ferguson
Ryan Scully (Goalkeeper)–on loan from Partick Thistle
Ryan Thomson (Midfielder)
Ryan Wallace (Midfielder)
Ryan Williamson
Shaun Byrne (Midfielder)
Stephen Husband (Midfielder)
*Now the clubs future is secured, there are reports of players getting added via loans from other clubs*

If you can’t tell, I am over the moon. It has been the hardest year I have ever had as a sports fan, and would not wish this on anyone. Dunfermline would not be the same without the Pars, so thank you to everyone who helped this club work towards its 129th year.