It was 40 years ago today

[DPDPDPDP]

It’s hard to believe that it was all of 40 years ago today since Aberdeen beat Real Madrid 2-1 to win the European Cup Winners Cup. The footballing landscape has changed irreversibly in so many ways since then that it is now impossible to repeat such a feat. Meanwhile I’ll just savour the memories of a great, great team.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_-aA3nc2OQ

[Gangster Octopus]

I watched it in The Alliance in West Hampstead.

[The Red Max]

What a night - I watched the game in The Lochside Bar, then partied all the way up Union Street on the way home.
Skipped college the following day to see the team coming home, but the whole city was out on the streets that afternoon. Amazing scenes that will stay with me for as long as I live.

I can hardly believe that 40 years have passed, I was 18 years old with my whole life ahead of me, and now...
I'll be watching / recording the documentaries on BBC & Sky Sports tonight, remembering the good times, and raising a glass to the greatest team I've ever seen in red, and to those we've lost along the way.

[MrLeam]

A memorable night for a young MrLeam, whose Dad sent him to bed at the end of regular time and missed out on the winning goal...

[elguapo4]

The last time Real Madrid lost a European final apparently

[AMMS]

Forty years, bloody hell. I was a schoolboy in Glasgow and everyone I knew was supporting Aberdeen that evening. My dad and I celebrated the winner as if we too were tight-fisted, oil-rich, native Doric speakers. My memory is everyone in Scotland was pleased they won, no matter who we supported. I don't think that would happen now.
Amazing achievement from what was a great side.

[The Red Max]

The last time Real Madrid lost a European final apparently

This is something that we Aberdeen fans like to throw out there, but it's possibly not 100% true.
Galatasaray beat Real Madrid in the 2000 Super Cup, but is it technically a "final" if there aren't any rounds prior to it?

[The Red Max]

My memory is everyone in Scotland was pleased they won, no matter who we supported. I don't think that would happen now.

Almost certainly not.

[DPDPDPDP]

What a night - I watched the game in The Lochside Bar, then partied all the way up Union Street on the way home.
Skipped college the following day to see the team coming home, but the whole city was out on the streets that afternoon. Amazing scenes that will stay with me for as long as I live.

I can hardly believe that 40 years have passed, I was 18 years old with my whole life ahead of me, and now...
I'll be watching / recording the documentaries on BBC & Sky Sports tonight, remembering the good times, and raising a glass to the greatest team I've ever seen in red, and to those we've lost along the way.

Max, we’re obviously of a similar vintage as I was 19 at the time of the final. I was in my second year of a business studies degree at Robert Gordon’s. I played amateur football on a Saturday but attended all the midweek games - the Bayern one was magic. I was certainly too young and too foolish to appreciate how great Aberdeen were. We might not have much to brag about these days, but we have so many great memories especially of the 80’s

[DPDPDPDP]

This is something that we Aberdeen fans like to throw out there, but it's possibly not 100% true.
Galatasaray beat Real Madrid in the 2000 Super Cup, but is it technically a "final" if there aren't any rounds prior to it?

Max, we don’t have much to brag about these days, and haven’t had for a long time - I agree it’s not 100% true, but it’s wee Aberdeen on the one hand and it’s the mighty Real Madrid on the other hand, so a wee bit of truth bending is acceptable in this case.

[Mr Beast]

A gripping title race that season as well with Dundee United, Aberdeen and Celtic separated by just one point. I remember my uncle’s arguing about whether the fact United provided free travel to Greenock for fans near the end of the season showed they were small time.

Aberdeen probably never received the credit they deserved but the Ipswich fans I know who saw their team knocked out of the UEFA Cup knew how strong they were. As a stupid 19 year old I expected them to beat Real Madrid quite comfortably.

[Felicity, I guess so]

I watched it from the front row of the Lower Bar at Wolverhampton Poly SU. I think I leapt higher than Hewitt when the winner went in. Glory days for Scottish Football

[elguapo4]

Max, we don’t have much to brag about these days, and haven’t had for a long time - I agree it’s not 100% true, but it’s wee Aberdeen on the one hand and it’s the mighty Real Madrid on the other hand, so a wee bit of truth bending is acceptable in this case.

I agree with Max, a one off game isn't a final, so it's a genuine boast.

[multipleman78]

This happened just before my 5th birthday so I have no memory of it. Although I am a bluenose, my 3 best friends in high school were Aberdeen fans and I don't know how many times I have seen the Glory of Gothenburg and the team of the 80's.

There is nothing Ferguson did at Manchester United that tops what he did at Aberdeen. Even although football was a bit more even in those days, Aberdeen beating Bayern and Real to win a European trophy is astonishing. Then Hamburg too, of course.

One of those Aberdeen video's liked to boast that Aberdeen were the best side in Europe in 83 after beating Hamburg. It was a fun claim and a bold one but I think you would have to be the best in Scotland before saying you are the best in Europe.

With my history watching those highlights and going with my friends to some games, I am probably the one bluenose who always wants Aberdeen to do well except when they play us. The best game I ever saw live was Morton 3 Aberdeen 7 a.e.t. in 1996. Anyone else present that night?

[The Red Max]

One of those Aberdeen video's liked to boast that Aberdeen were the best side in Europe in 83 after beating Hamburg. It was a fun claim and a bold one but I think you would have to be the best in Scotland before saying you are the best in Europe.

The "best" we ever managed in the UEFA coefficients was 3rd, but from 3rd Nov 1983 up to 25th April 1984 we were top of the 'ELO' rankings.
http://clubelo.com/1983-11-03/Ranking - http://clubelo.com/1984-04-25/Ranking
But I maintain that we were the best team in Scotland at that time without question. Dundee United may have won the league in 82/83, but I think league points dropped either side of the wins in the ECWC quarter final & semi final wouldn't have happened otherwise. The 2-1 home defeat to Utd. after the breathless win over Bayern less than 3 days before was pivotal in deciding the title in their favour.

I would have loved to see how we might have done in the European Cup in 83/84, but to be fair Dundee Utd. didn't do too badly themselves!

*EDIT*
This was a bit random.

https://twitter.com/spiderstacy/status/1656384390060965889

[Mr Beast]

40 years. Where did the time go?

Looking forward to seeing the documentaries this weekend.

[torres]

I was at Anfield for the 80/81 EC second leg against the Dons and you could see that Ferguson was building a really good team there. A TerryMac wonder goal won the first leg and two own goals scuppered any hope of turning the tie round.

[The Red Max]

Fergie said that they (both the team collectively and himself personally) learned a lot in those 2 ties which stood them in good stead for the UEFA Cup run the following year (when we knocked out holders Ipswich before losing 5-4 on aggregate to SV Hamburg) and the successful ECWC run the year after.

It's also that 2nd leg tie at Anfield where some of the travelling Dons fans first witnessed the 'casual' terrace culture which they adopted for themselves.

[DPDPDPDP]

The "best" we ever managed in the UEFA coefficients was 3rd, but from 3rd Nov 1983 up to 25th April 1984 we were top of the 'ELO' rankings.
http://clubelo.com/1983-11-03/Ranking - http://clubelo.com/1984-04-25/Ranking
But I maintain that we were the best team in Scotland at that time without question. Dundee United may have won the league in 82/83, but I think league points dropped either side of the wins in the ECWC quarter final & semi final wouldn't have happened otherwise. The 2-1 home defeat to Utd. after the breathless win over Bayern less than 3 days before was pivotal in deciding the title in their favour.

I would have loved to see how we might have done in the European Cup in 83/84, but to be fair Dundee Utd. didn't do too badly themselves!

*EDIT*
This was a bit random.

https://twitter.com/spiderstacy/status/1656384390060965889

Max, I totally agree. United won the league in 1982/83 finishing 1 point ahead of Aberdeen. I still believe that if the United 2-1 game v Aberdeen, had taken place any time other than 3 days after the Bayern game, we would have taken something from that game and won the league.

looking at the second half of 1983, Aberdeen were the league leaders at the end of the year and comfortably won the league, finishing 7 points ahead of Celtic and 10 ahead of United. So, looking at 1983 overall, I think Aberdeen were the best team in Scotland.

I know the footballing landscape has changed dramatically since 1980’s, not only in Scotland, but elsewhere, but the 80’s in my opinion were the pinnacle of Scottish football. 4 different league winners (almost 5 - Hearts in 86); Aberdeen and United’s success in Europe; and Scotland qualifying for the World Cup in 1982; 1986 and 1990. It;s now 38 years since anyone other than Rangers or Celtic have won the league and I can’t see that situation changing for a very, very long time. Looking at the current league table, with 4 games to go, Aberdeen are in 3rd place, but they are a mind boggling, whopping 42 points behind Celtic and 29 points behind Rangers. If only we had a competitive league…big sigh .

[multipleman78]

Even as a Rangers fan, I dislike how it has become a Glasgow monopoly. That monopoly is quite one sided (17-6 in Celtic's favour this century). I know the big 2 had periods of dominance in the days of old but clearly the other sides had hope of having good seasons and toppling them.

I actually thought Hearts were going to win the league in 05-06 after their sensational start but Mr. Romanov killed that one by falling out with Burley and then he appointed a convicted sex offender.

I think if another side came up to challenge and were battling Rangers for the title on the last day, I wouldn't mind if it didn't go our way. It's about time the title went outside this city.

[Mr Beast]

I thought the Hearts collapse in 86 was funny at the time. And after losing the league in such devastating circumstances it seemed obvious that they would find Aberdeen difficult opponents in the cup final the following week. Aberdeen wiped the floor with them.

I had a few cheap laughs at my mate who supported Hearts. I regret it now and Christ knows when someone outside the old firm will win it again.

[Sporting]

It's about time the title went outside this city.

Or to the Jags.

[multipleman78]

Or to the Jags.

That would be fantastic. Or to the Spiders but the Jags ruined that dream for another year in emphatic fashion.

[multipleman78]

Max, I totally agree. United won the league in 1982/83 finishing 1 point ahead of Aberdeen. I still believe that if the United 2-1 game v Aberdeen, had taken place any time other than 3 days after the Bayern game, we would have taken something from that game and won the league.

I was looking up some old seasons on Wikipedia and I was totally unaware that in 1983, Dundee United reached the quarter finals of the Uefa Cup.

On the same night Bayern were vanquished at Pittodrie, United were losing a tight affair at Tannadice to Bohemians of Prague.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

Were the uefa cup and ecwc on the same night back then? I have vague memories of it being Tuesday for the uefa Cup and Thursday for ecwc