Trading Immortality for Mediocrity - Scottish Fitba 2023/24

[blameless]

No matter its official name or sponsors name, that tournament is, was, and always will be known in Scotland as the Diddy Cup.

[George C.]

https://twitter.com/HoppersGuide/status/1771941990931866091?t=eDZg9Grc10C5bgceZFxOGA&s=19

[torres]

I would have normally went along to this one. Unfortunately it was these pair of twats in the final.

[BallochSonsFan]

Bonnyrigg Rose sacked their manager after yesterday's 2-0 defeat at Dumbarton. I was at the game - Bonnyrigg just don't have the talent to be competing at the upper end of League Two and are right in the relegation mix. You could see them finishing bottom and having to go through the play-offs, unless Edinburgh City collapse and aren't able to play next season. East Fife got a bit of a boost when Dick Campbell went there and Clyde are doing better with McCall. In both cases they had players who were capable of better and the new managers came in and got that upturn in performance. Not sure that Bonnyrigg have the players in their squad for a new manager to improve. They get a very good crowd for League Two and probably should be doing better than they are. I really dislike New Dundas Park as a ground - horrible pitch and terrible fan facilities for League Two. But they've tried to keep ticket prices reasonable compared to their East of Scotland/Lowland seasons. Maybe some difficult decisions needed in order to bring the club up to league standards?

And well done to Airdrie, beating TNS to lift the challenge cup. The Airdrie team in the supporters trust quiz league I'm part of will be delighted and I'm really happy for them. Their quiz team are a great bunch of guys. It would also feel wrong seeing a non-Scottish side win the challenge cup. I'd much rather see more highland/lowland league teams in it than the likes of TNS. We beat them on our way to the final a few years ago and it was a great day out at the semi, but we won that tie and ended up losing the final to Caley Thistle. The idea of a non-Scottish side winning it just doesn't sit right with me. You could maybe do something pre-season between the winners of the challenge cup, the Welsh FA cup, a NI cup and one of the English lower league cups. But I'd much rather see the Highland and Lowland clubs play a qualifying round and then the league clubs brought in. Or even run the cup as a League One, League Two, Highland League and Lowland League tournament. Teams from the bottom 2 divisions don't do well in the League Cup group stages and having a cup competition that smaller teams have a genuine prospect of winning could offer fans the chance to enjoy a cup winning run.

[Kowalski]

No matter its official name or sponsors name, that tournament is, was, and always will be known in Scotland as the Diddy Cup.

I had a feeling that the competition would be referred to by that kind of name.

[BallochSonsFan]

I had a feeling that the competition would be referred to by that kind of name.

Dumbarton even had some fun with it on our run to the final.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_G7...TV-DumbartonFC

A bit flowery for my tastes and I was never convinced of the need for a club poet, but Stephen Watt went with the whole diddy thing.

[George C.]

No matter its official name or sponsors name, that tournament is, was, and always will be known in Scotland as the Diddy Cup.

Don't tell GO...

[slackster]

Though Airdrieonians franchise-y reformation still leaves a bitter taste, I’m a big fan of the chevron shirt they sported yesterday, it being a big reminder of Clapton Orient’s most well-known historical kit. And anyone beating TNS raises a smile.

[Kowalski]

Dumbarton even had some fun with it on our run to the final.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_G7...TV-DumbartonFC

A bit flowery for my tastes and I was never convinced of the need for a club poet, but Stephen Watt went with the whole diddy thing.

....and nice footage of the Near Oswestry Playboys suffering a defeat, here's to the diddy teams!

[Ray de Galles]

The final could have been billed as El Franchisico.

[MyPieBurntMyMouth]

Bonnyrigg Rose sacked their manager after yesterday's 2-0 defeat at Dumbarton. I was at the game - Bonnyrigg just don't have the talent to be competing at the upper end of League Two and are right in the relegation mix. You could see them finishing bottom and having to go through the play-offs, unless Edinburgh City collapse and aren't able to play next season. East Fife got a bit of a boost when Dick Campbell went there and Clyde are doing better with McCall. In both cases they had players who were capable of better and the new managers came in and got that upturn in performance. Not sure that Bonnyrigg have the players in their squad for a new manager to improve. They get a very good crowd for League Two and probably should be doing better than they are. I really dislike New Dundas Park as a ground - horrible pitch and terrible fan facilities for League Two. But they've tried to keep ticket prices reasonable compared to their East of Scotland/Lowland seasons. Maybe some difficult decisions needed in order to bring the club up to league standards?

This very much wasn't the case at Clyde. Clyde had built an indescribably bad squad with about half of the starting XI most weeks being players who simply were nowhere near the level.

McCall has improved what the capable players have been doing, but he's also replaced a number of players who weren't up to scratch and now has a squad that would probably end up in the promotion play-offs over a full season. Only question is keeping their nerve now, as they're easily good enough to get out of bother. Jordan Allan coming back has been a game-changer, but so has the return of Ray Grant from injury and the addition of simply better players all over the park.

The squad in general is much better and much deeper since December. Clyde now have good options on the bench and decent players who don't get many minutes. Until December/January the options on the bench were absolutely horrific and Clyde genuinely looked completely doomed.

There's clearly financial backing at Clyde. Fuck knows why they waited until staring into the abyss before acting, but from bottom of the league they've thrown together a play-off level team, and if Clyde stay up this season, I'd fancy the BW for the League Two title next year.

[The Red Max]

Thank god Livi are so poor, otherwise we'd be in real danger of finishing rock-bottom, but if Don Cowie and Ross Co. get their shit together, they must surely fancy overtaking us. The teams meet at Pittodrie on the 30th March, and the chemists in Aberdeen had better stock up with Immodium in advance.

Well, today's the day, and the result of the match now seems completely unimportant to me.
My mate that I went to all the games with from the early 1980s onwards, died very suddenly and unexpectedly on Wednesday night, age 66. He barely missed a home game since the days when Martin Buchan was leading the team out of the tunnel, we sang together through the Fergie years, and moaned through the Paterson years. I'll miss him a lot, as will many others.
Some of the old crew are meeting up to put flowers on his seat before kick off, it'll be emotional.
Go well Dunc, and (especially for you) Come On You Reds.

[Ray de Galles]

Condolences, The Red Max . I hope today helps you deal with the loss a little.

[BallochSonsFan]

Sorry to hear about your loss Max. Today is bound to be raw and what happens on the park will be a distant second. I'm sure he loved following his team with his pals and that in time those memories of better days will bring you all a bit of comfort.

[Gangster Octopus]

Ah, bugger. Sorry for your loss Max.

[CY_Boaby]

Sorry to hear your sad news, Red Max. Like you say, today's going to be emotional, so hopefully when you raise a glass to him after the game, the Dons will have done their bit on the park and given him a winning send off.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

This could have gone on a variety of threads, hut it really belongs here. I think that we should possibly consider giving up football entirely. Nothing is ever going to match this.

https://twitter.com/thesportsman/status/1774099778676158629?s=48&t=D13ZPSiKzwis4ezbWYySZA

[Felicity, I guess so]

Hope the tribute went well, Max.

I did the complete opposite of matchgoing yesterday and went for a perfectly timed long walk between 3 and 5, checking the score only at half time and full time. 'Open All Mikes' really gets annoying at times anyway, endlessly repeating the same arguments.

So now a trip to Hampden beckons next Saturday...

[DPDPDPDP]

Sorry to hear about your pal Max. It’s minor in the big scheme of things, but it’s a pity he didn’t get the chance to witness yesterday’s win (a very ugly win)

[The Red Max]

Thanks all. It was a horrible day all round, and a barely deserved victory dragging us away from the relegation playoff spot was no consolation.
Apparently Dunc got a nice mention on the club's media channel during the match coverage, which he thoroughly deserved, but would have been hugely embarrassed by.
I was aware of him years before we became mates. Back in the mid-70s, just as I was old enough to go to matches on my own, he was one of the older lads at the back of the Beach End - long hair, double-denim, Hawkwind t-shirt, oxblood Doc Martens, red and white 'tammy' on his head, scarf around the neck and one on each wrist *, starting all the songs. He looked a fairly intimidating character, but as I later found out, he had an absolute heart of gold and was a loyal friend to many. Rotten player mind.
If you met him, you wouldn't forget him, but equally he wouldn't forget you either. I'm sure that most people of a certain vintage on this board will know, or have known, someone just like him.
The terraces / stands at Pittodrie won't ever see his like again.

* EDIT - I should point out that if you substitute an Aberdeen bucket hat, no scarves on the wrists, slightly tidier hair and add a 'tache, then that pretty much still described Dunc two weeks ago.

[Erskine Bridges]

Condolences Red Max, we are truly in Sniper’s Alley now.

I was at an event last weekend which I was in two minds about posting about and where to post but this now seems like the most appropriate place.

A friend and former teammate of many years had been stuck on 499 keeper appearances for Aberdeen amateurs BSFC (DPDPDP’s former team also). He has terminal cancer and the idea to get him that final appearance culminated in a very emotional day.

Former players, and some sons, have an annual golf weekend so a lot of us have that remaining connection plus more regular contact but it was also the chance to catch up with guys I hadn’t seen in 20+ years which was fantastic.

Ailments were a popular topic of conversation and I felt my new hip was trumped by a heart op and minor stroke. There were happier reminiscences too.

The game, an official amateur league fixture, kicked off with Paco in goal. The ref and opposition were fully briefed and played their part magnificently. They kicked off, playing the ball through to him. He controlled in perfectly, performed a few step overs and kicked it straight into touch, pretty much exactly as I recall it from the nineties!

Paco then left the field to the quiet, respectful, sustained applause that had been running from the big crowd since the whistle went. I don’t recall Balgownie Playing Fields being so dusty back in the day.

Then back to the team’s long time watering hole, Number Ten, for an emotional presentation.

Not many people get that sort of appreciation. Not many deserve it but Paco certainly does. He wasn’t just a player, he’s been involved with coaching and managing also for many years. He’s a calm, intelligent, quite quiet guy and the management style is encouraging praise rather than screaming criticism. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever heard him say a bad word about anyone and in the hundreds of games I played with him, he never slagged me off for the many times I left him exposed to a tricky winger or striker. He is one of the good guys.

And he was a great keeper and a terrific shot stopper. You don’t play 500 times if you’re not.

He is loved and respected and he’s made a difference to people’s lives. I told him that, many others did too. I hope that helps him and his wife.


PS And £6,000 raised for local cancer charity Friends of ANCHOR.

[The Red Max]

Erskine Bridges Paco sounds like quite a guy, I don't recognise the name, but it's been over 30 years since I last turned out in the Aberdeen amateur or welfare leagues.
'Snipers Alley' indeed.

[Ray de Galles]

Celtic's sole goal so far against Livingston is so freakishly ricochet-filled it's almost a tribute to that Hibs clip :

https://twitter.com/scotlandsky/status/1774410858770104640?s=61&t=AGYaHxwtRU_HNs0TqPMaJg

[blameless]

Thanks for writing about Dunc and Paco gents, they sound like amazing characters. Sorry you're having to go through so much just now.

[The Red Max]

That's football though isn't it?
Of course it's about the clubs, the players, the leagues, the cups, promotions and relegations, both as a fan and also playing - at whatever level.
But mostly it's about the experiences, the memories and the friends you make along the way.
Sadly you don't realise it until much later on.