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A Photographic History Of Scottish Football


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On 05/02/2022 at 00:57, SlipperyP said:

I went down a rabbit hole the other night on youtube watching old documentaries of English football hooligans from the 60's & 70's and was surprised of the word 'soccer' being used more or less all the time.  

We used it at school in the eighties and the big ITV highlights prog in the Midlands was Star Soccer.  I think soccer has only fallen into derision because of the encroachment of American football from the mid-eighties.   So proper football fans have been more aggressive in insisting on the word football to show up the Septic farce for being the fraud that it is.

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23 minutes ago, bluearmyfaction said:

Scottish football teams in 1870:

 

IMG-6994.jpg

 

(what does N.B. mean?)

North Britain. Some folk never liked calling Scotland 'Scotland'.

7 minutes ago, Eednud said:

Old programmes often listed the linesmen as red or yellow flag. I seem to recall the linesman with the red flag was usually the more senior of the two or is my memory just playing tricks?

Yes, that's as I recall.

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33 minutes ago, bluearmyfaction said:

Scottish football teams in 1870:

 

IMG-6994.jpg

 

(what does N.B. mean?)

Any word on what the codes are.(presumably answers to a questionnaire of sorts sent out)

At a Guess

1. Formation

2. number of members 

3. home pitch

4. nearest station 

5. preferred rules(I believe at that time clubs would regularly switch between codes depending on opponents)

6. Point of contact (secretary?)

7. Strips 

Its an interesting time, when things were so changeable.  The game has changed a lot in the last few decades with rule tweaks but is fundamentally the same sport as it was.

 it would be interesting to see what people considered things to have been truly settled,  we often split things in terms of pre and post war but I think that’s a convenient outside event over something that truly changed football.

I’d argue slightly from my own clubs perspective that having a uniform national league couldn’t be confirmed until the mid 1920s when the central league settled their differences with the SFL.  You also have sfl formation and generally the advent of league football Or maybe the start of professionalism.  Perhaps we’re not there yet.  Maybe in 50-100 years some will look at the pyramid forming as a big event,  maybe there’s things we haven’t even though of yet. 

 

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1 minute ago, parsforlife said:

Any word on what the codes are.(presumably answers to a questionnaire of sorts sent out)

At a Guess

1. Formation

2. number of members 

3. home pitch

4. nearest station 

5. preferred rules(I believe at that time clubs would regularly switch between codes depending on opponents)

6. Point of contact (secretary?)

7. Strips

 

Yes.  6 was the club secretary.  I am guessing that the clubs that put their details forward (this is the Charles Alcock Football Annual) were those looking for fixtures outside their locality, hence advertising where to write.  Note Queen's Park had not yet got their details in the book.

Later years would have the place for changing facilities (usually a pub or hotel) and a summary of results.  The first couple had membership fees.

As for the rules flex, Madras would later adopt association, but then vanished quickly afterwards.  The United Rules were Sheffield rules as adopted by clubs in the Midlands.  Probably identical other than handball which changed a lot in Sheffield (the Sheffield clubs liked the fair catches because their pitches were often on hillsides).

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Those look like rugby club details- Edinburgh Accies for one are still going at the egg chasing- but they still called themselves "football clubs": Watsonians, for example, were called and may still be called Watsonians Football Club.

There was a wee bit of cross over in the early days but I think only Kilmarnock really saw the light and switched to a proper game.

Merchiston are mentioned there: in Eighteen Seventy Oatcake they hosted an FA Cup tie between Queens Park and Nottingham Forest on the area of the current Napier University Merchiston campus. And there's not a lot of people know that!

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35 minutes ago, parsforlife said:

Its an interesting time, when things were so changeable.  The game has changed a lot in the last few decades with rule tweaks but is fundamentally the same sport as it was.

it would be interesting to see what people considered things to have been truly settled,  we often split things in terms of pre and post war but I think that’s a convenient outside event over something that truly changed football.

I’d argue slightly from my own clubs perspective that having a uniform national league couldn’t be confirmed until the mid 1920s when the central league settled their differences with the SFL.  You also have sfl formation and generally the advent of league football Or maybe the start of professionalism.  Perhaps we’re not there yet.  Maybe in 50-100 years some will look at the pyramid forming as a big event,  maybe there’s things we haven’t even though of yet.

From the attending spectators point of view I don't think the really basic foundations have altered since about 1910 - certainly 1923 when promotion-&-relegation came in. Over the years the season has got longer at both ends; floodlights and jet aeroplanes have been invented leading to regular evening and international fixtures; seats have replaced terraces to a large extent; we've seen plenty innovations like 3pts-for-a-win, playoffs, Sunday football, a League Cup, preseason friendlies, the pyramid, WC, Euros etc. (at the expense of many local cups, inter-league, inter-city etc.).

However the basic building blocks of a 9-month, 30-odd game league season plus Scottish Cup are there 100yrs ago. Certainly by 1950s you've all the elements that make up the season today. Nowadays there are shootouts, substitutes, coaching staff/managers not just a trainer, sponsorship, TV coverage and all but the rules plus competition framework have been in place then simply evolved.

Think how far the weekly experience altered for a fan between say 1885 and 1905. New rules, fixturelists, professionalism, leagues. More radically than artificial light, a Premier Division or all-seaters.

If you look at England the most basic football landscape has stood since 1958 to 1960 when Third Division North / South became Third / Fourth, plus League Cup and European football began. Make some divisions 20 or 24 instead of 22, add playoffs for an extra promotion place, subtract a League Cup 2nd leg here or an FA Cup replay there, and for all (outside the elite): you're there.

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12 hours ago, HibeeJibee said:

More radically than artificial light, a Premier Division or all-seaters.

They did try THE DEVIL'S ILLUMINATION as far back as 1878 with a match at Powderhall. I think this is an illustration of the match in London that year although you get the general impression:

img1.jpg.1055d7f262a84dc979908f68cc765d39.jpg

It didn't catch on as it was fairly crap.

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51 minutes ago, tamthebam said:

They did try THE DEVIL'S ILLUMINATION as far back as 1878 with a match at Powderhall. I think this is an illustration of the match in London that year although you get the general impression:

img1.jpg.1055d7f262a84dc979908f68cc765d39.jpg

Great pic - love the guy with the top hat and cane wandering across the pitch. Spectators dress code has seriously declined over the years. Also seems something more exciting happening off to the left behind the artist.

 

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49 years ago today again...

Wednesday 14th February 1973
SFA centenary match
Scotland 0-5 England

at Hampden Park, Glasgow     48,470


image.png.c88faf031ebda19daa7367a1abc4ff4d.png

Scottish football's celebration of its 100th anniversary turned into a humiliation and shambles that earnt itself a sobriquet of "the St Valentine Day Massacre". Having decided to invite old rival England it proved a horrible debut for manager Wille Ormond at A level. On a terrible night in Glasgow, snow had to be cleared to allow the game to proceed and limited the crowd to far below expected levels - maybe for the best. Hosts found themself 3-0 down within 15mins as Peter Lorimer's own goal, Clarke and Channon stunned the centenarians. Chivers and another by Clarke in closing 15mins made it a complete rout. During the interval the Tartan Army resorted to chanting for their money back. Such margin of defeat had not been suffered since 1888.

Scotland were at least able to restore come pride come the Home Nations in May when they only lost 1-0 at Wembley.

IMG_20220212_0010.thumb.jpg.b8a3cfc24673d2cdd35906424fb70467.jpg

IMG_20220212_0014.thumb.jpg.2c862adea4b273ccdb9e71d841afb890.jpg

IMG_20220212_0013.thumb.jpg.52c16ef4e42511ebb7a53119f1858a53.jpg

Edited by HibeeJibee
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44 years ago today...

Wednesday 15th February 1978
Tour friendly
Port Vale 4-2 Fort Lauderdale Strikers


at Vale Park, Stoke-on-Trent     1,877

NASL regular season holders Fort Lauderdale rocked up in Burslem during their pre-season tour. They brought star goalie Gordon Banks and Argentina international Roberto Aguire, although George Best only joined later that year, and several Scots were on show. Note that Peter Sutcliffe is the right-winger and not the mass-murderer.

img536.thumb.jpg.bf006d4d6c5f5990a099e0426d819467.jpg

img538.thumb.jpg.2102ed83716804c164d195ec38f52896.jpg

img537.thumb.jpg.912fcde6bbe417b796979c47ba12ba21.jpg

Edited by HibeeJibee
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Other matches on that tour...


Monday 6th February 1978
Stockport County 2-4 Fort Lauderdale Strikers


img539.thumb.jpg.4a730bda4f13853cf198f56a0afc1bd5.jpg


Wednesday 8th February 1978
Blackpool 3-2 Fort Lauderdale Strikers


Friday 10th February 1978
Workington 0-0 Fort Lauderdale Strikers
6,127


img540.thumb.jpg.a5b751de73afb1f5e444bc5c2597f8ae.jpg


Monday 13th February 1978
Portsmouth 2-2 Fort Lauderdale Strikers


img541.thumb.jpg.cbb623a6011527ceeb950410281d74b2.jpg


Saturday 18th February 1978
Swindon Town 6-2 Fort Lauderdale Strikers

1,173

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